Let's Do the Time Warp

She probably just hasn't had time to bring it up, Paul.

I wish the question had been one of the ones you folks came up with yesterday, but this is pretty fascinating. They're putting an actual timeframe on the time warp that these people live in. Does anyone know when she actually married her first husband? In the 60s? And apparently I'm too bad at math to figure out the ratio of A3G years to real years, but uh... it's kind of staggering right?

I would love this to wind up being the case, but I guess they'll just make up some story about how her husband died that doesn't take place in the Vietnam era. But really, wouldn't everything make so much more sense if it was still, like, the 70s in A3G world?

I hope in this version, Margo murders Gary. Nobody breaks up their little apartment... nobody. So watch yourself, Paul.

Mistakes Were Made

Okay everyone, I'm back! First of all, if you haven't read Megan's hilarious review of the past four days in A3G History, you should definitely check that out first.

On to today!

Oh my gosh, what a tease. First you say you've run a background check on Lu Ann, and then you report NONE OF THE FINDINGS?? For shame. I mean, what can it possibly say? "Reports indicate she totally hated her hair after her I Dressed in the Dark makeover."

..........I mean, I guess she KIND OF dated a junkie for a few years, but that was pretty on-again, off-again. And by "off-again" I mean "he died." Also, she got kidnapped by a ghost that one time? I can only hope that shows up in the background check.

Any takers on what Papa Linski's question is going to be? "Do you know what color Lu Ann's eyes are?" "Did you know Lu Ann's related to a underbridge-dwelling troll?" "Have you started saving for Paul Jr.'s college fund yet?" etc. etc.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey

So it looks like we took a little Thanksgiving hiatus here at the old blogspot. Hope you all had a relaxing, gluttonous holiday and a joyful day of pepper spraying your fellow shoppers for discounted merchandise!

We've got a lot to recap, so let's get to it!

Thursday, November 25th

OK, it's one thing to paint the extra room a pastel color just in case you decide to use it as a nursery, but to go out and buy a crib before you even get married? That's a dealbreaker (don't sue me Tina Fey). Is Paul's dad supposed to look worried in the second panel? I would have thought he was having a stroke. Don't worry, Lu Ann's the best*!!

*The veracity of this claim has not yet been scientifically proven.

Friday, November 25th

Hey there Gene! Just so you know, I've been working on this blog for like a year and I don't really know Lu Ann Powers all that well. There's really not much more than meets the eye. Have you bought a squiggle painting yet? I'm pretty sure the explanation is in there somewhere.

At least Paul agrees with me that his dad is acting a little creepy. Or at least Paul's eyebrows in the first panel and the black hole creeping in on the right side of the strip agree with me.

Monday, November 28th

Oh boy, this Lu Ann thing is killing old man Linski. He has aged twenty years in three strips! The Linskis have two rules. Number one, always make life changing decisions without consulting your significant other/family member. Number two, it is unnatural to want to live more than two houses away from your immediate family and reflects poorly upon your moral character. The Linski Congress is considering adding a rule (Number three, always wear white shirts), but they're not sure they can get it past Wally's subcommittee.

Tuesday, November 29th

Paul, you should have seen this coming! It's Linski Rule #1! But it is a little crazy. I mean did the Linskis even ask Lu Ann about her family? Paul's so mad he's developing a hunch, and that hunch is bobbling!

Maggie and Casey, you're welcome.

Sunday Recap

Friday, September 3oth

"Quick, get the binoculars! They're right outside!" I'm surprised that the reason Poppa Linski is concerned about the relationship is that they're "so different." Really? I would have thought it would be that Paul is making major life decisions without consulting Lu Ann. Or that he has a mysterious source of income that allows him to be part of the landed gentry of Hoboken. Or that they barely know each other.

Saturday, October 1st"It's science, opposites attract!" Nothing could possibly go wrong spending the rest of your life with someone you have nothing in common with.I'll have to defer to Maggie for the full history of Lu Ann's family situation. I know she and her mother aren't close, but I don't know what her daddy issues are. "Stop your worrying, let's go get into our side by side bathtubs because I think we're running out of time for your current Cialis dose, Papa Bear"

The Crowd Begins to Chant...

Started writing this post before I saw Megan's below, but since there's almost less than nothing to say about today's strip, I'll just post what I had already written.


Hi everyone, Maggie here with the Saturday to Monday beat. Most of the time, I skip Sunday; it's usually a bland rehash of the not-so-interesting things that have happened earlier that week. Plus, everyone looks even whiter in the Sunday strips. So let's skip Sunday and just check out Saturday and Monday, shall we?

