Тупик (комикс)
| Куль-де-Сак | |
|---|---|
 Куль-де-Сак (5 февраля 2008 г.) | |
| Автор(ы) | Ричард Томпсон |
| Веб-сайт | www |
| Дата запуска |
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| Дата окончания | 23 сентября 2012 г. |
| Синдикат(ы) | Universal Press Syndicate / Universal Uclick |
| Издатель(и) | Издательство Эндрюса МакМила |
| Жанр (ы) | Юмор, семейная жизнь, дети |
«Куль-де-Сак» — американский комикс, созданный Ричардом Томпсоном . Он был распространен Universal Press Syndicate / Universal Uclick в 150 газетах по всему миру с 2004 по 2012 год.
Центральный персонаж — четырехлетняя Алиса Оттерлуп, а лента изображает ее повседневную жизнь в дошкольном учреждении и дома.
История публикаций
[ редактировать ]Томпсон, также известный своей еженедельной «Альманах бедных Ричарда» лентой в The Washington Post , начал «Cul de Sac» как ограниченную ленту в The Washington Post в феврале 2004 года. В сентябре 2007 года Cul de Sac начал ежедневную синдикацию с Universal Press Syndicate. [ 1 ] Цифровое распространение осуществляется Uclick GoComics .
Приглашенные карикатуристы и финальная лента
[ редактировать ]16 июля 2009 года Томпсон объявил, что у него диагностирована болезнь Паркинсона - проблема, которую он описал как «боль в корне», которая замедляла его скорость, но не влияла на его рисующую руку. [ 2 ] Он взял перерыв в стрипе.
Во время перерыва несколько других художников-карикатуристов начали рисовать персонажей Куль-де-Сак . Приглашенными артистами были Майкл Янце ( «Норма» ), Кори Пандольф ( «Бузина» ), Линкольн Пирс ( «Большой Нейт» ), Стефан Пастис ( «Жемчуг перед свиньями »), Рубен Боллинг ( «Танцующий жук» ) и детский писатель Мо Виллемс . [ 3 ]
По возвращении Томпсона в Куль-де-Сак 26 марта 2012 года было объявлено, что иллюстратор детских книг Стейси Кертис станет красителем Куль-де-Сак . [ 4 ]
17 августа 2012 года Томпсон объявил, что из-за проблем со здоровьем он прекращает свою работу в качестве создателя комиксов, а его последний « Тупок Сак» будет опубликован 23 сентября 2012 года. [ 5 ] [ 6 ]
Хотя Томпсон изначально планировал нарисовать финальную версию комикса сам, за день до объявленной ранее даты публикации он разместил в Интернете сообщение, в котором говорилось: «Осторожно, спойлер – я не смог нарисовать новое воскресенье, поэтому завтрашнее тоже повторится. Извините! В следующий раз я сделаю лучше». [ 7 ] Эта полоса была повтором, первоначально опубликованным 18 февраля 2007 года, и которая также появилась на задней обложке первого книжного сборника « Тупок: Этот выход» в 2008 году. В ней Пити объясняет Алисе, что комиксы являются «могучим , но умирающая форма искусства».
Томпсон умер в возрасте 58 лет 27 июля 2016 года.
Персонажи и история
[ редактировать ]
Universal Press Syndicate описывает « Куль-де-Сак» как «беззаботный комикс, посвященный четырехлетней девочке и ее жизненному опыту в пригороде в тупике с ее друзьями Бени и Диллом, старшим братом Пити и ее одноклассниками в Детский сад Академии Блиссхавена Алиса описывает машину своего отца как Honda-Tonka Cuisinart и разговаривает с классной морской свинкой, мистером Дандерсом. У нее есть типичный старший брат, который подшучивает над ней, и она обдумывает, как удержать страшного клоуна. от выпрыгивания из чертика из коробочки с друзьями».
- Элис Оттерлуп
- Главный герой ленты. Своенравная четырехлетняя девочка, живущая в пригороде. Стриптиз обычно фокусируется на ее знакомстве с новыми вещами и ее комментариях к этому опыту. Она любит танцевать на крышках люков.
- Пити Оттерлуп
- Старший брат Алисы Пити тихий, книжный, более опытный и является основным источником информации Алисы о новых явлениях. Мать восьмилетнего мальчика назвала «королем привередливых едоков»; однако, согласно интернет-рейтингам, он по-прежнему не самый придирчивый в еде в мире. [ 8 ] Пити часто описывает обыденные школьные и пригородные события в мифическом стиле, как будто информация передавалась из поколения в поколение школьников. Любитель комиксов, он также является начинающим художником комиксов, который постоянно работает над и пересматривает свой собственный графический роман « Зомби-жабы» . Пити считает, что у него только три с половиной друга (Виола, Андре, Лорис и Эрнесто, который считается только наполовину другом, поскольку он может быть воображаемым). Томпсон сказал, что Пити, Андре и Лорис вместе подобны атому, с Андре в роли протона, Пити в роли нейтрона и Лорис в роли электрона.
