Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for September 28, 2019

Luann needs more motivation… like fellow female motivation (either from Dez or Tiffany; not sure if best friend Bernice can help).

Hmm… is that some sexual tension in the air?

No right to complain about a situation you’re not at least making an effort to do something about. ✨

Uh, oh… doesn’t look good.

Back in the 60s and 70s, the guys did the calling. It worked out just fine.

And Jack steps over a boundary into the Bernice zone.

Wow. When Jack gets flusterpated, his little ringlet of hair that hangs down in front disappears. Never seen that before.

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What Jack is saying to Luann: “Someone needs to!”

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What jack is thinking about Luann: “A daily bop on the button will keep that boob in line”. Jack has British roots, and I do not mean his hair…

Hmm, seems like we’ve seen this fight a zillion times in old movies:

You’re problem is you’re afraid to live!

You just want to control every thing I do!

Ha! As if I even care what you do!

You … you … you’re just … (passionate kiss, fall into bushes, fade to moon…)

All of a sudden, Jack reminds me of Brad.

Now, now, Luann you were once telling Jack what to do, and it ended up helping him set his sights on his future as a veterinarian. He did not react in a recalcitrant manner; in fact, it made him happy.

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Now, it is his turn. Listen to him and possibly find happiness. Or, it might send you into a life of desperately dialing guy after guy after guy. Sometimes you never know what might happen when you push an unknown button…

Whether the 60’s, 80’s, 90’s, or 2019, this is not just annoyance, it is the prelude to a kiss, a good, old, clutch and grab kiss. An unleashed display of feelings that will carry us through the weekend. Or, of course, Greg can fumble the ball again and Puddles will get upset and bite Jack on the leg. Pandemonium will ensue.

Im still imagining those two together

Luann already knows she’s a wimp, but it’s a security blanket for her. She knows she’s missing out on a lot, but she would rather stand on the sidelines and watch everyone else’s drama!!

The more luann dodges dating and even the sex issue, the more it’s believable that she doesn’t know what she wants and is likely asexual.

Jack is a little heavy handed about this. But he was right to point out that Luann is just being chicken.

yeh!!! I always played hard to get!!!

Which I enjoy doing to posters…pushing their buttons, that is.

Boy! Was he naive or what?! Luann was actually having a date with him, even if they’re only friends, and he’s trying to hook her up to other guys?! Yeah, that sounds like 2019 all right!

So, Luann got HIS number, but did she give him HERS? I mean, if she asked for his number, she could easily have added, “I’ll give you mine, too”. At least that would make the possible future date on an equal playing field. I’d hold off calling for at least a few days to see if he called first…. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but still.

Jack is organized with business cards, but in the end he’s scared just like Luann? I like this.They are even more alike than it seems.

Jack is really the friend Luann needs—not romantically, but as someone to push her forward

This strip gives off disturbing feeling tones. Jack appears too aggressive. Pushy even. Not where I thought the last five days were taking us.

Luann is right. Focus where it’s needed. Plenty of time later for romance and fun. Why rush? Let him go thru a lot of women which maybe his thing. Good for her, not letting others think and decide for you regardless of the intent!

Luann is still looking for love.

Greg forgot all about what it was like to be a hormone-crazed teen.

This has got romcom written all over it.

Many of you called it earlier this week, “Harry met Sally,” or something like it. Whether it’s next week, next year, or next millennium, the end game does appear to be Jack and Luann.

Meanwhile

Today reminds me of my favorite Peter Schikele routine where, nearing what he thinks is the end of the first movement of Beethoven’s fifth symphony, when the chord shifts from C major to C minor, he exclaims, ”This piece is definitely going into overtime!”

As in, this arc, which seemed more than over Tuesday (“Bye, Jack”), has arrived here on Saturday, looking like this is where we’ll pick it up on Monday…

I remember college. At least I remember some of it. I dated. I never worried about having a date. I never worried about being in a relationship. So much worrying about relationships with this group. I recall dating was more of an either it happens or it doesn’t type of thing. I didn’t worry about it. And to be clear. Dating was just dating. There was never a day the thought of marriage came into play. I was in college and having fun. Marriage was always a ‘later’ type of deal.

(Sigh) As expected, Luann is wimping out about calling Ryder. What a “Surprise.” (Rolls Eyes)

You know what? Luann is talking to the WRONG person here. She SHOULD be talking to her Mom, Nancy about what to do next with Ryder.

Nancy after all, dated 14 or 15 guys growing up. And she had Rich experiences and lived to tell the tale(s). As I recall it was Nancy who once encouraged Lu to “aggressively pursue” what she wanted. Of course that was with Quill, but still.