Saturday September 10, 2011Monday, September 12, 2011

Oh, sure, I get i--guh-HUNHHH??! I have to read Sunday to see whether Lu Ann accepted Paul's proposal or awkwardly stood there not saying anything until people started to disperse? Fine.

You gotta love those sweet, thoughtful Linskis, all dressed exactly alike, all chanting in unison (except for Dilton Doiley nudging his way in over to the side). Do you imagine the chanting in a deep, numb tone or high and shrill? I'm suddenly sensing a pod people/Stepford wives angle here. Nevertheless, for all her misgivings, Lu Ann has enthusiastically accepted Paul's proposal. Yay! Now, how, where and why will this go wrong?

Not sure what to say about the 9/11 tribute, which is shoe-horned in, but with obvious good intent. For a strip set in New York City, but with very few actual references to the city itself, it seems appropriate. Still, could the colorists have put a little extra effort into the American flag?? Crikey.

Sunday Roundup

Whoa, you take off a few days from the old blog and things start happening! Which is shocking, because nothing usually happens. Without further ado:

Friday, September 9th

Oh yes, it's obviously the old "joke proposal at the family reunion" routine. But Paul looks so serious! And Lu Ann looks like she is preparing to bolt in the night, or at least inch her way closer to that fence so that she can hide behind it.

Saturday, September 10th

I think the second panel is the funniest panel in a long time, possibly since nigh on Bobbie Merrill times. The panicked head bobble, combined with the "I wish I could be anywhere but here" stare off into the distance. It's priceless, and it should be like a Zales commercial or something.

Sunday, September 11th

Whoa! Mags, I thought you said nothing ever happens in the Sunday strip? Apparently, the uncertainty in the two previous strips was Lu Ann's rational brain trying to put the kibash on the happiness her heart desires. Or maybe it's just group think? There are a lot of yes men around. I don't know if she is happy about it or not, but as of this strip Lu Ann Powers is officially affianced. Even the disembodied head of Waldo is rooting for these two crazy kids. Margo is going to be super pissed off about this!

One of Us!

I was willing to give Paul the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he came across as kind of creepy and overbearing at times, but he did seem sufficiently horrified at his dad's "prize" in yesterday's strip. But now he is just downright scary. Like Norman Bates scary. Congratulations, Lu Ann, your prize is a chloroform-soaked rag. Your head bobble can't save you. When you wake up, you will be married to Paul. Don't ask any questions, it's all totally legal in New Jersey.

Ouch.

Side Blush

Kudos to Anonymous for nailing the head-bobble inducing prizes. Although, I would have expected an interrobang after prizes, that's par for the course for a head bobble. I'm not going to lie, I now want to give out family prizes. Although mine won't be as quaint and polite as the Linski awards. Mine would be more along the line of "Blackest Sheep", "Most Disappointing" and "Best Display of the Family Overbite".

Now, I'm a little confused as to the coloring in this strip. In the second panel, there is a random pink bath towel/or a shutter, yet Lu Ann's blush in the final panel makes her look like Ambrose Burnsides. Maybe it's not pink because she's not really blushing, she looks more like she's crying on the inside.

Deep Impact

A falling star? Or an asteroid crashing to Earth that will decimate life as we know it? Too bad Paul doesn't realize that Lu Ann has fallen in love with his family/back porch swing and merely thinks of him as a real swell guy. Hopefully, he's able to take the inevitable heartbreak in stride and find a girl that Gramma Rose would really approve of.

Just the Two of You

Oh my gosh oh my gosh. Are the Linski's throwing Lu Ann a surprise engagement party?? What a family. It'll be a tiny bit sad when Paul proposes and Lu Ann gets flummoxed and turns him down and runs away and passes Rose Linski and the Family Band hiding behind a bush, fully expecting to strike up "Here Comes the Bride," buuuut... won't that also be pretty awesome?

More Linski Fun

No, she's just making sure that her great-grandchildren will be well-fed, and figures this bimbo has no idea how to cook. Especially after talking to her for a few minutes.

I'm also not sure how it's sweet to jump on a complete stranger with a load of personal questions, but if that is, then I must be like, a saint or something.

The Third Degree

"Well, I'm a full-time artist! I just don't get paid that often, or do my job that often. And I've had several boyfriends before, but they've all died, so no problems there! Does that answer your questions?"

"CUT THE CRAP, LU ANN! What about my great grandchildren?? Tell me you're still fertile!! TELL M--oh, hello there, Paul, back with the lemonade I see! Oh ho ho, your gramma was just having a little girl talk with you best girl here, isn't that right, Lu Ann? ....isn't. that. right."

Personal plug! HDR Architecture (where I work) just launched a new design blog called BLiNK! My team has been working for months to get this up, and I'm really proud of the result. You can find it here: http://blink.hdrinc.com/