Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 06, 2024

I’m sure there is some subtle but obvious answer to today’s strip. But I’m afraid it has gone straight over my head.

And now Bernice seems to be slipping into a little bit of madness brought on by her conflicting quandary.

Thanks Bernice for keeping your promise to Piro, you are doing he right thing, and one day Luann will understand that.

Bern trying to hide, says the one speaking from behind a mask.

Help, I need somebody. Help, not just anybody.

Luann is being manipulative; she’s literally gaslighting Bern into breaking her promise to Piro. I’m not liking her right now.

Stand strong Bernice.

Maybe tomorrow Bernice and Luann will use the puppets to role play — what Piro really thinks vs. what Luann thinks she’s doing for him. Then Luann will get the puppet show out of her system and not inflict it on Piro.

B looks totally confused. I don’t think Luann is being manipulative; I think she’s genuinely asking who B thinks she’s helping…

Bern, just let her crater, it’s the only way she will learn.

Hang in there Bernice. You know her game and don’t fall for it.

That puppet show is super-creepy!

Please change the script…..

It certainly isn’t helping any of us in the viewing audience.

Th way Bernice is holdin Piro’s puppet it looks like she’s relly getting in to this puppet show!

As I said last week, Bernice—like Tiffany—is finally maturing into responsible adulthood.

The same can’t be said of Luann—a personification of the “Peter Pan Syndrome”!

Luann’s puppet show idea is strangely unsettling…

Can’t Bernice just tell Luann that she can’t go into details, but she knows this isn’t what Piro needs right now.

Pooh-pooh-er. No poo involved.

Bernice is helping herself; self-control and even, perhaps? maturity.

Bernice, caught between the Scylla and Charibdes

“Look, Luann, I can’t go into detail, but Piro has told me some things that make it 100% clear that your ‘fun’ is NOT something he’d appreciate. Now go do what you must, but leave me out of it.”

I don’t think you’re helping anyone, I guess!

Halper not a helper

That’s a fairly decent looking cut-out puppet of Piro.

Luann should also make one of Bernice.

Then, from now on, Lu and Bernice should NEVER appear in public without their puppet masks up to their faces. Especially when talking to others.

Old Piro will take one look and soon forget his “problems” and figure that His life ain’t all that bad.

At least not as BAD as his two “friends” who now appear to have gone completely round the bend. ;-)

Walk away Bernice.

I like how Piro’s puppet looks as sad as he always looks. It’s almost as Bernice created it.

Normally, I’d side with Luann, but I’m siding with Bernice right now. Luann is butting into Bernice’s business, making her look bad, and trying to put her on the spot. This time, I’m on Bernice’s side. Never thought I’d say that.

If she’s doing all this prep to make a tiktok or instagram short using props then it’s cool. He doesn’t have to watch it. If she’s preparing to make an in person show she expects him to sit and watch then she an imbecile.

Just let Piro tell Luann to buzz off with her childish antics. She needs a hard dose of reality.

Why is Luann acting like this?

Bernice has a serious reason for say nothing, but for Luann this is just another time that her BFF, who always demands that she tell her everything about herself, keeps secrets. It’s normal for Luann to feel offended, Bernice doesn’t trust her enough and doesn’t want to explain to her why she thinks her idea is wrong. She’ll probably make a fool of herself in front of Piro, but Luann finally wants answers and doesn’t accept Bernice’s criticism. Maybe the time has come for Bernice to admit, at least to herself, that she still likes Piro and ruin a lifelong friendship for this reason. But probably Luann will understand. Sigh.

Creepy

Looks like LuAnn is pushing for her way or her way.

Luann doesn’t see Bernice as competition for Piro’s attention. She’s too dense to realize that Piro may have talked to Bernice about what’s going on.

We need something completely different. Completely unexpected. Cue the Spanish Inquisition.

Only my opinion, but this is one of the dumbest storylines ever.

Using puppets IS a kind of therapy. Might not work for Piro but it might help here.

Cue the next arc.

Is that star shaved in his head? How is that done? I have questions.

Lame and boring. IMHO

“Whom am I helping”. Bernice is too precise to get that wrong. That is all.

