Universal Uclick Announces Conclusion of Cul de Sac Comic Strip

The last comic strip in series by Richard Thompson will be published on September 23; series will re-boot September 24 on GoComics.com.

Kansas City, Mo. (September 21, 2012) – Richard Thompson’s Cul de Sac comic strip, one of the most celebrated comics of this generation, will begin an indefinite hiatus after Sunday, September 23.  The comic, acknowledged by talents such as Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and iconic editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant, is closing its curtains due to Thompson’s battle with Parkinson’s disease.   

Thompson’s work on Cul de Sac began in 2005 in The Washington Post Magazine and quickly spread through comic circles as a smart, emotive and hilarious series of art, where readers followed the antics and weekly adventures of the Otterloop family.  A primary focus in the series rested on the imagination and zeal of the youngest family member, Alice, along with the quiet anxiety and deep thinking of Petey.  Earlier this month, Thompson was honored with the 2012 Harvey Award for Best Syndicated Strip or Panel, an award that is voted on by his peers. 

Cul de Sac has been a part of the Universal Uclick/GoComics family for five years and quickly became a favorite among both newspaper editors and readers alike.  “I say without hesitation that Cul de Sac ranks as one of the great newspaper comic strips of all time, and a personal favorite of my family and myself,” said John Glynn, Universal Uclick vice president and editorial director. “When I told my 8-year-old that Cul de Sac was going to take a break, she became really emotional. She simply adores Alice.”  This summer, Glynn sat down with Thompson to discuss his work and his announcement to suspend Cul de Sac. This conversation can be accessed here, at http://www.gocomics.com/richardthompsonqa. 

To honor Richard Thompson’s work and to see that a new generation of comic aficionados can enjoy Cul de Sac, GoComics has created two options for sharing this comic strip’s impact with others:

·      For existing Cul de Sac readers, GoComics is hosting the site http://www.WeLoveCulDeSac.com.  Otterloop fans will be able to read articles about the comic strip, purchase the book collections of the strips, and leave notes discussing their appreciation of the characters, the comic strip and its creator.  The GoComics team will share these with Thompson as he continues his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

·      For new and existing Cul de Sac readers, the comic strip will return to its 2007 syndication beginning frames on Monday, September 24, beginning the series from its origin.  Existing fans will be encouraged, via the GoComics social media outreach (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, Pinterest), to join in on the Cul de Sac genesis storylines. This will all be found at http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac. 

When asked about the Otterloops, Thompson replied, “I've never known what they'd be up to next. It's always been a surprise. But I don't think I'm through with them just yet.”

 

Social Media:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/gocomics

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gocomics

Tumblr: http://gocomics.tumblr.com/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/118315324291048162949

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/gocomics

 

About Universal Uclick

Universal Uclick is the largest independent features syndicate in the world and a digital entertainment provider of humor, comic strips, political cartoons and other content for print, Web and mobile devices. Universal Uclick provides editorial development, licensing and other distribution services for iconic brands such as Dear Abby and Miss Manners and some of the most significant comics in history, including Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, Peanuts, Dilbert, For Better or For Worse, Cathy and Doonesbury. Recent standout successes include Lio, Cul de Sac, Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Big Nate and The Argyle Sweater. A full comic catalog can be found at GoComics.com. For information on Universal Uclick, visit UniversalUclick.com.