This week's panel suggested by Michael Patrick



I'm Still Alive!

Just made it through one of the busiest weeks of my life. As Gilligan would say: "From now on it looks like smoooooth sailing!" Yeah, right... Thanks for waiting, Everybody!

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

--Scott
Sunday 10/22/2000



Mike Yi

    Nice use of song lyrics, Dan. Great choice, Scott. Miscellaneous praise to Carl.

  • Carl: "You have NO idea what I've been through!" Daisy: "Oh, do I?"
  • Carl: "Where did you come from?" Ethel: "Yeah, why don't you leave?"
  • Ethel: "What's SHE doing here?"

    Have you ever considered a 3-D Create Your Own Carl? That way you could have up to three entry strings and three exit strings. (Is 4-D out of the question?)


[Interesting Future Carl suggestions, Mike. Anyone else have ideas? --Scott]

Bob Folker

  • Carl replies, "No, I'm actually just really confused. Tell me something, Daisy..."


Erik

    Is it time to start pestering you about a Carl T-shirt? I know I'd buy one. One version would be Carl's vapidly smiling, noseless mug, centered on the front, in black on a white or athletic grey shirt. Maybe it would just say 'Carl' underneath, in extraordinarily plain lettering. Then the back would be the tombstone panel with 'www.scottmccloud.com' underneath. Come on; how cool is that? Another design would be the URL under the face, and nothing on the back except the cryptic words 'SAVE CARL!'

  • Tearful and passionate reunion scene: Daisy is bending back, and Carl forward, a la the 'Gone With The Wind' poster. In the background, the moonlight streams through the branches of a tree, while in the foreground it casts their faces in a glow of passion...
  • ...or not. Daisy could instead be revealed to be standing next to a hulking ZOMBIE wearing a high school letter jacket, torn and crusted in fresh dirt. DAISY: "...because Biff and I were going to take a walk by the lake. Wanna come along?"
  • Long shot. Carl and Daisy just barely visible behind a tombstone, having just fallen to the ground in a mad tangle of limbs. Probably just in silhouette, or dramatic back-lighting. CARL: Love me tender, baby. DAISY: Oh, Carl...
  • Carl and Daisy walking away from the frame, while in the foreground, a hand reaches up from the freshly disturbed earth... CARL: "Boy, am I glad to see you!" THE THING THAT'S UNDERGROUND (softly): "Caaaarrrrlll..."

    I wonder if you truly appreciate how difficult it is not to suggest "Enter: Thor!" Come to think of it, I bet you do. Well then. Exit: me.


[One of these days we might do a Carl T-Shirt. Ivy's been suggesting it for years. I think it would be fun. --Scott]

Michael Rubinstein

  • Daisy takes Carl for a drive, and is drinking.


Jon Delorey

    I'll think of some witty comment before I finish....

  • Carl thinking... "Suspicion"
  • Carl says "Don't step on my...." (oh what the heck it was a pretty dumb idea anyway)
  • Draw Carl "All Shook Up"

    OK now the comment... Why are we only contributing to half of this work of art?.... we need to be able to submit images or sounds to give a better understanding of what we have in mind... (let's see will that make this strip take less of your copious free time or more?) Oh well just trying to be helpful....


[Go for it, Jon! Send it as a small jpg or gif and I'd be happy to run any visual suggestions (be sure to mention it in the body of the email though, so I notice it!) This was actually done about a year back, I think by veteran Carl poster Doug Waldron. --Scott]


Rusty Priske

  • Carl's Mom: Who is this hussy!! Carl: Mom!


Sean Kinlin

  • Wider shot, Daisy is clearly dressed up for streetwalking. She looks embarassed, and says, "Oh, Carl, it's you! Um...nevermind!"
  • Maisy: "No, I'm her twin sister Maisy!"
  • Carl gets down on one knee and says, "Give me your answer, do!"
  • Carl: "But I thought you were..." We can see that Daisy is holding a gun in her other hand, behind her back.
  • Carl thinks "Of all the funerals in all the cemeteries in the world, she has to walk into mine."
  • Carl dips Daisy and kisses her, ala Blondie and Dagwood.
  • Carl tries to kiss her but misses and falls in an open grave.


