This week's panel suggested by Michael Patrick



JOIN ME AT SPX!

I'll be in Bethesda, MD September 15-17 for the annual Small Press Expo so Carl must take a week off. SPX is a small-but-great comics show with some truly impressive talent. Be sure to join us if you can!

As always, suggestions are listed in the order they were received. Thanks for playing and please join us again Sunday, Sept 24!

--Scott
Sunday 09/10/2000



Noah

    Is it true that Carl is really a cab driver from Toledo? Does he know the muffin man? Is HE the muffin man? is the mathematical term 'pi' actually a pie? Am I asking too many questions?

  • Carl says: "How could you say that?!"
  • Carl makes a speach: "Why did he have to die? It makes life seem so futile; as if we repeat the same cycle of life again and again?" Carl's mom then says "PROMISE ME YOU WON'T..." again.
  • Carl starts singing a Backstreet Boys/N'SYNC/980/Britany Spears song. Mom starts to attack Carl.
  • Daisy pulls up in a car with (DUM! DUM! DUM!) a new boyfriend! Carl is jeolous.

    When CYOC finishes (sniff, sniff) are you going to end it like a TV show series finale? (i.e., clips from past panels set to sappy music) Seriously, will YOU ever make a cameo in CYOC (yes, I'm serious)?


Rick Ward

    Hmm...should I tell people to stop by http://www.unc.edu/~devil? Whoops! Too late.

  • As he bursts into flame, Bert grabs Carl and declares "You're coming with me!"


PJM

  • Dad bursts forth from the grave... "I DARN WELL CARE!"
  • We get a shot of the gravestone... it says "Here lies Gary Sinese".
  • Carl looks around at the strangers standing around them... "say mom, who ARE all these people?!"
  • MEANWHILE IN HELL... SATAN: "Bert, you have not served me well!" BERT: "Sorry, Satan, my lord!"
  • Carl starts crying... "Oh Dad, why, oh why?!"
  • Mom and Carl have a comedy song and dance routine for no apparent reason.


Jonathan Wiener

    2 panels.

  • 1. They leave. Carl: "Yeah, I guess you're right." In the distance a figure is approaching.
  • 2. Daisy arrives at graveside. Daisy: "Oh no! Carl?!"


Mike Yi

    Wow. Great Idea, Pathat! On to my suggestion

  • Close up of Carl. "I care! I need to go to an engraver!"

    OK, that's it!


Matt

    Have the exact same point of view and staging as the "Hey, they put the wrong name on the TOMBSTONE!" panel (Carl and mom in BG, tombstone in foreground), only this time the tombstone has twisted around to look back at the reader.

  • Carl: "I don't even think it IS stone!" Mom: "Nope." (gravestone in foreground has twisted around to face the reader. It looks pained. On its forehead it says "Carl"


adam ford

    damn, scott, what you're doing with ZOT is immaculate. i like very much.

  • Carl's sleeping, dreaming of the tombstone with his name on it, nightmare more like, and he's mumbling to himself, "It's like an omen, a foretelling of my own impending DOOM!"

    You always gotta say "doom" in capitals. DOOM!


Michael Martin

  • Carl climbing into his car, screaming, "*I* care! War upon the world!"


Michael Patrick

    I'm probably about the zillionth person to come up with this one, but I'm at work and don't have too much time to screw around on the internet.

  • The name on the tombstone reads: Elvis Aaron Presley

    Hey Scott, I had some stupid question to ask you, but I think I'll wait until the SPX to bring it up.


