August 26th, 2009
The Cedar Forest Players Present: The Godfather
Fun Fact: I originally drew a James Caan fox in the background of panel three, but there was so much dialogue that he was getting lost behind word balloons, so I removed him.
Look how they massacred my boy…
August 26th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Heheheh! Brilliantly rendered, sir! And frankly, I’d always wondered the same thing of Brando…
August 26th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
hiding food in his cheeks…What a hoot!
August 26th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Haha, thats brilliant. Amazing, as always.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
That’s really impressive. Making a bunny look that much like Brando is pretty amazing.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Okay, I’m still chuckling over that one. Nice to have you and the characters back.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Brando wanted his character to look like a bulldog. At first, Brando put cotton in his cheeks, but by the time filming began the makeup guys came up with something better for Brando to use.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Great chiaroscuro. Grazie, Karl.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
hahaha! So awesome!!!
See you this weekend at the Expo my friend! My table is actually right near yours!
August 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Great art, but I didn’t care much for the punchline at the end.
Also, this still feels like a placeholder, not like a resumption of the actual comic…
August 26th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
grazie to you my dear friend
August 26th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
That… was amazing. And awesome. :D
August 26th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
hahahah.. nice one
August 26th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
“Cottonballs… I just got back from the dentist.”
August 26th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
win, sir! I watched this a few weeks back. pure winnage.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Excellent. One of my very favorite scenes of all time, rendered beautifully. I have would have liked to see Christopher after the break, but this is nice.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Hahahahaha @ Salvar
Men In Tights. Classic!
Also, brilliant comic this week.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Oh god I just got it. The tortoise and the hare.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Wow. Very well done (as usual). I’m a Cedar Forest Players fan! Can I get season tickets? =D
I’m not sure what the expression on the other raccoon’s face is–either “Huh?” or “You really did just ask me that question, didn’t you?”
August 27th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Yay! Welcome back! Though I really did enjoy the Personal Ads, it’s great to see an actual comic again. XD And this one just made it WORTH the long wait.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Brilliant! Nice to have a fun strip to kick things off again.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:03 am
After all that serious dialogue, the last panel had me laughing out loud. During the Godfather dialogue, I WAS wondering what they put in the rabbit’s cheeks to make him Godfathery.
Definitely sharing this on Twitter.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:14 am
Dammit that’s my free time this weekend filled. Godfather DVD fest. @Esn As for this being a fill in rather than the comic starting again. Umm have you been reading this strip?
August 27th, 2009 at 5:04 am
i love the fourth panel.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:39 am
wooooooooowwwwwww
August 27th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Awww, I would have loved to see the James Caan fox! And a Robert Duvall… uh… porcupine?
August 27th, 2009 at 7:39 am
I can just hear their voices speaking the dialogue. Perfect!
I hope you bring your sketchbook to the Expo. I hope the fox is on that version.
Maybe you can put pre-edited material like this in your book – sort of like a director’s cut, or samples of strips that changed significantly before the addition of ink or colour or word balloons .
August 27th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I slightly feel Esn’s pain, expecting to see Charles Christopher back in action, but this was still brilliant.
And the bunny could not be better, even before seeing the dialog, I was seeing the similarities.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:31 am
I really really dig this one!!! and it is great to see a full size strip after your well earned break!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Great, now I wanna see somebody beating his chest yelling “Stella!”
August 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Brando actually had enough acorns in his cheeks during the making of the godfather that he didn’t have to gather for two seasons. Fact.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am
A classic scene, beautifully rendered. Welcome back, Karl, and have fun at the convention!
August 27th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Pleaasseee make a James Caan fox! It can be a standalone comic. Or a t-shirt design?
As always – brilliant stuff, Karl!
August 27th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
HHAHAHAHAHAHA
Kudos, this one got me for a few panels at least …
August 27th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I’m in love with this page!
August 27th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I love you for this one– one of my favorite movies. X3
August 27th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
HA! I missed the Cedar Forest Players. Nice!
August 27th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Absolutely lovely – I love the Cedar Forest Players!
August 27th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
On a side note – I just need to get this off my chest. This isn’t specifically targetted at anyone on this one site but I’m getting tired of people complaining to artists gifting us with awesome, diligently updated and FREE comics about “Oh, I wish it was this.. or that… or boo hoo a late update.” I, as much as anyone, wish some comics updated more often or fret about a storyline (because I love the comics so much) but that’s MY issue – not the artist’s.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I love how you were able to get that rabbit to look so much like Brando and this is one of the few webcomics that actually makes me laugh out loud.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I second that, hunnybee. Seriously, people- don’t look a gift horse (or a Marlon Brando bunny) in the mouth.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Yay! Wacky woodland hijinks! I is a happy ferret!
August 28th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Marlon Bundo.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Great stuff, Karl. Please show us the Jimmy Caan fox sometime, and also, I cannot imagine which animal would “play” the Abe Vigoda character.
