Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for March 24, 2012

I hate when I lose the thread of a good dream like that.

I really wish they wouldn’t incorporate my name in these toons!!

That would make a great pop-up book.

Good morning, gocomics commenters! Recently my creative juices started flowing again, and they wouldn’t let me rest till I wrote a script for a pretend week of fill-in strips for Richard Thompson, while he undergoes treatment for Parkinson’s. I consider this a tribute to the pinch-hitting cartoonists mentioned in http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/cul-de-sac-guest-artists-move-in-Monday-on-hiatus-thompson-asks-6-top-cartoonists-to-take-a-shot-at-his-strip/2012/02/16/gIQAqHOyIR_blog.html

Also it’s a tribute to Richard himself, who has delighted us with his “Cut-de-Sac” for many moons. So here, without further ado, is the script for your delectation and enjoyment (or contumely and opprobrium, as the case may be):

SCRIPT FOR SIX DAYS OF CUL-DE-SAC FILL-INS

Gokie5

Monday

(1) Peter Otterloop [the dad] comes home brandishing four tickets. He says, “Remember that NPR obscure-composers contest? I won four tickets to The Valkyrie at the Outer Loop Opera House!”

Madeline: “Oh, good, an opera! The children can use more culture!”

(2) Petey: “No! Not an opera! Too loud! Too confusing! I’m not going!”

Alice: “What’s a ‘opper’?”

(3) Petey: “Oper-AH. It’s play that goes on forever and people sing way too loud.”

Alice: “Bo-o-ring! I’m not going, either!”

(4) Peter (to Madeline): “Good luck, Culture, getting a toehold around here!”

Tuesday

(1) Alice (sitting by Petey, both have arms crossed): ’We’re not going to any opper-AH! It’s too boring!"

Madeline: “But it’s not boring! If you go, we’ll get you a Valkyrie costume. Valkyries wear capes and winged helmets, and they carry spears!”

(2) Madeline: “And Petey, you can get inspiration for a wonderful diorama!” (Makes broad gesture.)

(3) Alice thought-bubble: “I’ll knock ’em dead at show and tell!”

Petey thought-bubble: “Gee, maybe I can impress Viola. Eat your smooth-talking heart out, Ernesto!”

(4) Alice: “Maybe I’ll go if you let me wear my costume to the opper-AH.”Petey: “Can we sweeten the deal with McDuffie’s fruity oatmeal on the way home?”

Parents roll eyes.

Wednesday

Caption: At the Outer Loop Opera House.

Petey is dressed too formally for his comfort, Alice is wearing her cape and winged helmet, and is holding a floppy foam rubber spear.

(1) Petey: “Aieee! First-row balcony seats?’ I’m doomed!” (Clutches back of his chair.)

(2) Petey: “I’m going to DIE! Everything’s growing DIM!”

(3) Peter: “I found an usher. He said balcony seats are in demand. Someone under the balcony will be happy to change places with us.”

(4) Shows family sitting on main floor, under the balcony. Alice yells, “Where’s my POPCORN? When’s the POPCORN seller coming around?” People make faces, Madeline says, “Shhhh!”

Thursday

(1)The Valkyries are singing: “Ho-yo-toe-WOOP! Ho-yo-toe-WOOP!”

Alice (whispering) to Madeline: “What are they doing?”

2) Madeline: “They’re picking up the bodies of soldiers killed in battle and taking them to their heaven.”

Alice: “Cool!”

(3) Petey: "The oboe is playing an A pitched at 439 Hz instead of 440! That’s impossible!

It’s tuned at the factory!"

(4) 439 Hz! Oh, this is painful!"

(Parents roll eyes.)

Friday

(1) Madeline: “Where’s Alice? She just disappeared!”

Petey: “She mumbled something about crawling under the seats. But I didn’t think she’d do it!”

(2) Alice is shown onstage, brandishing her spear. Audience is laughing, cameras flashing. Madeline is rushing onto stage from the side.

(3) Madeline comes back up aisle, holding Alice aloft. Alice, beaming: “Did you hear everyone cheering? Will my picture be in the paper?”

(4) Madeline has just crammed Alice into her seat. Madeline: “You are SO grounded!”

Petey (covering face with hands): “I am SO mortified!”

Saturday:

The Otterloop family is back home.

(1) Peter: “Thank goodness the opera was the short version for kids!”

(2) Double-long panel. Alice is brandishing spear and yelling: “Ho-yo-toe-WOOP! I’m a VALKREE!”

Petey is hunched over an iPad: “Director, Outer Loop Opera House Orchestra, Dear Sir: Have you any idea how painful it is for a boy with perfect pitch to hear an oboe tuned at 439 Hz? . . .”

(3) Peter (to Madeline): “I think we’ve got enough culture now to last us awhile.”

I’d always wake up too early from my good dreams and I could never pick up where they left off.

Molto bravo!

Oops!That should be something in German, shouldn’t it?Anyway, GREAT SCRIPT!

If she keeps having the Welsh Rarebit before going to bed, resuming shouldn’t be that difficult. Tuna melts with Lovecraft are also pretty effective.

Gokie5, well done! I was able to visualize every day’s ’toon and enjoy it!

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

If Alice finds a way to get the thread of a great dream back, I wish she’d share the secret! Neat job of working a twist (surprise ending) into just 5 little panels.

Maybe we should all come up with a week’s worth of tribute strips – that would be kind of fun.

@Gokie5,Hmmm…. Loud singing, goes on forever, capes, winged helmets, and spears? Sounds perfect for Alice!

However, a couple things left me scratching my head…

Richard Wagner is an obscure composer? He may not be up there with Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, but he’s hardly obscure.

Petey has perfect pitch? I thought he was supposed to be a bad oboe player. Then again, that might explain a lot…

SallymargaretMargueritemCarl CraigSisyphosManduThanks for your kind comments! (More later for those with specific questions.) If I left anyone out, thank you, too! It was fun doing this.

Wow, great start for Sat. a.m.How ’bout Gokey for commencement speaker for us GoComicgraduates?

I really enjoyed that, Gokie! I’ve been considering trying to make a week’s worth of strips myself… maybe I’ll have time in the car trip during spring break!

@ Gokie5 — Perkycat loved it! Easy to picture it all. Thanks for sharing.

Bring on the leaky faucets!

grandparentGreg TrailPerkycatThanks, folks! That’s sweet. Good luck with your strips, Greg.Gotta go to recycling, gym, and such. Catch anyone else later.Have a nice Saturday.

LOL!

Warning! the following comment may be seen as blasphemy in these parts….Since Stephan Pastis is doing the strip next week, wouldn’t it be fun if the “Pearls” characters dressed up as Cul de Sac characters and acted out the strip for the week? Now that would be something!

Today’s drawings of Alice are the closest to Richard’s that Mo has done this week. And of course therefore my favorites for the week. But I would like to thank Mo for keeping me entertained this past week. I do look forward to seeing what Patsis does with his turn.

Speaking of Mo’s week, I thought the last panel was a hoot.

I find I can sometimes return to a dream if I’m careful not to completely awaken