- Madeline Otterloop
- Alice and Petey's mother is a stay-at-home mom taking care of the day-to-day running of the household. She is often seen driving the children around in a van of a color "so neutral that it does not occur in nature".[8] Mrs. Otterloop's maiden name is Urquhart.[9]
- Peter Otterloop
- Alice and Petey's father is seen less frequently and works a daily office job at an unnamed location. Peter Sr. is bald, slight in build, and nerdy like his son. Before the strip was rebooted for syndication, his employer was described as the Federal "Department of Consumption". However, a number of Washington, D.C.-specific features have disappeared since the reboot, and his employer has not been mentioned since. According to the official website, he currently works as the "Assistant Director of Pamphlets at the U.S. Department of Consumption, Office of Consumer Complaints".[8] He commutes to work in a car that Alice describes as a "Honda-Tonka Cuisinart".[10]
- Dill Wedekind
- Dill, the Caucasian friend with the few bristles of hair, is possibly the most eccentric character in the strip, frequently making strange or unrelated statements. He is in the same class and neighborhood as Alice, as well as one of her best friends. A running joke is his reference to his unseen disreputable older brothers. He sometimes rides a yellow tricycle with blue wheels.
- Beni
- Along with Dill, Beni is Alice's other best friend, the dark-haired and dark-skinned one. He appears to be technically minded and is skilled with tools; his grandmother "tells filthy jokes in Spanish" and he himself once used the interjection "Hijole!" implying he might be Hispanic. He is good at soccer.
- Ernesto Lacuna
- Ernesto is a crossing guard that Petey met and initially thought existed only in his imagination. He wears glasses and is always well-groomed in a tie and vest. When he was fired from his crossing guard position, he blamed Petey. He declared his affection for Viola and claimed a super-power (putting people's feet to sleep). He speaks and acts like an adult and frequently chides Petey for his 'childish' pursuits or interests. Petey just wishes he would go away. Andre has told Petey definitively that Ernesto is imaginary, though he has yet to prove it; Mrs. Otterloop and Viola have both interacted with Ernesto, implying that he in fact exists.
- Viola D'More
- Viola, a girl in Petey's school band, plays the marimba. She wears glasses and has curly hair. She calls Petey "Petey Potterpoop" (a nickname which had, in fact, been given to Mr. Otterloop when he was Petey's age) and seems to enjoy embarrassing him, although she is always friendly and has never been deliberately cruel. Their relationship remains ambiguous, Petey sometimes seems to like her and at other times is almost indifferent. Alice calls her Petey's "almost girlfriend". Viola has an over-sized backpack with many adornments, one of which (a purple unicorn) she gave Petey as a charm against Ernesto. It apparently worked since Petey did not see Ernesto for several days after. For a long time, her last name was uncertain; Ernesto called her 'Viola D'More' when he was claiming her as 'his love' (see Viola d'amore). The D'More surname was confirmed in a June 2010 strip.
- Marcus DeMarco
- A classmate of Alice. Bespectacled and nerdy, Marcus is scared of his mother, who is always documenting him for scrapbooks.
- Ms. Bliss
- The only teacher at Blisshaven Academy, a pre-school attended by Alice, Beni, Dill and Marcus. She loves education and is usually cheerful. She often becomes irritated with the children's constant antics. She has been engaged multiple times to Timmy Fretwork, the Banjo Man, although they have yet to wed. Thompson has admitted on several occasions that Bliss is her first name, not her surname.
- Mr. Danders
- Blisshaven's pet guinea pig. Mr. Danders claims to be well read and has many literary opinions. He often speaks using eloquent, long words. A prominent character in the strip's early days, he last appeared in March 2012 when the strip featured guest cartoonists.
- Andre Chang
- A heavyset boy Petey met at cartoon camp. He has bushy hair with thick bangs, coke-bottle glasses, and wears shirts with sound effects printed on the front. He likes to read comics with much action and noise. He gets along very well with Alice. He has four sisters.
- Loris Slothrop
- A short girl who goes to cartoon camp with Petey. She has big eyes, although her right eye is usually covered by her hair. She has from two to three ponytails sticking from her hair. When asked what type of comics she prefers, she said she likes "little cute animal cartoons with big eyes who're also magic robot vampire ninjas, but sensitive," an example being "Squirrelly Shirley, the pink robot alien girl crime-fighter who's a werewolf squirrel." Loris's self-made comic book, "Lulu Lightspeed," "deals realistically with issues facing blue, big-eyed robots with pointed ears." She has been shown to be very fast, being the first one to run out the door when a bee invaded the cartoon camp. The surname "Slothrop" is shared with Tyrone Slothrop, the protagonist of Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon.
- Nara
- A preschooler about whom few details have surfaced. She frequently brings duck-shaped potatoes for show and tell, much to Alice's chagrin. Nara is in ballet and has gone to watch a ballet before.
- Sofie
- A girl who came to Blisshaven more recently. At first she seemed very timid, sitting silently in the corner. After Alice dubbed her "Weird New Kid", Sofie revealed her aggressive nature. Alice is also seemingly incapable of remembering Sofie's name, frequently calling her "Soapie" and/or "Sofa", but considers her her new best friend.
