Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 29, 2023

Your van, make him a man.

If the van is a…….you know the rest.

She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van…..

So Mama caves! Superficially, everybody “wins.” But it’s a case of “Kicking the Van Down the Road!” 8^ )

Why is she having this conversation with Bet and not her son?

If this vans a rockin, don’t come a knockin.

Clever

notice how she fights against the suggestion of going with Gunter, she really doesnt love him and only loves the attention he gives her. serious dump the trash and move on with your life gun. find someone that actually cares about you and not their vanity.

if that van is rockin’ don’t come knock in’ (someone had to post it)

Time for some Camper Van Beethoven.

Irma rocking the mother-in-law vibes!

“Al’s House, Al’s Rules…” It’s beginning to look as if the real question is why Irma is staying with such a hateful man. Going behind his back to ease Bets out of the range of his ire seems kind of unfaithful to a happy marriage but the sort of thing a woman does in an abusive relationship. I’m not saying Irma is in an abusive relationship, just that the optics don’t look good

Didn’t Gunther’s Dad in fact get to take his cross-country van trip, but just by himself and never coming back?

Is this a solution thst satisfies everyone…..?

Surprise! ლ⁠(⁠^⁠o⁠^⁠ლ⁠). If they do this, Les will have the guest house all to himself and Punk. Ok time to see what’s happening with Tiffy & Kippy at the manse (⁠☞⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)⁠☞

I think Irma wants them both to go alone so that after a while Gunther gets tired and wants to come back leaving Bets, as happened with Rosa and the trip to Peru. In the end, Irma wins.

Think of all the Vlogging she could do on a cross-country road trip? Think of all the gasoline it would require? Think of all the food they would have to buy? Think of the tires? The engine overhaul. Think of Rosa chasing him down with dog the bounty hunter with Little Gunther in tow. Think of all the schooling they would put off> Think of their student loans coming due because their quit college? Think of why she’s telling Bets all this but not Gunther? Why does she think this is a solution to anything?

Well Gun & Bets hitting the road together will fuel some future arcs.

Bets always looking for an angle.

When an opportunity smacks her square in the face, she cannot comprehend the answer.

A mixed couple on a “see America” road trip? What could go wrong?

Visit the world in a Camper Van? Gunther will follow Bets to Peru? Will Gunther finish his university degrees in Engineering and Physics in Hawaii?

Will Leslie Knox stay in the Al’s Guesthouse?

Foe goodness sake Bets. Go get “Gunnie” and get outta there….

…Gunth’s and Bet’s rental apartment…

Al’s house Al’s rules but if you want to take a trip in the camper van it’s your and Gunther rules. Didn’t I say Ima was working a angle.

So she keeps trying to get him to become a rebellious spirit, but he keeps disappointing her. Off to some banana republic with Rosa, but as soon as it gets interesting, it’s back home to Mama.

See the USA.. In your Chevrolet.. America is the greatest land of all… lol

Looks like we may be getting a road trip adventure in our future. Could be fun..I’d love if they came across Knute and Crystal in some city.

I wonder what Gunther is going to think of all this?

This the wackiest yet opportune solution, why Irma, you hippie you? Traveling all over the country, free, wanderlust, Gunther’s mom. Now she wants that freedom for her repressed son, with the woman he loves. I wouldn’t be surprised if uncle AL might be willing to provide a van deal but then I never predict anything correctly anyhow.

Here comes Al, “Irma dear, you forgot to take your medicine!”

Les will love this.

Don’t argue with the lady and accept her help, remember mom knows best!

Yeah, that’s where I thought Irma was going with this. Good on her!

Al, stop and think. You tempt the Wrath of Irma, and you will be facing, “Apocalypse Now”. That lady can turn a dust mop into a weapon of mass destruction.

Irma surprises me but I like the idea. I wonder if the camper van is a classic VW ala the ‘60s/early ’70s, a Chevy van like those that were popular in the later ’70s or something a bit more modern? I wonder who is selling the van? Is it the same guy who tried to buy some of Tiff’s stuff when she was trying to get some quick coin and also tried the “bait and switch” with that shell of a muscle car on Toni D and Brad? You know, the salvage guy who looks like he could have been an extra from Deliverance or perhaps a cousin of Stef as well as the “banjo boy”. If so, temper your hopes Irma.

