Volume 22 – Relationship Advice

Behind-the-scene commentary from Greg Evans:
“People ask me if my characters are based on real people. Luann was initially inspired by…Read More

Behind-the-scene commentary from Greg Evans:
People ask me if my characters are based on real people. Luann was initially inspired by my then 6 year old daughter, Karen. She’s since turned out to be MUCH better adjusted than Luann is, thankfully. Karen’s brother, Gary, 3 years her senior, was the model for Brad. Again, thankfully, Gary isn’t at all the big lunk that Brad is. But one trait they share is a love of cars.

Early in the strip, 1989, I gave Brad a ’79 Chevy Nova, a ten year old car. Since then, I’ve never shown him getting a new car so, apparently, he’s still driving around in his Nova, which in this collection would be 31 years old. And here’s another example of Weird Comic Strip Time Warp: in the final strip here, Brad says he’s been working on his car for five years.

An interesting side note about mentioning real products in the strip. I used to show Brad reading my own fave mag when I was a teen: MAD. I was pleasantly surprised when I was given a free year subscription as a “thank you” for the mentions. So, I tried this successful ploy again in the 1-9 strip here. I mentioned the Audi A3, a car I had my eye on at the time. I waited for the letter from Audi, thanking me for the mention and telling me when I could go to the dealership to pick up my new car. But – are you ready for this? I NEVER GOT THE LETTER! I know. Unbelievable. Must’ve got lost in the mail or something…