NOTE: I'LL BE TRAVELLING FIRST WEEKEND OF DECEMBER, SO JOIN US AGAIN ON SUNDAY, DEC. 10!




This week's new panel (top) suggested by Josiah Rowe.



Just about says it all, doesn't it?

Josiah Rowe's dialogue was such a great ironic summation of the entire Choose Your Own universe that I figured any subsequent gag would only delute it, hence the classic "Crash!" to fill out our penultimate tombstone!

One string to go, Guys -- Make it a great one!!

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

--Scott
Sunday 11/26/2000



jesse rimler

  • hmm...i think itd be a bit too quick and easy to have carl drinking in this panel. plus, i'd like to see what we can do to kill off carl in one panel's notice next time. so: Carl looks at bottle and then chucks it. "nah. daisy, lets go to the ice cream social!"

    hmm, ive been doing a little thinking about you notion to spread out on this "infinite canvas". Comics is a 2-d artform by habit, but it nature and its core is the idea of sequential images. So, how about "panels" that are rendered in 3d and alow panning and zooming within each frozen scene? that way the subtleties of the comic could be discovered by actually searching through the rendered room (or area). The quicktime VR plugin could be used, or even flash could probably pull it off. by keeping the panel-worlds frozen in time and having each panel follow each other, the basic idea of comics would still be adherent. what do you think, scott? everyone? if only i had the programs to pull it off, i'd be doing it now...


[At San Diego this year, I got together with web cartoonists Cat Garza, Patrick Farley, Kyle Baker, Brent Wood and others for dinner and conversation. We discussed new forms at length and 3D was definitely one of the frontiers we were considering. One of these days, we hope to collaborate on a joint challenge of some sort that would incorporate some of these ideas. Regrettably, this is one of the many projects I've had trouble tackling due to lack of time. --Scott]


peter purgathofer

  • carl shrugs and throws the can of beer over his shoulder, accidently hitting a 7ft guy with tattoos on his arms
  • the same scene as the lower half of the last panel is show, only with a wider angel (carl, looking at the beer can, thinking "hmmm"). now you can see that a piano is falling from a very high building, directly at carl.

    thanks for carl and for all of your work, it has been a tremendous


[Whoops. I deleted what seemed to be an identical double post but I'll bet the other one finished that sentence. Sorry about that, peter. --Scott]


Golden Lion

    It's almost over, isn't it? *snif*

  • "I'm going to make the smart choice this time!" says Carl. He tosses the beer can over his shoulder as he walks away from the car.
  • "I know what to do!" says Carl. "I'll give up driving!" He proudly guzzles his can of Bud.
  • "I must drink and drive," says Carl, a freaky psychotic expression enveloping his face. "It is my DESTINY!!"
  • Carl holds the can of Bud closer to his face and says, "Hey! There's an instant win game on here! But the game piece is on the inside of the can!"

    Is one of these going to work? Or do I have to include an elaborate imaginative TRAIL to connect the panels too?


Greg Lam

  • Carl sits at the wheel of the car, an open beer can in his hand. "This one's for you, dad."


PJM

  • Carl is driving down the road, drinking Bud, and singing a song: "I'm driving my car and I'm drinking a beer..."
  • Carl throws away the can of Bud. Carl: "Nah."
  • Carl throws the Bud at the car. CARL: "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
  • Carl laughs manically to himself. "MWAH HA HA HA HA! Promises are there to be broken mommy dearest!"
  • Carl simply stares silently and contemplatively at a can of Bud.

    BTW, if anyone suggests Carl says "Whassssssup" or anything, then please kill them.


Nachimir

    Cheers Scott. Enjoyed Zot online.

  • Two Carls: "Hey Carl, you drink, I'll drive!" "You're the greatest dad!" Next panel, Carl 1 is looking whimsically out the window, Carl 2 has a can in one hand and the wheel in the other: "Oh wait. We got mixed up."


Simon

    This strip needs more slap-stick.

  • Carl says "Nah..." and tosses beer can over his shoulder, hitting some large thug, standing in the background.

    It should be fairly obvious what comes next.


Rusty Priske

  • Carl (behind the wheel): I know better than that! I won't give in to temptation!


Dan Hernandez

  • I wonder what she means by drinking and driving?


Lee K. Seitz

    Gee, this is the penultimate follows-an-'I-promise' panel.