It figures that the one time Bernice is actually right is the one time Luann manages to gaslight her into backing off.

Y’all realize this is a comic strip. No Piros were hurt during the writing. LOL

The art for that puppet face makes Luann look demented to go with her demented mindset.

Wouldn’t it be easier if Piro just said “Leave me alone” to Luann and Tara?

Luann can be pretty self-centered and out of touch with the current realities. Bernie has to step back and let her friend fail. Otherwise she should not become a therapist.

The arc descends to tedium. I wonder what Puddles is doing…

Trying to produce a cartoon day after day, year after year, with better than average art work has got to be a mighty task. I couldn’t do it, so I’ll let Greg run his own show, even if it is a dumb puppet show.

tomorrow: Does Luann swat Bern in the head with the “puppet”, or does Bern swat Luann?? =:-O

This being a Wednesday transition day an opaque opportunity to try to figure out where the story, much less the weekly arc, is going, my advice is to be cautious. If one takes the character-driven interrogatory approach, then it appears that Lu is being clueless, while at the same time, trying to manipulate Bern into revealing. interestingly, WHO, she, Bern, is trying to help, rather than what Walt/Piro said, particularly, that he wants Lu and Tara to back off, and for Bern, she seems confused, between giving in to Lu’s gentle, but prominent imperative, saying it seems like Bern is trying to hide, WHO, not what. I don’t know what to predict, other than to say, most will be wrong. Wait, all will, eventually, be revealed.

Luann really touched a nerve there. Bernice’s face looks full of anger. But, her anger is airmed at the Piro puppet. Sometimes, participation in puppetry may allow our true feelings to immerge.

Luann, you can be a positive, supportive, upbeat friend without being a freaking Court Jester!Tone it down a little….

Maybe LuAnn should be an artist instead of a writer

I think Bernice is shaking Piro’s mask in frustration. By ignoring his problem and keeping it to herself, she’s not really helping him. Quite a quandary for her. It’s not lost on Luann. She a bit alarmed by Bernice’s stress.

The play is the thing in which we will catch the conscience of Bern.

Why is Bernice shouting? Is she having a nervous breakdown? Hopefully, this will teach her that a person is only as good as their word.

I just wonder why Piro would put her in this position. He probably doesn’t want to hurt Luann and Tara’s feelings, but he could have just as easily asked Bernice to let Luann and Tara know how he felt about their antics (since he doesn’t have the balls to do it himself). Maybe he really still wants them to fuss over him.

It’s unfortunate, but when you choose the people you are going to associate with, you also agree to support, discourage or ignore their behaviors.

Putting a mask of your own face in front of your face is not going to bring the fun.

SMH!

If he answers, check yourself in.

Yourself, Bernice. Your helping yourself.

Featured Comment from Beer Baron @ the Comic Strip Club:

Adults. These are adults.

Luanns idea is absolutely ridiculous. May be ok for a classroom full of 1st graders but not for a grown man.

Stay true to yourself and Piro Bernice. Luann is trying to help, but it’s on Piro to ask her to stop and give him space.

“Seems like you’re just trying to hide”. Like behind a bush hide? Or should there be a “something” in there somewhere, like a secret, maybe. Luann is every bit as bad as Bernice when it comes to snooping into each other’s business.

Pretty childish! Piro is not 6 years old!

Try “The Lonely Goatherd”

This arc is getting dumber as it progresses or regresses.

All you have to say is, “Piro needs his space right now. As a psych major and a friend, you gotta trust me on this.”

Luann’s only half the problem …how does Bernice deal with Tara? :-/

Good question, Bernice. Except for that last piece of advice, you weren’t really helping, Piro. As for helping Luann…

I heard an interview with the creator of Breaking Cat News. She was dropped from a group of papers and only one woman writer was left, Lynn Johnston. Karen didn’t count because she was uncredited but Luann remained in the papers.

Bernice should be honest and tell Luann how she is annoying Piro because he really needs the space that she doesnt give

Bernice DID help, once she got it through her head that Piro didn’t want platitudes, jokes, or ham-handed attempts to jolly him out of depression. Luann is obsessed with her own feelings about the matter; she’s not doing this for Piro, she’s doing this for herself, so she can be “the good friend.”