Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 22, 2017

No one, Gunth. No. One.

Les and Ann are not a mother/son team. They may work together, but they are still at odds against each other.

well, this is a rather… um… nice dinner conversation

The yams paid the price.

When are Greg & Karen going to stop torturing Gunther? Real progress would be that Gunther starts visiting Tiff more & more – to get away from his mom.

Mrs Berger’s dress is modest – but still pretty flashy – a great color.

This removes any doubt that Al Gray knows Les is working with Ann at the Fuse.

For a while after Gunther returned from Peru (for the purpose of breaking up his mother’s relationship with Mr. Gray), it appeared that Mom B. was finally developing her own life separate from Gunther. Today’s strip makes it seem that things have regressed, and now we’re back to the Mom who is totally dedicated to her Gunthy, just the way that things were when he was in high school. That of course is just what Gunther wanted, and that’s why he came back from Peru to make it happen, but I feel the strip is worse off for it. There was no point in allowing these characters to move on to college age, if they were going to behave the same as they did when they were 14. It’s time for Mrs. Berger to decide that her future should be a new life as Mrs. Gray, and it’s time for Gunther to go back to Lima.

Yams so pureed you can pour them from a drink pitcher.

good job Yawnther. you heard what u wanted to hear. she won’t decide to let you go, you have to do it. I hope Hitch proposes soon. where’s Tiff?

It seems Gunther took yesterday’s conversation with Les to heart – he’s suddenly uncomfortable with “Team Berger,” and aware that he may have outgrown this symbiotic mother/son dependence, and that it might be keeping him from living his life. Of course it’s debatable whether it’s Mrs. Berger or Gunther who’s keeping really keeping “Gunthie” from living his life!

Here’s where I’d like to see this arc go… Gunther suddenly says there’s somewhere else he needs to be, and politely excuses himself (to the surprise of the rest of the diners) from the dinner table. In the final the last panel, he’s knocking on Tiffany’s door.

Of course you really count on Gunther. You nearly pushed him out the door to go with Rosa to Peru.

What a nice domestic scene with All sitting so nice and comfortably next to Mrs. Berger (she has a first name I suppose) while the two boys are on either side. But Les recounting what he is doing with Mom,and not stressing the Fuse itself, and Al’s comment—for context remember the unpleasant scene in front of the Fuse between Ann and her older brother—about selling lingerie, still make me believe in my convergence theory. Where Gunther fits into that I have no idea yet, but I still think it will all come together somehow. Only if I could be a prescient as Kathryn Hilldebrandt was figuring out what was happening with Brad and TJ, all being part of a plan of Toni’s to surprise Brad. All the clues were there, and, as Maxwell Smart used to say “missed it by thattt much”.

How does he do it???

In the second panel now ALL the silverware is gone!?!?

“Goin’ good” indeed….

I wonder if Mr Gray is wearing any lingerie under that suit

OK, now guess who is the next person to want to attend the lingerie party?

Why is it always the yams that must suffer?

Pretty sure the umbilical cord was never cut between this mother/son.

Now Gunther’s mother is just getting creepy.

I hope this arc segues back to the lingerie “party” next week.

Pretty exciting,Gunthie.

Gunther looks preoccupied and defeated in the first frame. I wonder if something happened between him and Tiffading.

Blimely! From the way “Thuggo” is talking here, You’d Think that “HE” and “HIS” Mom got along Just Dandy. Les Certainly Has Ma Berger Suckered.

ENOUGH!!

Hey Gunth? Hit ’em with This:

Gunther – “Hey Mom! I got a Swell Idea! Why don’t We Invite Les’ Mother Over for the Berger Christmas Dinner?”

Ma Berger – "Why that’s a WONDERFUL Idea, Gunthie!!!

Uncle Al – “Splendid! I’ll contact My Sister Ann, and Let Her Know!”

Les – “ARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHH!!!!”

Gunther – "Gee what’s the Matter, “Leslie?” You and Your Mom not “Special” anymore?"

