Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 07, 2022

What’s this?? Is Jack upset with Nil? Does Jack know the whole Muse thing has been a lie?

Will this arc go into a 4th week? Will we ever see Beb again? LOL

sounds like Jack still needs an explination

Actually, the plot vaguely resembles that of an old James Stewart movie, titled “Magic Town” …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Town

Good God. I did not expect this assault on my eyes when I open the comics today.

Black on mustard yellow on blue topped with purple? Long and shapeless paired with long and shapeless?

Sis you are doing yourself no favors today. It looks like puddles picked it with his eyes closed. Please if you have an ounce of self-respect take it all off immediately.

Yup. Disappearing reappearing ink.

We need to have words, bro.

Jack cares about Bernice. It may not because he has feelings for her, more likely she is a friend and Jack is a person who cares about people and animals. He is a good person, not sure there is a better one in the Luann universe.

Wait a minute..

The patterns came back to its shirt! Looks better. Bernice is being weird. Luann’s fault.

Jack needs to have a few words with Nil. Jack you been watching from afar.

Nil going to explain his, er, let down, to Jack?

I kept expecting a shocker in this arc. Something like a Titanic pose. Luann, “You did what?!” Hey, it was art! “You did what?!” Hey, it was art! Later that day…"You did what?! :-)

Distrust?

will Bernice ever come back to earth?

This would be making a whole lot more sense if she were wearing the leather shorts. I’m completely baffled.

Once again, Bernice is caught up in the fantasy and thrusts her free spirit skyward. Any takers?

Finally something interesting happening – maybe, hopefully?

This getting interesting…

Glad Jack is back!

Omg just stick a fork in it Bernice

Aha! Finally some teeth in this arc. The story is nothing at this point unless Nil takes the wheel. Bern needs to get kidnapped emotionally. Does nil have what it takes to lasso a lonely woman?

“NO, you CAN’T drop Bernice like a BAD habit! If you do, she’ll be after ME again and I ain’t buying her no ‘mo friggin’ goldfish! So man-up and TAKE it!!” – Jack

Looks like this is not all what Nil had in mind!

This situation is quite amusing.

Uh, oh. Jack has raised his eyebrow. This could get serious.

incredible, Jack has appeared but Bernice remains completely focused on Nil without almost seeing him! The huge crush she had on him seems to have disappeared, now she only thinks of Nil ♡. This situation is awesome, now Nil will have to explain everything to his best friend. I think the story is going to be about how she was ready to leave him and he came out saying that she’s his muse because he didn’t want to lose her (how awkward), but that worked out too much and now he’s confused. I think Jack will have a good laugh and then help him understand what he wants and what he feels. I can’t wait to see if this will be the case. Maybe they will talk about the situation between Jack and Luann too.

Ahh, now this arc is starting to be intriguing!!

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of beef Jack has against Nil.

And that PITA Bernice will be absent (I hope)!!

Oh wow! She’s managed to become way more annoying!!

Bernice has been the only interesting arc in the last few months, hope it continues.

Nil liked her because she was smart and said what was on her mind. She didn’t like Nil’s art, but was willing to listen and discuss it. Then she turned into a Harlequin Romance Nutter Butter.

“Nil! Spill!”

Poor Nil. Probably has a splitting headache by now!

“Jack and Nil, went up the hill, to fetch a pail of muse…”

Uh oh, a random act of good masculine behavior to defend the honor of a woman.

This could be lots of things, but I’m wondering whether Jack is protective (desirous?) of Bernice and thinks Nil has dissed her. The fact that he grabbed Nil suggests some strong emotion for SOME reason.

I told you so! Nil hates the new Bernice.

I’m with Nil I want to run too

This was not on my bingo card. :)

Last time I checked this strip was called LUANN NOT BERNICE OR TIFFANY!?!? why has it not been a Luann arc in a while? No character development either. It’s like she is a supporting character

Luann1212 must be giddy with “I told you so” glee over this off the wall turn of events.

Anyone else see Sally and Linus in that 1st frame?

