Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 09, 2011

“….said the spider to the fly….” Brad, you’d better make sure you read ALL the fine print there, then still NOT sign it!

Sign the marriage license and get hitched to Toni Daytona!!!!

Well he stood up. I hope he didn’t sign. I have a feeling that would have eliminated his right too sue for one reason or another.

I think Ms Awful has just crapped the bed. In the last panel Brad’s nose is crinkling up from the awful stench and his hands are now clenched fists. Bye bye Josephine, I think by the end of this week, your employment at WeenieWorld will be history!

I think Brad’s gonna walk out…

Just so there are no more misunderstandings? Didn’t she just get done explaining that the misunderstandings were hers, yesterday? She said that SHE made a mistake and that SHE overreacted. Legal-schmegal my butt.

“legal-schmegal”? The only good reason to back off, Brad.

The crowd is cautiously rising to their feet …

Brad has Effile..unlawful termination..he just has to fire off a complaint and sexual harassment against Effile..he can be the next manager..but Brad rather be a Fire Fighter..

Flip her desk over, Brad!

I dont think brads gonna sign it. he has this look in his eyes….still after the way he has behaved and treated toni i think the weenie should go back to his job at weenie world.

Play along and give the bully/thug/jerk enough rope to hang herself with. People like this usually get promoted UP (to become somebody else’s problem)

Thing is, there are other fire departments around. I’m sure Brad could get on with one of them. All it takes is for one guy to retire.

When the "W"itch asked what he was doing, it was in reference to his left hand, which is obviously holding something with pushbuttons. He’s going to read ‘aloud’ to himself the list of his ‘duties’ before she thinks he’ll sign. Then he’ll drop the bomb that he’d just taped the entire list and show her the digital recorder in his palm, as he’s walking out of WW for the last time. MARK MY WORDS.

Watch Elwood be a major shareholder in Weenie World!

Brad’s not as clueless as he may seem at times. He sees right through this ruse like light through tissue paper.

Last week Brad left Toni hanging. What if she’s feels so bad about what she did that she leaves town and Brad doesn’t even know it yet? Instead he’s been at Weenie World dealing with Ms. Eiffel.

When a friend gets bit by a rattlesnake, don’t take time to hunt down and kill the rattlesnake. Instead take the time to get your friend to the hospital before the bite gets really bad.

In this case, Toni played with the rattlesnake (Ms. Eiffel) and apparently got bit. Brad needs to take the time to heal his relationship with Toni first. There will always be time later to come back and kill the rattlesnake.

Brad needs to let his feet do the walking. Now!

Maybe Brad’s become distracted by the shiny pen Ann pulled out, I’m sure that’s not the case but I’d kinda like to think it is. I actually think today’s strip could conclude in many interesting ways, I personally am still waiting for Brad to turn into the Hulk, but my intrigue of the idea of someone actually acting out in a totally unexpected, crazy, and shocking twist keeps hoping arson or he’s got a bomb strapped to his chest or something. Though that’s less likely than him pooping his pants like Flashman said.

He goes, “Hmmm. I didn’t do this when I was hired the first time. Why now? Something’s not right.”

I’m wondering what the heck kind of “release” Ann could have had there that’s so Brad-specific that she needs him to sign off on it?

If she predicted he’d come back and want to have it out, then she’s really a Machiavelli in a mini dress. And I don’t think it’s got anything to do with keeping Toni away from WW since he can’t agree for anyone else, and that would, at long last, be utterly incriminating on “Annie’s” part.

Surely Brad will not be so stupid as to sign that “legal-schmegal” document! It appears that Ms. Awful has (panel 3), by her abrupt turn of phrase, noticed something that most of the early commenters haven’t about Brad. Something dramatic may be about to happen!

great! Shows manipulation.Grab Tony & run to ANY other job after she forgives u for being an ass. Does everyone NEED a job flipping Burgers??

Make up your mind, Brad!!

Ann wanted Brad to either be her Butler or make him her “personal escort”……………….. hope tomorrow he says “I don’t want to have anything with you, goodbye Miss Awful” and leaves

Greg only drew that because he said it would never go there and so many people wanted to see a knock-down-drag-out fight between the two of them.

It would be pretty silly of him to post it months before and ruin a classic moment.

