The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Friday, July 29, 2016

The early Thompson - Science fiction fandom art

Someone asked me privately about this, so I'm putting it out for everyone. We compiled a lot of art that wasn't used in The Art of Richard Thompson book. Here's some raw scans of a selection of it.

Richard's earliest published works were in the convention program for the local sci-fi con Disclave, and the fanzine Science Fiction Eye. You can see his Ronald Searle influence clearly in this art, but also many of Richard's own themes such as characters sitting on the moon, goofy restaurants... and chatty rats. The early caricatures from the Eye show how he would soon begin his career.

A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny


The Barcroft Books ad, I believe






















Cartoonists Stacy Curtis and Dave Kellett remember Richard Thompson

Both Stacy and Dave knew Richard - Stacy worked on Cul de Sac with him, and Dave interviewed him at length for a documentary.

Rest in Peace, Richard Thompson

http://stacycurtis.blogspot.com/2016/07/rest-in-peace-richard-thompson.html?m=1


Dave Kellett's Sheldon comic

http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/160728.html

Thursday, July 28, 2016

A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson

A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson
by Mike Rhode
ComicsDC blog July 28, 2016

Some tributes to Richard Thompson in the press (updated as required)

WUSA: Local acclaimed illustrator dies at 58

ComicsDC's Mike Rhode:A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson

Brian Fies: Richard Thompson

ICv2: R.I.P. RICHARD THOMPSON

Donna Lewis: So many words. So few words.

 Washington Post's Michael Cavna's online obituary

Heroes Con: THANK YOU RICHARD THOMPSON

John Martz: A Cartoonist Remembers His Hero, Cul de Sac’s Richard Thompson

Stacy Curtis: Rest in Peace, Richard Thompson

Dave Kellett's Sheldon comic

Scoop: In Memoriam: Richard Thompson

A Certain Line: When the laughter stops

Washington Post's Michael Cavna: These are the Richard Thompson masterpieces we’ll most remember him by

RIP: Richard Thompson, creator of “Cul de Sac” by David Malki

Encore Stage: Remembering Richard Thompson, Creator of Cul de Sac

Cartoonist Richard Thompson Dies of Parkinson's Disease by Peter Dunlap-Shohl

RIP, Richard Thompson: How the artist extends to us the hand of profound wit and humanity By Michael Cavna

Comics Journal: Tributes to Richard Thompson - Craig Fischer and Warren Bernard and Charles Hatfield

Mike Lynch: Richard Thompson 1957-2016

John Gallagher's tribute cartoon for Richard Thompson

Life Without Richard Thompson by Anton Scamvougeras

Comics Journal: Dancing on the Manhole Cover: The Genius of Richard Thompson by Phil Nel

John Gallagher's tribute cartoon for Richard Thompson

Life Without Richard Thompson by Anton Scamvougeras


Comics Journal: Obituary by Andrew Farago

RIP Richard Thompson by Dana Jeri Maier

Donna Lewis' Reply All tribute



Wednesday, July 27, 2016

WUSA's piece on Richard Thompson

Local acclaimed illustrator dies at 58

Ellison Barber, WUSA July 27, 2016
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/local-acclaimed-illustrator-dies-at-58/282921078

Richard Thompson to be memorialized on WUSA news tonight

Ellison Barber of WUSA news compiled a memorial profile about Richard Thompson's life and art which should air at 11 pm EDT if all goes well.

Comic Riffs obituary for Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson, acclaimed 'Cul de Sac' creator and Post contributor, dies at 58


Washington Post 
Comic Riffs July 27 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/07/27/richard-thompson-acclaimed-cul-de-sac-creator-and-post-contributor-dies-at-58/

Cartoonist Richard Thompson has passed away

I've been informed by Richard's best friend Nick Galifianakis that Richard passed away today due to the effects of Parkinson's Disease. We're poorer for his loss, but richer for his life and art.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Richard Thompson panel at 2011 Heroes Con

Heroes Con is going on this weekend in Charlotte, NC. Richard's mother was an orphan in the town, and the con is held right across the street from the former orphanage space.

We went down twice together, at the invitation of con owner Shelton Drum and his right-hand man, Dustin Harbin. Richard had a great time. Last night I stumbled across a recording that I had forgotten about, so I put it online.  I haven't listened to it since recording it, but here's Richard talking about Cul de Sac, and Parkinson's Disease.

