Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

well Baldy, I sorta viewed this as part of his work. ( as opposed to non-strip related activities).

# 9/5/2012 1:07:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | Bald Eagle said

Well, Greg DID say, "For weeks, I allowed the strip to take a back seat to Everything Else... the Commenters have reminded me that my first obligation is keep my focus on my work." So this is the result - no blog updates, so it must be working.

# 9/5/2012 11:47:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

coming up on 2 months without an updated blog entry. You think Greg has lost the address, or just the will?

# 9/5/2012 10:18:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | SassyLady said

@comicwhiz - No, I don't cover my ears, I just walk away. I don't like to waste my time with what I perceive as nonsense. I don't like whiners and complainers. If you don't like Greg's writing, then don't read it. I stopped watching TV shows when the plots & writing went downhill. Life is too short and there are so many interesting alternatives to boredom.

# 9/1/2012 6:50:00 PM

@SassyLady | comic_whiz said

Do you just cover your ears every time you hear something you don't like? BillBills is sadly right, Evans' writing just gets worse and worse every year.

# 8/30/2012 10:05:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | SassyLady said

Oh, Good! Another name to block so I don't have to read drivel from the same person again.

# 8/30/2012 5:49:00 PM

@SassyLady | BillBills said

The only thing that's stale is the same predictable storylines over and over, with immature "protagonists" that are impossible to root for. Luann's bf always getting deported is just one of many reoccuring problems. Perhaps some of you draw comfort out of the fact that this comic will never evolve past double entendre, stereotypes, and harassing the "villain" characters nonstop, but I would like to see Evans take some chances and actually have plausible storylines covering real teen issues.

# 8/30/2012 9:29:00 AM

@betough | BillBills said

The tattoo appears to be a firefighter symbol. Yes, Brad almost had a permanent reminder that he was let go over everyone else in his department, and only brought back because Evans deports characters to solve problems.

# 8/30/2012 9:20:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | SassyLady said

RE the ultra-negative comments - we've heard them all before under several other names. It gets stale and not even worth a response. I for one am glad that Greg doesn't feel obligated to blog multiple times a month...the best ones are those where he feels he really has something to say. I miss his blogs, too, but just hope that he's in a good place in his life and career. Besides, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Love ya, Greg!

# 8/29/2012 3:15:00 PM

@ BillBills | gary mason said

After several days' reflection, and somewhat influenced by the reminder from betough about the balance between the happy and the unhappy, I really don't think I can add to what DavidP said. Unlike Mr Bills, I actually ENJOY this strip! (Sorry about the capital letters; I haven't quite discovered the way, if there is one, to do italics or bold for emphasis on this blogsite.)

# 8/29/2012 10:20:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | betough said

I just found this site because I wanted to ask about Brad's tattoo. What is it? Is there a close-up somewhere? I was surprised to read the negative comment but I guess as another writer posted above the unhappy people post more than the happy people.

# 8/28/2012 9:50:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

...all of it!

# 8/23/2012 10:31:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? Hmm... | BillBills said

@garymason What about these last few weeks do you enjoy? Is it Greg's constant need to degrade Ann for wanting a bunch of spoiled teens to work instead of actively trying to get her fired? Is it the lack of continuity with Brad, Toni, and Shannon in the restaurant even though they were effictively banned? Is it the perverted hot dog "jokes"? Is it insulting Tiffany for being lazy for not wanting to work at her profession, even though she flew to L.A. to work all summer? What parts did you enjoy?

# 8/23/2012 8:35:00 AM

@ yoda1234 | gary mason said

Yep, it's a corker. Note that I was only quoting Greg's own assertion of about 6 weeks ago, not agreeing with it. I've enjoyed quite a bit of these recent weeks' arcs. I can only imagine Greg quietly monitoring these comments before he decides whether he's going to do any blog entry at all for August! Perhaps, having got a little ahead, he's gone away for a proper summer break.

