This week's panel suggested by

  • Taylor (sort of)
  • jeffjohns
  • Greg Rice (sort of)

Good week to be red!



To heck with the laws of thermodynamics!

Yeah, it was definitely time to put a little distance between some mighty irreconcilable plot-lines. And all it took was a somewhat overzealous and physically improbable bungee cord.

Now what??

As always, suggestions are listed in the order they were received. Thanks for playing and please join us again next Sunday!

--Scott
Sunday 08/22/1999



Josiah Rowe

    So... Section 4 already! (And you were late, Scott -- tsk, tsk, tsk!) Well, we probably want to introduce Carl's dad here somehow.

  • Carl's dad looking over cliff, Carl still bouncing on bungee cord. Dad: "I hate to break it to you, son, but a bungee cord noose is just as fatal as a rope noose..." This might even suggest that "Dad" here is really the shape-changing worst-nightmare monster (here, not revealed as being from Microsoft)!
  • The dialogue in the previous suggestion could also work with a Dad with angel wings á la Section 1.
  • Carl, still bouncing on the cord: "My life is flashing in front of my eyes!" He could be surrounded by little images of Dad, Mom, Daisy, a can of beer...
  • Caption: "Suddenly..." Carl is in a stereotypical "heaven": puffy clouds, pearly gates, harps & halos, etc. Carl: "Where am I?"
  • Caption: "Suddenly..." Carl is in a stereotypical "hell": flames, horned devils, rap music from the '80s, etc. Carl: "Where am I?" (He's not always the brightest cookie.)
  • Caption: "Later..." Carl is lying in bed, with bandages on his neck. His father is sitting beside him with a benevolent smile. Carl looks up with a confused expression and says, "Where am I?"
  • For trans-sectional symmetry, Carl's dad could show up in a helicopter like Daisy did in Section 2. Dialogue is the same-- Dad: "Grab hold, Carl!" Carl: "Dad?!"
  • Monster looks over the cliff. Carl's body hangs limply from the bungee cord; it is bouncing, but Carl is clearly dead. Monster: "Well, that's ONE way to end the nightmare..."
  • Caption: "Later..." In a police morgue, Carl's Dad is identifying Carl's body. "Yes-- *sob* -- that's him..." Alternatively, it could be Daisy (but not Mom, as she's dead herself if we came from Section 1).
  • This isn't a suggestion for the next panel, but one for the web site-- have you considered making "horizontal" links between the Carl pages? It would be much easier to look at previous sections if we could link directly to them instead of having to go out to the "big picture". Also, I don't like having the suggestion page separate, but I suppose you had your reasons for it.

    Have fun in San Diego. I wish I could be there! And hi to Ivy, Sky and Winter.


[The Horizontal links idea isn't bad, although I'm a bit concerned about adding any more confusing instructions; newcomers are reeling a bit already by the time they get here (simplifying the page was also one of the reasons the suggestions page was separated. That and reassuring newcomers that single suggestions were really okay! --Scott]


Josiah Rowe

    Sorry I said you were late, Scott! I forgot the time difference-- when I wrote here (in Connecticut) it was already Monday morning, technically, but it was still Sunday where you are (where is that?)

  • That I should go to bed instead of wasting more time trying to come up with interesting ways to kill a fictional character.


[I'm in Southern California and am -- as always -- the soul of punctuality. --Scott]

adam ford

  • We see carl, at the end of a taughtly-stretched bungee cord (ie at its vertex), in a cloudy region, ie heaven. What you've got is the cord reaching through a hole in the clouds, carl at the end of it, and a serene angelic figure smiling and saying "Welcome to Heaven, Carl" Optional: Carl thinks: "Man, that's a LONG bungee cord" I hope I've described that enough so that it makes sense visually.
            CARL        clouds
clouds \
\ <--BUNGEE CORD
\ clouds
ANGELIC (HOLE IN
FIGURE CLOUDS) clouds


[Note to posters: Anytime you'd like to preserve line breaks as in Adam's illustration above, be sure to preceed the passage with the <pre> tag and close out with </pre>. That'll indicate that it's a preformatted block of text that should be displayed as written. Thanks! --Scott]