Heroes Con 2011: Richard Thompson A Celebration


Published June 4, 2011


10:30 AM
Richard Thompson: A Celebration
Room 209 


Is Cul-De Sac the best comic strip being published today?
Perhaps, but one thing is for certain, it is the best drawn and the
funniest. Okay, that's two things. Please join Mike Rhode and
some fellow strip creators as we sit down and examine the art of Mr.
Thompson. In addition to discussing craft and daily deadlines, we will
see if Richard can provide any insight as to whether poor Petey will
make it through the entire soccer season without having a psychotic
breakdown. Ahhh, total Bliss (haven).

With Craig Fischer and Team Cul de Sac's Chris Sparks.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Comic Riffs on the new Cul de Sac play

Cul de Sac play returns to Encore Stage this weekend

Cul de Sac

Encore Stage & Studio 

Thomas Jefferson Theatre


 Thru Sun, June 12
$10-$15 buy tickets
Call 703-548-1154 to order

 official website

Four-year-old Alice Otterloop and her older brother, Petey, learn about friendship and the importance of being yourself in this world premier play adaptation of Richard Thompson’s nationally syndicated Cul De Sac comic strip. When Alice decides to help Petey become more exciting she risks sending Petey further into his shell. With the help other their parents, teachers, and new and old friends the Otterloop children just might be able to learn something from each other. We recommend this production for ages 4 and older.
Dates:
And here's my pictures from the lobby display:
















The Complete Cul de Sac is available in France

Here's a picture of Richard's copy. The formatting has changed considerably from the American edition, but the book is very well done.


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Amy Thompson interviewed about her Cul de Sac play premiere

From Page to Stage: How Cul de Sac Was Adapted Into a Play

Playwright Amy Thompson and Encore Theater's Sara Duke talks about adapting the hit Washington Post comic strip.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Cul de Sac the play - coming soon

Based on Richard Thompson's comic strip, and written by Amy Thompson, the play premieres in Arlington, VA next month.

Friday, April 15, 2016

The World Premiere of “Cul de Sac” the play (press release)


Artwork by Richard Thompson


Encore Stage & Studio Proudly Presents the World Premiere of "Cul de Sac"

Arlington, VA – Encore Stage & Studio is delighted to present Cul de Sac, the world premiere play adaption based on the nationally syndicated Cul de Sac comic strip by Richard Thompson. Thompson and his comic strip won the 2010 Reuben Award, the highest honor given by the National Cartoonists Society. The play follows four-year-old Alice Otterloop and her older brother, Petey, as they learn about friendship and the importance of being yourself. When Alice decides to help Petey become more exciting she risks sending Petey further into his shell. With the help of their parents, teachers, and new and old friends the Otterloop children just might be able to learn something from each other.  This production runs June 3 through 12 at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204).


"
He never wanted to be anything other than a cartoonist," says playwright Amy Thompson in describing her husband Richard Thompson. Richard, a long-time Arlington resident, had created thousands of illustrations and cartoons for dozens of magazines and newspapers before Cul de Sac debuted in The Washington Post Magazine in 2007.  Thompson drew on incidents from his own childhood ("there's a lot of him in Petey, the withdrawn artist" says Amy), and the lives of his family, including two daughters, Emma and Charlotte. Everything from Charlotte's unbounded exuberance, to Emma's discovery that a manhole cover made a great stage, to the reluctant introduction of a guinea pig in their home was fodder for Thompson's re-imagined suburban Washington.


Thompson's Cul de Sac drew the attention of comic fans worldwide including some very famous fans. Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson was so impressed that he wrote the introduction to the first Cul de Sac collection.

 
"[The comic strip] is one of those rare visions that shows how surprising the ordinary world really is.  Richard Thompson's wonderfully peculiar Otterloop family is closely observed with deep sympathy and rings absolutely true," stated Watterson, "I'm a huge fan."


Children's book author Mo Willems (Knuffle Bunny, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Elephant & Piggie series) wrote the introduction to the second collection. "If Cul de Sac isn't French for 'wonderfully loopily sincerely life-affirmingly stupendously hilarious' then there is something wrong with the French language," stated Willems.

Pixar director Pete Docter invited Thompson to collaborate on character development for his most recent film, Inside Out. 
"Cul de Sac is the funniest strip to appear in decades," writes Oscar-winner Docter, whose other films include Monsters, Inc. and Up. "It's full of great characters, well-observed truths that most of us have forgotten about, and is so beautifully and funnily drawn that it is an absolute joy to look at even if you can't read.  (Of course, if you can't read, then you'd better stop right now.)"