# 8/23/2012 2:35:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | yoda1234 said

Gary, I think yesterday's double-entendre shows Greg is still on his game... "Playing with your hot dog"???!!! >SNORK!!<

# 8/22/2012 10:21:00 AM

Re: BillBills | gary mason said

Gee, Mr Bills, if that's how you feel, why are you bothering to look at this site at all, let alone take the trouble to log in and comment? Surely you have something better to do. ## Greg himself has asserted that these arcs represent one of his less good periods, but someone who feels the way you do ("crap ... for years", no less) really ought to move on.

# 8/14/2012 9:39:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | BillBills said

You can actually witness Greg's level of caring by the number of blog posts he makes every month. In Sept. 2010 it was a whopping 13, but every month it has trickled down to where we only get one obligatory update a month. We're back to normal Luann strips again. T.J. still works fast food to harass a manager that wants her employees to actually work, Crystal still makes fun of everyone she knows, Tiffany is labeled as lazy even though she flew to Cali and worked most of the summer because she's the designated evil character, Luann is still an all-around awful person, etc. The same crap that Greg's been shoveling for years.

# 8/14/2012 8:24:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

...been a month since his last blog posting, so I'm assuming not Baldy.

# 8/9/2012 8:51:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | Bald Eagle said

Greg, I'm wondering if you have a new blog for this august audience. So what's happenin'? Has the Perfect Storm abated and the sprinkler been fixed? How are the "incredibly compelling, perfectly crafted, 100% blunder-free strips" working out? ;-)

# 8/1/2012 11:37:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | kauri44 said

One thing I noticed was that Quill's farewell move (walking away with the backwards wave) was almost identical to Miguel's exit. And I felt the same way when each left: do you mean he's gone from the strip forever?! It's still not a good feeling. Whether the strip will evolve the way Bald Eagle suggests remains to be seen, although I wonder how many of us would be waiting for the next guy to also take his leave with a back handed wave...

# 7/19/2012 4:05:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | ssroyes said

Good! Now that Quill is out of the way there'll be more room for Elwood!

# 7/18/2012 5:20:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | Bald Eagle said

Hope springs eternal!

# 7/16/2012 10:39:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

Baldy: yeh, but how many of us will allow ourselves to get emotionally invested again in a suggested romantic relationship with another boyfriend next time? Once burned, twice shy. Or as the say: "Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me!".

# 7/16/2012 10:08:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | Bald Eagle said

@Kauri44 - It wouldn't surprise me at all that Greg Evans would continue to bring Luann through adolescence and provide a more promising romantic relationship with a new fella - now that he's brought her this far with Quill. It will be interesting to see what his personality will be like - probably more focused and demonstrative than Aaron or Quill - more nearly like Miguel - now that she's grown up a little. Actually, I'd like to see how Tiffany would react to Leslie Knox, should he decide to put the same moves on her that he tried with Rosa.

# 7/15/2012 2:28:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | kauri44 said

I wonder whether the recurring theme that Luann never gets to have an actual boyfriend is an unintentional carryover from when the character was 13 (she was later aged a few years, wasn't she?), and it might have made a bit more sense. I'm sure I've said this before elsewhere, but 16 year old girls (and often much younger) do date, often fairly seriously, and it's starting to seem a bit strange that Luann is prevented/forbidden from doing so over and over again. Also, Quill had real chemistry with Luann, and was a person a lot of us would have enjoyed keeping in the strip for some time to come.

# 7/14/2012 11:32:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

DQ: maybe not totally "forgiven". The other boys were mere crushes and infatuations; Quill seemed her first real romantic relationship. Which brings up the question: has Greg "poisoned the well" so-to-speak, as to any future boyfriends for Luann? That is, will long time readers tend to dismiss any suggestion of real romantic involvements for Luann by harking back to this storyline and saying "remember Quill".

# 7/14/2012 10:49:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | TheDramaQueen said

HA! I knew it. Well, not about the home problems or whatever, obviously, but about how that whole Luann-Quill storyline was going to go. Hmm, I never really thought about it, but I guess all of Luann's boyfriends/almost-boyfriends went to another country or state or wherever they went. Whatever, just get her another boyfriend, and don't make him a NERD like Gunther or a SKEEZ like Elwood and all will be forgiven.