I get the feeling Jack will be an audience avatar in tomorrow’s strip, wanting to ask just what is going on between Nil & Bernice.

Just what is Jack’s interest in this turn of events. Jack was the one that encouraged the whole Nil-Bernice relationship: https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2021/05/11

This was after Bernice’s infatuation with Jack, way back in the Bodice Ripper dream sequence and Monstro gifting days (Sept-Nov 2020).

Now that the Nil-Bern relationship is apparently in danger of falling apart, Jack suddenly interjects himself again. Does this mean that Jack has an interest in either Nil or Bernice being in a relationship? OR Does Jack, himself, secretly harbor feelings for Bernice and for some as yet unrevealed reason?

Suddenly, this arc has become very interesting. Just yesterday I opined that this is the point in Bernice infatuation arcs that Greg or GnK would pull the rug out from under her. Today a whole new possibility opens up for this arc.

Think I’ll be back in about a month. Sounds like the idea ‘well’ has run dry and they’re milking this for what it’s worth. (IMHO….nothing!)

This is painful.

Now we’ll get some answers! Won’t we?

I don’t follow this strip as close as all of you do but looking at Nil, is he a guy or a skinny girl?

That shirt keeps flip flopping as to whether it has a flower pattern on it or not.

Jack: “Hold it – you ain’t leaving me here alone with this wacko !”

Ah, flowered blouses is back! Along with Nil’s buddy, Jack. He must be surprised to see the changes in Bernice’s appearance and actions. Now we may find out what Nil wanted to talk to Bernice about. ;-o

Wait – Jack’s got a thing for Bernice?

Some folks are never satisfied. Hated Bernice when she was a sarcastic, bossy know it all and now she’s a free spirit being upbeat, they still criticize her. :-/

Jack is ACCOSTING Nil. Not cool to physically restrain someone from leaving.

BTW, Bern? Give it a rest. You’ve gotten intoxicated with yourself and need to sober up.

Looks like Jack is going to find out just why the h*ll Bernice is acting like such a weirdo! Let’s hear Nil’s side of this muse fiasco – should be interesting. I’m still betting it was a “let her down easy” move on his part.

Yay! Jack is back! Get ‘em Jack! We sure needed a pivot shift here.I am looking forward to tomorrow’s arc.

Nil wanted a natural muse, not this poser.

We don’t know what Nil has told Jack about his relationship with Bernice. Maybe Jack thinks they are still dating? Maybe Jack knows something about Nil that the readers don’t know? Does Nil have a secret?

Perhaps Nil is embarrassed by the goofy Bernice? I sure would be. Maybe Nil doesn’t want to explain his feelings about Bernice to Jack?

Is this chick on drugs, or something? Jeez!

Bernice’s expression in the first panel looks a lot like Lucy from the Peanuts cartoon, especially when Lucy’s looking at Schroder.

Jack wants to know the story. But will he do anything about it?

Once more the rare and shocking is presented!! Two things happened in one strip! This could have been stretched out to 2 maybe 3 days!! Oh Thank you he who reigns over Luann’s Comicdom.

It never made sense to me that Jack and Nil were friends. I think originally it was for the one shot humor aspect in the art class but they are so different it seems unlikely they’d be buddies. I’ve noticed that the newer or side characters in the strip don’t tend to hang out with people that are at all similar to them. For instance Dez doesn’t live with other new age counter culture types but a couple of cheerleaders. Crystal had no Goth friends (once again her only female friend was a cheerleader). Nil seems to have no artist friends, at least not that we’ve seen. I understand that Greg may be using a short hand with individual characters representing entire groups but it would be more realistic to show at least a few people with friends that have something in common with them. Well, besides Luann and Bernice.

Okay, it’s Jack’s turn!

Sorry Nil, sensitive beefcake is going to make sure you can’t escape your feelings this time

When was the last time we saw Bernice this HAPPY??

Never mind what Nil thinks,don’t spoil it!!

What do I always say? Strip exists for misdirectron plays and this is a doozy. Actually more than one doozy, with Jack’s restraint of Nil the biggest one. Plural doozies or doozi? Not going to predict now, ’wouldn’t be prudent."

