Here are more selections from our mailbag
about the immigration cartoons below.
It's time we put our foot down.
Armstrongderry
MY HUSBAND WAS BORN & RAISED
IN MEXICO AND RECENTLY APPLIED TO BECOME A US CITIZEN. HE THINKS
YOUR CARTOON IS VERY FUNNY AND INDICATIVE OF THE OVERALL MOOD
TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS THESE DAYS.
LAURA PONCEI liked it, I came from another country,
but I did the hard and long way..legally, and it pisses me off,
when I hear the star spangled banner sung in spanish
to me illegal still means that you have done something not lawful
jorgen arnsdorff
walnut creek, californiaOur nation does not trample
on Mexican's rights. The Mexicans are trampling all over our
federal laws by coming here w/o going through the immigration
process. If you give them the choice of doing it right or illegally
entering the country, they would pick the illegal route every
time. The legal citizens of this country are fed up with their
attitude. That is precisely why the citizens caused the Immigration
bill to fail in congress. We will keep doing that until someone
gets it right:
1) Give them the choice of going back to Mexico and getting into
the legal process. In return we would put them on a fast track
to legalizing their entry into the USA. If they refuse to go
back, they would remain as illegals and eventually be rounded
up or arrested. This would not be a quick process, but we would
eventually get around to them a little at a time. This is preferable
to letting them have amnesty and a priority over people who come
here the correct and legal way.
2) Deny any illegal immigrant access to our social services in
this country including our schools.
3) Fine those employers heavily that hire illegal immigrants,
so much so that it would not pay them to break the laws that
are already on the books.
4) At the same time of the first two steps, BUILD THE FENCE AND
HIRE ENOUGH BORDER AGENTS TO KEEP THEM OUT.
Tim Scott Any bill that grants amnesty to illegal
aliens is a coverup for the lack of immigration control by the
Federal government, and a cave-in to the predatory employers
that erode a good standard of living by paying sub-standard wages.
We admire the patriotism of our service-men and -women in Iraq;
too bad we don't have that same degree of patriotism in our places
of employment.
Russell Craignothing wrong, this is the attitude.
we want immigrants but not Mexican immigrants. The produce farmers
would be out of business and the price of veg. and fruit would
be sky high. Let them move here legally.
Joe SandersWhat's up with people? Editorial cartoons
are just that. They express an opinion. Not necessarily even
the cartoonist's opinion. If you don't like a particular cartoon
delete it and wait for tomorrow's edition. I think these people
who are so easily offended by an opinion other than their own
should stick with Dennis the Menace or Blondie.
Judie L., CaliforniaDaryl,
Sorry to burst the bubble of all the "Negative Nancy's"
but I LOVE the Statue of Liberty stomping on the illegal immigrant!!
Personally, I am still reaming over the discussing about having
our National Anthem issued in multiple languages. Hello!?! I
took French and Spanish in school none of those countries are
pondering issuing an English version of those lengthy melodies!
So, Daryl, let her stomp away and put her foot on some of those
pesky NN's as well!
Jana B., Beech Grove, INAngry? Why didn't you
show the knapsack of Coke on his back?
Dennis Fuller, Lady's Island SCI THINK IT IS GREAT,
JUST WISH SHE HAD BIGGER FEET !!!
THE POOR BLEEDING HARTS THAT DO NOT LIKE IT !
Carl Taylor Well, I took some time and read other
comments and I have to say I disagree with most.
I think the Statue of Liberty cartoon is wonderful and shows
exactly what this country is coming to.
Founded by immigrants, we all have roots stemming from some other
country (unless we are of Native American decent). And correct
me if I am wrong, but the pilgrims didn't have Work Visas or
Greencards when they came over and slaughtered indigenous people
and stole their land. I think that the idea of closing borders
and building fences is just another way for the right-wingers
to spread further hatred and fear, keeping the citizens of America
dependent on their leadership.
Keep up the good work!
Amy Cooley, Socorro, NMYou have captured this
moment in history.
John WegnerI LOVE IT.
Travis McCoy, Little Rock, ARGOOD FOR YOU.
Dale GauntHahaha!
Okay, so honestly, I think that people are being, well, ridiculous.
It's a cartoon, they're meant to be humorous. (hence the common
nickname: the funnies). People think that any stab at how poorly
America is handling the immigration situation is a personal shot
at Americans. Well, they need to get over it. I don't care what
your views are, the fact of the matter is the U.S is handling
the immigration situation poorly. Personally, I love these immigration
cartoons and I applaud you for your bold, hilarious, and amazingly
true portrayals of America's immigration "problem".