Josiah Rowe

  • Well, this is Daisy's first appearance along this path, so we could have the "Daisy, you're my reason to live! Will you marry me?" panel again (sans helicopter, of course).
  • Carl gives Daisy a lascivious look, and says, "Baby, I'm a hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin' love!"
  • Daisy "vamps out" and says, "Just kidding!"
  • I'm with Noah -- CYOC needs a Bond cell. (Actually, I've been suggesting a "mad scientist" for about a year now, but no one listens to me...) So anyway, we pull back to the gathering of villains, looking at Carl on a monitor marked "Daisy-Cam". One of the mad scientists cries out, "The Daisy-Bot is working perfectly! Bwa-ha-ha!"
  • Daisy turns into the Microsoft Monster. "No, Carl, it's ME!"
  • Daisy: "Wanna watch `Carnival of Love?"
  • Daisy: "Wanna get drunk?" Carl: "OK!"
  • Daisy: "Wanna fool around?" Carl: "OK!"
  • "Daisy" says, "No, I'm Daisy's identical twin sister, Maisie!" Carl says, "?!"
  • Daisy says, "Carl, I'm pregnant!"


TK

  • Have a lawyer enter frame and slap daisty with a lawsuit for copyright infringment.


Markus Gerwinski

  • The obvious one first: Carl says "I'm glad you're here, Daisy. Could you help me carve the right name in this tombstone?" He takes out hammer and chisel.
  • Carl, with a look at a just passing black-haired beauty: "Um... nope."
  • Silent panel: Carl and Daisy hand in hand, watching the sunset from the cemetary gate.
  • Silent panel: Carl and Daisy hugging and kissing each other. From the background, Carl's Mom is watching them _quite_ angrily.
  • We see a bra and boxer shorts lying on the floor in a dim room. Word balloon from outside the panel: "Daisy..."


Glen Seymour

  • We zoom out to see that Daisy has a ghostly tail instead of legs. Carl asks "why are you hanging out in the graveyard?"
  • Daisy and Carl embrace. (Since we're going to kill him again and again, let's let the boy have some happiness)
  • The person we assume is Daisy, "You don't even remember my name?" She slaps Carl.
  • Mom appears stage left with steak shouting "Die witch!"
  • Daisy looks shocked, Carl smiles. Carl's word balloon, "Nope. I've found a new girlfriend."
  • A tear runs down Carl's cheek. "Every night since you left me."
  • Carl grins at Daisy, "Let's talk about it over a drink."

    I'm guessing that you want to keep this g-rated, so I discarded all of Daisy's other suggestions about being lonely.


Ada Kerman

    I think that we haven't seen Daisy on this path before the previous panel. So, no marriage proposals yet in his timeline, etc.

  • Daisy: Want to go for a drive, Carl? Carl: Sure! Who's driving?

    Obvious next panel: A debate about who will drive, and whether Carl has been drinking.


Damian Cugley

  • 1.Confusion.
    Carl: 'Who are you?'
    (So far as I can tell, none of the paths leading to this panel include Daisy (if this is she). So she might be someone else...)
  • 2. Angst.
    Carl: 'When I am over being shocked and traumatized I might be.'
    Daisy (if it is she): 'Maybe I can help.'
  • 3. Romance.
    Carl and Daisy are in a swanky restaurant having a candle-lit dinner.
    Carl: 'It's been so long -- can we really pick up where we left off?'
    Daisy: 'Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.'
  • 4. Teen romance (how old is Carl supposed to be, anyway?). Daisy tosses her skateboard in the back of Carl's car with one hand while brandishing a half-full whisky bottle with the other.
    Daisy: 'Dude, I lifted my Dad's whisky.'
    Carl: 'Cool! Hey, let's drive out to Beggar's Canyon.'
  • 5. Cosmic.
    Galactus: Promise me you won't drink and fly unaided through the vast empty expanse that is the merciless void we call space.
    Silver Surfer: I promise.


