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Richard Thompson and his charming
Cul de Sac comic strip have numerous fans in the comics community. So, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, his personal friend Chris Sparks started educating himself on the disease and the best ways to help. His research lead him to create Team Cul de Sac, a division of Team Fox and The Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Many of you have heard about and seen Bill Watterson’s painting of Petey Otterloop (scroll down if you haven’t). What many have overlooked is that numerous cartoonists, both from comic strips and comic books, have created original artwork to benefit Team Cul de Sac.
A benefit book (seen above) will be published by Andrews McMeel in June, and the art is currently being auctioned by Heritage Auctions, with final bidding Sunday, June 10 in Dallas. All 148 lots can be viewed online, and if you register, you can bid on the artwork.
This is an incredible auction! Not only is it for a great cause, but you’ll find original artwork here from many artists! Yes, Bill Watterson is known for being a recluse, never showing his paintings to anyone, but many other comic strip creators rarely attend comics conventions or do sketches. I’ve selected some of the more interesting pieces and posted them below, but please visit the Heritage Auctions website and place a bid! If you can’t afford the original artwork, click on the book link above and order a copy of the hardcover. There’s a Google Preview available, which shows the artwork in color, along with the a foreword from Richard Thompson, and a profile reprinted from the Washington Post.
Go read the comic strip for free! It’s as good as Calvin & Hobbes, but different. Or, if you like your comics the old fashioned way, buy the books!
Bill Watterson
Glenn Fleishman over at Boing Boing.net did a fantastic article about cartoonist Richard Thompson, creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac.
The article speaks of Richard's fight against Parkinson's disease, the help Richard has received from his cartooning colleagues to keep his strip going strong and a book that Richard's pal, Chris Sparks, has put together as a way to fund a cure for Parkinson's.
Buy the Team Cul de Sac book by Chris Sparks.
Today, I picked up three newspapers that run Cul de Sac on their comics pages.
There are interesting comparisons of sizes, color and, uh, stretching.
The first example is run in the correct proportion, but it's the smallest of the examples because the newspaper is tabloid size.
In the second example, notice how the person who lays out the comics page stretched the comic vertically to fit the space provided for the strip.
Cul de Sac wasn't the only comic strip stretched, which makes the solution simple: print the comics in the proportion in which they were intended and that leaves enough room to, yes you're reading this right, ADD a strip to the comics page.
The third example is run in the correct proportion, it's the largest of the examples and it's run in color daily, something that is not new to the comics pages, but also not common.
Written and sketched by Richard Thompson and inked by me.
It was exciting to see the strip in the paper.
It reprinted well, despite being printed so small in the paper.
This newspaper is tabloid size, so naturally there's not a lot of room for the comics.
Today I begin a new adventure as the assistant to NCS Cartoonist of the Year, Richard Thompson. I will be helping out with art duties on his comic strip, Cul de Sac.
As some of you may know, in 2009 Richard announced he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Earlier this year, he took a hiatus from Cul de Sac to focus on treatment for his Parkinson's and he allowed some guest cartoonists to take over the strip while he was away.
During his hiatus, I got an e-mail from Richard asking if I'd like to help out on the strip.
I grew up wanting to draw a comic strip.
As a kid, I would read the comics in the newspaper every single day.
In elementary school, I drew Snoopy, Garfield, Popeye and other comic strip characters on classmates' folders for money.
That's how much I wanted to do it.
So of course, the opportunity to work on one of the best comic strips of all time was a no-brainer.
It's my childhood dream come true.
But it's more than that.
For me, first and foremost, it's about helping out a friend.
It's no secret that Parkinson's sucks.
If you know anyone who has it, you know how much more difficult it makes even the simplest of tasks.
Imagine trying to draw, ink or letter a comic strip that's printed about four inches wide in a newspaper.
And imagine doing that every day, week after week.
Those deadlines for a healthy person are hell, for someone dealing with something like Parkinson's, the deadlines are damn near impossible.
Lending Richard a hand, a drawing hand, is an honor.
Many people repeat this sentiment, Richard is one of the nicest, kindest people on the planet.
He really is. And I'm not just saying that because he's my boss.
Have no doubt, this change in Cul de Sac is a little blip to the dedicated CdS fan. Richard is manning the ship, writing every strip in the way only Richard can. I'm here to lend a hand with the art when and where he needs it.
Now if you will excuse me, Richard's coffee cup needs to be refilled and it's a 700 mile trip to get there.
Cul de Sac is back.
Link: Help fund the fight against Parkinson's disease by purchasing Chris Sparks' book, "Team Cul de Sac."
This is a piece I created for Team Cul de Sac and their efforts to raise money for Parkinson's disease research.
Visit the Team Cul de Sac blog to see pieces created by some really great artists!
Links:
Team Cul de Sac's Foundation Page.
"Cul de Sac" by the incredible Richard Thompson.
Also if you are near Arlington, VA on June 10, there will be a ‘Team Cul de Sac’ book launch. Here’s more info: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls/?p=1603