This week's panel suggested by John Kolb, Lee K.Seitz and R David Francis with additional dialogue by Yours Truly to help patch up continuity a bit.

Sorry to butt in!

It figures that the first one to break Neil Gaiman's 11-word record would be me -- and in the very "next" panel! I took the rare move of adding some dialogue this round in hopes of acknowledging the bizarre goings-on in Section 1 while still giving us some room to move in the next few weeks. Hope you don't mind!

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

--Scott
Sunday 06/06/1999

Douglass Barre (Age 28)

Yay! I'm a "sort of"!

• Close up of CARL, thinking: CARL (thought): "This would never have happened if I had a positive male role model..."

Doug Waldron

• Carl's Dad: "Don't do it son; Mom would have wanted you to live..." [Optional addendum: "Have a beer."]
• Carl: "I know... I'll drink myself to death!"
• Carl's Dad: "Whatever you do, Carl, promise me you won't drink and drive!"
• Carl in a gunshop: "Storekeeper, give me a -- Gasp! -- Dad?!" Carl's Dad: "Carl?!"

Slurpee_E

• Carl: "I'm going to drink myself to death!"

Alycia "CyberCat" Shedd

• Carl goes to buy a gun to shoot himself with. Guess who's manning the counter at the gun shop?

Taylor

I'm going to resubmit this one

• "Many car accidents are really suicides!" Says Carl while driving as he downs both drink and drugs.
• "I drown myself to death with drink!" Says carl as he drives to the bar.
• Since Carl still has wings (when did he lose them?) perhaps he should fly too close to the sun in an attempt to kill himself.
• Since there are still two carls (where did the other one go?) The can duke it out for who get's to be killed first. "Kill me first!" "No, kill ME first!"

Delmar Antonio

Akira Kurosawa told me to make a film about a man with 300 yen in his sock.

• "On the other hand, maybe not." --whoops, slipped out on accident.
• Carl jumps off a building (landing in front of the car as in earlier panel?? Aaaargh-endless repetition!)
• Carl jumps off a building, wings spread out wide. "Blasted Wings!!!"
• Carl walks into a bar. "I'll drink myself to death. Gasp! Dad?"
• Close up of Carl nervously holding a gun to his head. In the background, Carl's father calling out, "Carl! No!!"
• Carl clutching a phone. "Hello? Suicide Hotline?" Split screen of Carl's Dad answering.
• Similar shot as last panel except Carl's eyes are wide open, startled. Pink Elephant behind him saying, "Don't do it man."
• Carl scrambling onto the ledge of a building. He glances to his right. "Gasp! Dad?!?"
• Similar shot with Daisy replacing Carl. "Me too!"
• Similar shot with Carl's mother(or hey! Maybe his father). "Me too!"

  Aak! Confusing continuity. Damn Minkovsky and the time/space continuom!

Patric Lewandowski

oooh....... this is a toughie........

• Carl walks into the bar with a gun to his head. "No one can stop me!"
• Carl enters the bar... "I want to die in the place I was happiest!"
• Carl enters the bar, "A farewell drink please, barkee... DAD????"

  I kinda like my third one....

Morgan Doninger

Wow. Reading sideways this has to be the winged Carl. This could put a spanner in the Section 3 works.

• Flying Carl swoops down towards the bar. Carl: "I'll drink myself to death!"
• Flying Carl swoops into a brick wall right in front of land locked Carl. Flying Carl: "Good-byyyyye!" LL Carl: "I need a drink!"

  I figured you gotta keep the winged one or whack him. Hey Scott, I just saw a fascinating exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It was selected pages from a Medievil prayer book of Jeanne d'evreux who was a queen of or in France in the early sixteenth century. The pictures depicting scenes from the Christ story are in tremendous detail considering each page is only 2.5" by 3.5". The thing I thought you'd find most interesting is that if a prayer appeared on an oppossing page, the artist (a one Jean Pucelle) would embellish the page with fanciful pictures of men or beasts or other such creatures. If a line of prayer did not extend the length of the page, the unused space could be taken up by a reclining figure or animal. The pictures more often then not had nothing to do with the prayer on the page, and were strictly ornimental. It put an interesting spin on the juxtapostion of words and art, almost like a comic where the art and words don't match. Thought you might like to know. Anybody in NYC who wants to take a look, the exhibit is called: "Prayer Book for a Queen: The Hours of Jeanne d'evreux" and I think it runs through July.