“What are you doing/” – Simple enough:.1) Brad is NOT signing the paper,.2) Brad is standing up prepared to leave,.3) He is going to say something like this – “There is something about the way you act that smells immoral and perhaps illegal. I’m going to write the president of WW and describe the experiences I’ve had with you and ask for his opinion.”

Sam Beauregarde: Don’t talk to me about contracts, Wonka, I use them myself. They’re strictly for suckers. — Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Brad collect your final paycheck and walk away from that she devil while you still have your dignity. One door closes and another one opens. Don’t look back it’s all right.

Actually, my boy Brad is up to something. (I hope)

He won’t sign. He is about to turn and walk out. He is about to tell miss Eiffel that this job is not worth it. You’ll see!

What is he doing? I don’t see anything.

I’ll say it. No one else has. He is recording this. He is getting Ann Eiffel on tape and going to get her her just desserts. Mmmm! Dessert. Wonder what desserts are served at WW?

I bet Brad have a hidden recorder (TJ´s idea) and now he have enough evidence to sue and even get her bald (in public)

Brad is doing TWO things ….1. His BACKBONE and.2. His BACKSIDE (suitable for kissing!)

Brad – don’t forget to TAKE that paper along, or she can disclaim ANY knowledge of ANY “legil-schmeegil” things!

flip her over the desk, brad! only way to treat a b*tch! from past experience: that’s a no-litigation you-pay-for-legal-fees-and-attorneys mediation panel of company punks only, form.

…many things could be or goign to be happening here…she could have stopped mid-sentence to cry out that he sexually attacked her…the way brad is holding his left hand…it almost looks like a gun…Brad is a fireman…he knows danger…and how to act to it..

Don’t sign anything Brad. She is just using you to get even with Toni who insulted her

Grab the unsigned “legal” doc and quickly leave, Brad. On your way out, tell Ann that you want your attorney to look it over first.

I almost want him to be signing just to see the readers go ape.

I really like this comic strip.

Sign it George Washington – I’ve yet to do that and have anybody stop and really LOOK at the signature.

Was he sitting? I couldn’t tell.

Now Brad, REMEMBER that little song:

“Put one foot in FRONT of the other.”“And SOON You’ll be walking OUT the Dooooor!”“Put one foot in FRONT ot the other.”“And You’ll Walk AWAY from the Dirty, Rotten, Whor……, Aw Ya’ll KNOW what She is!!!!!”

I love this strip so much. I wonder if our comments ever have an effect on the course of events. I also enjoy the comments on this page.

Brad and Toni are meant to be. They began as friends and I hope their caring friendship keeps them together. The pain on Ton’s face was obvious when she realized how much she hurt Brad. Brad will realize Toni wanted to protect him, but was given poor advice (T.J.’s MO – he usually has the right idea with the wrong way of going about it.) They have to find their trust levels again.

My husband and I have always said that if the roots are strong, the tree can bend far. It’s gotten us through 25 years so far. I’m rooting for Brad and Toni. The Eiffel Tower is a blip that will help the two of them grow.

Looks like Brad IS getting a clue!

Not when it’s the only job you have. What don’t people understand about the state of the economy. I must be a lot older that those commenting so loosely about job status. There are folks losing homes who can’t even get hired for what you call a “McJob” because they lost a job and are over-qualified! They don’t just lose a job, they then lose their homes as well. It’s a real situation folks!

Greg, thank you so much for tackling job loss and the ugliness surrounding it.

He’s either reading the FINE PRINT or he’s going to walk out the door and not look back.

Brad isn’t as dumb as some people think he is. I think he’s reading over the document. He may need a job but he doesn’t need her.

Notice Brad’s clinched fists! He’s really upset!!!!

I think Brad is finally realizing what she’s up to, and he stood up so that he could get the heck outta there. And we all probably know what those “new duties” are that Ann talked about.

Check it out! In the last panel, a flea is jumping off Brad’s head. That little guy knows what’s about to happen.

since this iis Weenie World she appears she wants to playt Hide-the-Weenie

Time to go and don’t think it has been a little slice of heaven.

Brad, take the contract and show it to a lawyer. Then get somebody to tell Dirk that there’s an opening at Wienie World. Then get popcorn and watch.