 In 2009 Thompson was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and began treatment. Thompson's friend Chris Sparks solicited other artists to contribute to a book collection, Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson's, to raise money for Parkinson's research through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Encore Stage & Studio will hold a special fundraiser in the theatre lobby in to contribute to this effort.

On September 23, 2012, Cul de Sac ended its run of original strips, and Thompson retired. He kept up his Cul de Sac blog for some years afterward, but otherwise, published no new work.  An offer was made to buy the rights to Cul de Sac and continue the strip with a new writer and artist, but Thompson declined. It seemed the world had seen the last of Alice, Petey, Madeline, and Peter Otterloop, as well as their friends Dill, Beni, Andre, Loris, Miss Bliss, and all the others.

Encore Stage & Studio, with efforts to build its performances highlighting local and original work, approached Amy Thompson about writing a play. Amy Thompson has worked for Encore as a drama teacher and director for some years, and has written several shorter works for summer camps and classes. Amy's Encore show credits include direction for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2013 and Much Ado about Nothing in 2015.   She was eager to write a full-length play, and suggested that Cul de Sac would make a perfect choice for children's theatre. Over the years, Richard had turned down all requests by other writers to adapt the strip for the stage, while asking Amy why she didn't do it herself. Encore accepted, debuting Cul de Sac's for its early summer show of the 2015/2016 season.

We are excited to announce Chuck Leonard as director for this production.  Production staff also includes Matthew Heap (Composer), Thomas Boudreaux (Technical Director), Amy Thompson, Kristen Jepperson and Marji Jepperson (Set Designer/Builder and Props), Debra Leonard (Costume Designer/Builder and Make-up Designer), Gary Hauptman (Lighting Designer), Caitlin Orzechowski (Assistant Lighting Designer), and Drew Moberley (Sound Engineer). 

Performance Dates and Showtimes:
Fridays, June 3 and 10, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays, June 4 and 11, 2016 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Sundays, June 5 and 12, 2016 at 3 p.m.

Every effort has been made to preserve the look, feel, and heart of the original strip. Fans of the strip will recognize the Otterloop house, Mr. Otterloop's tiny red car, Dill's kiddie car, and Alice's manhole cover. Young audiences who have never seen the strip will recognize the world of some typical (but dramatic) preschoolers and third graders. And everyone, no matter his or her age, will get to experience what it's like to be a child. We recommend this production for ages 4 and older.


Tickets are $15 for Adults; $10 for Children, Students, Military and Seniors. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at www.encorestage.org or by calling our box office at (703) 548-1154.

About Encore Stage & Studio

"Theatre by Kids, for Kids!" Founded in 1967, our mission is to build a lifelong appreciation for live theater by involving young people in all aspects of theater arts --onstage, backstage, in the classroom, and in the audience. Encore strives to educate and entertain by offering productions each season that are by and for young people, and through enriching classes and workshops with qualified, enthusiastic teaching artists. We believe that participating in live theatre builds problem-solving skills, teamwork, creativity, literacy, and self-confidence. We are cultivating the next generation of active and engaged art lovers.


Encore Stage & Studio's 2016 season is sponsored by Fairlington Dental and  
 is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts.

For more information visit www.encorestage.org | (703) 548-1154 | PO Box 969 Arlington, VA 22216

Richard Thompson & Bill Watterson in French?

Bill Watterson's conversation with Richard from The Art of Richard Thompson has been translated by Stephane Beaujean, a French Cul De Sac fan, and is apparently now available. Bonjour!



The rest of the magazine looks good too.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

June 3-12: Cul de Sac play premieres in Arlington

Cul de Sac

Play by Amy Thompson
Adapted from the Comic Strip, Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson

http://www.encorestageva.org/2015/05/19/cul-de-sac/

Four-year-old Alice Otterloop and her older brother, Petey, learn about friendship and the importance of being yourself in this world premier play adaptation of Richard Thompson's nationally syndicated Cul De Sac comic strip. When Alice decides to help Petey become more exciting she risks sending Petey further into his shell. With the help other their parents, teachers, and new and old friends the Otterloop children just might be able to learn something from each other. We recommend this production for ages 4 and older.


Performance Dates and Times:
Friday, June 3, 2016 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 11am and 3pm
Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 3pm
Friday, June 10, 2016 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 11am and 3pm
Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 3pm

All performances are held at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22204)

Tickets: $15 Adults; $10 Children, Students, Military and Seniors with valid ID. Includes all box office fees. Click here to purchase your tickets online, or call our box office (703)548-1154.


This production is sponsored by Michael Rogers, DDS.