  • Carl/Carl Jr. (CJ) in passenger seat. Beer can in driver seat. Carl: She didn't say anything about letting my drink drive!
  • As Carl/CJ stands in the street, we see a wildly swerving car coming at him.
  • Carl/CJ, as he tosses the beer can over his shoulder: Nah!
  • Carl/CJ sees some writing on the beer can label: Mind your mother!
  • Better yet, a view from Carl/CJ's perspective as he drinks the beer. Around the edge of the can (above the tab) it says "Mind your mother!"
  • Carl/CJ is sucked into the can.
  • Carl/CJ holding can with car in background thinking, "But I promised, Mom."
  • Enter: Zot!

    Gee, I only had one idea when I started this form.


Travis Pelkie

  • Since we're going split panel here, let's go all the way (or something) and have this downward sequence be all split, with the ramifications of each decision in each half.
  • Okay, that's too hard, how about something else, that I can't think of.
  • I, too, feel Carl is lacking in flying monkeys.
  • Have the car start drinking and driving, and run over Carl Jr., whose father's life flashes before his eyes (he's a boring guy)
  • Carl attempts to buy beer from a vending machine, and it gets stuck, so he needs to buy another one, but he's out of money.
  • In other lame news, there should be a close up of Carl's face with x's for eyes.
  • In pops Scott to whup both Carls into shape.
  • Um, actually, I like the drinking car one the best. I'll leave it at that.

    Well, that was pathetic. Loved the epilogue to Zot! So will the parts eventually all link together so you can go onto the next chapter from the end of the previous one? (like when it comes to this address). Also, in regards to my online comics museum, which I'm now kinda iffy on, but if I figure things out (making webpages, making webcomics, and so on) I can make it pretty cool. I was thinking that I'd do it by having a "3D" wall structure, and on the "walls," I'd have pictures of what the comics looked like (like how you have the comics on the "online comics" part) and then you could click on the image to get to the comic. I'd also hope to do online comics about the other comics and also to comment on comics in general, their previous relations to museums, and how the museum would affect the perception of the comic. That'll probably be a lot for a one semester project (if it happens) but I'd hopefully continue on with it (then I could comment on the idea of corporate sponsorships and the museum!) Oh, I hope this gets sent right.


[We do hope to link up all the Zot! episodes, Travis. Jonah Weiland, like Yours Truly, is a bit overcomitted at this point. Good luck on the project! --Scott]


Matt Skulley

  • There is a close-up of the beer can with a Surgeon General's warning saying, "You heard her - Don't drink and drive, Carl!"
  • A close-up of the beer can with a "Have You Seen Me:" type of public service announcement with Carl Sr.'s photo there.


Andrew Selby

  • Carl pouring beer into gas tank: "Dad always taught me to compromise!" or "This should work..." or "This is *better* than drinking and driving!"
  • Carl drinking, driving, and reciting quote: "The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those who feel." I forget the author of this quote, but there may not be enough space for it anyway.
  • Carl driving in front of a movie theater while drinking a beer. The movie title on the marquee reads: "The Death of Carl" or "American Tragedy" or some other fitting title.


Tad Ramspott

  • Carl, winding up to throw the beer can at the car: "I won't be tempted!!"


Pete Gontier

    Since Carl seems dead in the horizontal thread and alive in the vertical thread, the intersection is a bit of a poser. Luckily, Carl Jr. is looking a bit pensive in the bottom half of the previous panel in the horizontal thread.

  • Classic frame of Carl downing beer while behind the wheel.

    To the left, Carl Jr. imagines (thought clouds outside the frame) this frame.


Luke Weber

  • Carl hops in the car which somehow manages to sprout wings

    The car COULD fly off resulting in carl exclaiming "well, I didn't promise anything about flying"


Shane Semler

    I couldn't sleep so I decided to come up with a few suggestions. BTW, the new Radiohead song is very cool!

  • Carl walks up to a car while guzzling beer thinking: "Good thing we all live in a mutually shared virtual world here in the future so I can drink and drive in safety!"
  • Cheese makes everything better!
  • Carl thinks to himself: "I wonder how many non-alcoholic beers it would take to actually get a buzz?"
  • As Carl opens the can, a voice says "Greetings Carl. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a Mission Impossible movie that is even worse than the first. You must have a self-absorbed actor by the name of Tom Cruise and director John Woo, whose head is swollen and bloated with past success in Hollywood, on your team. Good luck. This beer can will self destruct in 30 seconds."


Bruce

  • He opens the can and his dad pops out.