Perhaps unbeknownst to Bets, Irma got Al to use his connections to procure a suitable and good running vehicle to take a summer road trip without breaking down 20 miles from the nearest exit or service station. Next question: where to go? The PCH for a west coast adventure, Route 66 through the Heartland or somewhere else? On a side note: a van seems like something that Dez would be into but Bets? Well I guess she can platform the couples trip across the US on her channel for beaucoup hits and revenue. Also, this does not seem to be up Gunther’s alley but lets see where the arc goes…..

Looks like Irma was playing a good wife at that dinner where she was being rude to Bets and forbade them to cohabitate outside of marriage in front of Al. She doesn’t actually subscribe to the same values as her husband hence why she allowed Bets to sneak in for so long but she knew eventually Al will bust them so she is make an intervention to send them away for the summer.

Travel the country, see you in nine months,

During this whole Bets relationship, Gunther has never stood up to her or his mom. He’s just sat back and basically let them dictate his life. Time to grow a pair Gunther and make a life of your own. You’re still young , Go out and live life, You don’t need to be in a relationship at your age , get rid of that annoying clingy attention w#$%% Bets and cut the apron strings.

Bets received the task of fulfilling Irma’s old dream that she couldn’t achieve. If she wants to continue to be liked by Irma, she’ll have to buy a camper van and spend the summers driving around to show Gunther the wonders of their country? It seems to me that this is asking a little too much! Irma should ask Al if he wants to travel, in a camper or by other ways, and try to realize her old dream, not asking others to do what she hasn’t been able to! But I have to admit, this dialogue between the two is a real step forward in their relationship. At least until Bets tells her she has no intention of buy or rent a camper van.

Notice that Irma seems to be openly defying her husband.

Could this mark the beginning of the end of their marriage? I certainly hope so!!

Will they part with Bets stormin off or will Bets give Erma a hug?

What’ll Al have t say?

Your rules.

Peru doesn’t count as a trip? Not in a camper van, I guess.

Now Irma has me curious. If Bets and Gunther were going to drive drunk, would she give them the name of a liquor store and the keys to her car?

If they chose to become junkies would she give them the name of a drug dealer?

Though it is one way to get the tramp out of the house, and maybe Gunther will wake up and see Bets for what she is.

This could be madness. Peru was a weird trip. Really weird. Is Momther ever going to tell her son about this idea? Maybe he’s got PTSD from last time.

I’m liking Irma’s attitude more and more! Go Irma! They wouldn’t have to necessarily go off on a big adventure, but being in a nearby trailer park would make it like their own first apartment together, “on occasion”. Assuming of course one of those exist in this universe. That way both of these wonderful characters could still stay active in this universe and provide a lot of laughs as they do now. “Al Rules….” that shows that Irma knows what’s the deal and is trying to really help them out. This is all a big deal and better than the us versus them. More like a parental mother role. I love it and way to go!

It would make a great video series for your fans.

Yup.

I Quite like Irma!

Sounds like something you’d do after you retire, not when you’re not even twenty yet and don’t even have enough money for a studio apartment.

Well, this is one way to thin out the excess characters in the strip… can’t send them all to college in a different town.

Bets is slow on the uptake, looks like Gunthers mom has zero problems with the relationship.

Bet’s will do it, great stuff for her cell phone. Gun will have to go along because the secret is outed. Bets will have to leave. Mom just might give Gun her credit card. Mom just might also know that their 24/7 hours together will bring them closer or end the relationship. Mom still might own her house. Maybe a wedding gift if all goes well. We will have to wait to see what Evans has in mind!Like•Reply

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If – He has enough $ !

All I can think of is that awful case of the social media girl who did the roadtrip in a van with her fiancee or boyfriend and ended up being killed by her significant other who later committed suicide in a Florida swamp. Luann probably won’t go THAT dark, tho…

If the van’s rocking…

Scientists have discovered a new element that’s about 10 times more dense than lead. They’re calling it Betsonium, or “Bets” for short.

Bets will have some competition vlogging about van life.