I try and try to get my local paper to get some new comix but they are tied up in syndication and dropping comix due to economics, anyhow. But I’ll keep on plugging for you, Howard Taylor, Brooke McEldowney and Chris Baldwin.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Great art, but I didn’t care much for the punchline at the end.
Also, this still feels like a placeholder, not like a resumption of the actual comic… sniff… WHAAAAhhhh!!
August 28th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Great likeness on Brando Bunny.
August 28th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
In the famous words of Monty Python,
“GET ON WITH IT!”
Please. Use plot. I’m going to stop checking this if its a gag-a-day format. Where is Charles? Who was the Lion thing? Why do they matter? Why should we care?
August 28th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I *really* don’t mean to whine, or brag, or demand anything, but… storyline, pleeaaaase. Karl, seriously, I love you and your drawing style and everything, but we’ve been waiting for soooooo long, I don’t think I can stand it much longer. :)
August 28th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
(and by “brag” I actually meant something else. “nag” or “bitch” or whatever. sorry, not a native speaker.)
August 28th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
while I can understand (though not fully share) the feelings of those prodding the author to ‘get on with it’, perhaps you might get ‘more flies with honey’ (thought I have never quite understood why one might WANT more flies) than by being so blunt. you might also get fewer direct, rude responses directed at you.
try saying something like “wow, those were very creative comics during your breif hiatus, I am really looking forward to finding out what the Lion was really up to, and how he fits in to the story line… I think I understand how Charles feels, a little lost but driven forward!”
that way people won’t feel like making snippy remarks, as I am sure that nobody wants that!
August 28th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Hilarious. You make something of very high quality, sir. I hope you know we appreciate it.
August 29th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Well said hunnybee, but if only you would have said that sooner or more often . . .
;)
August 29th, 2009 at 10:47 am
There’s a little error there. It’s “buonasera”. Just thought I’d point out. :P
August 29th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Very nice. The way that you create a mixture of somber/serious dialogue transposed into calm humor is truly genius.
August 30th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Hallo!
Very good work, one has to look at the strip twice to recognize it is NOT Marlon Brando playing the Godfather! :-)
Just the turtle reminds one it is the Cedar Forest Players … :-)
Saluti!
Ludwig
August 31st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
@Lun: He’s a rabbit, cut him some slack. ☻
September 1st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I say put off the main story as long as you need to. A lot of this strip’s charm comes from the other stories told here: the Cedar Forest Players, the little bird with a drinking problem, the psychiatrist insect, the bee that digs interpretive dance, etc. These side stories keep this strip rich for me. Telling him to get on with it is like telling him to stop creating funny witty incredibly well drawn strips, and that seems wrong to me.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 am
PLOT!
NOW!
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 am
Randomness… tomorrow!
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:08 am
oh wait…. it’s today =)
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Hi Guys.
Thanks for the votes of confidence and support! I’m currently on a train back to Montreal and I’m colouring today’s strip, which will be posted in a few hours. Hopefully sooner.
Anyway, I just wanted to address the issue of plot progression. I appreciate the opinions of those who are anxious for more ’story’, and my response to you is that the surrounding digressions are just as much a part of the story as the quest-based plot. I like to flip-flop between them as the mood strikes me, and having just wrapped up a pretty heavy scene as a conclusion to the Townsen storyline, I felt that I needed a bit of a breather in between chapters.
I know it seems like a long time because of the weekly update schedule, but trust me when I say that if I were to be swayed by your plot cravings, the final story, read through from beginning to end, would feel rushed and awkward.
This comic has always been (and always will be) about the little moments. If you’re here solely to find out what happens at the end, then you’re in for a few years of frustration. ;)
-karl
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I hope the lonely bunny finds someone. Without too many romantic-comedy hijinks.
September 6th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
For me, I feel the little “asides” ARE the main story. It’s about a forest that’s in danger of something (we’ve yet to really find out). But would we really care unless we knew some of the little characters that live in the forest? Charles is on a mission to save them. But if we got to the “end,” and they were saved, wouldn’t we ask “Who cares?” unless we actually got to know those that were saved? I’m excited to have the greatness of the forest kept alive: the little plays, the drama between a drunk bird and his mate, the games at the river, and learning to fly with Jeffery (that little punk!), and so on.
Karl: Keep it up, man. I (among dozens of others) appreciate the woodland creatures. I’m thrilled we’re getting a new scene and new characters, too. All part of the plot. I’m a fan for years to come (decades if it takes that long).
September 11th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I was about to ask if you meant for that bunny to look like Marlon Brando. haha
November 17th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
oh my goodness! that Marlon brando bunny is the funniest thing ever! buwhahahaha….
December 29th, 2009 at 4:26 am
Well, i guess this might be even better than the Brando original. :XD
February 12th, 2010 at 5:57 am
It’s Buonasera, not bonasera.
June 18th, 2010 at 1:05 am
absolutely amazing. Felt I had to comment.
July 27th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
In this case, it’s Bunnysera.