Bruce

    You once were a guest speaker at my school, UC Santa Barbara, to be more specific you were at the IV Theatre. Before I left I wanted to tell you something, but the best thing I could come up with at the split moment is that "Understanding Comics" was the best book I was ever forced to read. The only reason why I said this is that I was in a hurry and I didn't want to be insincere. But now that I have assessed the situation completely, I would like to tell you that your book was EASILY the best non-fictional book I have ever read. I would go as far as to say that it is the best book of ANY type that I have ever read, but although it may be true, I can't make this statement with the same undying certainty as I have the previous.

  • He opens the can and the budweiser frog hops out. This can then lead to him either eating the frog, visa versa, using the frog in some creative way, or licking the frog. If he licks the frog it can turn out to be one of those psychadelic frogs, hence having as bad a result as before.
  • He decides not to drink and the fact that he didn't drink results in his death (somehow).
  • He becomes the spokes person for a brand of beer, but his success is shallow and empty and all he can think of is his lost love, Daisy, Budweiser, "Always," whatever.
  • The can explodes when it is tilted at 56.753 degrees and opened. His mother or whoever, sues the company on his behalf.


[Just for the record, I LOVE it when people say they were forced to read my book. --Scott]


Mike Yi

    A few suggestions this time... getting close to the end

  • Carl takes a gulp of beer... "Heck, it's not like one beer's gonna kill me or anything, right?"
  • Carl pitches the can of beer, and clutches his head in anguish... "Must... resist...!"

    Just got Reinventing Comics yesterday. A bit more complicated than your other book, but still a good read. I noticed one small quirk, though... In one place, you're using pen on paper, and in another page, you're using the Wacom tablet... hmm...


Morgan Doninger

    Instant run-offs sound great, let's just call the whole thing a do-over and usr that system! No? Oh....

  • Carl raises his beer can in triumph. Carl: "With God as my witness I-"

    I think this leaves a lot of openings for the next panel. What has stunned Carl so? Could it be scary flying monkies? Who knows...


Mac

  • We see Carl dancing, striking a Travolta-esque pose, with beautifu women on either side. Caption: Later... Carl: "I'm the life of the party!"
  • The car is acutally a flying hovercar! (It's 20 years later, remember?) As it soars through the air, Carl can be heard saying, "Hovercars aren't driving, they're flying!"
  • Stick to the basics: Carl behind the wheel, drinking away.


Glen Seymour

  • Carl at wheel of car with beer in hand. "Promise Shmomise"
  • "I can always drink and walk" Carl is walking in the center of the road.

    I deleted a bunch of others, because I like the first one better than any of them, and I figured I'd save you some time.


Dave Forsythe

  • Carl decides that he prefers the beer to the driving and out of respect to his parents just walks and drinks.


Josiah Rowe

  • Carl (Carl, Jr.?) stands in front of a microphone at a press conference. "...and that's why I'm founding CADD, Carls against Drunk Driving."
  • Carl sits in the driver's seat, drinking a Bud. "After all, you only live once!"
  • Carl rejects the temptation violently, Marvel Comics-style. He throws the BUD into the car window, crying, "NO!!!"
  • Carl swears, "If I'm gonna drink, then I'm gonna WALK!" He steps into the street with the BUD in his hand, not noticing the oncoming car...
  • A random guy walks up to Carl and offers him a BUD. He is wearing a sweatshirt that says, "Promise Keepers".


Bill Schlimme

  • Carl, still looking pensively at the can as he crosses the street carelessly, while ironically, a car screeches around the corner and head straight towards him.


Jake Young

    Bring Back ICST!(Please?)

  • Carl: (eyes rolled, walking to the car)"...When Flying Monkees fly out of my butt!"

    Just imagine the possibilaties...


Caroling

  • Carl sits down on the curb to drink the beer and cry in his beer, when whamo, he' killed by a hit and run driver.

    Next panel, Carl as discarnate spirit trying to explain to mom that he didn't drive, really he didn't.


C. McLaren

  • Carl: "Wait a minute...that's IT!" "Dying ECSTATICALLY -- it's the PURPOSE of LIFE!"
  • Carl: (dramatically holding aloft a beer can and a blowtorch) "I know -- I'll express myself in SCULPTURE!"
  • Carl, drinking a beer, thinks: I have the wierdest feeling of deja vu here...


Joe Rice

  • Carl- I think I'll go recycle this can!


Nat Gertler

    In the future, we will all choose our own Carl for 15 minutes...

  • "Time to chuck buds at cars!" sez Carl, doing just that.
  • "I'll trade my unused beer!" sez Carl, approaching The Trading Post
  • 90 year old Carl talking to his grandkids "It's late! I'll finish that tale in the A.M.!"




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