Les – “Why You Miserable Little….,Uh, I MEAN, Okay Then. Why Don’t We Invite Tiffany, Too?”

Gunther – "Sorry, Tiffany’s gone home for the Holiday’s to Confront and Possibly Belt Her Dad’s New Girlfriend and won’t back until next Year. Besides Her Therapist said for Her to avoid any and ALL “criminal influences” named “Les.” Oh, and did I mention the Restraining Order?"

Sounds like Ms. Berger might consider a job modeling lingerie. Do women wear boxers?

Hint. Hint, Uncle Al. Now we know what the Berger Queen wants for Christmas……..and it ain’t petunias.

Les would like do more in the business… like be in the room when the show goes on…

Tomorrow’s strip ends with a knock at the door.

And we then have to wait until Tuesday.

I still think there is something fishy about this lingerie business. Why block the window and make sure no Fuse connected people are around? Why the limited guest list?

Gunther goes to Peru, seeks adventure….Ends up caught up in distractions.

-

Gunther sits at dinner, seeks distractions….Ends up in places he doesn’t want to ‘visit’.

@KENHENSE: If anyone is ‘torturing’ Gunther, it’s Gunther. He can tell his mother politely that he has other plans for some, if not all, of those dinners, or excuse himself earlier. His real reason for staying at these dinners isn’t that he is a poor sad little wimp who can’t say ‘no’ to his mother, but that he wants to do whatever he can to keep his mother from progressing on to a life that includes someone other than just Gunther (in this case, a life that includes Mr. Gray). He had a life plan, as he explained to Quill on February 6, 2015. And it didn’t include letting his mother have an independent life.

…….

For those who argue that Gunther and Rosa never ‘clicked’, there was a time that Gunther showed exactly how he felt about her by giving her a major kiss (right after he managed to clobber Les with his ‘man bag’ when Les was trying to grope Rosa). So if Gunther decided that he didn’t have a future with Rosa, it wasn’t because there was nothing physical between them. (And those who compare Rosa with Delta and say she is all about sanctifying herself for helping others, she actually TRIED to help others, where Delta just recruited other people to do the work and then brought politicians around to see what a good job her worker bees were doing.)

…..

We’ve never seen Gunther do that with Tiffany. In fact, those who argue that he ‘clicked’ with Tiffany are forgetting that he told Bernice that Tiffany was stupid while B was teasing him about his relationship with T. To Gunther, there is probably nothing worse than someone being ‘stupid’ (in other words, not book smart.)

…..

Gunther will have a future when he decides to stop keeping his mother from having one.

“Impressions At Dinner”

“The Next Most Interesting Man In The World”

 “You Know It’s You, Babe…. (♪)

“The Best Of Times?” (♩)

“Nothing Ever Goes As Planned” (♩)

“If I Said I Could Bear It, I’d Be Lyin’ …”

“Mother And Child Un-union” (♩)

“An Embarrasment Of Sitches”

“The Family Ties That Blind”

“How Loaf Can You Go?”

“She Buttered Me Up, And I’m On A Roll!”

“Yam, In The Place Where You Live….”  (♪)

“At Least They’re Not Lumpy!’

“A Time When Seconds Don’t Count”

or

“Don’t Cry….Just Pour Me A River”

Gunther and his mother look facially identical (minus stubble for mom) today. It kind of reminds me of a MASH episode in which Radar received a home movie and his mother was actually played by Gary Burghoff…

- OR -

♪♪ “Those Prison Cells are (Hopefully) Breaking Up, That Old Gang of Miiiiiiine!” ♪♪ – Gene Austin

♪♪ “Show Uncle Al AND His Idiot Nephew, the way to GO HOME!” ♪♪ – James Campbell and Reginald Connelly

♪♪ “Because Santa Claus AND the NSA is Watching YOU! (They’re Everywhere! They’re EVERYWHERE!)” ♪♪ – Ray Stevens

♪♪ “Gunth’s, Dreaming of a Bright Christmas (Without Les)!” ♪♪ – Bing Crosby

♪♪ “A Holly, Yammy Christmas!” ♪♪ – Burl Ives

♪♪ “Its the MOST Uncomfortable TIME, Of the Yeaaaaaaaaar!” ♪♪ – Any Williams

♪♪ “Let It GO, Let It Go, Let It Goooooooo!” ♪♪ – Frank Sinatra Jr.

