Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 16, 2016

that’s something worth pondering: wildfire or honeymoon

Here’s my prognostication on an arc that Karen will publish 20 years from now. The Constitution will have been amended to open the presidency to naturalized citizens. Quill will run as the GOP candidate. He’s fully qualified, as he has blond hair, has been to New York often, is adept at theatrics, and knows with certainty that he’s God’s gift to women. He will have married a beautiful actress who is 20 years his junior.

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Luann, being a powerhouse woman, will run as the Democratic candidate, with Pru as her campaign manager. She will want to break the glass ceiling, which still will not have happened in the two decades prior. Luann will have married Gunther, as he’s the most passive guy in the strip and will never oppose her on anything. A month before the election, TJ, as the FBI director, will briefly investigate Luann’s college-age double use of her bridesmaid dress as an art project to see if it amounted to a misappropriation of resources.

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Who wins the election is Karen’s call, as the system is admittedly rigged. However, she may publish two parallel universes to show what happens if either wins. If Quill wins, some readers on this blog who favor Luann will flee to Canada in despair. If Luann wins, there will be a constitutional crisis over whether her evening gown or Gunther’s tuxedo goes in the Smithsonian. The crisis will be averted when Pru talks Luann into wearing a tux, and Gunther proudly wears the evening gown of his own design. Golly – with enough political correctness and a little imagination, you can resolve anything.

For a non-political parallel, read the short story “The Screwfly Solution,” by James Tiptree, Jr. – The male pseudonym of female Science Fiction author Alice B. Sheldon.

Somebody should clue in Mr. Mouth before something real ugly comes down…

Greg don’t you dare set me up for a tragedy…I swear

That’s what it looks like. Some choices are going to be made in this fire. Like SAR said, come on Greg, you set this up so well, don’t leave us crying at the alter. AU -

How about a nice comment about the beautiful scenery in panel one?

The trick here is to read the first word balloon in the first panel, and the second word balloon in the second panel.

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1. This’ll be a first for us, Toni. You nervous?

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2. I’m glad I’m doing it with you, Brad.

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3. ?

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I wonder what the third word balloon in the third panel would have been?

Something bad is about to go down. Who’s going to buy the farm, Brad or Toni?

My guess is somebody is going to get rescued in this fire. Big mouth will factor in somehow. Afterward he’ll be quieter & wiser.

Oh, god. Someone is going to get hurt.

Brad rescued Toni before. Can’t cast Toni as damsel in distress. She’ll heroically rescue Brad this time.

someone’s not gonna make it to the wedding. brad or toni?

Punch that guy.

I’m a peaceful man, but I want to punch big mouth right in the mouth to get him to shut up.

Big Mouth is on his way to a fat lip. Problem, if it occurs during work hours, somebody is getting fired. (No pun intended). If it occurs AFTER hours, assault and battery will be the charge (Again, no pun intended).

Methinks the Chief had better get involved soon.

Surely they wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of a contest to design the wedding dress if they plan on not having the wedding. This is a comic strip. If they do kill either Toni or Brad off I am done, but I simply refuse to believe they would go this route.

And to everyone posting political stuff—please stop. Again, this is a comic strip. Although I guess it doesn’t matter for me personally, because as soon as I realize what you’re talking about I scroll down to the next comment.

structural firefighters seldom fight wildfires

I don’t know which is worst, heading to a wildfire or having that wiseguy along.

Eeeeenough of this guy already

I know this is horrible to say but have mr bigmouth disappear in the conflagration, never to be seen again. Also, fire and smoke conduct electricity (if the joltage is high enough) so if there are any big overhead powerlines of six digit voltage, a big arc could form from phase to ground.

Smiley simply reminds me of a caucasian version of TJ – always grinning and always talking. TJ has been made more tolerable because he is a png-time friend of Brad’s.

Toni will be burned….remember how they first got together…or maybe she saves him this time. Dealing with a disfigured Toni or Brad could be good story.