[Thanks for the tip, Morgan. I used to live at 82nd and 2nd, just five blocks from the Metropolitan and visited there faithfully every Sunday for a year and a half. I have fond memories of the marimba player who made the northeast corner her home for many weeks, and of the steel-drums that greeted me on my first few visits. On a related note, here's an assignment for you, Morgan, or for any of our other NYC readers: Across the park, at the Museum of Natural History, I once saw a reproduction of an ancient cave painting showing several horse's heads (or deer's heads, I don't remember) which the write-up nearby claimed was actually a single animal's head shown in a succession of angles as seen from a man diving into a lake (!). Putting aside the preposterousness of the guess, I thought it kind of gratifying that if the author was correct, comics dated back to the very beginning of art as we know it. Unfortunately I didn't take down the info. Could any of you NYC folk hunt that one down for me? I'd really appreciate it. --Scott]

Jason Fliegel

This one's a bit obvious, and variations on this suggestion will probably be submitted by a jillion people, but what the heck ...

• Carl walks into a gun shop, saying: "Gun shop owner, give me a .... Dad!?!"
• Carl walks into a pharmacy, saying, "Pharmacist, give me some poison ... Dad!?!"
• Carl approaches a noose salesman (as long as we're being absurd): "Shopkeep, give me a noose ... Dad!?!"

  And so on.

Michael Patrick

Looks like my last suggestion was close, but no cigar. Better luck this time? I think I'll go for another obvious one.

• Carl driving to bar- Thought balloon-"Wine is fine, but whiskey is quicker-suicide is slow with liquor." (may be shortened to just the second half of the sentence if space is a problem).

Ethan Heitner

• Carl bursts into a musical number about coping with guilt or something. Eh.
• Carl: I need to drown my sorrows in booze!

  Somewhat apathetic this week...what can ya do....

Jesse Rimler (age unavailable)

• Carl:I know, I'll drink myself to death!
• In bar- Carl:I know, I'll drink myself to death! Dad:Here, Here. Both are holding mugs

  For the last panel of Section 3, where Daisy and Carl crash, you wrote that I, Jesse Rimler, only "sorta nailed it" on the suggestions page. I do not agree with your stance, and even though you may be a comic-whiz with lots of swell ideas the fact stands that you are mistaken. Yes, mistaken. I nailed that panel like some sort of crazy nailing-machine (for the lack of a better metaphor) and I can prove it! My suggestion read: "Big explosion, vehicle crashes. or: Big explosion." Now look back at the panel. C'mon! I nailed it. Big explosion! I demand swift action taken.

[Hmm, let's put it to a vote! What do you think, people? Did Jesse nail it or only sorta nail it? --Scott]

Brendan Wright

• Carl: But how? So many choices.
• Carl: But first, one last drink.
• Carl: But first, I always wanted to see Borneo.
• Carl holds up a knife, pointed at himself. Carl: For mom!
• Carl is remembering his mom in a flashback type thingie. Mom: Promise me you won't drink and drive, Carl.
• Carl: Hmmm. What would Scott McCloud do?
• Carl: Waitaminute! I don't want to kill myself! That's what Neil Gaiman wants me to think.
• Carl: Maybe dad can help me.
• Enter: Daisy. Daisy: Carl, don't! I have something to tell you!
• The second Carl (everyone remembers him from section 1, right?): Then what will I do?

Jimmy Fusil

This junction is going to be interesting!

