Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for April 21, 2019

makes me wonder why Petey never closes his door and ask his parents for a latch

Once again, a little over 10 years ago, a blog entry followed this strip, this time showing the process:

http://richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com/2009/04/three-easy-steps-to-sunday-cartoon.html

I remembered this strip as soon as I saw the first panel and yes, that does mean I have spent too much time reading comics on-line. But it’s a great strip. As if it would have made a difference had Dill used his sock-puppet hand rather than his real one. That is such an accurate picture of the thought process of four year olds, and the comparative true wisdom shown by eight (?) year old Petey. One of the things that make it such a great comic strip is how well-observed the characters are. They are believable, as well as funny, and touching, and kind. And mean sometimes.

Dill didn’t spoil it! It’s obvious they didn’t have a script or rehearse, so it doesn’t matter. All they had after, “Hi, Petey” was, “La la la la…”

I can see the three of them in the planning stage.. “Dill, whatever you do, don’t forget which hand is wearing the sock!”

I hate it when that happens…

Yeah, D̲i̲l̲l̲…

I like how Alice’s puppet moves its mouth when she yells at Dill.

There’s no people like show people, They smile when they are low, Even with a turkey that you know will fold, You may be stranded out in the cold, Still you wouldn’t trade it for a sack o’ gold, Let’s go on with the show. That’s Sho-Biz…

Dill is the “everyman” I have spent a lot of my life being.

Dill will grow up to lead congress one day…

Lighten up, Alice and Beni! Life for the Dills of this world is not so easy as it is for you!