Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 04, 2016

hmmm….

Knew it…

The doors seem to be drawn rather small compared to the size of the people.

…and the door opens to eventual adoption/quasi-adoption.

It feels like Brad’s doing more than Toni and Jonah

Well, this should dispel any ideas that Brad hasn’t started thinking of Shannon in terms of a surrogate daughter!

Surely Jonah will notice..Please note that all Brad’s ire was based on what he perceived as mistreatment of a child..WHATAGUY!

@Kymberleigh

@Mikeyj

To be fair, Dirk never laid a hand on her, it was more like control/emotional abuse.

Not true.

When Toni attended Brad’s graduation from the Fire Academy, Dirk turned up, tried to forcibly remove her from the room, and was restrained by Fire Department personnel then turned over to the police.^^Well, I meant he never punched or hit her, grabbing her arm can be called assault, but, I was talking about beating on her… I guess I wasn’t specific enough.

@DavidHuieGreen

Ummm Thx for the “offer”, but, I’m not into guys! :pps, who is Patsy?

Great plan, Brad & Toni, right up to the point that the Captain puts you two on the same shift (though not likely, once you two are married) … OR … once you are married, he transfers one of you to a different station (i.e., so spouses don’t work at the same station, even if alternating on/off days) … whatever, this isn’t a plan that’s going to come together …

Argythree said, about 1 hour ago

@Mikeyj

Yeah, that’s how it starts. It started that way for our sister. She kept telling herself it was her fault, like he said. Even after he punched her so hard she passed out.

Excuse me if I don’t trust that someone who is involved with ‘control’ verbally will stop with just the verbal.^^I agree, 100%

@Mikeyj“There was no mention of a “Patsy” by anyone.”.I mentioned her yesterday.

There was no mention of a “Patsy” by anyone.^ ^ Something DHG posted on yesterday’s discussion…DavidHuieGreen said, about 2 hours ago

@Mikeyj

“I will be 55 “and never been kissed” next week, I gave up hope 5 years ago :p”.Come here, I’ll kiss you.Patsy can chaperone in case you get carried away

I wonder if the tragedy that happens before the wedding, has to do with Toni finding out she’s pregnant, then, losing the baby… Greg is known for going where other cartoonists refuse to tread.

Mess up your life early and avoid the rush. At least go in and close the door. They both must be hot for each other by now or they’re in some other universe. And……..stop thinking about the kid.

Oh, Brad, she’s got you wrapped around her finger. But, what should I expect………..Rosa (the hot one) turned into Mother Theresa.

Sure Brad cares about Shannon – however I also think Brad had a little ego issue when Shannon got so excited about her dad showing up – after Brad was committed to helping…

Ah not to worry. This couple is considerate and transactional in a good way. Couples have to work with each other, because issues of time always come up. In real life working and taking c/o kids is a real couples job, but it can be done, I know from experience. And those who say it can’t work probably have not had to raise kids and be first responders. I am not, but I have know several first responder couples and they manage to work it out. YOu know it takes a village.

I want to know why no one called DCF when Jonah abandoned the child with strangers?

Ah. And NOW We’ve Come to the “Moment of Truth” wherein it is BRAD who makes the ‘Sacrifice.’

Congratulations and welcome to the Wonderful World of Pre-Fatherhood!

So, WHEN will You be Selling Your Beloved Car and purchasing a Mini-Van?

For anyone who wonders why Donald Duck has nephews instead of his own children…

And awwwaaaaaaaayyyyy we go!

Again, I don’t think Jonah will give Shannon up so easily/quickly. This will be part of the “drama and trauma” forecast for their wedding.

More enabling bad parenting from Jonah.

Shannon’s misfortunate situation with daddy Jonah (more like without daddy Jonah, actually) is helping to cement Brad and Toni’s bond even more tightly. So at least some good is coming out of the problem. I am still not convinced that Jonah’s stated excuses are the whole truth of what he spends his time doing, however….

This saves Toni from having to be alone with Brad. Brad will henceforth spend more time alone with Shannon than he does with Toni.

It’s amazing who Toni knows that Shannon will be fine with being yanked from her home, without even asking her. She looked mighty happy with Jonah just a few hours ago. It seems that she is being used as a pawn simply because Brad felt slighted and jealous.

Because there’s no way, even after being married that these two will actuall conceive a child of their own. Sex is NOT ALLOWED in this universe.

Way to be the man Brad!

Dumb… they watch her all the time anyway.

Brad will no doubt be an excellent dad to Shannon. And as the years go by and Shannon grows into a young woman (if Greg/Karen allow that growth to happen, probably albeit at a much slower pace than real life), Shannon will come to recognize Brad as the true “Dad” that raised her. The guy has a big heart, and it’s in the right place.

I really like the way Toni’s face lights up in the second panel.

-Yes, DHG did mention ‘Patsy’ as a chaperone in case MikeyJ got carried away.

You just need to slow down in your speed reading…

I really like the way Greg has slowly altered Shannons personality to reflect what loving consistency can do for an unruly child.

Brad is polishing the apple with Toni. He has other ideas. Heh,, heh, heh. Va-va-va-voom!

How much more boring can this strip get?