• Carl: I mean, I'll kill my body double! (Pulls out very large knife)
• Carl (decided): I'll go on a fatal drunken binge à la Leaving Las Vegas
• Carl: But first, I must find Dad and tell him the news.
• Carl (in full samurai garb, classic japanese setting, prepared to commit sepoku): I can't go through with this! (Scott, maybe you could put these < and > marks (European comics symbols that denote translation) around Carl's speech for this panel)
• Carl (his head in a plastic bag, voice muffled): I can't go through with this!
• Carl (underwater, a rock tied to a rope tied around his neck, voice garbled [!?]): I can't go through with this!
• Carl (head on a stump, under pink elephant's foot): I can't go through with this!
• Carl (doused in gasoline, holding a lit match): I can't go through with this!
• Carl (about to enter NRA convention with a "Repeal the 2nd amendment" t-shirt on): I can't go through with this!

  Thanks to Neil Gaiman for introducing the morbid theme of suicide to this already death-obsessed comic.

John Kolb

• The second Carl pulls off a mask, revealing Carl's Dad. Carl's Dad: "Don't do it son!" Carl: "Dad?!"
• A woman appears behind Carl and says: "She was not your real mother, Carl. I am!"
• Carl: "But first I'll have a drink"
• Carl:"But first, I will have a drink with Dad."
• Carl: "I can't believe that Dad didn't make it to mom's funeral. I think I will kill him instead."; or for the sake of space you could just show Carl holding a gun and saying "Right after I kill my Dad!"
• Carl's mom, now a zombie of course, says: "Let me do it for you!"
• A policeman appears behind Carl and states: "Son, you are under arrest for matricide."
• Carl looks over and sees a man statnding by a tombstone that reads "RIP, Mom". Carl:"Gasp! Dad?!" Carl's Dad: "Carl?!"
• The minister at Carl's mom's funeral says "May she rest in...GASP!...Carl?!" Carl:"Dad?!"
• Carl points a gun at his head and says "Goodbye, cruel world." But is interrupted by a voice that says "Carl!" Carl replies "Dad?!"

John Kolb

• You see Carl at the gates of heaven. He is greeted by an angel. Carl:"Dad?!" Angel:"Carl?!"
• Carl is reunited with his father in some manner.

  I hope that I will get credit for any panel featuring Carl's father.

Tony Beeman

• Carl is in a pawnshop -- "Give me a handgun! Qui--*YELP* DAD?! Dad: CARL?!
• Carl is in a doctors office -- "Doctor! I need a mercy-killin--*EEP* DAD?! Doctor: CARL?!

Greg Lam

• Dad appears at Carl's side, hand on his shoulder. Dad says: "It's OK, son. It's not your fault."

Lou Mougin

• Carl wonders, now that he's decided on doing so, what would be a great and memorable way to off himself. He asks himself where he stashed his old copy of THE SAVAGE GOD.
• Carl contemplates ways to kill himself, and wonders if he can o.d. on Prozac. (Don't know that this is such a good suggestion. Somebody might try it!)
• Carl decides that he can't off himself without playing his fifty favorite songs first. Sits down to make a list. OKay, "Stairway To Heaven"...what's next??
• Carl calls up his Mom and says he's going to kill himself. She asks if she can come watch!
• Carl thinks about it, and then mulls over the fact that he's got a really good tax return coming back. What if he waited and bought something he really liked first when his money came in, and then killed himself?
• Carl thinks that this might get rid of his guilt. But wait? What if there's an afterlife? He might (choke!) feel more guilty!

  Hope you have fun with these...heh-heh-heh!

Mike Sugarbaker

This one's just too damn easy.

• Dad bursts into panel from right - Carl reacts in shock. Dad: "No, son! Don't kill yourself!" Carl: "Dad?!?" Note: the physical setting for this panel is the same 'extreme-closeup-zoom-lines-land' as the previous panel.
• As above, but Dad's line is "No, idiot! Siddown and have a drink!"
• As above, but Dad's line is "On the other hand, maybe not."
• As above, but Dad's line is "Hell yeah! I'll race ya!"

Kevin Pease

• Enter: Dad. "Carl, No! You have so much to live for!" Carl: "Dad?!"
• Carl drives to the bar: "Maybe if I poison myself at the bar I can pin my father with murder!"
• Dad: "Not if I kill you first, you little hophead!" Maybe brandishing a blunt instrument.

M. Robert Turnage

• Carl stands in front of a bar. He says, "I'll drink myself to dea- DAD!" Carl's Dad is at the bar.