Grant Schreiber

    Would it be possible for Carl to run for president? He seems to cover the issues in a cleaner manner than either Bush or Gore

  • Carl, stroking his chin: "Man, these funerals make me thristy!"
  • Carl to Mom: "I hope Dad's vampire policy was paid up."
  • Policemen to Mom: "Come along, lady."
  • Carl, musing: "Can I have Dad's golf clubs?"
  • Carl, still musing: "Can I have Dad's stack of girlie books?"
  • Carl, on musing further: "Can I have Dad's miniture train set?"
  • Carl, musing yet again: "Can I have Dad's collection of Ibex Weekly?"
  • Carl, while musing: "Can I have Dad's ear wax collection?"
  • Carl, a new dawn of musing: "Can I have Dad's supply of Sudden Death Rug Shampoo?"
  • Carl, musing (for the moment): "Hey, it's time for the election debates!"

    No seriously, what do Bush and Gore have that a doomed, drunken cartoon character doesn't have already?


[About $50 Million each, I imagine... --Scott]


Mike Sweeney

  • Carl's dad emerges from the grave and says "I do!"


Rusty Priske

  • Carl: Want to go for pizza? Carl's Mom: Okay, but no garlic.


Lee K. Seitz

    Hooray for Pathat coming up with an ending where Carl doesn't die!

  • We see the tombstone says "R.I.P. Carl." Carl: I do! What will Daisy think? Carl (thinking): Hmmm...
  • A tombstone panel, but the tombstone says "R.I.P. Frank." (Okay, so only regular CYOC readers will get the joke.)


Dan Pollard

  • Carl: After all that, I need a drink, Mom have you seen my car keys?

    "On the other hand, maybe not." Is that new?


[BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! FORBIDDEN SUGGESTION ALERT! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!]


harrison!

  • Carl and his mother stand and say nothing, as they stare at the gravestone.


Damian Cugley

  • Carl: 'You know, all this has made me think about a lot of things.'
  • Carl's mom: 'Your father always preferred that name to his own.' (Carl shrugs.)
  • Carl: 'Did somebody just say "pronk"?'
  • Carl's mom: '... After all, he wasn't your real father.' (Carl reacts with shock.)
  • Carl (brandishes bottle): 'All excitement might drive a man to drink.' Carl's mom: 'Have you learned NOTHING?'
  • Carl's mom (continued): 'After all, the IMPORTANT thing is that his coffin was bound with iron bands.' Carl (embarassed): 'Er, it was?' (Implying he neglected to do this.)
  • Carl (brandishes car keys): 'Well, that's all over. I'm going to the liquor store now, Mom. Do you want anything?'
  • Carl's mom: '... He wasn't your real father. You see, there was this thunder god...' (Carl reacts with shock.)
  • Carl in workshop surrounded by dangerous tools like hammers and chisels. Carl: 'I must correct the name on the tomestone. But how?'
  • Carl: 'What was Dad's name, anyway?' Mom: 'How would I know?'


Josiah Rowe

    I love the "wrong name" idea -- shades of the "Keep Carl Alive" group from the early days of Carl! But Mom's presence at the graveside troubles me... remember, if we got here from Section 1, she's dead (or so we thought... we already had Carl's "Mom?!?" in 5, but if we zig-zag from 1 to 3 to 4 to 6, this is Mom's first appearance since her death); and if we started in Section 2 and came straight across, Carl last saw Mom as the Microsoft Monster! Oh, well... a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds... like mine...

  • A shadowy, skeletal figure appears behind the tombstone and says, "No, Carl... the name is correct! This is YOUR GRAVE!"
  • Or else it could be the Blue Angel again, saying "No, Carl... this is your grave."
  • Another Carl appears next to "our" Carl and says, "Actually, `Bert' was only an alias."
  • Carl (and Mom?) start to walk away from the grave. Carl says, "Well, at least it's all over now." He does not see a hand beginning to poke out of the earth... (I see the hand in the foreground, with the departing figure of Carl to the left in the background.)
  • The video store guy from the original "Carl" strip shows up and answers Mom's rhetorical question: "I care!" Carl dons his trademarked baffled expression and says, "Who are YOU?"
  • The TARDIS arrives with a "VWORP! VWORP!" sound effect; the Doctor steps out and says, "Actually, I don't really care that much."
  • Carl breaks down in tears on the gravesite, crying, "What does it all MEAN?!?" Perhaps a shadowy figure is visible behind him...
  • We see that the tombstone reads "R.I.P. BUD". Carl picks up a beer can at the foot of the tombstone and says, "I didn't know beer could die!"
  • The tombstone reads "R.I.P. ZOT." Carl asks, "What kind of a name is `Zot' anyway?"
  • The tombstone reads "R.I.P. ETHEL". Carl turns to the woman beside him... who LOOKS like his mother... and thinks, "Wait a minute..."