Noah

  • A giant Monty Python-type foot comes down and squishes them all (I'm gonna be doing this every week!)
  • DAISY: "...'Cause my Aunt and I are going to watch some home movies..." CARL (thought): "Aunt?!" CARL: "Sure."
  • CARL (though): "Finally!"
  • CARL (though): "Didn't she turn me down already?!"
  • CARL: "I think I would like to be alone right now. Thanks, though."
  • CARL: "I think would like to be alone." CARL (thought): "Why'd I say that?!" Carl: "Thanks, though."
  • An alien bursts out of Carl's chest and Bill Paxton comes out of nowhere and says "GAME OVER MAN! GAME OVER!"
  • (I notice that there's a crowd in the cell before last) DAISY: "...'Cause I hired a band to play for you tonight!"
  • DAISY: "Because my FRIENDS would LOVE to meet you!!" Daisy has fangs. Carl is scared. (This way, everyone Carl knows would be a Vampire/Zombie/something!)
  • Carl gets a puppy!
  • Carl gets an EVIL puppy!
  • Carl gets a tax audit.
  • Carl is taken to Area 51! Daisy works for the government!
  • (Carl looks like he might be looking down at something) CARL: "Daisy! There's a spider on your shoulder!" DAISY: "AHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!"
  • (Oh, and here's a simple one) Daisy invites Carl over to her house.

    By the way. About the 24 Hour Comic: I was just wondering about DIGITAL comics. Your rules state that the goal is to make 24 pages in 24 hours. What if you want to create an "infinite canvas"-type comic; does that rule still apply? Do you HAVE to chop it up into 24 sections? Or are you simply NOT ALLOWED to do it digitally (I doubt YOU would be against digital comics)?

    One last question. I asked this before and I don't remember you answering (I was probably joking around a lot with so many odd suggestions). Will YOU, Scott McCloud, ever appear in CYOC?


[Digital 24 hour comics are cool. As for how big, though, I haven't figured out a firm measurement. Maybe 144 panels (24 pages x 6 panels per page)? --Scott]



Blue One

  • Carl: No, not really...
    (Daisy starts getting angry)


The Marvelous Patric

  • "i'm not daisy, i'm her twin sister, hortense."
  • a ufo appears above them and carl says..."looks like i definately won't be lonely tonight!"

    actually, this is all about me as i'm working on my web comic and i have questions for you. things are progressing well for me as i have test images up and now i'm doing the final images. i should have part one of my comic up in a few weeks. (if only i didn't have other classes!!!) anyway, how do you do the trails? altho i had one person tell me in an earlier test that they felt the trails made them feel stupid, i kinda want to try them. secondly, how do you get your comic to appear in a seperate window? thanks! i'll let you know when it's up!


[The seperate fixed-size window used in Zot! Online is a piece of code on CBR's end, but as for trails, they're just part of the pictures, sometimes attached to the panels, sometimes their own seperated image files. Feel free to view my source code and grab the individual images to see how it's all put together. --Scott]


Morgan Doninger

    I'm just being a softy today

  • Carl and Daisy hug. Carl: "I Missed you." Daisy: "Me too."

    It ain't against the law to have a nice little moment panel now and again, Right?


Mr. ?

    no comment...

  • Carl (happily): Does that mean you want to fool around?
  • Carl: My dad was a vampire and... Daisy: Shh.. say no more.
  • Same as above, only Daisy is standing behind him with vampire fangs!
  • Carl: My dad was a vampire and... Daisy (slowly changing): Oh no, tonight's the full moon! Carl: Why can almost feel my life expectancy falling?
  • Daisy: I heard the news. Are you okay? Carl: Yea, I could really go for a drink, though.
  • Ethyl (running towards the couple): Back away, son! That's NOT Daisy!
  • A portal to hell opens and Satan steps out, laughing evily.
  • Daisy's head detaches from her body with a 'pop' and starts to float around. Carl (terrified): "..."
  • Daisy: Your dad was a vampire? Carl (holding up the Necronomicon): Yea, I think it had something to do with this old book he had.
  • And of course, the forbidden suggestion: An Ibex falls down into a nuclear silo, on top of the guy with his finger on the Nuclear Missle button starting WWIII!


Tad Ramspott

    I feel consistently humbled by the simple brilliance of the winning suggestions each week. But it's still fun to contribute. :)

  • "But I thought you were dead!" "Well, yeah, I guess, technically ..." (a la Section 3)
  • "I can help you forget about him ..." Daisy smiles, revealing vampire teeth.
  • Re-use the picture of Mom with the stake from directly above. "Get away from her, son!" "Mom?"
  • What the heck, he only has six panels left to live, it's time for some foreshadowing. SFX: "Krackoom!" A huge bolt of lightning splits the sky right above the pair.
  • ... As above, but the lightning bolt fries Daisy.
  • ... As above, but the lightning bolt fries Carl. (Non-fatally.)
  • As above, but the lightning bolt kills Carl, and the rest of the strip is Choose Your Own Daisy. Up with gender equality!

