I hope you enjoyed our adaptation of Carmen.

I’d been wanting to adapt Carmen ever since Alisa took me to see the Los Angeles Opera production back in 2008. It was the first time I saw an opera performed live on stage and it made a great impression on me. Eight years later, I finally got around to figuring out how to write and draw these strips.

Here are some of the costume designs.




You may have noticed that the knife doesn’t exist in any of the sketches. It was added as an afterthought. Originally, I didn’t think it was necessary to show the murder weapon but changed my mind the day after I drew the strip.

If you’ve never seen the opera and get a chance to, I highly recommend it. Personally, I’d love to go to another one some day but it’s really just too expensive for me.

Transcript

CHORUS:
Toreador, en garde! Toreador, Toreador!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
Qu’un oeil noir te regarde,
Et que l’amour t’attend,
Toreador, L’amour t’attend!

Sergeant: You can arrest me. I was the one who killed her! Ah! Carmen! My adored Carmen!

Sister: All done! No more singing!

Action and romance! If you’ve never seen the original opera, take notes for school because this is the same exact thing. No, really it is!

Transcript

Panel 1

Sister: I look for Carmen

Panel 2

Sister: Yes.

Panel 3

Toullie: Oh, l’amour! They are fighting over me.

Continuing our tragic interpretation of Bizet’s opera,

Transcript

Panel 1

Sister (singing):
To-to-ro roar in ga-a-arden!
To-to-ro ROAR! To-to-ro roar.
Eet sum beenie weenie anna ba-na-na!
Can I know otter ca-a-a-rd?

Panel 2

Sister:
It gay lemon kitten
Totoro roar,
le-mon ki-it-ten!

Panel 3

Sister:
To-to-ro roar in ga-a-arden!
To-to-ro ROAR! To-to-ro roar…

Toullie: Sooo…to the secret mountain hide away?

Sergeant: If it’s far away from here, then yes!