Markus Gerwinski

    Ah, a new "forbidden one"? Let's see how to get it into the storyline... ;->

  • The cliff Carl jumped off, seen from far away. The bungee cord flicks back, hurling Carl highly to the air. Carl: "AAAH!"
  • Carl pulls himself onto the edge he jumped off, one arm and one leg already on the edge, removing the noose from his neck with the free hand. In the background we see a row of tombstones. (Preparing the reunion with the thread coming in from above.)
  • Carl, dangling at the end of the bungee cord, inches above the water. In the foreground, a shark fin is moving towards him. Carl: "Uh-Oh...!"
  • Carl is climbing back to the cliff. On the edge, his Dad is waiting for him: "Carl, can't you even commit suicide without making yourself a clown?" Carl: "Dad?!" [Hmm, might as well be combined with suggestion 2.]
  • The "bungee cord" turns out to be one of the momster's tentacles. The momster holds Carl in front of her face, saying: "Not really." (As an answer to: "Just my luck!";-)


Andrew Oh

    It's late.

  • As Carl is snapped into the air by the bungee cord, he gets snatched up in the arms of a giant, flying, fire-breathing turtle that just happens to be flying overhead.

    There, I've done it. I can now sleep in peace.


[Late? Au contraire! See above. --Scott]


Dylan Graham

    One of the best things about ScottMcCloud.com, in the malleable world of computer stuff, has to be that it is always here. Ahhh... more Carl. Thanks Scott!

  • Bungee Jump Accident! We see painful things happening to Carl who says: Ow! I'm hurt really bad...


Taylor

  • The bungie cord bounces Carl super high up into the stratosphere. "Yikes" sez Carl.


Matt Latterell

    The first week was a little rough, and then the second week brought on seizures and mental lapses, but thankfully Carl is back now.

  • Carl: Oh my god! I am imploding!
  • Carl:(Stuck on bungie cord) I hope that magic leprechaun I met can hear my screams!
  • Carl: Jees, first the bungee cord, now I have a Kiss song stuck in my head...shout it, shout it out loud...
  • Carl: Wait this isn't a bungee cord! Its that condom I was saving for that date with Daisy! (Okay maybe a bit obscene, sorry bout that :-) )
  • Carl: I'd sell my soul for a way out of this! Satan: (Appears on a cloud) Really?
  • Carl: If only I had a Klondike Bar! I'd do anything for a Klondike Bar!
  • Carl: Who writes this thing anyway! I mean come on! A bungee cord? Jeesh!
  • Carl: If only John Goodman were here.
  • Carl: I shouldn't have eaten those clams in my pocket....
  • Carl: Aw man, I'm gonna miss my folk guitar lesson!

    Many think I'm on mind controlling drugs lately, but I'm not, I'm just lonely...By the way, making comic books is hard...especially with a limited ability such as my own. Well....thats all for now, until next time, make mine marv....I mean...well....bye


Nat "Eisner Nominee For Five More Days" Gertler

    If we want this Carl strip to sell, we better introduce him to some women with big breasts and swords!

  • Up in the air, Carl gets hit by an airplane. (I see it as the nose of a 747.)
  • Carl boings up through the clouds, where he sees St. Peter's gates (with a sign Free Beer outside.)
  • A policeman boinging up next to Carl: "Don't you know drunken bungeeing is against the law in this state?" (Put a police car light on his hat! That'd be cool!)

    I'll probably have more later.


jeffjohns

  • bungee cord flings carl into outer space.


Anonymous

  • "Carl, you just can't run from your fears like this..." "DAD?!"
  • Carl is flying up in the air screaming "Oh my god! I can see the Future!" Plus, have a little box pointing to him, reading: "Shock Hallucination"
  • Carls Dad (named Karl or whatever) is getting smashed at a bar when someone points out that the attempted suicide of his son is being brodcast on the Bar TV above their heads... "MEANWHILE:" "HEY KARL (or whatever)! Isn't that your kid on the TV!?" Dad's blank shock: !
  • "HEY! MY CAR KEYS ARE FALLING! I HATE ATTEMPING SUICIDE!"
  • Carl is dangling upside down by his feet. "SOMEBODY HELP! I TRIED TO KILL MYSELF BUT SCREWED UP SO HEEEELLP!!!"
  • Carl, hanging on a bungee cord by his neck, thinks: "Only death can end this embarassing blunder."