Besides, between Jack saying things about “Spending an hour with him,” and Luann saying things about Jack “pushing” her buttons, the “I LOVE Jack,” folks are gonna get the WRONG idea that there’s still “hope” for these two. And We CAN’T have THAT, can We? :)

PS: One more thing. Luann spends an hour with Jack, and NOTHING. Luann spends an evening with Gunther, and she’s all A-Glow. LIT, as Pru described it. Ya’ll do the Math.

Have a nice weekend, My Fellow Luannatics! :)

whoa !

This is the thing that has always bugged me about this strip: Luann never does anything! It’s her friends who grow and change but she basically does nothing and stays the same.

He’s not a dummy!

Their first fight…

Jack channeling Bernice.

Lu needs some shaking up. So, we’ll see where this goes.

Tuff BF love.

A date need not be some high pressure mating ritual. It CAN be a couple of people enjoying each other’s company.

( In this case, what they have been doing was dating, but that’s another thing worthy of meditation and ponderation. )

I sense a make-up clinch possibility, here.

“You’re so repressed that some button pushing would do you wonders!”

WOW I am wondering why Luann is being so desperate. And since when do young women not worry about giving strangers their personal information? She would have been a lot smarter and less needy keeping on the casual dog park level for awhile.

If they end up kissing at the end of this arc, then I’ll know it’s official

Great ending line!

Jack, is right ! Luann needs to man up and call Ryder.

Is this going to be just like the movies where the next move is to have a passionate kiss?

Many here are proposing a crisis point in the relationship between Luann and Jack. Of the three outcomes, a parting of the ways seems unlikely. Been there; did that. A status quo continuation seems so trite, mundane and banal. All that’s left is a ramp-up. This is also difficult to envision somehow.

So maybe Jack will drive Luann into Ryder’s arms. I can just see her riding on the back of some motorcycle. NOT.

Maybe Monday will tell.

He looks like TJ in the last panel.

Screw Ryder! We don’t even know what he looks like. It’s the story, and the relationships between the characters that the art shows. Sorry anyone with half a ability to understand human relationship should shee what this is meant to be: why is Jack so upset with Luann about calling some random dude, when she spends all this time with person who IS NOT some random dude. She is so blind, scared, he wants her to call him, to show interest in him. It is so obvious. Of course Luann always seems to mess up a sure thing in romance, so maybe she will, or maybe that is what the point is, however to me it is as clear as the perfectly clear, clean parts of the Carrribean, Jack really likes Luann, but because it’s Luann he needs her to let him know she likes him as well. Then we are off to the races. Jeeeez.

There’s a whole lot of people misreading Luann’s statement in the last panel. She wasn’t accusing Jack of being afraid to call people himself; she was saying that he was “pushing her buttons” by nagging her about calling the guy. And that’s why his response was “someone has to”: he meant that Luann was stuck in her comfort zone and someone needed to nudge her out of it, even if it meant annoying her a bit.

…Did you ever have finally decide?And say yes to one and let the other one ride?There’s so many changes and tears you must hide,Did you ever have to finally decide? — the Lovin’ Spoonful, 1965

oops…Luann just spent an hour in the dog park with Jack because she hoped it might eventually translate into a romantic relationship with him; instead he came on to a complete stranger and attempted to arrange a date, doing it right in front of her, the painful buttons that Jack is now pushing. But as I recall Luann sat on the bench with her arms folded across her chest leaning away (classic defensive posture indicating insecurity). As long as these two have been friends, doing different things together, you would think Luann could be comfortable enough to say to Jack “do you think our relationship could ever become more than it is now?” But she has to be prepared for answers of both types.

He says she just spent an hour with Him as if that were a Stupid Thing to do.

I spy, with my little Eye, a Guy with self esteem issues.

You tell her, Jack! Luann’s been coasting for far too long….

Good to see LUANN is back. What about her friends Bernice and Tiffany don’t for get them and don’t for get Gunther.

I thought Jack was a nice guy. But nice guys don’t belittle people who have previously helped them figure out what career to follow, by first telling them off and then telling them someone needs to trigger an anger reaction in them. Go have a date with Kaylie, Jack, and then just keep on truckin’ elsewhere…

Luann is so making a mistake by not dating him, he seems to be the most level headed and dependable guy I’ve seen in her world that isn’t related to her by blood.

I like Gunther and all, but he is still got a lot of maturing to do emotionally, he lacks confidence and does not yet know how to deal with his insecurities… of course that’s typical young geeky \ nerdy male right after high school…