    ... Vampires or lightning bolts. One of these weeks my suggestions will be something resembling mundane.


Tad Ramspott

    Oh my gosh! Scott! I just realized ... With the "wrong name on the tombstone" routine, the story now can end *without Carl actually dying at all*! Isn't this illegal? Or at least unethical? Or did we just have to have the "token sympathy for Carl" ending?


[Neither illegal, nor... Forbidden! --Scott]


Tod Caviness

    I'm Back!! And better than ever ...

  • Carl pulls a ring from his pocket; hands it to Daisy on one knee (Awww ...)
  • Daisy throws her arms around the headstone, mourning, "The King! He meant so much to me (sob) ..."
  • Daisy: "No, Carl ..." as she pulls her mask to reveal - Brian Boitano! (Who else?)

    So I've been trying to find an issue of Cerebus that will convince my girlfriend that Dave Sim is a genius. Any suggestions?


[Suggestion: Not #186. --Scott]


Doug Waldron

  • Shot of Daisy and Carl riding a bicycle built for two. (Background music optional.)
  • An anvil falls on Daisy.


Lee K. Seitz

  • Carl: You wouldn't believe the day I had!


Dan Pollard

  • Daisy: Carl, there's something I have to tell you

    As soon as i can think of any relevant Elvis song titles I'll be back with another suggestion.


Michael Patrick

  • Carl and Daisy holding hands and stepping on down the road on a sunny day (if you can fit a bunny rabbit into the pictures, please do). Carl: This looks like the start of a new life for me!


Tony Kinney

  • A lawyer appears in frame and slaps Daisy with a lawsuit for copyright infringement.


Travis Pelkie

  • All I can think of is major makeout session, or else Daisy is a demon who rips his head off. Yeah.

    Glad to hear in CSN that UC is going into hardcover. You'll be raking in the dough now, huh? Zot and Can't Stop Thinking are both very good, too.


R. Noyes

    (cheap musical shot but hey! this could be the Musical CYOC!)

  • CARL, SURPRISED: Daisy!! DAISY, URGENTLY: Give me your answer, do!


Martin Moretti

    Call me crazy, but I do love zombies...

  • Daisy (Now revealed to be badly decayed from the neck down) "Rrraaaaagh!"


Tony Kinney

    This is my suggestion.

  • The frame should pan out, showing Carl and daisy, with a lawyer who appears and says "I reprent the estate of one Elvis Prestley, and as such I must insist that you stop this unsolicited imitation" (or something to that effect, something with legal-ese).

    be the bunny!


Jiminy Rurik

    i love what you're doing in comic theory.

  • for the next box, have Carl grab a microphone and sing, "this one's for you daisy,... blue moon, you saw me standing alone" for which Elvis is so offended that he rolls over in his grave.


Patrick A Reid

    I've been reading Matt Feazell's latest newspaper strip collection, and have come to the following conclusion: I'm in love with Nerdygirl. So there.

  • Ahem. A fork.
  • Carl: Come with me to the Cazbah! Daisy: Okay! [and off they skip!]
  • Daisy: [spreading out a rug next to a wicker basket on the grass beside the headstone] Let's have a picnic! [huzzah!]
  • Mom: Who's this hussy!? Daisy: Aiyee! A monster!
  • [enter: Thor] Thor: Daisy! Daisy: Thor!
  • [enter: Fork] Fork: Daisy! Daisy: Fork!
  • Daisy: On the other hand, maybe not. Carl: What?
  • Daisy: Nuclear war! Carl: What!?
  • Daisy: Help! I've burst into flame! Carl: Daisy, what the hell are you on!?
  • Carl: [shyly] I need a hug. Daisy: Poor sweet baby.

    Whew! It was all a dream!


Grant Schreiber

  • Daisy and Carl in a deep lip lock! Hearts and stars swimming above their heads.
  • Carl: "Can you ever forgive me?" Daisy: "Been there, done that, handsome!"
  • Carl: "Wow! This is amazing timing!" Daisy, shyly: "Oh, I've been hanging out in cemeteries for years."
  • Carl's arm around Daisy's waist: "We're outta here, Mom!" Mom: "Sigh, like father, like son..."
  • Carl, producing boom box: "Hey, wanna dance on my daddy's grave?" Daisy: "Cool!"
  • Carl: "Don't step on my blue suede shoes." Daisy: "You're nothing but a hound dog." No! this is terrible! Enough already!