(The problem being the government just can't seem to figure out
what to do about immigrants and the people continuing to be arrogant
as ever)
Keep up the good work!!
- Becca
Massachusetts
June 22, 2007
More Mail:
From:
DJ Johnson Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 1:18 PM Subject: Re: the people flattering cartoonists to get
E-bay sales fodder.
Re: the people flattering cartoonists to get E-bay sales fodder.
That stinks. It's rude to the cartoonists, and it makes it very
difficult for people with sincere motives to approach you folks
for such items for their own personal collections. I don't collect
cartoons like that -- my Cagle drawing from the Bush book, one
of 1200 or so, if I recall correctly, is my only one -- but I
do collect autographs of people I admire, mostly in music, sports
and public service. I've found it impossible over the last five
years to get an autograph from a baseball player because they
figure it'll just end up on E-bay. I've even seen fathers at
the ballpark ordering their sons to get an autograph and bring
it back to them. The attitude of coldness makes it pretty obvious
it's for financial gain. These are not sentimental people. If
I've been moved by someone's work, I like to tell them, even
if I know they've heard it a million times before. I like to
thank them for the joy they bring. Now, thanks to frauds like
these, even a simple thank you is viewed with suspicion. Sad,
indeed.
DJ Johnson
Lynnwood, WA
PS - You've done a great job educating us about what the editors
and newspaper owners are doing to the cartoonists, and to the
art of cartooning itself. I tell many people what's going on,
and I'm sure most people who are interested enough to subscribe
to your newsletter do so, as well. It won't be the totally informed
public you'll need to defeat the editors, but it won't be happening
in total darkness, either. Word travels.
From: Chris Worthington
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:42 PM
Subject: Cartoon of Statue of Liberty stepping on Mexican
I have a question:
Do you have a similar cartoon with the Mexican Eagle stepping
on Guatamalans? It's just because the Mexican south border is
patrolled by the Mexican military who can shoot on sight if they
see people crossing into Mexico. I just wondered if you thought
that was, say, barbaric. I guess the US border patrol that
just catches and incarcerates border jumpers is just as bad?
It's my birthday today! But do I get nice
e-mail? No. Readers are angry at my Statue of Liberty/Immigration
cartoon. Here are a couple that contradict each other.
From:
Edwards, Stephen - BLS CTR Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 3:10 AM
I have enjoyed your editorial cartoons for a while now but no
more. The one of Lady Liberty stepping on the illegal is crap.
If the US Liberties were global there would be no caste system
in India etc etc etc. The US Liberties and Bill of Rights are
for Citizens, everyone else in the world goes by their countrie's
rules, and in Mexico, it is the rule of the drug king pins. You
have made your point, and now so have I.
steve
From:
Chapman, James Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 3:41 A Subject: Tolerance?
I find it sad that someone who is supposed to make legitimate
social commentary is such a bigot. Those who hold to the Christian
faith, are as a whole, are good, kind people seeking to live
their lives in a wholesome manner. Yet you see fit in your comic
this morning to portray us as a bunch of greedy freaks. Don't
you think you are stereotyping us unfairly? Or are we the only
group you think can be treated this way? Would African-Americans,
Latinos or any other group find a similar portrayal offensive?
I think so. Well, we do too.
Disney cartoonist, Chad Frye, is organizing a silent auction
at the Comic Con as a fundraiser for the National Cartoonists
Society Foundation (NCSF), which is the charitable arm of the
National Cartoonists
Society (NCS). The NCSF gives scholarships and does all kinds
of great projects promoting the art of cartooning.
Chad has been soliciting donations of original
artwork from famous cartoonists for the silent auction, and he
shared this gem that was donated by Jack Davis, my Mad Magazine
cartoon hero. That's Jack's auction cartoon below - isn't
it a beauty?
The NCSF silent auction fundraiser will
be held at the NCS Comic Con booth, with different pieces going
up for bid each day. Kudos to Chad for organizing this event!
"You are my favorite cartoonist!
Oh, please, will you send me a drawing?"
From my e-mailbox:
Hi Daryl,
Here's the email of a guy who seems to collect autographs and
cartoons from cartoonists by flattering them with extreme exaggeration
. I sent this guy a few originals ... thinking I would at least
please one person but I found my cartoons on Ebay for sale today
!
