The Complete Cul de Sac

Richard Thompson’s strip follows Alice Otterloop, her brother Petey and their family through school, home and neighborhood life. The complete collection brings together a newspaper comic syndicated from 2007 to 2012; the characters appeared earlier in magazine work.

The strip makes small childhood concerns feel enormous without condescending to the children. Its pleasure lies in noticing how much comic complexity exists in routine family life.

Family comedy and slice-of-life observation drive the work. Alice’s confidence and Petey’s anxiety offer two sharply different ways to meet the world.

Thompson’s loose, lively line gives motion to even a quiet conversation. Crowded little details make the settings feel used and familiar.