# 7/14/2012 3:02:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | mcunning said

Heckling newspaper comic strips seems about as antiquated and pointless as griping at the radio station because you hate the music it plays. Internet commentary often reads like customer reviews, which I always read before purchasing something online, because, you know, I don't want to waste my money. But if you have internet access and you are posting comments, then surely you know that you can find any comic strip online for free. There are many excellent comics from which to choose. This is the equivalent of changing the radio station.

# 7/13/2012 10:20:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | heavyheavyb said

@BillBills I'm not particularly a fan of the strip either but I've read it for about 12 years and I know too well that's how every one of her relationships end. You said all that needs to be said regarding the protagonists, who are usually so awful that I tend to root for Tiffany these days. But while I'm here I may as well say I'm shocked that Rosa is such a stereotype, considering Evans lives in the San Diego area. Of course, I'm saying this despite Quill's ringtone being Waltzing Matilda but Mexico is so close to SD that it's genuinely puzzling to see such an antiquated depiction of a Latin-American character. I think that's what may bother me the most, other than the annoyingly exaggerated gesticulations.

# 7/12/2012 9:05:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? @BillBills | SassyLady said

Hey, I know people with a love life like Luann's, male & female...and they are adults. Each time you meet them, they either have a new love interest or just had a break-up. Crap happens. People come and people go - job changes, meet someone new, old flames come back, all sorts of scenarios, some even fatal. @heavyheavyb, thank you for your kind words. I sincerely appreciate them. @Greg this blog brought out a lot of posters whose names I don't recognize. That's a good thing.

# 7/12/2012 4:04:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | kuzma123 said

Too harsh of an exit!!!! It's like you had a deadline to meet and decided to take L/Q from this LONGGGG flirtation to finally boyfriend/girlfriend to breakup in, what, 10 days? Not cool! Why couldn't Quill have stayed with a friends family until he finished school in the states? Why not show Luann going through the whole first love and relationship hardships that come with it? And what teenager would be satisfied with that kind of "last time I see you" crap? This is first love and they don't want to spend every last minute? Dude, you totally phoned that story line in and while it's cool you admitted you had stuff going on - why through this great L/Q under the bus? Anyway, you could always have Quill come back....missed the states, wanted to finish my education here, staying with a host family, etc.. Still time to undo some damage my friend!

# 7/12/2012 10:31:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | BillBills said

@heavyheavyb It doesn't mean anything if we don't know what he considers to be "off his game". Considering he's probably written comics months in advance to be approved by the editor, are we going to get half-assed comics for a few more months? At what point should we be expecting improved comics? At what point did he stop trying in the first place to see what he considers to be good comics and bad comics? You all seem to forget that the Quill-Luann storyline is how EVERY SINGLE ONE of Luann's relationships have ended...the guy gets deported out of the comic before things get serious. Greg isn't off his game...THIS IS HIS GAME. Unless he plans on giving Luann a boyfriend or moving her ahead in time, we will get the same storylines repeated with different names for the guys that come and go. Look, apologizing for half-assed comics with a half-assed apology means nothing. Greg makes no mention of what he plans to change, just that he'll try harder, but that means nothing with no frame of reference. Unless we know what he's going to change, we're going to keep getting the same crap he's been shoveling to us the last ten years.

# 7/12/2012 7:58:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | heavyheavyb said

I'm not here to beat you over the head with it. What I am here to say is I don't see McEldowney, Johnston or Batiuk acting like humans and admitting mistakes were made. It is difficult admitting to them and even more difficult actually realizing you made one. Good on you, man. You've gained cool points from me. SassyLady, I'm extremely sorry to hear about your husband. How incredible that you can provide missing information to your cousin's son. Best wishes to you and your family. Evans, you too.

# 7/11/2012 10:41:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | Night-Gaunt49 said

So far no problem for me. Have you restarted yet?

# 7/11/2012 9:18:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

Sassy: no problem at my end...I just checked. Try deleting your cache.