The perspective is really strange – in the first panel, Brad looks REALLY short, as the desk is up between his waist and sternum. In the last panel, he looks ‘normal size’. Weird. Twilight Zone weird.

Looks like Brad is getting even more of a backbone…can’t wait to find out how he intends to handle this…

What is Brad doing? Please say he’s going to walk about

such high hopes for brad – hope he does the right thing!

About this time Brad should pull out a TAPE RECORDER and let Ann knows that everything she said to and about him and Toni has been recorded!

Greg Evans made this point in his most recent blog:.“With cartooning, I always know what the point is – to be as entertaining as possible each and every day.” So, this causes me to look at some of my posts and say, “Am I understanding the point of his cartoons?” I say this because, I’m often responding to apparent off-the-wall posts by trying to see and describe the motivation of the characters behind the ink..So today I will begin to try and see the humor/entertainment rather than just the explanation and use THAT as the focus of my comments – but don’t expect a confirmed left-brain guy to always see the art and ignore the explanation – won’t work!.Now today’s amusement – It’s funny how Ann thinks ol’ Brad is just gonna accept any offer she throws his way – kinda like a devoted puppy.

He’s getting up! Keep moving pal….

Mr. Evans appears to be teaching all of us how to handle employee abuse (and how not to). Good work, man! Now Brad should take the document, unsigned, and read it carefully as part of a pending legal action.

I am really quite amazed and amused. This little soap opera strip is racking up two and three times the number of comments as Doonesbury which usually has the most. I wonder what it is about this story line that elicits some much response?

Gee.. now that she’s fired him & he demands to know why he was fired and shows her he’s not a pushover or dumb puppy letting her lead him around because he needs this job she NOW wants him to sign a form.He should have signed it when he first went there, so he’d know what’s expected of him. She’s covering her A$$ because she’s been down this road before & knows what will/could happen if he doesn’t ‘sign off’. Bet this legal stuff is regarding sexual harasment charges but could I be wrong. Stay tuned! Either way she’ll get hers and we can thank Brad for doing it too. He may be nieve but not dumb. He’s seen the ‘writing’ on the wall and now is fighting mad & will get even & get his just rewards. Might even be made the NEW WW manager until he’s reinstated at the fire department.

Ok guess we will just have to wait but hope that it is not going to where Brad is so stupied. He is a man now and not a stupid teen ager.

It’s a shame he got up when he did. I would have been interested in just what those new duties included. But it is good that he is looking at her with eyes that see right through the lies. He should that the paper with him, though. It could make for good evidence.

Which kind of idiot are you?

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!

Seriously, Brad: Do NOT sign anything without reading it first.

Just hire a lawyer to look it over. The fine print will actually tell you that as long as you’re an employee at Weenie World, you will be under her thumb because Ann’s nothing more than a manipulative woman with nothing better to do than to make her employers ‘hear and obey’ their boss.

“What are you doing?” Thinking, having second thoughts;;;I hope.

Are all you people serious? You do know it’s a flipping cartoon, right?

Brad looks like he is about to execute that famous stage move known as “Exit. Stage right”.

Looks like he’s trying to blow up her head with his mind!

Take the paper, run, don’t walk, to the family lawyer.

Go Postal Brad! Stamp her head.

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, or being overly hopeful, but to me, I’m thinking that maybe in that last panel Brad’s doing something with a tape recorder in his pocket.

Crossing fingers hoping he is recording the conversation..

“Family lawyer?…..Must be a USA thing.”Not really. My family doesn’t have one either.

Miss E is so hot for Brad and she thinks she is going to get what she wants but I think Brad is waking up to her game.

Always liked dark hair, but black lips, yick.!!

Don’t worry, Brad is going to take care of business! Look at his face and his reaction to her. It looks like the Firefighter side of Brad is comming out, and my guess is he will end up taking her job! lets keep our fingers crossed and hope Brad has grown a pair.

Brad, listen carefully… Grab the legal-schmegal form and RUN!!!

Interesting that Ann just so happen to have a contract ready for brad.

What is he doing??? it’s called READING A LEGAL DOCUMENT BEFORE SIGNING Annie!

Is that Toni outside the office door with a tape recorder and an attorney?

Here it comes. Now its time to run.

Grab the paper evidence and run to an attorney. I was ready to quit reading the strip after his dumb treatment of Toni but maybe there is hope

hopefully it’s more like “what are you NOT doing” as in NOT signing…..

