Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 23, 2016

Did TJ hold back some of that $70,000?

He still hasnt’t said the magic words: I will cater your wedding as my gift to you".

That’s going to be quite something about which to talk with Toni.

This can’t be good.

Run Brad Run!

But seriously, TJ is personifying a lot of the thinking that seems to go into weddings – hence the huge wedding industrial complex.

I think TJ just talked him out of the whole ‘big wedding’ idea.

I keep worrying that Mr Gray will somehow be called upon to offer his services.

And once again, Brad begins to wimp out … he had the exact same conversation with Toni – and Toni said no big wedding! Brad is going to be pushed into this by TJ, not tell Toni all the choices HE made.

And Brad will justify having the big wedding (that he really wants) in his own mind because TJ is fronting the cost. It will be such a nice surprise for Toni… and guess what? Toni is finally going to wake up that Brad hasn’t matured at all – he’s still mid-20s’ going on 12. Brad is showing his lack of respect for Toni because he feels she doesn’t know what SHE wants and what will make HER happy …

And with that Toni, cancels the wedding and we never see or hear about Toni and Shannon ever again. And Team Evans once again rescues themselves from a corner that they had no business getting trapped into in the first place …

And this is the same TJ who talked Toni into “fighting” with Ann Eiffel, which ended up causing Brad to lose his job and causing he and Toni to have a bit of a spat, to put it lightly. Every time TJ talks about “going big”, it ends up getiting too big… and also almost out of control… – And Toni just expressed her feelings to her fiance. Now it would seem TJ will be having Brad to oscillate between the proverbial “rock and hard place”…

Used to be that weddings were nearly always simple affairs. Until the wedding industry figured out that thy can make a bunch of money if they convince everyone that they need to have an expensive wedding. Same for the burial industry

Enough, monkey-boy. This seems like an offer Brad would resent. He even got uptight when Toni provided her ring.

What is it with the “arms-wide-apart-standing-at-an-angle” stance adopted by the characters? Luann, Brad, Frank, and now T.J. have all done it. Does Greg Evans have an affinity for this kind of posture?

He will regret it in 5 years when he is still paying it off. And he will regret it if tomorrow/next month /December if he completely ignores Toni’s concerns an makes unilateral decisions based on TJ’s recommendations.

“Grand, Baby, Grand!”“Lend You A Helping Fist”“Caveat Empty Promise”“That’s About The Size Of It”“…Of Titanic Proportions”“Operation Snowball”“The Butterfly Effect”“Where’s The Beefy?”“Don’t Write Checks That Another Bank Has To Cash”“That’ll Be The Debt Of You”“Teflon Juan”“All You Have To Do, Is Dream” (♫)“Kooky, Lend Me Your Money” (♫)or“It’s Your Party, And You’ll Buy, If I Want To!” (♪)

They are roommates.

Hey Brad? Aren’t you just a little bit TIRED of CONSTANTLY Selling Your SOUL to the “DEVIL???”

Yup…

TJ should just butt out.

TJ spouts a slick line, as a good con man should.Don’t fall for it, Brad! Consult Toni, not TJ!

Don’t do it Brad! You and Toni just went through all this. Plus, for better or worse, TJ’s schemes usually ends up blowing up in someone’s face. And that someone is usually you.

The longer Brad ponders, maybe he will reach back into his subconscious mind and recall his suspicion that T.J. made a fraudulent claim on the food truck. But, of course, T.J. is taking advantage of the emotion of the wedding, so Brad’s reasoning that T.J. might be scamming again hasn’t crossed his conscious mind.

After the warehouse investment, T.J. still has some of that $70,000.00 left? Luannville banks must have lucrative interest rates.

And he’ll only charge you 30% interest.

no, it’s THEIR day !

Nothing like starting out married life deep in debt (#1 cause of divorce) so you’ll be alone in that rocking chair without any retirement funds. Excellent plan.

Haha! Funny comment, Implausible (TJ has a bug on Brad)!

8From my comments yesterday to today, I still think it is true that (for me) Brad and Toni as the only characters in the day’s comic seems to be underwhelming, perhaps because they themselves as characters serve best to be comedic foils and when its only the two of them, the comedic value is limited. Now with another character (TJ), the comedic value increases. I have noticed the same for other individuals interacting with Toni and Brad…. Shannon, Jonah, etc. And, it also seems Toni and Brad work best in terms of dramatic foils when they are teamed with another character as well, but less so when alone (think of the classic “Dirk” arc, and some of the Jonah arcs as examples). So, very interesting….. Brad and Toni (to me) feel like the “straight men” in terms of arcs… they both or together need another character to have their story arc shine (IMO).

