I swear, it was the best one!

At the risk of accusations of succumbing to celebrity (or at least favoritism to a friend), I must say that indeed Neil Gaiman had this week's best -- not only a great capper but a promising "new beginning" for the next segment of Carl's journey, narrowly beating out the hand-from-the-grave theme and several other gems.

As always, suggestions are listed in the order they were received. Thanks for playing and join us on November 22nd for the unveiling of the BIG, BIG PICTURE!

--Scott
Sunday 11/01/1998

dan wheeler

• carl and carl stand face to face. carl points an accusing finger in carl's face and says "this is all your fault carl!"
• carl's mom in the underworld staring at a handful of pomegranite seeds. "hmmm..."

Adam Ford

You know, I seem to be the earliest one on the list a lot these days, and this is made even easier by the fact that we have daylight saving in Melbourne now, making me an hour earlier. I don't want to come across as "Mr. Eager" or anything, I'm just cursed by the international dateline, or something... OK. on to suggestions!

• The two carls are in a living room, both severely unhinged by their surreal adventures and the death of Mom. Hanging on the wall is a "Mom" costume: Black blouse, white skirt, glasses and wig. Both Carls meet each other's gaze. One of the Carls says, "Now one of us has to be Mom!" Maybe there's even a rocking chair in the corner, or a sign outside the window that indicates they're staying in the Bates Motel... I think you know where I'm going with this...
• Collapsing that first suggestion into a second, the next panel should be identical to the very first, except that it's winged carl in a wig 'n' etc. instead of Mom.
  Winged Carl/Mom: "Now promise me you won't drink and drive, Carl." Carl: "I promise, Carl-- I mean, Mom!"

harrison!

• the winged carl joins the wingless carls at the funeral. winged carl: "sorry i'm late."

Douglass Barre (age 28)

• One Carl is pointing at the other Carl, a la his mom, and saying, "Promise me you won't get any more of our family killed." The other Carl, still cheery, says (of course) "I promise." And so it begins again... Hey, I missed last week when I got to put my web site... but it's http://members.aol.com/blackflak, if I win again sometime.

  [You're a past winner, Douglass, I think that merits a free plug. -- Scott]

Nat Gertler

• Carl thinks "I wonder what my inheritance is?"

  (It's more of a set-up thing, I figure... see what people do with it.)

Jeff

• Carl should be sitting at the edge of a cliff or the edge of a very tall bridge, all alone, wallowing in guilt, possibly considering suicide. There should be a few beer cans nearby.
• Carl should be at a psychiatrist's office, crying.
• Carl should go to an alcohol/drug rehab. center.
• Carl should run away, afraid to face the truth. He could be hitchhiking on a highway, with a little bag over his shoulder and a sign that reads "Greenville, Louisiana"

Howard Schiller

• Carl at moms grave with the guild over his head. But what make this different is the panel is a long shot of the panel above it. So in the foreground it's "winged" Carl mourning over mom with guilt and in the background it's "twin" Carl's mourning over mom with guilt in the background.

M. Robert Turnage

• The two Carls hug. "It will be all right," they say in unison.

Guy Nelson

• The next panel sould be almost Identical to the one ABOVE (the two Carls in front of the tombstone) but with one Carl saying to the other "where did YOU come from?" or something equaly quizical...
• If you don't feel the need to have too smooth of a transition, the next panel should be of Carl's Mom's Lawyer talking to Carl(s): "the only thing she wrote in her Will was a last request: 'Carl, promise me you won't drink and drive'".

Taylor

• The two carls get in a fist fight on their mother's grave. "It's your fault!" "No it's your fault!" They shout as they punch and choke each other.

kaare

• Carl is crying

  She gives him a look. "Carl, these are angel wings..."

Mark Schlatter

• Driver Carl and Falling Carl gape with astonishment as to their left they see.... Flying Carl in front of an identical grave! (Perhaps all three now vow to turn from their guilt and become a mom-saving organization.)

James Riley

• Show Carl at his drawing board, with RIP Mom scene on page. Carl says, "Boy, do I have issues!"

Jennifer Reinhart

• Flying carl is laboring through the air with his mother's corpse, the graveyard containing the other two Carls visible below him, thinking, "oh, if only I had listened to Susie..." (Or whatever the name of the woman in the first panel is...)

Xavier Marturet

• 5th file, 2nd column. Carl exits his tomb as an angel and decides to fly away to see how the world goes.

Noel Schornhorst

• A hand rises from the grave...

Greg McElhatton

• Carl's Mom is lying on a Frankenstein table and Carl says, "I wonder if I could bring her back to life?"

  (Happy Halloween!)

Janie Pape

• Gee, Thanks Mom.

Mushon (Israeli underground comics artist)

• [Carl & girlfriend in bed] "Life must go on darling..."

Jason Brice

• Both Carls are at a bar, drunk, trying to forget their collective sorrows. Carl with wings says, "if there are two of us, there must be another Mom out there somewhere... we gotta find her."

Noah

• Carl, enraged by the death of his mother, and torn by the fact that it was partially the fault of his alcoholism, lunges at the hunter. Enragraged by death, confronted with guilt, and determined to redeem, Carl, out of the ashes of substane abuse and the havoc it causes, out of violence, out of sadness, he becomes something far more darker than the Carl we knew... far more colder... far more sadder... Night Carl. Villians beware!
• Carl holds his dying mom, only to find out... SHE'S A ROBOT! Carl is a ROBOT! She shoots lasers from her eyes and kills the hunter. Or you could just reveal that she's a robot and decide what hapens next next week.
• Driving Carl, perplexed by the other Carl flying, sees the death of the other Carl's mom. He then pulls out a machine gun and toasts the hunter, mobster style!
• You, Scott, walk onto the "set". "No, no, no. She's not suppose to 'die'! She's suppose to 'fly'! Hopeless!" It's then revealed this is just a movie set.

frank episale

• two circles and a triangle

  (transition type six, according to Understanding Comics)

Morgan Doninger

• The caption "LATER" in the up left corner of the panel to reveal the gravestone "R.I.P. MOM" with AN ARM REACHING OUT OF THE GRAVE! AHHHHH!!! (Happy Halloween)

Neil Gaiman

• I'd suggest closing in on carl's face as he looks at us and says:

  carl: I cannot cope with the guilt. I am going to kill myself.

  Which may not be the best ending in the world, but would be a fun beginning for a new Carl.

• do the "whoa!" carl falling into the picture image in reverse -- same shot, same magic colour ripples, but now he's climbing out of the picture, looking at us and saying "It's safer out here".

  Or whatever Sky picked.

[Alas, Sky (Age 5) couldn't join us this week, as we were all frantically getting ready for her first big Halloween Party (and getting the house ready, Ayeeee!). Thank you to everyone who wrote this week and throughout this first adventure. It's been a blast!-- Scott]