Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 20, 2023

Wow! So Nil basically called Bernice on over to stare at Jack’s naked package for a couple hours??

This whole thing seems a little strange. I’m sure Nil is paying Jack for his nude modeling.. but shouldn’t he pay Bernice for modeling, as well?

Jack is clearly an exhibitionist… Bernice is not.

,

So will Bernice ever open her eyes??? LOL

Seems like a reasonable question to me!

No KAPOW FLUBBA DUBBA!?

She has her eyes shut tighter than Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Maybe she thinks the same thing will happen if she opens them.

Nil, strategic hand placement.

Now this is just getting silly! 8^ (

We could be working up to a great mé·nage à quad with Nil, Jack and Piro all sending Bernice into an amorous tizzy! 8^ )

So what will Bern do? Are we in for a surprise?

Okay.

This, has Officially gotten weird.

This project gives Bernice the willie’s, or at least shows her his willie!

But Mona Lisa’s eyes are pointed to her left. Jack should stand on the other side.

Color me surprised that Greg continued with this. So will we have a week of Bernice not looking where Nil wants her to? Will Bernice storm out screaming “to perdition with your crazy art ideas?” Will Luann be involved? And why does he need live models for what an artist would call a cartoon? These questions and more will be in the rubble of this week’s train wreck.

Oh look at that, another Luann character who’s afraid of nudity. (Eyeroll)

Even so, I’m kinda on Bernice’s side here. Nil should’ve given her a heads-up as to what would be expected of her here. Asking her to stare at a dude’s junk for who knows how long, without even a warning first?

Nice placement of Nil’s hand.

The thing is, what if Bern opens her eyes and realizes that she enjoys being part of this “exhibition”? Now I know this is doubtful but G&K have been known to throw curveball to us before.

Beb01 mentioned Luann getting involved and Tyge mentioned Piro/Walt; the addition of either of these characters would definitely be over the top but interesting as I do not how Piro could get involved unless Jack and Nil order some pizza or take out and Walt is the delivery guy (like something out of a cheezy B movie) and I believe Luann has seen Jack pose before (for an art class?) so this might not faze her as much as initially thought. I think this will run its course this week without too much ddrama besides Bern frieking out and then in the not too distant future Bern will hear that Nil has won some sort of huge competition with this composite of Jack and Bern and thus throws Bern into the spotlight again as the girl who has taken an interest in Jack’s anatomy.

At the very least – Nil’s art concept actually makes sense. Could that be the most unexpected part of the scenario?

Week 2 will be a weird week thanks to Bern.

This is quite…I don’t know what. After all, Nil knows from experience how weird Bernice’s sexual hang-ups are. He’s deliberately provoking her and it’s as if his motive has nothing to do with art. It’s as if he’s a huge creep.

With that particular statue, there’s not much to be afraid of. Artists of the time believed the ideal man should have the least vulgar, least big parts possible.

Fun fact, Michelangelo’s statue of David was uncircumcised. However, the real, historical David was most certainly clipped, as are most of the cheap knockoffs of the statue.

Modesty?

Ha! More hair on his face than on his body. Someone has been manscaped!

So, are we in a dorm room? Or a little rental room shared by Jack and Nil? Whatever, I hope that Nil has the heat on, or Jack may start to slowly disappear.

I cannot remember when she said that?

Ironic, but over in Chickweed Lane, Brooke is introducing a 1930’s stereotype of a private detective. Sorry Jack, but those guys were actually called private dicks.

Brilliant.

Curiously, Nil’s studio now sports a large photo of Michelangelo’s David, which would have given a clue to what was coming. Of course it is rude and unprofessional to spring a nude companion on a model.

We don’t know that Jack is in his birthday suit. For all we know, he’s wearing some tighty-whities……or a man-thong…….

Copyright issues?

Nil’s history is a little flawed.

Leonardo da Vinci left Florence in a fit of pique after Soderini chose Michaelangelo to sculpt the block of marble that would become David.

she wanted to be an inspiring muse, and now she gets to participate in his art. Win-win!

Good to see Jack er, rise to the occasion! :D

If she’s looking where he implies she’s looking, she’s in for a fig disappointment…

Nil’s theory may not be true, but it’s funny, i like it. I’m amazed that Bernice doesn’t make a fuss and stay there. She really put a lot of dedication into being Nil’s muse. She made a promise and she won’t let him. Very Nice! This probably won’t be the last time she poses for him, but I’m afraid she’s too embarrassed to smile like the Gioconda. I love how Jack has no problem posing next to her.