Yes, you’ll care – because if you blow your money now, you won’t be able to afford a decent place to live then.

Stop & think what Toni told you Brad. She is the one that counts not TJ! The east coast is getting snowed under.

I’m pulling for Brad and Toni to finally get married and all, but if Brad caves and goes back to Toni with an ever bigger wedding proposal based TJ’s wheedling – I’m going to be pulling for Toni to walk out. TJ is a master salesman, but at this point Brad should know better than to even listen to TJ’s pitch for an ever bigger “event.”

In line with what I said a few comics ago in this arc, weddings bring out so many things about the wedding itself, and the people involved. Sometimes it’s a validation of how committed the couple are, and how thick-skinned and patient they are with their friends, relatives, and all the people involved with planning the event. I remember having an issue with a friend over whether her boyfriend, the man I introduced to her in the first place should be my best man. I mean I liked him, but my life-long friend was going to be my best man, and her boyfriend did not care, he understood. But she did not, and he never stood up in my wedding. Still leaves a bad taste 40 years later as he passed away a few years ago. My wife had issues with her wedding party as well. And they came out of left-field, totally a surprise. As for TJ I know he is a rogue, but he is loyal to Brad, is very caring, has money, and I think, while he can be very demanding, I think, or I hope that Brad and Toni will stand up to him, or agree with him, but he BETTER be standing up next to Brad in the wedding next December! Wow a whole year for us to percolate! Don’t be so hard on TJ. He has developed like all the other main characters in this strip.

Brad is an adult. If he wants to shut it down, he can. TJ doesn’t have a gun to his head.

Also, people need to let go of the “TJ blew up his truck” nonsense. It really gets old seeing people crap on one of the few characters of color that is a regular now that Delta has been put on a bus to D.C.

And I’m pretty sure TJ asked Brad if he’d committed to a menu because he is planning to cater gratis. Use your heads, folks.

TJ’s become TDious he needs to get his own place.

Brad, stop listening to TJ!

Neither a borrower nor a lender be if the other party involved is TJ..Besides, financial stress is a major factor in marital problems.Don’t set out to make your life harder than it already would be.

" many of those very people making all that money used to be anti-establishment flower children who despised money".Many people despise money until they need it and don’t have any.I have grown fairly fond of it, would love to have about $30 trillion so I could pay off the national debt and still have money for bubble gum.

Indebted tomTJ way to start a marriage big boy. I’m sure Toni wouldn’t approve.

Brad! Tell TJ that Toni doesn’t WANT a big wedding! If Brad’s gonna marry somebody, he needs a better handle on their personality. It’s not just the money…

Get married at the car races!

Why does this panel make me nervous?

Just elope and end the pain. The strip has lost its edge and is becoming too domesticated. We need Mr. Gray, Pru, Rosa, Tiffany, Gunther…..all characters that can explode with mystery or suspense. Whether or not to have doves at a wedding just doesn’t cut it.

I must echo what Implausible said. He’s loaning him money to pay for his services. Doesn’t exactly scream friend to me.

“T.J. is being a friend here.”.Yesterday, TJ looked really angry, even threatening, when Brad tried to suggest seven instead of nine courses for the meal.

@Night-Gaunt49“I fail to see how paying TJ for a unneeded 9 course meal is TJ being a friend.”.It depends on the interest rate he charges and if he breaks legs if Brad lags behind..The offer is a bad one because it is for something neither Brad nor Toni wants but if he actually thinks it will make Brad and Toni happier, even if wrong, it can be done in the spirit of friendship..A true friend doesn’t want to sponge off of others. Offering a reduced rate can still be an act of friendship rather than “give me everything or you aren’t my friend.”.A friend of mine used to tell me he wasn’t charging me for some work he did. I always insisted he DO charge me, that way I wouldn’t feel guilty the next time I got in a bind and needed him. I visited him right up to the day he died back in August.

So, let me get this right…TJ wants to lend Brad money to hire him to mega-cater Brad’s reception… that he doesn’t want.

You might care how much your wedding cost, if you’re living in a box under a bridge. Don’t spend so much, better chance at the rocking chair.

Well, the story-arc week is over, and this whole big wedding/small wedding, Cottage 4-2/TJ thing is far from resolved..Two unappetizing possibilities for Monday:1) The Evanses drop this story line and move on to something else.2) We’re subjected to yet another week of this non-drama..Neither possibility is very appealing.

SPOILER ALERT – .“Why does it take 30 years for this stuff to get interesting?”.Why indeed.

I think TJ has some desires for Toni and is secretly trying to sabotage the wedding. This is starting to look more like Days of our Lives these days. When are we going to have the secret romance come out between Pru and Gunth?