I also think something bad is about to go down – something that will postpone the wedding.

Who IS this creep? (Was he absent the day the sexual harassment training was given? Toni’s got him on at least a half-dozen violations…)

This better not become a tragedy.

15 years ago we moved from Phoenix to Flagstaff. Now wildfires are a bigger deal than traffic. No amount of description or movies can prepare anybody for the impact of seeing a massive wall of fire, right there. We love our firefighters!

if this was a different strip, I’d be worried for Brad’s life right about now.

“We’re Going to a FIIIIIRE!”“We’re Going to a FIIIIIIRE!”

Jeez Louise, are They Going Fire Fighting or on a Picnic, here??

WHERE is the Nervousness?WHERE is the is the Quiet Contemplation?WHERE is the Last Minute Job Briefing?WHERE is the Duct Tape for ‘George Jetson’s MOUTH???

“A Hunka, Hunka Burning Love” (♫)

“The Two Alarm Love Affair”

“It’s Going To Be ASuper Honeymoon”

“The Unsinkable Partnership”

“Love Among The Flames”

“Fight Fire With Love”

“Warm, Mushy And Sweet”

“Mush In The Mission”

“Roasting The Corny”

“Jokes For The Lovebirds”

“That’s A Spicy Meatball!!!”

“Putting Out Fires…..With Love”

“Mettle…With Honor”

“Rally To Forge”

or

“We Didn’t Start The Fire….Yet….” (♪♫)

I see this thread heading for something bad. At the least, a delay in the wedding. At the worst, a serious injury for Brad or Toni, or the death of another character.

This forest fire arc is getting weird. Maybe it’s just an attempt at being topical. C.f. drought & fires in deep South.

Something bad is about to happen…

After seeing the drawinig, I thought "oh, oh— Mr Big Mouth is going to get injured and T or B will have to risk their life to save him.

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But reading the words, I realize now he’s a savant! At least, he wondered the same thing I did.

BOY OH BOY there sure are a lot of ‘upset’ people getting all B**T hurt over a slightly risque joke AMONG FRIENDS. LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS OH MY.

great adventure coming, look forward to its unfolding

Interesting enough, Trump and Bannon are pro-Israel, while the current administration is not.

Here we go again with the wedding drivel!!!! Will this strip ever get funny again?

I am worried about this story arc too! somebodies going to get hurt.

You guys may be on to something with Big Mouth. Too much attention is focused on him. He is involved somehow.

DONT you do it. Do not harm Brad or Toni as we have too much going on in this world to have that happen.

This reminds me of the old B-52s beginning their roll down a runway, getting ready lift off for who knows what. And, there is always a class clown in every adventure. No more politics, no more wedding plans, just no-nonsence action and nervous sweat. But, maybe I over estimate Greg’s intention for drama. Whatever, count me in, I’m along for the ride..

In the continued war on those who are not white males who allege that they are Christians, the Alt-Right will eliminate the vote for non-males and nonwhites, thus doing away with any discussion of ‘politically correct’ anything. It will be illegal to vote while female or nonwhite.

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So we are going back to original intent. Only white males who owned property could vote, no one else.

Had Clinton won, the world of “Harrison Bergeron” would not be far behind. We are already into it with “diversity” being a controlling factor in college admissions.

burns are a possibility

I predict something bad happening at this fire.

Karen works with Greg on the strip. They are related.

Gentlemen gentlemen, we are headed for action……..forget the stupid politics. It’s time for them to worry about their own butts.

Argythree said,

“In the continued war on those who are not white males who allege that they are Christians, the Alt-Right will eliminate the vote for nonmales and nonwhites, thus doing away with any discussion of ‘politically correct’ anything. It will be illegal to vote while female or nonwhite.”

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So you think your White-men-boogie-men outnumber decent voters.

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Do you realize how prejudiced you are?

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Shannon is more mature in her thinking.