Andrew Spencer

Love the idea of keeping this poor sod alive, but get out of this one :-)

• Our hero is stood infront of a shelf type arrangment on which are various ways of topping ones self, noose, knife, bootle of poisen. CARL: Hmmm so many methods to choose from.
• Ghost of Mum appears Carl looks suprised. GHOST CARLS MUM: Nooo you must liiive.

Mr. Van Van-der-Vance

• Carl a la Nick Cage in Leaving Los Vegas explains to us " I'm gonna drink myself to death! It's the only way!

Thom Marrion

• a tear ridden Carl says," If only I still had my Dad around, snif."

dan wheeler

• carl flies straight towards the sun. his wings begin to melt. carl: goodbye cruel world!
• carl flies straight for some power cables. carl's dad zips in front of him on wings of his own to stop him. carl's dad: no carl! stop! carl: GASP! DAD!
• carl: i wish my dad were here. I always wanted to tell him how much ...
• the hunter takes off his cap & lowers his gun. GASP! it's carl's dad. carl's dad: carl?! but how ... OH NO! PHYLLIS! what have i done?
• carl wakes in his bed surrounded by family & friends. His mom & dad are there as are daisy, the other carl & the elephant. He has a compress on his head. He seems to be waking after an illness or injury. carl (groggily): the guilt ... kill myself ... (he wakes with a start) OH! it was all a dream. but it all seemed so real. You were there mom. & you were there too dad. you all were there. but now i'm home. there's no place like home! carl's dad: carl get up! you passed out again! the bar's closing.
• carl: fuck! i need a beer! (alternate - carl: i need a beer!)

  i think you should bend the no drawing your own panel rule so skye & winter could try it once. i think it'd be cuuuuute.

Markus Gerwinski

I hope, my suggestions will be for the right panel... I must admit, after having read "This week's suggestions", I'm a little confused, since all of them refer to the lost keys, whereas the "NEXT?" panel is following to the "guilt" scene. Hope I'm right by referring to the latter one.

• Carl on a riverside, fixing a stone to his foot, when there's someone coming from behind: "Carl?!" Carl turns: "Dad?!"
• Some mysterious person comes out of a nearby shadow, face still in the dark, holding a gun in his hand, and says: "Wait, I'll help you."
• Carl's Mom and Dad, Daisy, and whoever you want standing besides a hospital bed. Carl, tied to the bed, screams "kill myself!" A doctor says: "Still suffering from hallucinations. He should *really* stop drinking."
• Carl gets into the car, saying: "And the best way to do so is to drink and drive!"
• Carl's Mom appears as a ghost and says: "Promise me you won't drink and kill yourself, Carl!"

Lee K. Seitz

So the obvious won? I preferred the store robbery suggestions last week. I'm running out of pages to plug. I guess this time I'll mention the Classic Video Games Nexus (http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/cvg/nexus/).

• Carl's dad appears. "You mustn't blame yourself, Carl."
• Carl's dad appears. "Come on, son, a drink will make you feel better."
• Carl's dad appears. "Where'd you get the wings, Carl?"
• Carl goes to a gun store. (He needs one to kill himself.) "Storekeeper, give me a -- *GASP!?* Dad?!" Dad: "Carl?!"

frank episale

• extreme close-up: "dad will know what to do."
• extreme close-up: "but first, i'll join dad for a drink."
• carl looks out at us through the panel: "but first, a memory of my father."
• carl, with hand to head, background is wavy/fuzzy: "woah!flashback!"

David Bedno

How morbid. How fun.

• Carl saying "I wonder if I can drink myself to death."
• Carl, in a moment of realization, "I need to tell Dad."
• "The only thing that would be worse would be to find out my father was Darth Vader.

  Please don't ask where the Vader suggestion came from. I don't want to know, myself.

Pete Strover

• But first, I'll have to drink a toast to Mum's memory.
• I know - I'll drink myself to death!
• At a time like this, I need the support of alcoholics and family members.

Eric Martin

Look at my email address--could I suggest anything else?

• Carl walks into a bar and says, "Maybe I can convince a drunk to throw me through the window."