# 7/11/2012 8:54:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | SassyLady said

Is anyone else having a problem with GoComics? It's stuck on the 10th. I refreshed my browser so that's not it.

# 7/11/2012 7:41:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | Leviticus said

Love the series. I have gone back and read it from the beginning twice. My opionion, and I promise you it is worth what you are paying me for it, let Lauann and gang become seniors. They would still be in a high school setting, but at the apex. There could be possibilites with a senior that could not be done with a lower grade.

# 7/11/2012 10:54:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | Bald Eagle said

I've been thinking all day what I wanted to post in response to this blog. I'm still not sure, but a few things come to mind... . Thanks so much for leveling with us on your understanding of what happened that caused you to "lose your focus" so to speak. It can happen to the best of us and sometimes a person may even say "don't give up your day job" and that's a wake-up call when it happens to be your day job that they're referring to. You have a great day-job and that's reflected by the number of comments on GoComics and elsewhere. And I'm impressed that you've paid attention and taken us seriously. I can't help but repeat a line from Fiddler on the Roof in which Motel says, "but even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness." I think that probably sums up the unhappiness and frustration that your fans experienced when Quill and Luann finally realized that they had more than a friendship - and Luann was ready to settle down to a real growing love life when BAM! the rug got pulled out from under her and ALSO FROM US! . Puzzling doesn't begin to describe our feelings. As you now know, it just didn't make sense and we all began casting about to understand what you were up to. Even now, I can't help but wonder what's coming up for the next couple of months while you're shifting gears into a more dedicated story line. But we'll stick with you and wait with bated breath to see how it will all work out. . Best wishes as the Con begins, and your special guest shot happens. It may be ironic that you're being honored when you may not be feeling well about your recent offerings. But enjoy! Because you've done some great things to earn that honor and I have every expectation that you'll deserve it in the future.

# 7/10/2012 11:15:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | rlr4818 said

Greg I've been reading and enjoying your strip for years, but it's time for the kids to grow up a bit. Also, killing off Quill at the apex of a budding romance is a bit "Funkyverse", don't you think? And Brad and Toni? What dude is going to stay in a platonic relationship forever? C'mon mate, spice it up a bit.

# 7/10/2012 10:01:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | mcunning said

My dear late husband was a great fan of newspaper comics. "Luann" not so much. (Picture a bearded, bespectacled professor of mathematics.) One day, over the morning coffee and newspaper, he said "I'm embarrassed to admit that I read 'Luann'." That was all. Another time (mid 1990's) he announced that he would no longer read "Funky Winkerbean," and explained why in 2 or 3 sentences that captured everything that has ever been written about it online since then. I'm a little different. I didn't grow up with "Pogo," but I remember that year 1995, horrible in so many ways, but also for newspaper comics. I remember looking at the comics page and thinking, "Doonesbury" and "Luann" will get me through. I remembered this 1 year ago, when I discovered comics online. I had cancelled my subscription to the local dead-tree newspaper in a fit of pique, and started having comics-withdrawal, but my partner/competitor in solving the "Jumble" was gone, so I figured there must be comics on the Internet. Of course. And there is commentary. I absolutely sought out "Luann," to emulate the local/familiar selections, minus the comics I truly loathe. And it wasn't just some kind of Comics Stockholm Syndrome. Brad had just been laid off from his job. And then Ann Eiffel Returned, and I discovered online newspaper comics commentary. Life is good if we can waste an hour or two reading and commenting on essentially free entertainment.

# 7/10/2012 4:05:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? | LDover said

This was totally unreal. They would not depart that way. Never. And not even a word about keeping in touch? .... Totally unreal. My hope there are not days wasted hanging with Bernice and regurgitating every thing.

# 7/10/2012 11:35:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | AZ Aussie said

Hey mate, I think you're on the right track. Life has it's twists and turns and Quill's a great excuse for LuAnne to visit Oz. Check on the other sheilas in Quill's life. Get a tan, surf Bondi or maybe Maroubra. Naah, the northern beaches are better. Sinney's a great place but better get her a grant to study at Sinney Uni for a bit. Or Uni of N.S.W. And what a great tax write-off for you too. Gotta take the family to Oz. Took my girls 'home' when they were 7 and 9 years old. Don't think they will ever forget it. Keep up the Quill story line when it makes sense. Are you syndicated in Oz? Allabest, mate. Bill ex-Sydneysider now in AZ.