    I'm a sucker for young love! May all the Carls and Daisys out there have fun.


Michael Avolio

    The end is nigh.

  • First, the obvious. Carl: "But I thought you were dead!!" (And maybe have Daisy say, "Oh, yeah, I guess, technically...")
  • Carl: "Not really. I thought I'd go out drinking."
  • Carl: "But -- but you're my SISTER!"
  • Daisy kisses a surprised Carl. Daisy: "Shh."
  • Vampire-Dad pulls off a Daisy mask with a "I'm not Daisy!" or some similar line of dialogue.
  • Carl clutches his chest in pain. Carl: "No, I'll be just fi -- Ack!" Daisy: "Carl?!"
  • Carl: "First Mom dies, then she kills Dad, and now -- hey, wait a second here..!"

    That last one was my way of trying to reconcile the Mom-dying-in-section-one thing with the Mom-saving-Carl-by-killing Dad thing. And we've still got that extra Carl somewhere (last seen in the graveyard)...


Travis Pelkie

    I couldn't pass this one up.

  • Daisy says:"We have grave matters to speak of." If that ain't propre grammer, then feel free to rite it rite.

    Ha ha, funny bad grammar! If this doesn't win, well, probably it'll be better for all concerned.


Karl Hauser

  • Carl (nice name by the way) should almost score a kiss of Daisy when she turns around and says something to the effect of "What's that noise?".

    it'll add mystery to the end.


Jeff Clear

    Scott McCloud for President. It sounds great. McCloud/Busiek in 2000. It's not to late to get on the ballot. Tax breaks to all comic readers...that would be a way to get people reading comics again.

  • Since we're on an Elvis theme now...and we still have Vampires.... Carl pulls out his bottle opener/cross and yells "Return to sender!!!" Daisy burns up in a cloud of smoke.
  • Carl answers: "Is Martin Short?"
  • or "Does Charlie Sheen?"
  • or "Does Harry Sheer?"
  • or...ok that's enough.
  • Daisy says: "No, Carl. It's me. The King. Neat disguise, huh." Maybe have some kind of cool effect where the Daisy is superimposed over the reincarnetd Elvis.

    Scott...there's still a good month left to campaign...let me know and I'll print some fliers up for you. You should be able to beat Buchanan at least. Hey, I live in Minnesota...if you want I can call Governor Jesse and see if he'll run with you. McCloud/Ventura...that's the ticket.


Dan J. Vice

  • Carl, holding up a six-pack: "I'll be fine as long as I've got some beer!" OR "Join me for a beer?"
  • A train going into a tunnel.
  • Daisy and Carl, in post-coital glow. Daisy: "Promise me you won't drink and drive, Carl."


Mac

  • I'm a big softie, so I say you just show Carl and Daisy smooching.


PJM

  • Girl: "No, I'm Barbara!" Carl looks confused.
  • Girl: "Don't mind if I do!" Carl hands her a small white flower to eat.
  • Carl: "Nope, I've got my pet pig Annabelle to keep me warm!"
  • Carl: "Are you coming on to me, hussy?!"
  • Carl: "Nope, I've got Scott MccLoud's Reinventing Comics to read!"
  • Carl: "I'm all shook up!"

    Seeyez.


Nick Burns

    ART: Medium Shot. Mom stands between Daisy and Carl. Carl blushes or grins evilly (your choice, Scott).

  • MOM: Promise me you'll wear a condom, Carl. CARL: I promise.


Michelle Johnson

  • Carl hugs daisy and cries,"Everything's gone so crazy! Hold me, Daisy!"


Johnny Hazardous

    Despite the many ways my imagination leads me in this story, the one leading thought is...

  • Sex! (well, not exactly, think about all the kids reading) maybe, like, frenching, where she's saying «Oh, Carl! I want you so bad!» And he replying «Mmmf!»

    And, okay, ignore this if you want to, but maybe she could COMPLETELY suck him INTO her mouth, and down into her digestive system (heh heh!)




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