    Allllllllll riiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhttttttttttttttttttt.


John Heaton

  • Carl's dad, in angel regalia, pointing downward: Don't jump to conclusions, Carl ... take a look down there! Carl: Dad?!
  • Carl's dad: I guess it depends on your definition of "luck", Carl. Carl: Dad?!
  • Carl's dad: I thought the same thing when I jumped off that bridge 15 years ago. Carl: Dad?!
  • Carl's dad: So you think you can't hang yourself with a bungee cord, son? Carl: Dad?!

    That first one would cause difficulties when the Carl's-dad-as-vampire thread merges into this one, but that's a problem for a future generation.


[Aprés moi, le deluge, eh? --Scott]

Patric Lewandowksi

    HEY SCOTT! Welcome back to.. uh.. this. Long die carl!!

  • Aliens abduct carl. "Darn aliens, just my luck."
  • Dad, as a vampire flys over to carl Carl: "Dad?" Dad: "Carl?"
  • Vampire Dad as a bat flys by Carl Carl: "Dad?" Dad: "Carl?"

    Wow.... that was fun.. but I'm a little rusty now.... oh well.. back to work! just a note to all that "Hype: The Sidekick Special" is now officially due out on September 30th!


dan wheeler

  • the hideous monster takes the other end of the bungee cord and plays with carl like a ball & paddle game. SPROING! carl: ow! SPROING! carl: hey! quit it!
  • carl: i guess i'm not going to die after all. then the bungee cord snaps.
  • a man dressed in white robes and wearing a fake white beard gets lowered on ropes from the top of the panel sitting on a fake cloud with the words "deus ex machina" painted on it. deus ex machina: carl! i have come to save you from the hideous moster. it's time for you to meet your father


Slurpee_E

  • Carl is dangling the bottom of the cliff. Momster is there. Momster: "Going somewhere, son?" Carl: "Why can't I have normal parents?"


Tod Caviness

    Aha! Fools! Victory is mine! (insert fiendish cackle here)

  • The bungee cord is actually the nightmare creature's tongue!! (Gasp!) As Carl bounces up towards his ravenous jaws ... Nightmare: "You can't escape your sins, Carl ..."
  • The bungee cord bounces Carl back up towards a passing helicopter, possibly a little too close to the rotors ... (Is it Daisy in the copter? Carl's Dad? Thor? Tune in next week ...)
  • Long shot of Carl hanging at the bottom of the cord, twiddling his thumbs ...
  • Carl: "Hey, a LICORICE bungee cord! Just my luck!!"
  • At the bottom of the cord is Daisy in a truck. Carl gets in but the cord is still attached ...

    You know, if we can wrap up THESE plotlines we've all got a good shot at jobs at Marvel writing for the X-men ...


[Repeatedly dying protagonists too...Hmm, good point. --Scott]


Gerard Stroomer

    great site, I'm into comics myself, and you're doing great work exploring the medium.

  • As carl's bunjee cord goes back, carl goes into the clouds and grasps a hold of it. In the next panel, he's in heaven (on the clouds) and he meets Elvis. He says: 'But Elvis, I thought you were dead'. From then on the story can continues. He can say: 'and so are you' or he can send him back down again, I dunno...


Eric Carpenter

  • Carl lands on his hands and knees back on top of the cliff, which now bears a resemblance to the Pearly Gates (simple version, of course, it's a little panel) with a man holding a big book saying, "Welcome, Carl!"


Greg Rice

  • Carl gets catapulted to the moon.

    Down the line, the tombstone could be on the moon, ya know... Scott, I loved Understanding Comics & can't wait for the sequel.


Joel Lüber

  • Carl, still being propelled upward by the bungee cord, rises above the clouds. Carl: Oh, god! Voice from above: Yes, son?


Michael Patrick

  • Two "radical" skydiving dudes float past Carl. One of them shouts "Yo dude, take this!" while tossing him a lemon-lime soft drink.

