Dear Reader,

It’s official — Brad and Toni have told the family they’re expecting! Obviously readers were already in on that news 😊 and many of you have been hoping for Brad and Toni to start a family for a long time. With a baby coming in March, there’s still so much to prepare for! Including a heartfelt new book project celebrating this special couple and their new family–see more below.

Just like real parents, we aren’t sure what to expect when this little one arrives but we know Brad and Toni, and the family as a whole, will have plenty of new adventures (and some challenges!) ahead. Speaking of parents, this month’s Featured Collection takes a look at how Luann and her parents have navigated the questions of career, college, midlife and more!

Lastly, welcome to all our newest LUANN fans who shared their thoughts in the baby guessing game! We are happy to have you with us and will share the results in a October 1st newsletter 😃

‘Til next time,

~Karen and Greg

Get Your Baby Guesses In!

by Karen

Over a thousand readers have already participated in the baby guessing poll and we are excited to share the results in our Oct 1st newsletter.

If you haven’t chimed in yet, you have until end of day on Tuesday Sept 29th! It’s not just boy-or-girl — we want to know if you think this kid comes out silly, serious, or shy, what their first word will be, and more.

This Month’s Featured Collection

Working 9 to 55 Being a parent is the hardest job on the planet! Navigating teenagers on the brink of adulthood while managing midlife is not for the faint hearted. And somehow, “growing up” is not the same as “aging.” This collection gathers a few fun examples of how Luann and her parents have navigated life’s paths. Read the collection HERE!​

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41 Years, Five Publishers, and Two New Books

by Karen

Luann has been around for 41 years–publishing strips 365 days a year. But our book publishing history is a little less straightforward.

The very first collection, Meet Luann, came out in 1986 through Berkley Books with an introduction by none other than Charles Schulz himself.

The third book was not only “rad”, as the cover declared, but included an introduction written by Tina Yothers, who played younger sister Jennifer Keaton on Family Ties.

A few years later the books moved to Tor Books — a name mostly associated with science fiction and fantasy, which made for a funny mismatch with a comic strip about a 13-year-old and her friends. These early books were all an unusual size for comic collections, pocket-paperback size to be easy for a teen to tuck in a backpack perhaps?

From there it was on to Rutledge Hill Press in the late ’90s, then Andrews McMeel in the more familiar squarish format most comic-strip collections use today. Dad also put together a 25th-anniversary book of his own — self-published, and the most recent full collected-strips book to date. There are a few Spanish language books, a diary, and one particular project we’ll share in another newsletter.

Outside the official strip collections, we’ve self-published a couple of odder, smaller projects over the years. One is an illustrated novella about Bets and Gunther — I wrote it, Dad illustrated it. The other is a tiny cartoon book “written” by Shannon, one of the strip’s characters, at age six — inspired by a storyline where Shannon writes and illustrates her own Dog and Fish book. We thought it’d be fun to actually make it to sell at Comic Con.

Self-publishing those taught us just how much work goes into doing it yourself: guessing how many copies to order, handling fulfillment, and — memorably — untangling exactly how to get books through customs for international orders without the process turning into a full ordeal.

Which brings us to now. This November, we’re bringing Luann back to print with The Saga of Brad & Toni — a two-volume collection covering their whole relationship, start to finish, dating through marriage and now parenthood.

We’re partnering with Origin Comics, a new publishing venture from Katie and Kurtis Findlay. Kurtis’ career has been spent on the deluxe, archival end of comic strips — including projects at The Library of American Comics and Clover Press giving classic strips like For Better or For Worse prestige-level treatment. The Saga of Brad & Toni is one of the first projects out of his new imprint.

Origin Comics prints through Lulu, a print-on-demand network with presses around the world — which means no more customs headaches for our international fans. Books print close to home and ship faster, at a more affordable rate than shipping internationally ever allowed. It’s the sweet spot we’ve been looking for: professionally assembled, quality books, without the self-publishing scramble.

Book One of The Saga of Brad & Toni will be available this November with Book Two debuting in March, along with Brad and Toni’s new baby ❤️

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