Ann ❤️ Eiffel modeled for the Venus de Milo with arms and hands in your pocket. We all ❤️ Ann ❤️ Eiffel. Eat your envious ❤️s out.

She read all those steamy romance novels but she can’t handle seeing a real guy’s anatomy?

Lordy..

Come on Bern, you know you want a peek.

So Bern, I was wondering if you would like to get some coffee a little later after I am done hanging out here.

I like that the artist uses actual pics of Mona Lisa and David,must be clip art?!?

“No, Bern, what I mean is, it’s crude for you to be oggling Jack’s privates. I’d insist on the same courtesy from him, if the roles were reversed and YOU were the one who was naked.”

daVinci was much older than Michaelangelo though.

Jack COULD be handsome if it didn’t look like a Looney-Tunes anvil dropped on his head!

Wikipedia says the statue is 5.17-metre (17 ft 0 in) high, How big would “the package” be?

This is sexual harassment’s and virtual rape. Forcing a woman to be exposed to a naked man against her will is outrageous. To depict it in a positive way is DISGUSTING. SHAME on you Greg Evans

Well, I think it’s good to see MOST of the comments are at least adult-ish and semi-accepting of today’s STRIP,and not acting all butt-hurt about it.

Well, I was wondering if there would be an allegation of sexual harassment here. I don’t think there is any such issue going on here, at the very least Bernice could withdraw, it’s ironical humor but no more. And I would call it out if I thought there really was. That being said, I’m going to wait until tomorrow to figure this out, if at all.

Just posing like Michelangelo’s most famous David statue. However, he wasn’t familiar with Jewish traditions David doesn’t have a bit of a snip from a mohel during a bris.

Creepy arc.

Mmph. Nil’s understanding of art history is fair to middling at best.Besides, if this is his theory, how do we know she wasn’t smirking at Donatello’s “David”? She could have been admiring his boots and hat.

My guess is that Jack is wearing a Speedo.

Bernice; just imagine Jack as the cover of one of your “Bodice Rippers.” A live, fully unclothed, cover. You might also want to replace Jack’s face with Piro’s.

Oh man, did I see this coming. Um, never mind. Bad choice of words…

Yes, Nil can paint her eyes turned any direction he chooses. Bernice can gaze wherever she wants, but will she smile?

Okay, Nil is coming off as a weird art fanatic with a crossover kink. Either way, he should definitely have asked her to consent to this before having a naked guy strip in front of her. Not to mention that, there’s no need for both to be there at the same time. Sometimes Greg Evans’ mind is so far in the gutter that he doesn’t think about the more squicky implications of these plots (like the romance novel thing, that one wasn’t THAT bad but it left lots of readers thinking Nancy was being inappropriate).

Also I do hope that Jack’s got on like a thong or something at least cause the whole scenario is pushing it in terms of keeping either guy not looking like they’re purposely making her do this without warning.

Agree

Well, this went straight to weird and it’s in extremely strange legal territory. Bernice could make a criminal complaint against these two and they would have no defense. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot are the writers of this strip thinking? Nil and Jack are playing with felony charges. Don’t the writers see this?

I vote he’s not nude. Some sort of funny underwear

hmmm, why does it seem like this is a #metoo moment

Nil, say it with me… CONSENT

Am I the only one who thinks Bernice is turned on by this?

If Jack is an exhibitionist he must have a real package to exhibit!

Bernice is clearly uncomfortable with this situation. Nil should have told her want to expect and given her the chance to say No. If Bernice says No now, she thinks it will make her look bad in some way. Shame on NIl for putting her in this situation.

This is now officially strange….

Out in the hall Luann is watching all of this.

Hack goes “schwing” and Bernice goes “eeee”…

Observation 1: There are several commenters taking part today that i haven’t seen before. If that was the purpose of this sequence than GnK have been successful!

Observation 2: Over the months and years GnK have been mercilessly criticized for avoiding “adult (aka sexual) themes” when their characters were supposedly coming into that age. Depending on how this plays out, they may have overplayed their hand here according to some of the commenters.

You think MAYBE Nil could have mentioned that Bern wouldn’t be alone…would have been the courteous thing to do..