As to Greg trying to be entertaining every day (mentioned earlier), that is for the cartoonist who can cover a subject in 3 or 4 frames. Greg covers his over weeks and sometimes more. Not every day is entertaining. It has it’s moments, but reality is the same way. Greg has created another reality here. It’s interesting to the point where I don’t even read any other comics. And I get up at 1:00AM to see the next installment. I rarely laugh fom his work, but I am always enthralled.

He’s straightening his backbone.

Actually, Miss Eiffel is the one in trouble! She’s sort of laid her cards on the table and all Brad has to do is pick up the contract, take to a lawyer, and Miss Eiffel is toast.

Grab that unsigned contract and run to a lawyer with it!!

Greg, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t drop this and go on to some other storyline temporarily – I am captivated and for the first time ever am reading all the web comments daily – not to mention staying up until midnight to see the next installment!

What is Brad doing? Seeing right through you!!!

Brad, are you beginning to see the light?!

Brad has that I’m about to shoot you look

Brad should ask to read that paper then take it and run. Next step, make a copy then mail it to corporate for verification. Lets see how Eiffel handles that.

Sure just go to Greg’s blog: www.thecartoonist.studio.com and glance at the latest one near the bottom titled:’Tooning & Teaching – 2 Professions Compared

hey Dave he can always call one of those Lawyers that Advertise on TV in NY

What “equipment” are you referring to?

Effile is proof positive of the axiom

that some people are only alive because it’s against

the law to kill them..

Would you care to show me where Greg’s stated he wants the comments closed? Even when comics.com was nutso last year, he said:

“I don’t participate in the Luann forum at comics.com. Why not? Because I don’t want to inhibit the free flow of frankness by weighing in. Why not just read it and not comment? Too hard to do. It’s easier to just let it go on its merry way. I’m not saying I’ve never read the comments. I have. If I’m curious about what people are saying about a particular plot turn or if the comment numbers are huge, I’ll take a look. But mostly I stay out of the way.”

Gocomics is brought to you by Universal, Greg’s syndicate – I guarantee you that of he wanted the comments closed, they would be.

But why would a cartoonist, who likes people to have free rein in commenting, want to shut down the very forum that promotes his comic, his merchandise and makes it so visible with the huge site traffic that goes on here?

Do you really want to see him whoring out that stuff in the strip itself, the way Brooke McEldowney started shilling that USO-Allied spy mishegas of his in the Sunday strip?

Also, why would he want to swamp his administrator at his own site woth moderating the huge amount of traffic that’s here?

Tony’s a good guy, he doesn’t deserve that.

Grab that document and forward it to her supervisor, with full details of her behavior.

Brad is about to reveal the wire he’s been wearing for evidence.

Or someone was secretly listening and recording all this

Some of you seem to be pretty hard on Brad. Yes, he was a somewhat slovenly, lazy teenager, but aren’t most of them? He’s grown into a respectable young man who made it into the fire department (a very honorable profession) and some of you keep insisting that he’s dumb and a few even call him ugly. I think people are only ugly on the inside. I think he’s just been a bit naive, but that seems to be ending quickly.

Many good comments now that I was able to get here (was jammed by traffic this morning – I enjoyed especially my friend BaldEagle and Dabit who said similar to what I would have (that he grab the paper and send to WW headquarters AND ask for his final check). He and Toni will be back together soon (what Greg and most of us want).

One more comment, since I am in the service industry it seems to be a sad fact that we have to take more and more crap from customers as well as managers because they know we have to because there are so few other options (if any). The Zero Tolerance policies which existed in most casinos only a few years ago have really been relaxed and it’s more “well, just stay away from him if he’s bothering you.”

NO NO NO BRAD WALK NOW!

Okay, Mojitobaby, I see some of your points. I think he should have heard Toni out, but I know how scary it is when there are NO jobs out there and you need to pay your rent/mortgage. Vegas is officially at almost 14% unemployment but that’s just full time employment, people who are ‘employed’ but only work once every week or 10 days aren’t counted so it’s really a lot higher and you can see some of us can understand the hesitation to really slap the bitch. Oh, sorry! My personal feelings slipped out there.

@textech: in the days when pibgorn allowed comments, it always had the highest number of all the strips.

