Soup the Comic Strip by Alun Clewe
Comic strip for March 3 2024.
PANEL ONE: Nizini stands in front of Erlak at the bar. NIZINI: Well, Erlak, it looks like your new bar has become a great success! ERLAK: Thanks! PANEL TWO: Close on Nizini and Erlak in profile. ERLAK: What would you say if I told you I had an idea for how to make it even more successful? NIZINI: Probably something sarcastic. PANEL THREE: Angle on Erlak; Nizini in the foreground. ERLAK: I've made up a SONG to advertise the bar! Wanna hear it? PANEL FOUR: Slightly more lateral angle on Erlak. NIZINI: Well, you're probably going to sing it regardless of what I say, so... ERLAK: All right, then! PANEL FIVE: Erlak holds up a bowl. ERLAK: We've got matchless minestrone mixed with fairyflower wine; PANEL SIX: Erlak holds a bowl in each hand. ERLAK: We've got ex– cellent ozoni, and our pho is very fine; PANEL SEVEN: Erlak holds a large bowl with both hands. The bar behind him is mostly upside-down. ERLAK: Our magnificent moo kuk is sure to throw you for a loop! Come see what's behind the ruckus at the bar of soup! PANEL EIGHT: Erlak keeps singing as bowls and a transparent vessel of nectar float in front of him. ERLAK: Well, I've made the nectar stronger, the harira is divine, and the rubbaboo no longer tastes too much like turpentine! PANEL NINE: Erlak continues to sing, as bowls float around him. ERLAK: Yes the work and toil and care entrusted here we do recoup, in the quality apparent at the bar of soup! PANEL TEN: Erlak raises his arms. ERLAK: The Bar of Soup! The Bar of Soup! Remember well the name! The Bar of Soup! The Bar of Soup! There's nothing quite the same! PANEL ELEVEN: Erlak keeps singing; many bowls float by in rows. ERLAK: With two dozen types of chowder, and of gumbo twenty–nine, I could hardly be much prouder of our rich and varied line! PANEL TWELVE: Erlak ladles out a quantity of soup from a bowl. ERLAK: So get bouja by the bowlful and solyanka by the scoop! Make your body and your soul full... PANEL THIRTEEN: More rows of bowls float by as Erlak sings. ERLAK: ...at the BAR! OF! SOOOOOOOUP! PANEL FOURTHEEN: Angle on Nizini as Erlak, in the foreground, grins widely and Nizini stares at him. PANEL FIFTEEN: Similar angle as the previous panel, though Erlak is no longer smiling. NIZINI: Okay, while that was nice, given that all the gods already know about this place I don't really see the purpose for it. PANEL FIFTEEN: Angle on Erlak, Nizini in the foreground. ERLAK: Purpose? Ha! Who needs a purpose? NIZINI: Okay, if that's your guiding philosophy in general, that explains a lot.
March 3 2024

When I wrote this strip, I actually did have a melody in mind for Erlak's song! Unfortunately, I realized much later that most of the melody was... very close to that of the song "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. I hadn't ''intentionally'' used the melody from that song, but it's close enough that yeah, this was clearly a case of accidental plagiarism. Oops. Anyway, if for some reason I do ever need to put out an audio version of the song in this strip, I'll have to come up with a new melody for it.