Has Gunther mom always been he’s wingman?

ah ha, a loop hole. :J

Well at least her “BLOGGING” won’t be boring.

This arc has the potential for some GREAT travel snippets mixed in with the more-usual story lines.

I am very impressed with Irma. All alone, just the two of them traveling together far from home. It will either break them up or cement the relationship.

Cross-country trip would be great for the videos, and probably get Bets a whole bunch of new followers.

Hope it’s road worthy. My church has a traveler’s aid mission outreach program and we have spent over $10,000 year to date fixing peoples cars, trucks, and camper vans that should never have been on the road in the first place. It survives purely on donations.

Sooooo…..they can sleep together in the van?

Road Trip. Hmm, a great way of tying in new readers. Recently “Hi & Lois” went to Maine and Acadia National Park. In their daily strips they identified places many people have been to. Just think of the responses that could be had identifying each day locations across this country that many have been a part of.

Bets is more dense that I gave her credit for.

Pfffftttt…. Stunning Ann❤️Eiffel’s rules are the best. According to Darling Ann❤️Eiffel the first rule is there are no rules. Eat your ❤️s out, Ann❤️Eiffel adorers. You know who you are and so do we ;) Later, gators. Count OUT. For now.

So irma approves of bets and gunnie being together. and al is the problem.

Irma, unless you’ve got some way to give the happy couple some money, how are they going to afford this dream adventure you’re suggesting they take? And, like some of us asked yesterday, with what money is Betts supposed to buy this camper? (And, license, and, insure?)

A road trip is right up Bets’ alley. She’d have a lot more interesting things to share with her followers. Gunther loves her and he doesn’t have a job. How are they going to pay for all of that? Odd jobs as they go?

Do these kids have the funds to travel america with the current fuel prices?

It’s a cute idea, but let’s be realistic. Bets is supposed to purchase a used van, pay to have any repairs done, pay to have it licensed, pay for insurance, pay for gas (those things are guzzlers), pay for food on their trip, pay for any other activities like park entry fees etc, and be happy about it??? (or do those expenses not exist in cartoon land?)

Get thee to the free housing, luxurious mansion Bets! Do it NOW! Tell Gunther he can come visit whenever he likes.

And then there’s this thing called money…ahh, but comics aren’t based in real life..

Hard to believe Bets needed that explained to her.

Three points:

1) Bets should just rent a camper and go on a Summer road trip with Gunther. She wanted an adventure, so go on one. ANYTHING to get away from Mom-Bat here. And when she gets back back Bets can spend the next year deciding where she’s going to live next Summer.

2) “Al’s house, Al’s rules, Al, Al, Al.” If I didn’t know better, I say that Irma was bit intimidated by Al. Al decided Irma should sell her house and move in with him. Al decided Gunther should live a tool shed and be a “role model” for Les.

If I were Irma, I’d be more worried about Al because he is FULLY in control. Plus he really likes Tiffany and had no objections to her living in the Gulag indefinitely. Red Flag.

3) Panel 1. Could it be that Irma is pining away for her ex-husband?

Irma’s cool

I get it’s for comedy’s sake, but Bets is being kinda dense here. A savvy gal like that should immediately recognize Road Trip as great material (to exploit her boyfriend) for her social media feed.

THERE YA GO, MOM! She IS the best! She loves her son and has given this a great deal of thought. Let the kids experience life together.

Oh for God’s sake! She’s offering you a place to live, pinhead!

Pay attention for once, Bett’s. You getting a mobile house. Your house.

She resists it because you’re suggesting it as a way of getting closer with the guy she’s been getting increasingly tired of being around due to 3 months of stupid, pointless sneaking around. BUT if Irma said, “Think about your Instagram! People will love your travel vlog. You’ll get so much attention and likes and your follower count will sky-rocket!!” Bets would respond with, “Y’know… this idea is beginning to grow on me!”

Bets, think of how you could treat your social media “fans” to a new adventure every day. Probably get thousands of new “followers”.

I think Bets is afraid of real intimacy. A trip like this is “calling the question” about whether she and Gunther are truly a couple, or together for (Bets’) convenience.