Sunday, February 21, 2016

Compleating Cul de Sac book's latest contributions to Team Cul de Sac

Thanks to everyone who bought Compleating Cul de Sac and thus supported Team CdS in fundraising against Parkinson's disease. For the last quarter of 2015, you raised $144.41 which was deposited into Team Fox's account today.

The book is now out of print because we're adding to it and will have an actual publisher. Look for the 2nd edition of the book in Summer 2016 from Lost Art Books. Any profits from the book will continue to go to Team Cul de Sac.

Mike Rhode

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Antonin Scalia caricature by Richard Thompson

At some point, Richard drew Justice Scalia. The original was given to Art Wood and is now in the Library of Congress.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Compleating Cul de Sac first edition goes out of print

Compleating Cul de Sac's first edition is now out of print, and it's good news!

We're pleased to announce that we (aka The Thompsons) are just about to sign the contract with Picture This Press for them to publish the grandly-themed Richard Thompson Library. Compleating Cul de Sac version 2.0 is being expanded by editor Rhode and designer Bono Mitchell with more interviews, more Thompson art and more Team Cul de Sac art, even as we type. Any profits from this book will continue to be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund Parkinson's research, as we had arranged to do with the first edition.

The draft of The Incompleat Art of Why Things Are with an introduction by Joel Achenbach is in the hands of the publisher who's working with his designer on the book. Scott Stewart is continuing to work on a new collection of caricatures.
In the meantime, all of Richard's Cul de Sac books, and The Art of Richard Thompson are still available from his traditional publisher, Andrews McMeel.
We hope you'll enjoy the new books as they come out over the next several years .

Mike Rhode

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Can you name these men?

Philip Mangano, (the Bush administration's "homelessness czar") done for the June 2004 issue of The Atlantic (thanks to Mary Parsons!

As mentioned earlier Scott Stewart is going through Richard's caricatures with the aim of doing a book of them. This involves identifying the subject of hundreds of drawings.  As an experiment in crowd-sourcing, does anyone recognize these two characters?

John Kasich (thanks to blog reader Sam, 
and editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler)

Friday, January 15, 2016

More Richard Thompson in Food News

Here's a list of all the issues that I noticed Richard's work in. While we show the covers, Richard also has interior artwork in them. Hat-tip to Scott Stewart who first found this resource for the issues.

3:3: Summer 1986 - https://archive.org/details/CAT82764316026
5:1 Spring 1988 - https://archive.org/details/CAT82764316032 (internal illos)
7:4 Winter 1990 - https://archive.org/details/CAT82764316043 (page 15)









Thursday, January 14, 2016

Another illustration from Food News, Spring 1987

Here's another image by Richard from the bygone days of the last century. One can really see his Searle influence here

.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

'Food News' Cover of Cows and Chickens

Scott Stewart is working on going through Richard's caricatures with the aim of doing a book on them. He pulled this quote out of an interview Richard did with Mike Rhode and went digging until he found this picture.

RT: Well, if people see you in the Post, they think of you especially if it's local … around Washington there are a lot of associations and every association has a magazine or a newsletter or some print venue (this is in the '80s when everything was print). They have holes to fill too, so… You could support yourself on that, whether you want to or not. The government too – I did something for the publication Food News at the Department of Agriculture drawing some cows and chickens. If you get a chance to draw a cow, you can't turn it down. (Audience laughs).

MR: Wildly-collectible now…

RT: Yeah, exactly.


Saturday, December 26, 2015

A Richard's Poor Almanac "Star Wars"

This just in from a curator at the Air & Space Museum who owns the original. Richard did it when there was a Star Wars exhibit in the museum.


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Even more Cul de Sac stocking stuffers - playing cards!

Suicidal Clown Playing Cards
Suicidal Clown Playing Cards by Thompsoniana
Look at another Deck of Cards online at zazzle.com
So You Think You're Lucky? Playing Cards
So You Think You're Lucky? Playing Cards by Thompsoniana
Check out Luck Classic Playing Cards online at zazzle
Tragedy and Comedy Playing Cards
Tragedy and Comedy Playing Cards by Thompsoniana
Shop for another Deck of Cards online at zazzle.com

Need a last minute holiday card?

Check out Thompsoniana cards on Zazzle. They're 1/2 price through Sunday with the code EXPRESSCARDS

You'll be glad you did. Where else are you going to get a "Cat in a Sombrero Card"?


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Happy Beethoven's birthday


Richard Thompson traditionally wishes all his fans a Happy Beethoven birthday. On his behalf, I do so today (a day early as it turns out so you got TWO days of best Beethoven wishes). - Mike Rhode