    Lovin' "Hearts and Minds". Any plans for getting the original Zot back in print or making it available on-line?


[First Question: I figure at 72 dpi and a centimeter high, that could easily be Carl's Aunt Edith or something. At least until I pick another panel with her in it. Second question: Still working on finishing up the reprints (Volume 4 never hit the stands). As for new Zot printed work, time will tell! --Scott]


Markus Gerwinski

    YAY!!! We got it! Kudos to Pathat's genial idea - Carl survived a tombstone!!! Maybe we'll be able to keep him alive in at least one thread beyond the end of CYOC, huh, fellows?!

  • The obvious one first: Bert comes out of his grave, shouting: "They did WHAT?!"
  • Ethel: "... it wasn't his true name anyway."
  • Carl takes out hammer and chisel: "No, I must correct this!"
  • We see the tombstone: It reads "R.I.P. Ernie" (instead of Bert.;-). Word balloon (by Carl(?)): "I dunno..."

    Scott, maybe you'll be glad to know that your efforts to fight for the acknowledgement of comics as art form seem to finally yield some success... in Germany, where comics traditionally got a really bad reputation, this year comics is going to be the focus topic on the Frankfurt Book Fair. (More about this at http://www.comic.de/buchmesse/englisch.html .)


Morgan Doninger

    My it has been awhile. Hasn't it?

  • Close up on Carl's Face. He is deep in thought. Thought Balloon (duh): "If they all think I'm dead, then I can become..."

    I'll leave it for others to finish this thought with the next panel. This would be the first suggestion leading suggestion panel in the Carldom. Wouldn't that be keen (or in New Jersey Kean)?


Erik Bergstrom

    wow, great site!

  • But if Dad's real name was Ed McMan (the dard lord of the universe) that means that his carniverous horde of rapid midgets are on our tail!!! We have to get out of here!!!

    Yeah it's a bit long, but it's sooo sooo TRUE.


Travis Pelkie

    This one's harder than it looks.

  • Mom sez, "They'll soon be adding that person anyway!"
  • Oh, that was bad. How about carl sez, "I mean, sure, he wasn't around, but is he really a dud?"
  • Man, I'm bombing. Someone busts out of the ground. Ooh, scary.

    Man, my suggestions don't seem very good. Is it possible to put the previous panel(s) onto the submission screen here, for those of us with no memory? If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it, I'll cope. I was saddened to hear of the recent death of Carl Barks, the good duck artist. He made Disney characters interesting, and will be sorely missed.


Doug Waldron

  • In a mirror of the "How'd you like your stake, Bert?" panel, Carl brandishes a knife screaming, "I do!"


Tad Ramspott

    What an interesting challenge ... knowing that Carl can't possibly die for another eight panels.

  • Carl: "You're right. Let's get a drink."


Chris Colón

    My brother's name is Karl, it's tempting to put him in the strip. Pardon the flood of ideas, it's my first posting here.