Irma’s a bit surprising…I wonder if getting a “bun in the oven” put a stop to the road trip plan. And if she miscarried, (or had a few) before Gun’s birth, it would explain her over-protective behavior. I wonder what happened to his dad.

Irma is (sadly) making the mistake of projecting her memories and missed opportunities onto other people. If she’s still dwelling on the road trip she never took with Gunther’s dad, SHE should buy the van and hit the road with Al. He could wear his suit while gathering firewood.

Dang that’s a Lotta comments. Makes it feel unnecessary to say anything.Well, as much as a fun road trip might be, not with my least favorite character, who drains the energy from one of the original characters. And I’m disappointed that mom caved in. I thought she had better morals than this. And I thought she’d protect her son better from this shallow self-centered girl.

All does not wish to rule the world, only that part for which he is legally responsible. Perfectly reasonable, as usual, once you can see from the viewpoint of others.

Uh, Bets, think of it this way: On the Road with Charles Kuralt. (Regular feature on the CBS Evening News in the Walter Cronkite era… look it up on the internet.)

YOUR van…

…DOWN BY THE RIVER!

they can park it in the driveway, and still live near the house, for bathroom and showers.

Bets and Gunther are going back to school in a few weeks. They already have plans for comic.com which is in San Diego, so buying a camper van is a terrible idea. If Gunther were my son, I would want him to finish his engineering degree and get a good job. Not travel around in a camper van. Gunther is smart but Irma doesn’t seem to appreciate what a good education will do for him.

Road trip! It’s still summer vaca. What else are they going to do? A road trip would provide fodder for Bet’s vlog.However, it would mean more characters, different scenery. The last time this was done was Peru. I’d be surprised if it went that way.Guess we’ll see what Gunther’s reaction is next?

Think of the “Van Life” content. They can do the con circuit. It’s all about the views.

Good solution. Gunther is having trouble spreading his wings. Mom cuts the apron strings and pushes out of the nest.

Irma really doesn’t dislike Bets, she just wishes Bets would grow up a little. Getting Bets out of Al’s house would preseve domestic tranquility between Irma & Al since it’s Al that has the problem with Bets for whatever reason.

Sorry but this is some really weak writing. Inconsistent morals for Irma, pure hypocrisy with their rules, absurd ignorance of some obvious solutions (Guns and Bets stay with Tiff an the mansion – ‘mansion’ by rule means ‘many rooms’). Lazy, lazy, lazy.

“Life is a highway! I want to drive it all night long!”

So today is Bets still going to go swimming at the manse? A potential interesting episode there.

Also I don’t remember seeing Bets in a swim suit. That might be pleasurable.

Good night, Bets is being unusually dense.

They never fleshed out the StarTrek/StarWars groupie thing…I could see them getting a beater camper van fully outfittedas The Mystery Machine, Enterprise shuttle, the Falcon et al.Now that pandemic is over, why not do the Con thing all summer around wherever Greg has set the world of Luanniverse?As being on the cusp of adulthood/college/job/career there are a lot of story arcs that can take place, especially since The Fuse arc has been well established with Parental Unitsbecoming more multidimensional – as is happening w Irma.That would also allow many tie-ins with absent characterswho could wander into their travels. More to see of Toni Daytona’s personality and what remains of teen Brad’s comic obsession (the first time I followed Luann was when Brad was being hassled for reading “The Tick”…thought it was a great pop culture reference like Kevin Smith does all the time. Evil is a foot…SPOON!!!)

Vanlife, huh? Gunther’s mom figure out were to bury the body already?

Her social media fans will LOVE watching her and Gunther’s cross country summer road trip adventures

she has become coolest character in strip

Bets doesn’t look like a happy camper

Man does that woman want grandkids!XD

Has anybody considered that this might be Irma’s attempt at reverse-psychology? Offering her son up on a platter to see if Bets truly loves him or if she’s just using him?

Irma still has not offered to pay for the camper van. All she’s offered so far is to kick Bets out and saddle her with a costly van and travel expenses.

Would this have been a beflowered VW camper van, BEFORE Gunther’s parents got married?Maybe the straight-laced, dowdy, mother of Gunther was once a wild hippie chick of the 60’s, who, with her boyfriend made Woodstock, Altamont, et. al, or were “Deadheads”, following the Grateful Dead to their every venue.