WARNIG!!! PLOT COMPLICATION PLOT COMPLICATIION! We have a plot complication off the port bow coming in at Warp Factor 3.

So which one gets injured horribly? Or are we going to see Toni and mouth go off in full suits only to have one dragging the other back after some tragedy and, after some drama, it’s revealed that Toni is dragging mouth…

Oh, i think that a lot of bad will happen like pollution increases witn increased deaths and worse storms to portray from warming (heat is energy so fuels storms and just recall the high costs for changing your home’s temp just a few degrees if you buy gas or electricity for that to get a feeling how much energy is involved in just a slight change in temp, then realize how much it is over a wide expanse like ocean temps and air temps).

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But i think that utilization of the First Amendment will increase, especially by the youth who stay informed. So, maybe we will see college demonstrations in the Luanniverse since long term dangers do not go away in months?

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I think that despite Steve Bannon wanting this to be the sort of place you mention, that voiced outrage will prevent the worst, but i think that during my lifetime (and Greg’s for that matter if my recollection of his age is right) we will not see equal rights for women confirmed legally (so, yes, i have been mourning that). In Karen’s lifetime, and therefore in Luann’s, it might happen for now younger readers to enjoy. A cartoon can be a bully pulpit, even in as indirect a way as friendships across differences, and depictions of the logical results of poorly considered actions which may have short term benefits for some but hurt others and cause severe problems over time. So, in Luann’s world we may see those, too, for instance, grandparents and Toni’s aunt needing to move in w family if the Luanniverse echoes what Paul Ryan wants to happen to Medicare and Social Security.

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Oh, and with federal funding gone the preschool program in which Luann works may go away, and we will then perhaps not see if Jack’s goal is to be a grade school art teacher and gym teacher combo. One positive thing: if the pre-school program Luann is working for goes away it might crystallize for her just why she finds education to be important.

ANTI-CHRISTIAN bigotry is not that so much as calling out the pseudo Christian used as vehicle of dissemination. And we didn’t “approve of the beating up of old men because they might have voted for Trump” And 24 hours after that firebombing LIBERALS had already raised $64,000 for repairs or relocation of that headquarters.

So put that in your pipe so to speak. alt-left, that’s a laugh BTW.

Karen Evans is one of the writers of this ’toon. Maybe you need to do a bit of research.

“Karen Evans is one of the writers of this ’toon.”

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not to mention she’s Greg’s daughter.

I think Brad is going to get hurt. They’ll be putting out the fire, nobody will be paying attention and in the last panel, he’ll collapse. Then yatayatayata, things happen, and in the end they get married in the hospital and spend their honeymoon waiting for him to recover. And they’ll have TJ’s quiche and people will be like best wedding ever and the laughy guy might even marry them himself. Oh and obviously Toni can’t get hurt because she has to wear the dress, so she’ll wear the dress and he’ll wear a hospital gown. Also, Gunth and Bernie will show up too. It’ll be like oh no will he make it and then there will be a Sunday strip as a distraction and maybe a few other panels and then on Fri or Sat AFTER they’re worried, THEN we’ll find out yes all is as it should be but they can’t get married normally. Mark my words.

How did today’s political atmosphere permeate a comic strip. I come here to get away from that.

Why run the whole wedding dress contest if Greg’s going to kill one of them off? Hurt, maybe. Dead, I don’t think so.

Okay, here is are some questions:

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Will Luann become worried for the sake of Brad and Toni while they are away?

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Will we see the action close up, instead just see the worry of Nancy, Frank, and Luann from afar (a familiar feeling for many of us whose loved ones have served in various ways), or both?

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If Luann expresses her worries to assorted friends and sometime friends how will each respond? I could see Pru letting her cry on her shoulder, Nil listening and paying attention, Jack listening and trying to take her mind off it, Tiff putting aside her dislike of Luann and crying with her, Gunther being befuddled and not knowing how to respond, Dez offering tea and cookies and maybe yoga, but Bernice has been turtling herself so far away from much of life recently instead of dealing with it that i do not even have a guess for her.

