Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 09, 2018

The “maybe” box is going to be tough choice.

I thought that was what the keep box was for

I think the little box his where Gunther is going to put his manhood after moving in with Les to become his servant.

I would bet that the “Keep” box will be the most full.

“Something we have not seen before” hinted Sheriff, and it’s nothing but architecture.

The maybe box is Gunther personal lock box.

Now here is the house that Brad and Tony will buy.

Wonder what he means by that. Maybe keep the key and the deed to the house?

OK, I’m stumped. Maybe the “maybe” box is where they’ve hidden today’s chuckle?

To me, this is nothing but sad. Our late mother was widowed when I was almost 10 and baby bro was 4. She raised us alone till she met the man who became our stepfather, and while all was not perfect then, he moved in with us and didn’t totally cause upheaval in our lives. I was almost 14 then; wouldn’t have been old enough to move out and live on my own if things hadn’t worked out. But Gunther is old enough to get a job so he can afford an apartment. I don’t get this plot line at all…

Not as much purging as Tiff has to do! Ha! Ha!

Too far?

Gunther, le5 Me just say this. If your soon-to-be-step-dad, actually gave a DAMN about you, he’d give you a choice; Live in HELL with Les, OR stay here and live alone on your OWN. And I could say the SAME thing about your “Creators.” If they cared about Gunther, they’d let him stay. After all, WHY should this House go to Brad & Toni? Or Pru? Or those useless Fogarty’s? Or Old Smiley?

On a positive note, moving or not, EVERYBODY should go thru their domiciles and out a lot of worthless JUNK that been accumulated down thru the years. Nothing drives him up the wall than folks who fill their garages with stuff they don’t need, to point where they can’t even park their cars in them anymore. Then they complain when somebody breaks in their cars when they’re parked outside at night. “Keepsake Memories,”My Arse.

#FREEGB!!!

There were undoubtedly a number of swinging key exchange parties at that house.

Completely bored by this story arc. Totally illogical and forced. Why would “Gunthie” ever agree to live with Les in his Mother’s backyard. I thought Gunther grew a backbone while in Peru? And isn’t Quill still living with them? Or will we find out what that mystery hole is in the basement?

Gunther still has that “peach fuzz”?Come on, shave it off already!

You can always toss the Maybe into one of the others if you decide later.

If Gunther’s mom weren’t fictional, I would be recommending she read The Gift of Fear. She’s getting ready to marry a control freak.

Why doesnt gunther just stay in the house he’s in he really should put his foot down

If the house is already paid for the mother should just give the house to Gunther

Much as I agree with many of the commenters re the Gunther character we (I) must always remember, “Gunther Berger” is an avatar; a construct. He serves the minds of Greg, Betty and Karen Evans. Interviews some time back indicate some story arcs extend as much as a year in advance; I assume that’s in GnBnK time.

So we can fret and wring our hands (and I do, figuratively) over where the Burger family arc and associated characters is going. But it has been or is being, all worked out for us beforehand. By the time we become involved with an arc it probably has already been completed and archived.

Sometimes we have to relax, sit back and enjoy the show.

I wonder how much it cost to build the little home for Les and Gunther? I wonder if the Gunther home is paid off?

Reminds me of the hoarder shows where people couldn’t throw anything away, even the nastiest piece of garbage.

I wonder if Bwad and Toni will buy their house?

Wonder if we will see Rosa again?

But Gunther can’t live in the guest house unless they still own the property. So why can’t he just stay in the house?

On a side note, I can’t stand the term “purging” for throwing out old garbage. Just throw out the garbage, it’s not a sacred rite.

I never understood why the marriage requires Gunther to leave his bedroom.

Which box is Quill in?

Toss box: first item should be that not-a-beard that Gunther has been wearing since his road trip with the senior citizens in Peru.

That maybe box might be the most important one. Trying to clean out years of memories can be very conflicting. I am doing that in our basement room, we are redoing it. It feels like history, going back nearly 35 years before my kids came, and now grew up and moved away. I have changed careers, and have had several new degrees, and a lot has happened. Not easy in a way, but it must be done. The maybe box is going to be bigger.

“If You Play Your Cardboards Right….”

“Boxing, Like It’s Your Job!”