So if Gunther does not work this summer, does that mean he will be a kept man in the Fall living off Bets influencers earnings?

OT, Northern reflection has a really cute Canadiana T-shirt with a WV camper van featuring a row of maple leaves around the top. By the time I was able to afford one they didn’t have any in my size (>_<) Would it be worth my time to buy one after Canada day, when the prices go way down, and alter it?

What a relief. I thought she was being invited to live in the camper parked on their lot. Hey, that’s what my neighborhood is like, especially in the summer.

Was Bets always this bad at picking up hints, or this a case of Luann characters once again relying on the Idiot Ball to move the plot along?

Is Irma good at using a camera phone? She can go with them to do the blog filming and that will free Bets and Gunther up to do all kinds of weird, kooky, fun things on the road trip! (please, no,)

I wonder if Les will ask OX to move in? :-/

I like where this is going. Turns out mom is okay.

First, I think Bets makes $1,000.00 a week from her “influencing”

Second, it would be pin money to Tiffany;who may chip in on the camper; if only for her own amusement.

Third, would the camper be tougher to drive than a regular car?Is it a “muscle job”?

Fourth, Gunth discovers an old PLAYBILL showing Irma once starred in a road company tour of HAIR.

This is going to be great for Bets’s influencer career! I guess Gunther’s mom isn’t as stodgy as I thought!

Um… if Gunther is over 18, he can live wherever he wants with whomever he wants. It is only Al’s place where he cannot make his own rules about who gets to live there…

As long as there is Wi-Fi for Betz’s uploads…

I’m starting to like Gunther’s mom a lot more.

Bets sure is slow on the uptake

Mom is surprising me with her approach….she’sdiff since she got married. before i had her pegged as being enmeshed with Gunther at the chromosomal level!

In the last panel, Irma and Bets look like they’re on the same side, holding hands.

How is Bets going to afford the camper? What about maintenance? Oh, yeah, Irma wants to get rid of her.

You could hit all the conventions! It would be awesome!!

Irma is a very smart Mom!

Parked on Al’s Driveway?

gunther’s mom is a realist

take a road trip to…Peru?

They don’t need to travel. Just own the van.

Oh, I totally see where this is going. There’s a recent trend in van-lifers showing off their minimalist life on the road. Unfortunately, few couples would be compatible with the total lack of privacy and personal space. Bets would totally fit that influencer van-lifer lifestyle. Gunther, however, won’t have room for his sewing projects in a tiny van. I could see them surviving a summer of van living, barely, but if Bets wants to do it full-time she might lose Gunther.

Road trips have not been kind to the Luann characters. Bernice and Luann’s trip to New York – disaster. Gunther and Rosa to Peru -nothing. Al and Irma’s wedding trip to Vegas, with Gunther and Les – a bomb (at least the plane didn’t crash}. Camping with Dez – awful. And now the van. Just park it somewhere until they get tired of each other, and move on.

Camper Van Beethoven is a great band!

Les’ Dad was a cop, and died In the Line of Duty.

Gunther’s dad was a Waste Systems Engineer for the town of Pitts, and died in the Line of Doody.

:-/

To Irma’s eyes, it’s a win-win situation. Bets and Irma’s beloved sonny-boy get out from under “Al’s rules” and go road-tripping in Bet’s van (assuming she buys it). Presto! No illicit hanky-panky in Al’s house, but Bets and Gunther get to live together. Of course, there would be the drawback that Gunny would not be near Mommy Dearest anymore.

But Bets doesn’t seem to be buying it (literally)….

Jeez think of the content opportunities for your social media.

Rather than utilizing Tiff’s RV Campground at the Manse, they could just have a 24/7 tailgate at the Mooney U football stadium parking lot. The ditz could lead the cheers…Rah, Rah, Sis Boom Bah…

Two bits, four bits, six bits a buck…

Gunther was supposed to think of something to say in June, and we have one more day of June. He hasn’t said it yet.

Could be very affordable, and they wouldn’t have to LIVE in it.

Methinks she’s being a bit dense!