    If space is too restrictive, I suppose it could just be one Mountain Dew sky-diving guy.


Morgan Doninger

    Carl's back. Hoo-rah!!!!!

  • CARL returns to the top of the cliff where the monster, his mom, and Daisy stand with marks. "9.5, 9.3, 9.6". CARL thought balloon: "I must be dreaming."

    Now I know we can't used "Whew! It was all a dream.", but I'm not saying Carl's dreaming here, I'm saying he thinks he's dreaming. Doesn't have to be true, of course...


Doug and Sherry Waldron and John Kolb

  • The bungee cord is really a giant snake.
  • Carl continues to bounce on the bungee cord: "Hey, I'm gettin' jiggy with it!"
  • A close up of two separated ends of the bungee cord and a "SNAP" soud effect.


Anonymous

  • Carl rebounds into Heaven


[...or Hell, depending on which direction we're reading from, right? --Scott]


Bill Schlimme

  • Bungee cord snaps, but Carl is flying, thus eluding the evil Momster!
  • Dad in a helicoptor: "Carl, grab on!" Carl: "DAD! I thought you were dead!"
  • Momster catches the ascending Carl. Does something evil.


Michael Avolio

    Wow, Section 4 already! We're moving right along...

  • The bungee cord SNAPS!

    That's all for now.


Jay Sabicer

  • Tentacle beast takes ahold of Carl's bungee and yanks it towards its gaping maw. Carl (resignedly): Oh well, same end result...


Kean Soo

  • *snap!* The bungee cord breaks and Carl falls anyways...
  • The bungee cord sends Carl back up, smashing his head through the bottom of the cliff/bridge, Wile E. Coyote style.
  • Carl pulls out a gun and points it at his head. Carl: "Lucky for me I always carry this in case something like this happens..."
  • Carl pulls out a knife and starts frantically sawing through the bungee cord. Carl: "Lucky for me I always carry this in case something like this happens..."


Mark Kessler

  • Carl lies on the floor and looks up. There are his father his mother and daisy with the car. Dasy tells him to hurry up and enter the car. All three look afraid and haunted. His father has a bottel of whiskey in his hand and looks drunk. Carl say "What the.."


Gregg Lamse

  • R.I.P. Carl ?!?

    Drawing doesn't need to be the tombstone, though. Maybe just have him floating face-down in the water, bridge in background, with R.I.P. Carl ?!? as bold caption...


David Bedno

  • As Carl flies upwards, he's saying "Thank goodness for low-flying airplanes!", perhaps as something like a one-propeller in front plane flies towards him. (Remember...he's trying to kill himself here...)

    Ok...it's a bit sick. I can live with that.


Douglas Townsend

  • I've been caught in a mystic ray of Light! Aliens? God? Both?! (Other)?


Andrew Oh

    okay, here's another one..

  • The bungee cord snaps back but instead of coming back down to earth like the laws of thermodynamics dictate, our poor hero Carl _falls up_.


Mia D.

  • Person At top of bridge: "That'll cost you five bucks kid." Very visible sign stating "Bungee Jumps, $5"


Mia D. (AKA Motor Noise Pudding)

    Hello, Senor Scott! First time i've submitted,and there is no A/C in my house and it's over 90 F. outside.... so I have a feeling that my first time won't be very good.

  • Bungee cord rope begins to glow, and carl states "Oh no! It's...Radioactive!" as his body begins to mutate.
  • Carl: Damn you Scott! Why must you keep torturing me like this?
  • The Bungee cord turns out to be a snake (Boa Constrictor, or Viper. Whichever one is easier to draw). I dunno, I really like snakes, and I wanted to work it in somehow...
  • Daisy, aggrivated at Carl's futile attempts to kill himself, Cuts the bungee cord at the top of the cliff.
  • Carl:(in deep thought) How do you solve a problem like Bungee cord...
  • Carl: (pulls out a beer) Well, my deceased mom never said anything about drinking and Bungeeing!

    Scott: I saw you at Comic Con! Your seminar was great and quite informative. Also, you were the only person who signed something for me, so thankies!