When is this muse crap going to end?

I am not “a-mused.”

Personally, I hope Jack talks Nil into speaking up to Bernice about how he really feels about her “changes” she’s done to herself. It just seems like he doesn’t see her as his “muse” any longer.

Do I sense some competition for Bern’s attention?

Jack wants Nil to at least PRETEND he understands what’s going on.

Heck,when was the last time Bernice dressed up to please a boy?

Nil is wondering “What did I start?”. Bernice doesn’t realize that what Nil told her should have remained between them. I’d run away too.

Bernice is about to get fired from being Nil’s muse. 2 days left!

NOW we’re getting somewhere. (Hopefully)

Bernice sure is full of her muse-ical self

Uh-Oh! Take cover? Is Nil unfaithful?

When did Bernice Halper learned to speak “French”?

I love an arc that has Jack in it.

Jack’s pretty smart. He might fix this situation right up,

That outfit looks like something from a Summer’s Eve commercial

Hmmmm….could this be something like…“Nil, have you been cheating on me with girls”?

So, is Nil into Bohemian girls? Jack seems to be concerned about Nil’s countenance.

So many possibilities.

Nil may have told Bernice that she was his muse …

(1) … as a way to keep her in his life after she suggested breaking up.

(2) … as a way to break up with her, but “let her down easy.”

(3) … as a ruse to get into her pants.

(4) … as a way to sort-of break up so that he could be free to pursue someone else (Fred?) but still keep Bern waiting in the wings in case that didn’t work out.

(5) … because he really felt she was inspiring his art.

Fred may be …

(1) … a guy who has been asking Nil out.

(2) … a woman (Frederica? Winifred?) who has been asking Nil out.

(3) … a non-binary person who has been asking Nil out.

(4) … a fictional person Nil invented when Bernice asked “You have someone?”

If Fred exists, Nil may …

(1) … have been interested in going out with him/her/them, but refrained because he didn’t want to two-time Bernice.

(2) … not have been interested in going out with him/her/them.

(3) … already have started going out with him/her/them after his initial “muse” conversation with Bernice.

When Nil said “Bern, can we talk?” [2022/07/04], he may have been about to tell her …

(1) … that her new outfit wasn’t inspiring him.

(2) … that her deliberate attempt to “act like a muse”—and her verbal gushing about it—wasn’t inspiring him.

(3) … that he’s been dating Fred (or someone else).

On 2022/07/05, Nil may have found the idea of Bernice wearing leather shorts with studs …

(1) … disconcertingly erotic.

(2) … just plain disconcerting.

Something that I think is clear, though, is that today’s conversation triggered Jack’s BS detector and he wants to find out why.

Bernice is happy and feeling free for maybe the first time in her life, and most of y’all are having problems with it. I think she’s not the one with the issues! ;)

Nil, of course, misses his uptight, tight-lipped, sexually repressed Marylyn the Librarian who takes off her glasses and lets her hair down with him behinds the stacks. He wasn’t looking for a relationship that involved Bernice talking about her hopes and feelings, just one where they played out their secret fantasies.

Bernice cannot be so naive.

I had something of a revelation about Jack today. The reason he hasn’t hit on Luann or Bernice in a while is he has assumed the role of Big Brother. He sees Bern-ann / Lu-nice as family to look out for and help when needed. It makes his past behavior totally reasonable and why he is concerned about exactly what Nil’s intentions towards Bernice are.

Yesterday her blouse was plain, today it has stars all over it!!!!!

No, Jack! Don’t draw out this mess. Let Nil run, Let “La Muse” run. And may they keep going in opposite directions!

I’d like to see people do this with Jonah when he drops Shannon off…

I’m glad to see Jack again. This arc may get interesting. Note, I said “may.” I wish Luann got this much attention from the Evanses.

Just announced:

James Caan, star of The Godfather, Rollerball, Brian’s Song and Misery, has passed away.

R.I.P. to a great actor.