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Friday's comic wraps up the current storyline. Check it out BEFORE reading the post below (which contains spoilers). If you want to start from the beginning, you can do so here.
I doubt many will be shocked by the ending, given my penchant for dour things such as miscarriages and the soul wrenching aftermath, car crashes and near death experiences. On a side note, there was discussion on another site about how miscarriages in comic strips are a frequent and cheap gimmick. I don't know if Todd and Penguin was the first comic to tackle a miscarriage story (if not first, it was the first I knew of when I did it) however, I believe I handled it in a very realistic manner which had LONG lasting effects (though I still wish I had taken the time to write it better). The characters were NOT the same.
Sicily's story wasn't designed to shock or cement my status as the guy who kills off major characters and whips up weird storylines every two years. The Sicily storyline is in honor of Frank Frisina's dog, Sicily who died last year (on my birthday, oddly enough). Frank asked if I would do something in honor of his dog. I said yes, just give me some time to figure out HOW I wanted to do it. Well, I wrote out a storyline which began with Penguin running away last Halloween. The story which followed took MUCH longer than planned as the demands on my time became more and more and updates became less and less frequent. What results is a herky jerky story which takes longer than I would have liked and wasn't as well written as I'd planned. However, I think some parts worked well. I hope I did Sicily's memory justice.
Surprisingly, since introducing the dog, I've received a LOT of email from people saying how much they like Sicily. I considered keeping her around, because let's face it, nobody wants to see the dog die or to see Penguin's devastation. However, I always stay true to the story and the characters. I couldn't and wouldn't change the story. Hopefully readers will understand.
I'm glad the storyline is over after several months. I look forward to bringing Todd and Penguin back to its happy and whimsical roots and exploring the family dynamic with the baby.
as always, thanks for reading,
david |
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| 9 Comments: |
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I twasn't shocking, but once again you made me cry. Once again you have written a wonderful and beautiful story. Penguin and the family will be changed by another event in life, but tha tis what life does, brings change. You reflect that so well in your strip and I always look forward to see what you have in store for us. I hope Penguin can find some solace in the fact that Sicily didn't die alone on the street, but with a family that loved him and a very special bird that would do anything he could to help or save a friend.
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One thing I love about this comic is that whenever something happens to the characters, you feel it. You're very good at writing sympathetic characters. I can't really express this well, but Sicily dying today really hit me hard. I wasn't expecting it at all. I hope Penguin's okay =<
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I did suspect this ending, and I was preparing to LOATHE (& boycott) you for it.
Now that I see the finished product, I have to say "Good job!" You found a way to convey this tragedy without letting it become unbearable.
If and when "Girl and Monster" continues, I hope that Sicily will appear (occasionally, if not regularly) when we visit the Closet World.
I also hope you don't plan on having Todd & family suffer any especially harsh consequences for their compassionate actions--e.g., if Oscar gets sick & dies because they now can't afford his treatment, I really will stop reading anything of yours.
Cheers.
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Well, honestly, I had a feeling in the last strip that this was coming, in spite of hoping for the best.
I really appreciate this comic. It has a lot of funny moments, but it can really make me think about the serious of life's events that are so lightly portrayed these days. You're keeping everything real, almost in the most literal sense of the phrase.
And, as Barbara stated, at least Sicily didn't suffer alone, and was peacefully asleep when it happens.
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Wow, I actually was surprised, I didn't expect any more tragedies for the family. I actually got teary-eyed, and that's a first for a comic strip for me. I really had thought Sicily was a part of the family for good, he was there since October... *tear* But, I know that you as an author try to make sure we don't take the comic strip universe for granted and that it'll always be there and never change... You treated this plotline very well.
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What an amazing and powerful ending. Especially that last panel. Thanks for sharing this story with us.
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I knew it was coming but still tears.
Thank you for making me feel something for someone else today.
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I really want to thank you for everything... very well done. I couldn't have asked for a better tribute.
It's been a tough year.. I still haven't been able to think about it for more than a few minutes at a time...
You know, I couldn't even bring myself to read this strip over the last few months. I kept putting it off and putting it off. But today I went back from the first appearance and read every one. It's having a different effect than I thought. It was tough and I had a good cry but it's going a long way towards closure....
Sicily was by far the best animal who's life I ever had the honor of being a part of. She passed a month after turning 4 and was buried in my back yard. If I live to be a 1000, there will never be another dog like that.
But life is going on.
A little over 2 weeks ago 4 puppies were born to Sicily's mother Stella... (2 fem 2 male) We will be getting one of the girls when they are ready.
Be sure to check out LaB over the next few weeks for updates with pictures.
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Sicily was my sons (Frank) dog.
She was the most incredible, loving dog and we all miss her still.
I want to thank you for your wonderful tribute to her.
Even tho it made me cry, I was incredibly touched that others cried as well.
Thank you.
Linda
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Name: Blogger Dad
Home: Florida, United States
About Me: I was a reporter at a Florida newspaper, where I covered city politics and draw editorial comics. Now, I'm a Blogger Dad (click the link for my webpage - the blog on the bottom is for Todd and Penguin) in search of a job and attempting to write a book or four.
I'm also a cartoonist, how most of you know me, who draws Todd and Penguin, Taking Up Space and the occasional other titles, featured on KeenSpot.com.
I'm married (sorry, all you ladies interested in overweight guys who spend too much time drawing) and have a one year old son and two cats. Three of the above mentioned poop way too much!
See my profile...
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posted by Blogger Dad at 
I twasn't shocking, but once again you made me cry. Once again you have written a wonderful and beautiful story. Penguin and the family will be changed by another event in life, but tha tis what life does, brings change. You reflect that so well in your strip and I always look forward to see what you have in store for us. I hope Penguin can find some solace in the fact that Sicily didn't die alone on the street, but with a family that loved him and a very special bird that would do anything he could to help or save a friend.