[My pleasure, Mia! Thank you to everyone who made it to Saturday's seminar. The original listing had limited attendance to 25 but after some nudging, the Con staff graciously offered to expand capacity and the final count (courtesy of our friend Theresa) was 94 people. --Scott]


Piers Beckley

  • Carl is sitting in a bar, a beer in his hand and a depressed look upon his face. Carl: If only Mom were still alive..


Louis Mastorakos

  • Carl bounces up onto the top of a cloud. He sees the Pearly Gates, with St. Peter waiting for him. Peter says: "It's about time! We've been expecting you for a while now."
  • Same as above but instead of Pearly Gates, Carl sees Valhalla. Enter: Thor, who says "It's about time! We've been expecting you for a while now."


TimmyC

    I have many a suggestion today.

  • The bungee cord takes on a life of its on and starts to coat Carl like a Symbiote.
  • Bouncing, Carl says, "Where is Daisy when I need her?"
  • Carl is front page news for founding 'Extreme Bungee Jumping'. He is in the newspaper.
  • As he bouces and dangles, Carl wishes he could've had a quick and painless death, like a car crash.
  • Carl, determined to kill himself, suddenly is filled with strength and snaps the cord!


Rob Tomshany

    First time I've tried this, wish me luck:

  • Carl bounces off the bottom of the bridge--splat!
  • The bungee cord unhooks as Carl is on the way back up. Carl says, "Maybe I spoke too soon."
  • A giant bat snags Carl in mid-air and says "Gotcha!" Carl says, "A familiar voice...Dad?!"
  • A winged Daisy flies by and yells, "Flap your wings, Carl! Flap your wings!"
  • A spaceship flies by, with a rope (or is it a tentacle?) dangling from the door, and a voice issues from within, "Grab hold, Carl! (Heh, heh.)" (The subdued chuckle is part of the quote, of course. Optional: the word "Microsoft" is on the side of the spaceship.)
  • A mysterious portal appears in Carl's path (similar to the rainbow-colored one he fell through earlier), and Carl hurtles in.
  • Homage to "It's a Wonderful Life": Carl's dad appears, wearing a white robe and angel's wings, and says, "Wait! Let me show you what it would be like if you were dead already..." Carl: "Dad?!"

    Tried for three more, but this seems about right for now. Looking forward to the follow-up to Carl's proposal to Daisy. Hope you had a good time in San Diego, and I'm looking forward to "Remaking Comics"!


["Reinventing Comics" actually, Rob, but don't sweat it, you're in good company. Among the other frequent mistitles: Rethinking Comics, ReUnderstanding Comics and Reconsidering Comics... --Scott]


Travis W. Howard

  • [Carl speaking] WOW! I can see my house from here! [Carl floating above Earth looking down, attached by cord]
  • [Carl speaking] OUCH! The space station Mir?!?! [Carl smacks into the side of the satellite, knocked silly]
  • [Carl speaking] This calls for a beer! [While being flung upwards, pulls a beer out of his back pocket]
  • [From a bystanders perspective on the ground, tiny speck flying upwards] LOOK! Up in the sky! It's a bird.. [another balloon off panel] It's a plane.. [another balloon off panel] No, it's...
  • [Carl speaking] So THIS is how the Wright Brothers got started!
  • [Carl speaking] EXTREME BUNGIECORDING!!!!!!!!! SUURRRRRRRRRRRRGE!!!!! [Liefeld lines optional]
  • [Close-up of panic'd look on Carl's face as he realizes the cord is wrapped around his neck still] *GASP* *CHOKE* [tiny lettering] oh no.
  • [No picture, completely text panel] We've secretly replaced Carl's Bungie Cord (tm) with All New Tony's Spaghetti Noodles (c) (tm), let's see if he notices.. [Or something similar along these lines]
  • [Caption] We interrupt your regularly scheduled panel to bring you an important announcement.. [Panel depicting Cynicalman - (c) Matt Feazel with one word balloon Feh.]
  • [Empty Panel with the words, This Space Intentionally Left Blank. (tm) (c)] or a solid black panel with a white caption containing the word CENSORED.


James Brophy

  • His head smacks against the "I" beam he tied the cord to. "THWACK" in large letters on the pannel. So much for being saved. :O)



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