You won’t be able to see without your glasses anyway, Bern!

Observation 3: How would this sequence be accepted if the characters were Archie, Veronica and Jughead in Riverdale?

Loved PBS’s series about Michelangelo. Don’t think she even knew the David model. The painting was started in Italy and completed years later in France. She was only interested in her husband, Francesco del Giocondo.History aside, Nil should have told Bernice ahead of her posing, just what his concept is. He should have known her reaction wouldn’t be what he wanted. …and it’s only Monday! =:-o

SNAUSAGE! (Yes, I’m still a child, even in my 30s.)

I’m with Bernice.

The statue of David is in Florence, The Last Supper is in Milan and the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre

My recollection of the Statue of David is it must have been very cold in the room when it was chiseled.

That Bernice. Never fails to disappoint.

You can’t please everyone all the time, but Luann Followers133,536 seem to be liking the product.

I used to get $10 an hour modeling nude for the university art classes.

I’ve loved Jack since his first appearance, and am always excited to see ‘im appear shirtless, but…did Greg really HAVE to manscape him?! I get that he’s posing a la the “Statue of (smooth) David,” but, he’s kept his scruffy beard…!…? From his very first appearance, he’s shown facial stubble (represented by dots), as well as two, or three, little dots above his neckline…hinting at a masculine chest full of hair! His shirtless appearances have never disappointed, until today. PLEASE GROW JACK’S CHEST HAIR BACK!!!

Now’s her chance…

Well, that should take care of Bernice’s virgin eyes!

I just think this situation is funny, even though in advanced art classes, nude models (as we presume Jack is) are No Big Deal. Too bad it’s not Luann sitting as Mona Lisa, though, it’d give her something to write about!

Break out the smelling salts,Bernice just fainted.

Old timers will remember Jack has a previous history as a nude model.

Observation 4: GnK don’t have very much further they can go in this direction without moving from titillating to prurient. That’s why I think Bernice will bail out and run to her mentor, Nancy. Much as she did with the Nil “kiss with tongue” incident.

Come on Bernice, you know you want to sneak a peek.

This is really creepy, like Sunday’s comic was, but in the exact opposite direction.

For the clueless just-lay-back-and-enjoy-it commenters: Nil is seemingly throwing Bernice into an uncomfortable situation without telling her beforehand and obviously without her consent.

And in a situation where she’s so deep into the process that it would be really hard to just get up and leave.

But this being Monday, there’s some possibility that he’s wearing a thong or something.

(Further hint for the clueless: these days, it’s all about consent. Has been for decades.)

If this strip gets any racier, it might require a proof of age!

Smile,you’re on Candid Camera……

SIgnor Buonarroti’s “David” is uncircumcised. The artist plainly hadn’t done enough field work.

Without a doubt, best Luann comic strip ever…

No she won’t. Too shy, whereas Jack s not shy at all.

Not much of a smile this way.

This Mona Lisa from a mausoleum will turn that smile into a drooling leer.

Most commenters here will have to eat their words when they learn that Jack is not fully nude. Therefore Nil is not a creep and did not place Bern in a rapey situation. He invited Bern to model first, so he could sketch Lisa; then brought in Jack in a Speedo to fill in the two together and Lisa’s reaction; then will dismiss Bern before Jack completely disrobes so David’s features can be filled in.

Nice hand placement over the pic of David

Maybe Jack is wearing a sock or something. Even still, wrong of Nil not to tell Bern that a male model would be posing along side her (possibly nude). And his concept is rather shallow.

I had a college friend who saw The David during her trip to Europe, and sent me a postcard of just the lower half of the statue. I was in the process of moving to another town, so she sent it to my mother’s address. Mom then forwarded it to my new address, which was my aunt’s house. I was surprised at how embarrassed I felt that Mom and Auntie had both seen it, though neither one commented. I guess my free-thinking attitude only went as far as people my own age, not my elders. (Who obviously knew about such things, or i wouldn’t be here, lol).

Bernice is his muse now she gets to see his caboose.

Stop posturing for the Public, Bernie! We all know you can’t possibly be as “prudish” as you are pretending to be!

Just do it!

hang in there, Bernice

oh MY!

That sort-of reminds me: whatever happened about the book signing?

I just noticed the strategically placed hand. Just like the strategically placed comic strip borders the rest of the week…

I’d let Jack be my Muse