Toni is wearing a red shirt.

usual anti-Christian bigotry

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Can you explain why you would conclude that someone is ‘anti-christian’ if they said something about white men? Do you think that only white men are Christian? I’m just trying to understand, since I don’t happen to profess a Christian belief, but I am visually white…

They never do actual fire fighting in the strip anyway. So you know danger is coming. Maybe a character gets killed off….could the wildfire burn down that insipid cafe if not the whole town?

Brad gets some big boy points from me for being able to admit that he is a little nervous in a truck full of guys. My experience with other guys is that they would say, “Well, no, not really.We have our training and should be ready for anything.”

Must not make any political comments. Must not make any political comments….

George Jetson might be covering his nervousness by tossing out sophomoric sex innuendos. Or he is condemned forever to “doing it” alone, and secretly resents that. Or he is not even real, but just a pathetic simulacrum of a human being. Move them off of politics. Move them off of politics.

I think this panel is so great. Such optimism and love. We need more of that.

Oh boy. Here it comes. I can see it now… walking through a smoke filled area where visibility goes to zero and they can’t find each other.

wildfire. There’s not going to be a honeymoon.

Tell you all no wedding or honeymoon

@SukieCrandall

@David Green

“I have read very different results on most of that.”

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Could be.

What I read was from the Department of Education showing preK kids out-performed others in first, maybe second grade then were no better and maybe worse.

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The solution is to do like the horse in Animal Farm and work harder.

Stuff it, big mouth!

Maybe he will be the one tragically lost in the wildfire. I could live with that loss. But if either Brad or Toni dies or is horribly disfigured, I will brood about it for a long time….

Foreboding! Foreboding! Man, if this were Funky Winkerbean, I’d be terrified!

argy.bargy2 said,

@David Green

“And didn’t the poor horse die before the pigs did?”

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Yep sorta.

He was sold to a glue-boiler after collapsing from exhaustion. Moral of the story: Don’t collapse unless you want things to become sticky

Actually, the pigs sold the rest of them out and turned more human-like in the process.

Who would take care of Shannon were Toni to depart the strip? Luann, Brad or their parents? None of this seems likely. Another red herring to still up concern, and then some lame ending like Jack saying, "Meh, not into bowling. See ya, I’m hitting’ the gym.

what kinda bus has puce seat covers?!

Getting bad juju about this one. One of them is going to get seriously injured or worse.

First of all, who is Karen?

She is Greg Evans’ daughter, and she helps with the production of the strip.

@Wizardgoat

Is delusional and paranoid mental issues, if so you need to get some help dude.

Wiz is being humorously tongue-in-cheek. Lighten up.

The only reason I don’t think something bad is going to happen to them is, it would wreck the entire “Toni’s Wedding Dress” contest

Prediction…..someone high up on the crew will be seriously injured and have to retire……Brad or Toni ….or both…get major promotions.

Greg please don’t anything scary or tragic. Or maybe you just want us to worry huh?

So they have little training or experience in fighting these kinds of fire? Or maybe they do. Even so they are very dangerous and kill fire fighters more often than not.

What racism, what hate, what “alt-Left”? No bigotry, just those who use it for its own bigtory in the holy book. Calling out bigots and racists do not make one them.

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Both campaign HQ’s were attacked though only the Republican one was fire bombed. Never found out who did it. Did you?

UMMMM….OK

Spoiler: someone finally gets the better of Jonah.

This has all the earmarks of a Gwen Stacy.

BOY! I’ll go put out any fire with that blonde flame!

Hee hee! So cute, double entendre!

Catalyzes our imagination, right?

Reminds me a little of the song “Baptize Me” in the hilarious musical The Book of Mormon .

Tally ho, Greg!

I wish Toni would give that guy an elbow sandwich.