Wow, Ann sure made it back behind her desk REAL fast.

Mojitobaby is right. I never joined a comments discussion so I guess I’m just being too serious. Well, it’s less rabid than some of the political discussion sites I’ve perused. Meanwhile, I’m sure he won’t slap her, but it I’m willing to bet most of us would LOVE to see it!

I have read the cartoons since being itty bitty. I am pretty sure I have read Luann almost from day one.

I have watched this family grow, and change. All of the family has made silly decisions… with each one being a growing and learning experience for them.

This family is like my own family. : ) I read this one first every day to see how they are doing. I would never have known a cartoon could be so interesting and kind of true to life.

What I am trying to say, I believe Brad will do the right thing regarding work. Yes, in today’s world, any job is better than none. You can pay bills…and Brad was doing his best to stand up and handle his obligations.

This is going to one of life’s lessons on love. Toni and Brad will grow stronger. Love and relationships are not smooth. They will be just fine.

Greg would not work so hard to give these characters such human qualities….just to let things fall apart.

: )

NIght-Gaunt49 said: No, he’d rather they discontinue this comment section. So far GoComics hasn’t done that. He has his own heavily monitored one at www.thecartoonist.studio.com

Are you serious or what? You do realize that Greg’s site is a blog, right, not a daily posting of the strip, and that he’s hard -pressed to come up with one entry a week as it is?

Do you have any idea what the board would look like at the end of that week, without any kind of daily changeover? Do you have any idea what revenue Greg would have to give up by closing this site and doing his own advertising and marketing? Do you have any idea of the monitoring he’d have to provide or would you like to see a return of the cdotc crash due to troll infestation?

Yer ravin’, mate.

Since my point is that they’re overthinking things and need to step away from the TV when MI5 is on, are you sure you want me to answer?

There are shops that specialize in PI or surveillance equipment, along with Best Buy or basics. Have fun. Don’t get caught.

I certainly hope that by the look on his face, he’s scanning that paper to see what kind of stunt she’s trying to pull.

NG, I really think you misinterpreted that.

Greg’s “Luannalyzer” blog at Cartoonist’s Studio was set up a good 6 months before the board closing at comics.com. It had nothing to do with the merger, nor did the closing have anything to do with gocomics absorbing comics.com.

Comics.com closed the boards.Check out Greg’s blog for the news – if he hand a hand in it, he won’t admit it.

You were there – admin at the site was incredibly inept. They couldn’t cope with multiple troll infestations, a broken system that allowed manipulation so that posts were deleted by the hundreds, and posters being threatened and, in turn, threatening to sue the site unless the offending accounts were closed. Their site was always a mess IT wise, this time it was really broke, and they couldn’t fix it ir get ahead of the trolls. The solution was to close it.

Greg opened his blog as a haven, and almost immediately, in spite of the warning that it would be moderated, the trolls started in. Site had to implement account blocking, and stay on top of all the posts and delete and block the offenders – it was a nightmare for them.

In May, when Universal absorbed United Features, he wondered if two sites, Luannalyzers and gocomics, should be running simultaneously, and asked for input – and he was asking if he should drop “Lunannalyzers” not close the comments here. He decided both served a purpose.

Greg is busy as hell already, and can’t blog every day, so think about the practicalities, as Flashman said, of having this daily board switch to a weekly blog. Nightmare aside of pages and pages and pages of comments, site traffic would tank due to frustration. That means a loss of revenue for Greg.

My experience was that comics.com was not well administered, whereas GoComics is eminently so. Troll infestations are devilishly hard to combat in the face of witless drones bent on destroying a good thing… I supported the closing of the comments at CC as the only way to put an end to the unpleasantness once and for all. I’m glad things are still up and running here.

What you haven’t noticed is that the daily strip is from here. With all the merchandising tie ins, ad links and everything. Greg’s comic is part of a syndicate. He can’t pull it off here, and if he closes the comments here the drop in site traffic will be enormous. Luannalyzers is the secondary, NOT the primary site.

When Universal started up here, THAT’s when he was considering the wisdom of having 2 forums, and considering dumping Luannalyzers because it would mean less trouble and admin for him. He wasn’t considering closing the comments here – especially when this site wasn’t even 6 months old. Go back and read it again.