Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 26, 2023

And … the purpose of this reminiscing is? It’s got nothing to do with costumes. Just Gun wanting to be remembered as the hero?

Trips down memory lane. I believe I reported this even in my comments a few days ago.

His back probably recalls a couple of other things too.

As someone who has back problems due to a combination of a spinal birth defect and recurring bouts of sciatica, I am inclined to agree with Gunth, it was a gorge.

Somewhere in the background, you can hear The Little River Band singing “Reminiscing”….

Where is Mrs. Horner? She is part of this situation?

Gunther, for a nerd, you were surprisingly careless. Giving Luann a ride on your handlebar? Tsk Tsk. An accident waiting to happen. Lucky you two had a different kind of accident instead.

Maybe they’re beginning to stirring up old feelings and not just old memories. Luann always felt guilty about short changing Gunter for his looks. Especially after Quill appeared on the scene.

https://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2010/05/25 Luann ADMITS to Nancy she’s been a very shallow person re Gunther.

What’s happened to Luann skydiving with Tara and her cousin?

Gunther can embellish a story a great deal, too bad he cannot take Mrs Horner’s creative writing class as he is enrolled at the wrong school. However, it is nice to see the kids reminiscing about some of the “adventures” they had together through Gunther’s POV. BTW, the G-man switching from glasses to contacts was a wise move.

Hmmm… Is this all heading towards both of them becoming an item?

Gunther did do a great job, when he carried her after she hurt her ankle.

Perhaps Luann has matured some and her experience with Quill may have shown her that super looks don’t always lead to a super relationship. Maybe Gunther is reassessing the value of a hot babe like Bets in relation to her desire for “distancing.” Gunther has been kind, caring, and a “putting Bets first” type person. He just hasn’t been much of HER kind of FUN. Bets may also be reassessing this relationship.

AND remember: This Ain’t Gunther’s First Rodeo. https://www.youtube.Com/watch?v=BN6LvaRRdOk

This is what you do when you can’t figure out how to advance the plot.

A trip down memory lane.

Deflating someone’s ego trip is the paradigmatic anti-flirt move. They’re both doing it actually: he’s recalling her screw-up, and she’s correcting his recall.

Just give Stef one night with Gunther. If she doesn’t break him, she’ll own him. No more banging Bets in the back of a beat up Buick.

Shouldn’t there be an “up the creek” joke somewhere in here?

TV Dinner reruns!

It’s always nice to see that the Evanses haven’t completely forgotten the ol’ classic high school stuff. It’d be nice if they brought Crystal and Knute back. Or a deep-cut and bring back Zane (it might be a nice way to make Bern less of a pain, she used to be a lot more bearable pre-college).

Also, yup. That was the storyline where Ms. Horner basically said that Luann and Gunther were meant to be.

Are they going to start dating now?

Why is he even talking to her after the way she has treated him?

Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind

Memories, sweetened through the ages just like wine

“Good, Gooooooood!” – Emperor Palpatine

Another Blast from from the Past from the Good Old Days.

And Gunther? Be sure to remind Lu about the time YOU helped her with her math homework, and how she showed her “gratitude.”

And that time Lu was terrified of reading to kids, but YOU bolstered her self confidence.

Don’t bring up “Billy the Bookeworm,” though.

Although I’m pretty SURE, She will bring it up before the arc is over. ;-)

I wish some good will come of this, poor Gunther could use a win. They all could.

Because it takes two people riding one bike to deliver a little bag of pills, yes?

Looks like Luann has always been a load to carry.

Commercial break. How long will these commercials be until the Saturday event? Or even a Thursday build up?

Considering how Gunther is easily the most successful character in the strip with the ladies, I think it’s safe to assume he’s hung like a horse.

“And thank you for not peeing. … that was my back sweat, right?”

A Gorge-ous retelling.

Luann and Gunther have been through a lot together. It’s cute to see them remember these things and have fun doing it. I wonder if Luann will be the one remember something tomorrow. There is such a friendly air between the two. Maybe the choice to make them dress like Woody and Jessie at the party is meant to indicate that theirs is one of those bonds that looks like the one between brother and sister, when they always help and support each other. Nice to see the difference between the 2001 art style and now.

Which year was this gorge adventure from? I’m sure they wouldn’t use their old designs in the flashback if this wasn’t from the old days of the strip.

pronounced “crick” where I grew up.

Time to throw the instant replay flag Gunth.

A clip show? Was there a writers’ strike?

I think Gunther is thinking about the kiss he was rewarded with after saving Luann.

