My heart broke, today, to read that Richard Thompson is retiring his sublimely delightful strip Cul De Sac , due to Parkinson's. And I wanted to take a moment to celebrate Richard.

More than anything else, because Richard is a good man, an insightful man, a funny man -- and because his art makes the world a better place.

I particularly loved the hour or two we got to sit down in Ohio and chat solely about comics for the documentary I'm making. His philosophy of comics, the joys and the heartbreaks of it, and his own path into the art form -- all of it was so wonderful to hear. The documentary is all the better for his presence in it.

Even more so, I'm glad for his gift of Cul De Sac to the world. It was and is a fantastic, fantastic strip -- perhaps one of the best we'll ever see. It made the small moments of life seem big and meaningful, and made the big, overwhelming moments of life seem manageable and relatable. It did what a comic strip should do: Reduce life to its essence, in joy-filled ways that told you you weren't alone.

So thank you, Richard, for your gifts to the world...and your gifts to me. I am a better person because of your art: And that is the highest compliment I know how to give an artist.