[You'll all just have to wonder what Eric's email address is. --Scott]

R David Francis

OK, so this is likely to be just one of dozens if accepted:

• Dad: "I know you feel guilty, but don't kill yourself" Carl: "Dad?!"
• I gues we could make it hard next time: Mom (as an angel): Don't kill yourself, Carl! Carl: Mom?!
• Or how about: Carl heading to his car: One last drink at Dad's bar before I go!
• Or even: Man in black: Don't kill yourself, Carl! Carl: Neil Gaiman!?
• Carl stands, dripping, holding a can of gasoline; Carl: Darn, no matches! I'll just run into Dad's bar and grab some. (Hey, he's not quite bursting into flames!)

  Quick question that could lead to some interesting panels; would you nix a sequence that had Carl dying before the tombstone panel? I mean, the body still has to make it to the graveyard, and there's always the possibility of resurrection, zombie life, or whatever.... Seems like it could add an interesting twist.

[Hmm...Well it isn't "forbidden" is it? Hmm... --Scott]

Nathan Kuruna

No comment.

• Carl: I'm going to have to drink myself to death!

Travis Pelkie

missed last week cuz the time I wuz checking this site was when it was down. bet ya missed me.

• Well, maybe Carl sez that "the only thing that would stop me from killing myself is finally meeting my father again!" Obviously too wordy, but that's why this is your site, not mine.
• Or else Scott appears and says "wait, carl, your legion of fans want you to meet your father." same idea, just executed differently.

  That's it suggestion wise. I was reading the book Comic Book Rebels with an interview with you in it, and I was wondering if, when the inventions section is put up, if we'll be able to play 5 card nancy (probably have to change it for legal purposes, though). Also, is the Frying Pan still around? If so, how can anyone join? Keep inventing, Scott!

[The "Inventions" Section -- quite nearly done, I swear -- does indeed have complete instructions for playing Five Card Nancy. The Frying Pan (an a.p.a. I created) doesn't have it's own entry, but gets a mention in the section on the Creator's Bill of Rights. And no, it's not still around, though a web-based version might be a good idea at some point. --Scott]

Addison Godel

• "Don't do it, Carl!" "Dad?!"
• "...but first, I'd better tell Dad the news."
• Carl: (as Darth Vader) The Carl you knew is dead... (yadda yadda yadda)
• Carl: (holding bottle of poison) "Dad, can you give me a hand with the cap?"
• "I didn't say anything about -when-!" Carl goes on his merry way...

  So -is- there hope of a CYOC poster one of these years? I was tossing around the idea months ago, and I know -I'd- buy at least one.

[I think a poster would be terrific. I'll let you know if we can work something out. --Scott]

Bill Schlimme

• Carl: "Hey, where'd these wings come from?" -or-
• Carl: "Hey, where'd my wings go?"
• Carl, entering a bar: "But first, a drink...*gasp* DAD?!!"
• Carl, holding a copy of Leaving Las Vegas: "And what better way to do it than by drinking myself to death? ...*gasp* DAD?!!"

  Best I could do. Good luck!

Douglass Barre (Age 28)

This is probably too late, but since it wasn't up yet, and I'm up early, I'll give it a shot.

• Similar panel to the above storekeep ones, only this one is in a gun shop. CARL: "Purveyor of death, give me a-- *GASP!* DAD?" PoD/DAD: "Carl?!"
• Or, to be really divergent... Similar panel to the above storekeep ones, only this one is in a fancy Italian restaurant. CARL: "Godfather, give me a-- *GASP!* DAD?" Godfather/DAD: "Carl?!"
• And again... Similar panel to the above storekeep ones, only this one is in the White House. CARL: "Mr. President, give me a-- *GASP!* DAD?" President/DAD: "Carl?!"
• Variations on a theme... Similar panel to the above storekeep ones, only this one is in brothel. CARL: "Madam, give me a-- *GASP!* MOM?" Madam/Mom: "Carl?!"
• ... (I love it when manga use "..." as a word balloon...) Similar panel to the above storekeep ones, only this one is in an airplane hangar. CARL: "Charles Lindbergh, give me a-- *GASP!* DAD?" PoD/DAD: "Carl?!"