I guess it’s easy to use old cartoon panels when you don’t have original material ready, but it’s getting to be quite the habit with G&K lately. I can hear them now, “Let’s show Gunther and Luann talking about old times and we’ll just cut and paste panels from old strips to fill the space”. It will be interesting to see how much they continue to use this ploy moving forward. Sure is boring.

And, for the record, it was inappropriate to show school-age children placed in charge of adult medications back then, and it’s still inappropriate today.

And the creek was at the bottom of the gorge, Luann. Of course, you wouldn’t remember that as you were wearing out Gun’s back at the time.

Sometimes old feelings come back to the surface when reminiscing.

He remembers that she was gorge-ous

They may think right now that it’s just two friends reminiscing, BUT, it does look like Greg and Karen is having this lead somewhere. Will this somewhere be a success, or, will it flop, like both of their past relationships, will remain to be seen.

With todays bikes having so much electronics and other mechanical items on the handle bars, I don’t think anyone could sit on the handle bars. I liked the “long horn” handle bars.

Panel #2: Gunther is wearing a bike helmet, but Luann— riding on the handle bars— is NOT. This leads me to a theory about Luann having some brain damage.

It’s obvious that G&K have set up this Bernice meet and greet for some purpose! What that ultimate purpose is, is yet to be seen. Its immediate purpose was to get to Gunther and Luann meet and greet. Each of the other guys was given short shrift with a one-day strip going nowhere.Looking into Tyge’s Magic 8 Ball and asking the “right” questions, this story arc might ultimately lead to one of these possible outcomes:

First, Luann and Gunther renew old relationships and grow into a closer bond; akin to the pre-Bets giggle and tickle meet-up of https://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2019/02/09 Luann & Gunther near kiss @ the Gulag. A variation being that Bets returns as expecting nothing has changed and we get into a serious arc of resolving the resulting three-way mess. Could go either way.

Second, Gunther and Luann renew relationship as above with Bets returning but Bets decides she isn’t ready to give up the high life yet. Maybe she backs out of the engagement but want to continue some for of a relationship with Gunther and his Gun. This leads to another scenario similar to the above.

Or Third! ”AYE, here comes the rub.” As Hamlet might say. This could be the most likely scenario because Gunther’s history throughout the whole of the strip is to be denied a relationship. He has been described in the most glorious relationship adjectives yet friend-zoned by EVERY female in the strip. These are just a few as examples.

https://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2010/03/03 Luann friend zones Guntherhttps://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2010/05/24 Luann friend zones Gunther for Quillhttps://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2015/08/08 Gunther and Tiffany friend zone each otherLuann by Greg Evans for March 16, 2016 – GoComics Tiffany tells Gunther he’s “the kindest, funniest, sweetest guy she’s ever known.” Friend-zoned!https://www.gocomics.Com/luann/2019/02/16 Luann thinks Gunther “charming, fascinating and handsome” Friend zoneMORE

Gunther and Luann together?

Ah yes, a reminder of when things actually happened in the strip. As opposed to now, where events take place offscreen (and sometimes in a novella you need to pay extra to read) and the characters just discuss the events after the fact.

Memories like the corner of my mind…

I see G&K have decided to tease Gunther & Luann. But I don’t see anything long-term between these two. They are friends.

I don’t recall this far back. Why did they both need to deliver the meds? Why didn’t Luann have her own bike? Gunther must have known how dangerous it was for Luann to ride like that. At least he had a helmet on.

Or reminding (or in my case informing) readers of their history to set up a return of some romantic feelings?

The older I get the better I was.

Still feels like this is leading up to something for those two.

At which point Gunther somehow has a red handprint appear on his cheek.

It’s all relative.

I’m beginning to see a young Greg Evans here

They have so much in common and get along well. Romance in their future?

Hey Tenax. I’m actually enjoying this! I don’t remember any of these. Probably old age and senility…..

Back when Gunther was less angry.

Ah yes! I remember it well…

Part we didnt see was Luann reachin over the edge of the bridge railing to grab th bag of meds. That threw em off ballance then Luann an Gunter Joe McCallister went off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Now Gunter’s gotta go back down for th bike then take a coupla Dammitol for th pain

Hmmm…

A reminder they have a history.

Homer Simpson can tell you something about gorges.

It shows there was a time that they hung out together.

Clumsy, careless Lulu dropped Mrs. Horner’s medicine down the gorge (or up the creek) and in the recovery effort subjected Gunny to pain because she “clumsied” again and twisted her ankle. Maybe Gunny shoulda left her up the creek without a paddle.

The Present is only marginally better the the Memory….

Preview for tomorrow: More memories, including the one about non-full frontal male nudity. . .

Over at Arcamax.