“I’d Put Myself In The ‘Not Categorizing’ Group”

“Finding Changes, For Your ‘Million Dollar Dream’ "

“If I Could Find Time, For A Box Of Bottles…” (♪)

“You Can Find The Proof Of Purges In Your Box Of ‘Serial’ "

“A Box Of Just Dirty Rags Contain Sorted Details”

“Upgrade, Downsize, Change Up, Break Down”

“This Is A Corrugated Community”

or

“Sometimes, The Penchant Is Mightier Than The Sort”

Wonder in which box Gunther will put:

A) His sewing machine

B) His checkered, plaid and ‘non-plaid’ shirts

C) His Rosa Photo Album

D) His Quill buddy

E) His hopes and dreams

F) His Macbook Pro

G) His Commodore 64

H) That super clunky charger for his very first Nokia phone from 2007

Z) That one Star Trek DVD that Tiffany borrowed from him (and also gave to him as a gift)

18) The overdue library book he already paid full retail price on once it was declared gone  (but then found, right afterward)

Googol) His analog tape recording of Luann saying "If ‘scenario A’ happened….and then if ‘scenario B’….and if ‘some other conditions’….then you’d probably be a great catch for me….

6

My take on this is:

1. Clearing out an old family home is awfully damn hard. I remember how gut wrenching this was when I did this for my parents home. The finality (even if it is a good finality) is hard.

2. But, in terms of economics… the idea of Gunther being willing to live in the guest house situation is not all that far fetched in the short term…. he has 2 or 3 more years of college to earn his Bachelor’s degree, and then he will be far better off financially to pursue a job or graduate school than he would be if he acquired massive debt to “live on his own” or “live in the dorms”. I think Gunther is playing it financially safe and smart at the moment.

3. Uncle Al building a guest house for Les and Gunther…. admittedly feels very far fetched. But, in terms of California real estate goes…. it is probably a sound financial investment and probably would greatly increase the property values….. and still allows for the ample Irma/Al/Gunther/Les interaction as a plot device.

4. I am hoping the week is not a “Tour of Reminiscences.” If it is, I may have to vacate from this comic for a while. Living that sort of thing in real life was not fun and even if done in a great way, I am not sure I want to do that via the comic.

It will be interesting to see what G & K have in mind down the road. We will jump to some other arcs. Eventually Ann Eiffel is likely to reappear. Actually for me, it would be very heartwarming if crummy Les and his crummy mother finally reconcile.

To address those that ask a fair question about why Gunther doesn’t just stay in the old house, maybe the following could be a possible consideration:

-

Likely, some ‘new drama’ has been planned, with adding Les to the mix. So moving them all out completely, and having both their lives (Gunther and Les) changed majorly in this way, seems to set that up well. Plus, this gives an opportunity to get them in a home that looks a bit more “updated”, for two young bachellors. This “old” Berger house perhaps might not “fit well”, in G n K’s estimation.

Hmmmm…. a thought just occurred to me. Could the old “Berger” house become the new “Brad/Toni” house? Is this why these two arcs are being interwoven?

{Popcorn}

You know what I’d REALLY like to see this week? No, it’s not Les getting run over by a garbage truck driven by Dirk, although THAT would be delightful.

I’d like to see Gunther find some photo, or memento, amongst the “keepsakes” that tells him about his REAL dad. And when he finds it, he goes forthwith to Ma Berger and DEMANDS she give him the Full Skinny on his Real Pop. Of course, THAT would be too much to ask.

But It would be worth it just to wipe the “smile” off Irma’s face…..,

#FREEGUNTHERB

Forgot to check and see if that “?” box they have (for the maybes) was purchased from:

1) Mario Plumbing, Moving and Storage (great for stashing extra coins you may have)

or

2) From the Tardis Corporation (with deep, deep,deep space inside, for all the unexpected ‘candidate items’ that they will soon accumulate)

No, Gunth, you may not put Les in the Toss box.

Toss: CDs of Luann and Quill singing “Hey Boy” and “I’m A Snot”

Keep: map to the shallow grave where Mom B. buried Dad B.‘s body in that vacant lot by the freeway

Donate: “Basic Spanish Phrase Book for Tourists”

?: deed to the Berger house, for when Al Gray’s past catches up with him and he is sent away for 10 to 20 years

First glance at the last panel made me think Gunther was wearing a pink apron. I didn’t really notice the beard stubble missing. Then I remembered, so the artist won’t have to work too hard, he (or she) just draws Gunther twice, adds beard stubble to one, earrings, dress, or some other feminine identifying marker to the other, and HEY PRESTO!! Mommy and Gunthie! Identical twins. Seriously, the Irma character now looks like Gunther in drag.