  • 1) Carl looks aghast, saying "It could offend the spirit of Carl, the Aztec Mummy!" Alternately, an image of the mummy in his full glory with the above statement as a caption.
  • 2) Carl holding a shove looking angry. "I care! That scene-stealing tramp won't get away with this!"
  • 3) The engraver appears, brandishing his hammer and chisel, background filled with evil laughter (hahahahaha or whatever). "I carved your name, Carl, because I am taking over this strip!"
  • 4) Mom: "Your real name isn't Carl anyhow. It's Kar-el." Carl: "It is?" Mom: "Nah, just fooling with you."
  • 5) Carl: "After this brush with the supernatural, I think I need some religion."
  • 6) Carl slaps his forehead: "By Hastur! Nothing else could possibly go wrong today!"
  • 7) Carl wrings his hands. "Geez, after all this weirdness, I need a drink. HEY KOOL AID!"
  • 8) Mom, arms akimbo: "There lies Bert, stiff at last." Carl: "Mom! Keep it clean! There are ibex present."

    Well, that was a lot of them, but after reviewing the list, I guess that's ok.


Tom Scudder

  • Mom: Promise me you won't drink and drive, Carl. Carl: I promise.

    Well, it fits!


Leo Almazora

  • Below the frame where Carl goes like "Hey, they put the wrong name on the tombstone!", there could be a frame showing his grandfather zombie coming out of the grave, saying "I do!" (in response to "who cares?"). Carl is surprised, and yells out "Grampa!?", as his grandfather attacks them.


Cymon

    I wish I'd found this site sooner! Last section. Lousy time to get addicted.

  • Carl: "I care! He was my FATHER" Mom: "Carl, I have something to tell you. Bert WASN'T YOUR REAL FATHER!" (insert soap opera theme)
  • Carl: "I care! Isn't having my name on a gravestone a bad omen or something?"
  • My friend Franny came up with this concept: Carl meets Death. You know, Mr. Tall Dark and Scythe-Wielding himself (or if you prefer, Miss Short Pale and Perky, if Neil Gaiman says it's okay). My contribution: Carl: "Say, don't I know you?"

    I've read Understanding Comics now, like so many other Carl fans. I liked it, duh! The only thing I'm not sure about, Mr. Mccloud, is if we tend to see ourselves in simple characters, how come I giggle like a maniac every time Carl kicks the bucket? How does cartoon violence fit in?


Michael Rubinstein

    I love your work! Any plans to appear in the Chicago area at some point in the forseeable future?

  • Later, Carl is seeing his therapist. Carl: "...and ever since, I've been having these nightmares! What should I do?" Therapist: "Have you tried drinking?"
  • Later, at home, Carl stumbles upon Bert's secret stash of bottled blood, which Carl mistakes for microbrew.
  • A cascade of florescent butterflies engulfs Carl.
  • Ethel: "Just remember to do what I tell you from now on, or next time, this stake's for YOU!"
  • Carl decides to become Moslem and forswear drinking.
  • Later, Carl's in a bar. Carl: "My dad died today." Bartender: "Chee, that's too bad. Have a free beer."
  • A shellshocked Carl decides that it would be theraputic/cathartic to draw a comic about the recent events in his life.
  • Later, Carl and Ethel sit shiva for Bert.
  • Carl complains to the cemetary director about the screwed-up tombstone.
  • Carl and Ethel drive home.

    Hey, Scott, have you ever read Ruben Bolling's "Tom the Dancing Bug"? I especially love his "SUPER-FUN-PAK COMIX" which hilariously deconstruct newspaper-comic-strips in bizzare ways. Here's his website: http://www.uexpress.com/ups/comics/td/pages/td000708.html


[Haven't been to Chicago in a while. Maybe next year! And yes, I like TDB. It be funny. --Scott]


the marvelous patric

  • here lies bob saget. he just wasn't funny.


Ian Zeilstra

    Wow. Like, cool.

  • Carl kneels and begins to carve his father's name into the gravestone.

    Once again, wow.


Glen Seymour

    Argh! Only hours left before the deadline. All that time at Burning Man and no suggestions to show for it...

  • Close-up on mom, thinks: It will be correct soon enough.

    Well, I had to stay in the game...




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