# 7/10/2012 10:41:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? @David P | SassyLady said

Thank you. Prayers are much appreciated. I wrote my post when I was still in a very emotional state and shouldn't have put my personal challenges out there. I realize that I also left out an important part about my cousin's son. My cousin died after the divorce, when the kids were young, so he doesn't really know much about his Dad. I am just so happy that he found me so I can fill in some missing gaps in his life.

# 7/10/2012 10:34:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | DavidP said

as one who also posted some misgivings about this latest arc and developments, I'll refrain from "piling on" just now. I'll wait to see what else happens in the wrap of this arc before it switches to Brad & Toni or TJ and Ann E. And Sassy: hang in there ...our prayers are with you.

# 7/10/2012 9:04:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? | BillBills said

Greg, the problem is you aren't off your game. This IS your game. You give Luann an "almost boyfriend", let them come oh-so-close, then you deport him. You deport anyone that you don't know what to do with. Miguel, Aaron, Quill...let her date someone and be done with it! Luann is in high school now, it is perfectly normal for her to have a boyfriend. Take a chance and develop her character some. The other issue is that your "villians" do the same things as your protagonists. T.J. upsells customers, Toni goes into Brad's work to distract him form working, and Shannon bites an adult for removing a crown she didn't buy food for, Ox hates bullies yet bullies people who make him angry, Gunther attacks a boy cowardly when he talks to a girl he won't pursue himself, Crystal is Tiffany's best friend but insults her constantly for having goals beyong high school... Please, make your protagonists better people.

# 7/10/2012 8:19:00 AM

Re:Off My Game? Such is life... | SassyLady said

Life doesn't always have happy endings. People come and go in our lives despite how we feel about them. Today I learned that the love of my life is out of remission and may have only a year left. Hours later, I received an e-mail from someone I didn't know. He is the son of my cousin who was divorced decades ago. His wife took the kids and moved out of state, cutting ties with our side of the family. Now this 40-something Navy pilot found me on FB and wants stories about his father. We never know what surprises life brings - good or bad.

# 7/10/2012 2:07:00 AM

Off Your Game? I'm not so sure ... | gary mason said

Gee, Greg, I think you succumb too readily to the noisy minority. You must know that a satisfied majority usually equals a silent majority, and I suspect that most of us (like me) are content to wait and see how the rest of this arc unfolds. You don't usually change arcs mid-week, which means we've probably got another four or five instalments of the Luann/Quill goodbye, if, indeed, that's really what it is. I've enjoyed the Quill character (perhaps for too obvious reasons), but if you've decided to dispense with him, I trust you to move on and keep us entertained.

# 7/9/2012 10:22:00 PM

Re:Off My Game? Falling into expectations | Night-Gaunt49 said

I'd say anyone who is familiar with the run of "Luann" knows that unlike Brad, Luann doesn't get to have a steady boy friend. In that area she is no different that her arch enemy Tiffany. We were hoping you wouldn't kill it and leave Luann unchanged. But you did. Snipped it right off to fall to the ground to whither and die. What are we to do? No joy, no catharsis or anything but like Luann, empty space. Wishing about what might have been? You don't want to change Luann any more than you already have or there would mean more developments and changes. Not really. On "Sally Forth" Hil has a boy friend even if it is only in the Summer time. At work Sally has had to fire the entire staff of her position because they are incompetents. (Sally Forth hasn't changed substantially at all.) Don't know what you are looking for except to hold on to Luann at this age unless you have a longer term plan we will just have to wait to see it. I'm still staying but it is going to be harder to believe she will get a steady boy friend. She could have had Gunther but that was allowed to die on the vine. Is this all we should expect? I wait in anticipation for what you will serve up next for us in the world of Luann.

# 7/9/2012 10:19:00 PM