The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
Comic Riffs on Richard Thompson masterpieces
These are the Richard Thompson masterpieces we'll most remember him by
Washington Post Comic Riffs July 29 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/07/29/these-are-the-richard-thompson-masterpieces-well-most-remember-him-by/
The early Thompson - Science fiction fandom art
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
Thursday, July 28, 2016
A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson
Some tributes to Richard Thompson in the press (updated as required)
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, 2016http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/local-acclaimed-illustrator-dies-at-58/282921078
Richard Thompson to be memorialized on WUSA news tonight
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
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Richard Thompson panel at 2011 Heroes Con
Heroes Con 2011: Richard Thompson A Celebration
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
Why the 'Cul de Sac' creator found his comic strip's ideal playwright inside his own home
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 10 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/06/10/why-the-cul-de-sac-creator-found-his-comic-strips-ideal-playwright-inside-his-own-home/
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:
- Fri, June 10, 2016 @ 7:30 pm buy tickets
- Sat, June 11, 2016 @ 11:00 am buy tickets
- Sat, June 11, 2016 @ 3:00 pm buy tickets
- Sun, June 12, 2016 @ 3:00 pm buy tickets
The Complete Cul de Sac is available in France
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
A little bit more on the Cul de Sac play premiere
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.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
Friday, April 15, 2016
The World Premiere of “Cul de Sac” the play (press release)
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
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.