♪♪ “Little BUMMER Boy!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “VIOLENT Night!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “Tingle Bells!” ♪♪ – Traditional

♪♪ “Merry Christmas! Not YOU!” ♪♪ – Nat King Cole

♪♪ “Sockin’ Lester around the the Christmas Tree!” ♪♪ – Brenda Lee

♪♪ “Were You there, when They PUTREFIED My Yams???” ♪♪ – Johnny Cash and the Carter Family

The very FIRST thing Gunther needs to do is MOVE OUT of mom’s house, preferably to some place far far away, or at least far enough that visiting mom will be an occasional “holiday” kinda thing…you know, like normal people.

To JPuzzleWhiz: I think you may have replied to my post toward the rabid one, but it must have gone off to the cyber afterlife! ;) , likely from that dark source.

I gave that one about a year of patience, but the remark from him/her/whatever about not wanting a dialogue finally tore it for me (I don’t like being that way – especially at this time of year.)

Otherwise, I hope you and yours are doing well at this most wonderful time of the year!! Cheers! -CtE

I’m thinking that Al’s closed-eyed comment about his sister, “Selling lingerie” has the feel of his possible suspicion – like he has the feeling that IF lingerie is being sold, then that’s not the ONLY thing going on! Al’s statement has a ‘deadpan’ feel to it (likely, most of what he says about ANYTHING has a deadpan feel to it, given that it’s Al Gray). :)

Still, it looks like he’s not comfortable with it.

It will be Christmas next week – it will be interesting to see if Mrs. Berger gets a special present. Perhaps Mr. Gray will be under the tree for her.

I’d still like to know what Petunia Berger counts on Gunther for (other than pureed yams…)

Sometimes I’ll throw a little uncooked yam in a smoothie, cooked – not so much.

Yam (sweet potatoes really) would not pour unless liquid was added to them. No matter how long or hard you mash them they will be thick without added liquid.

Gunther needs to grow a pair, and make a move on Tiffany. Both will be good for each other. He can nurture her, which is what she needs, and she can make him feel manly, which is what he needs.

Bernice needs to come out of the closet so she and Tara can hook up. I mean seriously. The only bf Bern had was in a wheelchair. totally non threatening. Bernice is scared of men.

Mr. Grey isn’t into Gunths mom. I’m not sure what his scene is, but it’s power/money based, not people based. He’s not a nice guy.Les is a real piece of work. He and his mom are two of a kind.

Ma Berger and Gunny have exactly the same hair! Talk about a mother-and-son team. Mrs. Berger (Petunia; or was Al only romanticizing?) and Gunny are better, if that’s the term, than old Ma Barker and her gang.

So, where do we go from here, boys and girls?

Spoiler Alert: Two changes for Mrs. Berger:

1. She has a first name.

.

2. She will have to change her relationship status on Fakebook.

2:00 A.M. Pacific time – nothing on NoGoComics has updated. This site has been more buggy than usual lately… Double posts, posts disappearing – I guess they must have sent most of the IT crew home last week for Christmas break.

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Gunther has ’moo’ved over to Alley Oop and he wants to stay in Moo. Check it out, you’ll see it’s true… http://www.gocomics.com/alley-oop/2017/12/22 (hey, that rhymes, too)

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Mr. Brown can moo, can you?

nearing 7am EST, and still no update to Saturday’s cartoon. Good thing it’s available at that other site !

do you think we’ll run up a thousand comments before they update the strip?

It’s Saturday, the 23rd! Get to work, lazy people!

This is pretty weird. Seriously, is nobody there for Christmas? How come SOME comics got updated? And how is it possible no one there has noticed?