Brad has been taking care of Shannon for years. How would this be any different?

Oh Goody! We are going to get rid of Jonah! Will he:

a) land a role in a West End production where a lighting instrument falls on his head?

b) walk out in front of Dirk’s garbage truck?

c) take method acting one step too far as the lead in Jonah and the Whale?

Toni is Shannon’s Aunt. Spending time with various relatives is not bouncing around like she is homeless. Many relatives love spending time with young nieces and nephews. I sure did.

Looks like we are on the road to legal guardianship.

Yay! Everything seems happy. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I mentioned her yesterday.-“No one mentioned that part.”.It’s just one of those things where you had to be there for it to make sense.(And sometimes when you ARE there my stuff doesn’t make sense.)

nice thing about practicing parenting with someone else’s kid, you can always give ’em back.

Legal guardianship would be hard to make happen in the strip. Jonah will just get an acting job on the road, he will leave Shannon with Toni, and then he will basically cease to exist in the Luannverse. Afterwards, Shannon will live with “Aunt Toni” and “Uncle Bwad”, just as Nancy lives with Aunt Fritzi Ritz: and Jughead lives with Aunt Loweezy and Uncle Snuffy Smith, as is the normal comic strip trope where the kids’ biological parentage is never mentioned.

I must be dense— how is adding another caregiver (even one Shannon loves) going to make her life more stable?

Jonah and Nancy barely knew who each other were, perhttp://www.gocomics.com/luann/2016/07/11

Jonah and his girlfriend (I assume they never married) knew each other only briefly, she had a baby, and she left the kid with Jonah and then split. I suspect most guys under those circumstances would have put the baby up for adoption immediately, but he kept the child, provided a home for her, and has kept her clothed and fed. He may not be so terrible a father as everyone here thinks (remember, we see Shannon only on those occasions when Jonah drops here off, and never in the majority of the time when she is staying at home with him).Shannon certainly seems to enjoy being with Jonah, and his giving her that crown (even if he just picked it up from the box of costume jewelry Tiffany was using) shows that he’s not so completely thoughtless as everyone here says he is. Taking Shannon away from him in a custody move may not be in her best interest, especially if it causes her deep emotional distress.

I think I’d want to spend some time just with Toni, before becoming an instant family.

Good Lord. July 11. And there were a couple of weeks’ worth of strips leading up to that.This story arc has gone on forever.

This could well work out fine. But, yes, the devil is in the details. Are we speaking of legal guardianship, joint custody, a handshake agreement with Jonah, or something much more nuanced. Shannon needs her dad, however much a bum he is. A poorly_thought_out_agreement could well enable even more lousy parenting by Jonah.

Some of you got it right. The short doors in the background are on the wall of a hallway perpendicular to Toni’s. Now it’s time to reply with the comment that the brass handle on one of those doors is not being seen straight on. Easy answer. It was hit by Dirk years ago in a fit of rage, and remains bent. The landlord has not fixed it because he owes Mr. Gray a lot of money and is forced to launder the apartment complex finances in order to make payments to the Gray Shark, as he was known in Vegas. This leaves only money for the most critical of repairs needed. Isn’t it OBvious?

Huey, Dewey, and Louie might actually be named Hugh, Dwayne, and Louis, for all we know.

Brad is really growing up. Wharf a mature decision to discuss and follow through.

I’m sorry, but for a “comic” strip these young folks suffer a lot, are frequently disappointed, and almost never just have fun. Paging Knute and Crystal, we need you. Nobody here laughs.

no, He cannot be because of his criminal record ( and as acknowledged by G.E.)

Big difference in words here.drama and trauma don’t necessarily have to be tragic.

“Drama and trauma” sounds more nearly as if Brad or Toni will be hurt in a fire. “Drama” would be simply that they start (years later than they should have!) to talk about their lives together, realize that they have completely different expectations, wonder whether they’re doing the right thing, and consider calling it off.

Thanks, Puzz, that in more in line with what i recalled, not the word “tragedy” and not that it would specifically happen to the Degroots, though that is among the possibilities.

I have not seen anything which referred to Shannon as being 7. She certainly has recently been called 6 years old in the strip. Reference for 7?

My point is that if Shannon is indeed a bit better behaved and better adjusted than she was when she first met Brad, it is less likely due to his influence than simply to her have grown up a couple of years.

SPOILER

Shoe horns needed to create comfortable living arrangement?

Childcare, daycare, babysitters – you’ve all heard of stories where people in all three of those place have abused, or even murdered, your little darlins. Why have children only two put them into the hands of strangers? There have been some shocking hidden videos of cruel child abuse. Why put your child in possible danger? .I would never place my children in child or day or even with a babysitter. Some babysitters pass all the hiring application questions but can have a dark side to them that they keep secret. I would never put my children in possible danger.^^^for every instance of something like you describe, there are hundreds, even thousands of wonderful caring childcare providers. and THIS JUST IN! SOME people need to have more than one income..In fact most people. So staying home with the kids is not an option. Should they all have been put into adoption or terminated at pregnancy?

You would NEVER even hire a babysitter? Are you a parent? If so, are you telling us that you have never gone out without your kids since they were born?

Yay! The (hilarious) antics of Brad and Shannon!