I can't believe it !
Anyway my originals are worthless for me or on ebay but I thought
you would like to know as this guy apparently has used your website
as a hunting grounds.
Yes, these guys are crooks, and there are
lots of them. They include guys with "dying children"
or "dying fathers" who are big fans and a drawing from
you would really make them happy in their last days. Sometimes
they mail a piece of paper and a stamped, return envelope, asking
for "just a little sketch, anything you want to do."
They are always very flattering.
Sorry about that. If you don't mind, I'll
post this on the blog.
Best,
Daryl
Stephff's e-mail in the blog prompted this
response from Scott Stantis:
Daryl,
I just read your post on your blog.
It seems there is a flood of these people lately. Don't know
if the word went out that they better get our autographs before
our editors and publishers totally destroy the newspaper business
but here they are again. Like seven year cicadas, covering us
with faint praise and a self-addressed stamped envelope for our
convenience.
I just clip the stamps off and throw
the rest away.
-Scott
June 11, 2007
Daryl at the San Diego Comic Con
It is rare that I climb out of my hole
to be seen by the public - but it will happen this summer at
the San Diego
Comic Con.
I'll be giving an hour-long seminar called
"Spotlight on Daryl Cagle" where I'll talk about
my work, my more controversial cartoons, the books, the web site,
my syndicate - all things Cagle. There will be lots of visuals
and lots of time for questions. The seminar will be on Thursday,
July 26th, from 3:00-4:00pm in Room 2.
I'll be moderating
a panel about editorial cartoons on Saturday, July 28th, from
11:30am-12:30pm in Room 4. Any cartoonists on our site who read
this and who plan to be at the Comic Con, please e-mail me because
I'm putting the panel together now. So far, the panel includes:
Steve Breen, the Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist
for the San Diego Union-Tribune; Mr. Fish, the altie cartoonist for the LA
Weekly and Village Voice; Patrick O'Connor, the editorial cartoonist
for the Los Angeles Daily News; Monte
Wolverton, the brilliant editorial cartoonist and Mad Magazine
artist, Brian Fairrington, a great cartoonist and
my co-editor on the Best Political Cartoons of the Year
books; and Lalo Alcaraz, also an editorial cartoonist for the
LA Weekly and creator of the political comic strip, La
Cucaracha, which runs in the LA Times. Breen, O'Connor and
Fairrington are past winners of the Locher Award as "Best
College Editorial Cartoonist of the Year."
Right after the editorial cartoonists panel, in the same room,
I'll be on a National Cartoonists Society panel featuring some
yet to be disclosed comic strip luminaries. This one is Saturday,
July 28th, from 12:30-1:30pm, also in Room 4.
The San Diego Comic Con is massive and
wild - it is a cultural experience that can't be missed.
Every so often I like to throw an oldie
into the blog. I thought this was an interesting one. The cartoon
below is by Thomas Nast, the first American editorial cartoonist
who was a real star. Nast is credited with developing the donkey
and elephant as symbols for the Democrats and Republicans. He's
also given credit for the currently popular look of Santa Claus
and for bringing down a corrupt political regime in New York
City (Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed).
The cartoon is purported to be the first
published editorial cartoon by Nast, responding to President
Lincoln's inaugural address. Most old editorial cartoons can
look pretty dry, but I thought this one held up well by modern
standards. We still like to draw male politicians dressed like
women and acting like warmongers - some things never change.
I found the cartoon in an upcoming book
I was asked to review, called: Lines of Contention: Political
Cartoons of the Civil War by J. G. Lewin and P. J. Huff.
The book will be a nice resource for high school history teachers
who want to teach about the Civil War with editorial cartoons.
We've gotten lots of requests for RSS and
now we have RSS feeds for every cartoonist on the site - so you
can subscribe to your favorite cartoonists and see all the recent
cartoons without having to turn through lots of pages. Read all about it here.
TWO NEW CARTOONISTS
I'm delighted to add two new cartoonists
to the site. The first is Edik Boghosian, an Armenian-Iranian
living and working in Iran - that's his dove at the right. Iran
has a great tradition of cartooning - and of persecuting cartoonists.
The government blocks our web site in Iran. I hope Edik has better
luck on our site than some other Iranian cartoonists have had.
Visit more cartoons by Edik. E-mail
Edik.