- Kevin
- A preschooler with blond hair, prominent ears, and a "bucket head", according to Alice. He seems to have many anxieties and is a natural target for Alice's teasing.
- Uh-Oh Baby
- A baby that just shows up occasionally and says "uh-oh." The baby is never accompanied by an adult and no-one knows where it comes from. The kids always react in fear.
Recurring themes
[edit]- Mr. Otterloop's car
- This 'clown car' is tiny, hence the recurring visual and verbal gags about its size. Alice says it is "half cuisinart".
- Manhole cover
- Alice and her friends use a manhole cover in a nearby vacant lot as a soapbox for performance art or to declare opinions.
- Shoebox dioramas
- Petey is slowly documenting the history of man through the medium of shoebox dioramas which he keeps beneath his bed.
- Big Shirley
- Big Shirley is a large, friendly dog that belongs to Alice's grandmother. Alice is completely terrified of Big Shirley, once even abandoning her precious toy bunny Polyfil to save herself from the dog's slobbering clutches.
- Little Neuro
- A strip-within-the-strip, a parody of Little Nemo. Petey's favorite reading, a strip about a little boy who hardly ever stirs from his bed.
- Sports
- On several occasions, Petey has reluctantly played soccer on his mother's insistence. His lack of athletic skill and social awkwardness has resulted in multiple out-of-body experiences.
Books
[edit]The first book collection of Cul de Sac strips, Cul de Sac: This Exit, was published September 1, 2008 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. It includes the pre-syndication The Washington Post strips in color, as well as a foreword by Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes),[10] who praised Thompson's work:
I thought the best newspaper comic strips were long gone, and I've never been happier to be wrong. Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac has it all—intelligence, gentle humor, a delightful way with words, and, most surprising of all, wonderful, wonderful drawings. Cul de Sac's whimsical take on the world and playful sense of language somehow gets funnier the more times you read it. Four-year-old Alice and her Blisshaven Preschool classmates will ring true to any parent. Doing projects in a cloud of glue and glitter, the little kids manage to reinterpret an otherwise incomprehensible world via their meandering, nonstop chatter. But I think my favorite character is Alice's older brother, Petey. A haunted, controlling milquetoast, he's surely one of the most neurotic kids to appear in comics. These children and their struggles are presented affectionately, and one of the things I like best about Cul de Sac is its natural warmth. Cul de Sac avoids both mawkishness and cynicism and instead finds genuine charm in its loopy appreciation of small events. Very few strips can hit this subtle note.
A second collection, Children at Play: A Cul de Sac Collection, was published in 2009 by Andrews McMeel. It features a foreword by writer-artist Mo Willems. A treasury book, Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics, was published July 6, 2010 by Andrews McMeel. It features strips from the previous two book collections along with the early strips from the original run in The Washington Post. The book also features captions with additional insight or commentary written by Thompson himself. Writer Charles Solomon praised the new book in his review for the Los Angeles Times, stating "Cul de Sac proves the comic strip remains a viable art form while bucking current trends".[11]
A third book of strip reprints, titled Shapes & Colors: A Cul de Sac Collection, was released on December 14, 2010. A fourth, The Mighty Alice, was released May 8, 2012, and features both the daily strips and Sunday installments in color. After the strip's run ended, a two-volume book collecting the entire run of the strip and selections of early The Washington Post strips, The Complete Cul de Sac, was released on May 6, 2014.
Cul de Sac animated
[edit]A series of Cul de Sac animated shorts, produced by RingTales, are hosted by Babelgum.[12] These shorts are 30-second to minute-long animated versions of the comic strips. Thompson's wife provides the voice of Madeline Otterloop, Alice and Petey's mother.[13][14] Thompson has said that one of the kids is voiced by an adult.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Welcoming "Cul de Sac" to Universal Press Syndicate". amuniversal.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
- ^ Thompson, Richard (July 16, 2009). "Cul de Sac: Some News". Cul de Sac. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (2012-02-17). "'Cul de Sac' Guest Artists Move in Monday: On hiatus, Thompson asks 6 top cartoonists to take a shot at his strip". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ Spurgeon, Tom. "March 26, 2012: Stacy Curtis Joins Richard Thompson On Cul De Sac". The Comics Reporter, March 26, 2012.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (2012-08-17). "'CUL DE SAC': Amid Parkinson's battle, Richard Thompson ends beloved comic". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ^ "Parkinson's forces creator of 'Cul de Sac' comic to retire". kansascity.com.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Thompson, Richard. "Comment on Cul de Sac Strip for September 22, 2012". Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Cul de Sac Interactive: The Cul de Sac Gang". culdesacart.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ "Urquhart". richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Cul de Sac". amuniversal.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
- ^ "Book review: 'Cul de Sac Golden Treasury'". Los Angeles Times. 2010-09-26. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ^ "Cul de Sac Animated". babelgum.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ "New Cul de Sac Animations to Make Your Life More Fun". richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ "Another Animation". richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com. 2010-04-20. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ "New Cul de Sac Animations". richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com. 2010-04-04. Retrieved 18 June 2010.