As far as the Odd Couple theme people keep referencing, I don’t think this is quite the same. Oscar never demanded Felix do all the work. Felix just did it because he was, to put it nicely, a neat freak. But here Les is taking the “lion’s share” of everything for himself, and expecting Gunth to be his live in slave. And why have one bigger bedroom anyway? Mr. Gray KNEW who was going to be living in the house, so he could just as easily had it build with two equal size bedrooms each with their own small adjoining bath. That way Gunther could put some major locks on his door, and just in case Les the punk has some lock picking skills, he could also set up something like Sheldon from BBT did in the episode when he was worried about a break in. I especially liked the electrified net that drops on someone when they walk in.

I guess the Evans’ are doing it this way because this is what they consider humor. HA HA! Look! Gunther the punching bag. Gunther the doormat. Gunther the constant looser.

NOT. REALLY. FUNNY. AT. ALL.

Or, it could be a set-up for “Look! Gunther grows a pair!”

Notice in the first panel she says “… soon I’ll be with Al and you’ll live with Les”. That is how some people refer to their imminent death – I. E. “Soon I’ll be with your father” or "Soon I’ll be with God ". I’d expect a woman to say, “Al and I will be married” or “Al and I will be together” or something similar. Again, I see this arc as about control and domination. Hard to read but I and the rest of us keep coming back hoping for a good resolution to the collection of arcs within this plot. That being said, it is disappointing that the storyboard goes out a year.

I may be wrong, but it seems that Greg is building his latest empire on all of the least likable and most irritable characters in his gallery.

latest GoComics “Upgrade” …. so now we have boxes around everything and more links at the bottom of the page.

I can hardly control my excitement.

So hoping we don’t endure a protracted “Les really isn’t bad” or “Les finally moves away” archs. Tiresome with so much other material around.

I am going to say one more thing on Gunther: so many here have projected, to me anyway, all kinds of put upon and unfair treatment about and to Gunther. Gunther is a nerdy guy, who is growing at a pace that is uneven, and there is an aspect of a low level locus of internal control here, namely, he is pushed along by events without any attempt at personal control, and no attempt by Gunther to control them, but I don’t buy any of it. I think that bemoaning all of this demeans Gunther; the “poor” put upon Gunther is projected to be an example of unfairness for and to him, from not getting the hot girl, to being “controlled” by evil delinquent Les, or over-mothered by Irma, who now is throwing him over the bridge for a shady Outfit related guy (a mob guy in Los Vegas, would be at least part of the Chicago based Outfit, the New York based Five Families left in the late early 60s per the famous "Commission meeting in upstate New York, this bit of mob lore from a Mob history interested person), at least to some of you. Al might be connected, but a gangster? I doubt it. Give Gunther a chance!! Stop projecting things you think might have been unfair in your personal history on his red-haired head. He will be fine in the long, slow, arcs of the Luanniverse world.

The sizes of the TOSS and ? (MAYBE) boxes should be swapped. (And of course, as soon as you toss something, someone will call asking if you have one they can borrow or have.)

I was lured into this strip byTiffany. It’s been downhill ever since. Gunther is the Prince of Wimps, wasted a clean shot at Tiffany. The brat is intruding on Brad’s marriage, and Mr. Gray is the gravest presence in an ever grayer strip. BORING!

Coming Attractions: Adventure in the desert. Gunther meets Hollywood’s concept of the beautiful showgirl with a heart of gold who is just working her way through college. Gunther is overwhelmed, as is the showgirl who falls hard for her little nerd. She puts back on her glasses, has her implants removed, and the two of them run off to Cal Tech to get lost in the world of academia.

Put Les in the Toss box.

Gotta say, Gunther, the box sizes are at the right ratio!! ;)

Scrapping his past may be the best thing Gunther could do. But I fear there will turn out to be too much “maybe” stuff. Too much baggage on that boy!

I’ve always thought it is better to have a roommate you don’t like than to room with a friend.When you room with a friend, gradually you get on one another’s nerves, and then the friendship goes caput!When you room with someone you don’t like, you expect nothing, so anything nice that happens is a pleasant surprise. And, anything bad that happens is no surprise at all.

I thought Mrs. Berger was Gunther at first. They look almost identical except Gunther has stubble on his face