The second new cartoonist is a buddy of
mine, Werner Wejp-Olsen, a Danish gag cartoonist who lives here
in Southern California and has become thoroughly Americanized,
but who continues to draw gags for Denmark. Werner has recently
turned to drawing editorial cartoons and I'm happy to give him
a slot on the site. That's Werner's SUV cartoon below. Visit more editorial cartoons by Werner.
E-mail Werner.
Pig: "Our goal is to find out how hard we
can squeeze the little guy without killing him."
Worker: "Owww!"
Dan Dunivant, Citrus Heights, CA
Pig: "Ah... So round... So fully
packed... Did somebody say 'A$$ET$?"
Worker: "Ashes... Ashes..."
Devin Davis, Sacramento, CA
Pig: "NASDAQ, NAFTA, IPO, WTO."
Worker: "WTF?"
Dan Urazandi, Davis, CA
Pig: "With hard work I achieved
the American Dream."
Worker: "Glad I could help."
Kathy Savage
Pig: "We've always said our best
asset is our people ..."
Worker: "Comfortable yet?"
Robb Westaby, Grand Rapids, MI
Pig: "The American economy rides
on the backs of Americans."
Worker: "Oh, my aching back."
Luray Cooper, Clayton, NC
Pig: "Cigar made by my outsourced
factory: $5."
Worker: "401K, health benefits and retirement account: Priceless."
Sherri Dadey, Clairton, PA
Pig: "Tax breaks help me take care
of my workforce."
Worker: "Your breaks are breaking my back!"
Duane Rhodes
Pig: "No pain, No gain!"
Worker: "UNCLE!"
Kevin Bruss, Oklahoma City, OK
Pig: "Business is just smokin'
with meager wage and benefit growth contributing to... "
Worker: "...a widening bottom line!"
Peter Williams, Woodinville, WA
May 30, 2007
I'VE BEEN AWAY AT THE REUBENS
I have to apologize for not updating the
blog this past week. I've gotten some e-mails from readers wondering
why my own cartoon hasn't updated for a week. I've been away
at the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) convention in Orlando.
We also call the convention the "Reuben
Awards" because the weekend centers around the NCS Cartoonist
of the Year Award - or "Reuben Award", given to a cartoonist
by a vote of his cartoonist peers. The "Reuben" is
named after cartoonist Rube Goldberg, the founder of the NCS
who was famous for drawing crazy cartoon contraptions. This year
the big prize went to Bill Amend, the creator of Foxtrot, who
was a sentimental favorite because he went into semi-retirement
recently, dropping his daily strips and continuing to draw only
on Sundays. Bill has been drawing Foxtrot for 19 years and is
in over 1,000 newspapers (Foxtrot also runs on the MSNBC.com
site). The NCS editorial cartooning prize went to Michael Ramirez.
Our own Mike Lester won for best children's book.
The NCS Reuben weekend is a wild party
that runs late into the night, every night. My buddy, Mad Magazine
cartoonist Tom Richmond has a nice blog with photos of his experiences
at the convention here. Also, Mike Lynch, a new NCS board member
from New York has a nice blurb on his blog with photos here.
The NCS has members from every discipline of cartooning, including
many editorial cartoonists. The Association of American Editorial
Cartoonists (AAEC) competes a bit with the NCS convention and
focuses only on editorial cartoonists. The AAEC convention will
be held over the July 4th weekend in Washington D.C. and I'll
have more to write about that convention, as it fits the political
cartooning focus of our site more closely.
I'll catch up on my paperwork and phone
messages and start drawing cartoons again soon!
May 21, 2007
Your comments on the rant by the preacher
in Macon Georgia about our Falwell Obit Cartoons
From our mailbag:
To the Paster who wrote of Falwell's
"accomplishments". Mr.Falwell did not put Lynchburg
on the map. A bourbon company did that. Mr. Falwell was just
more obnoxious and louder. As to his church"boasting over
24,000"; big Deal. Even Hitler did better. Mr. Falwell condemned
Teletubbies, gays and all sorts of other things that irritated
him. His boss that he allegedly served, did not. His boss loved
and forgave those that were contrary to his teachings. Mr. Falwell
did not. Most honest men die broke. Mr. Falwell did not. You
seriously need to raise your standards. Mr. Falwell did not.
KURT PECKHAM Rev Falwell.
Yes, people either loved or hated him as with any public figure.
He did mobilize, polarize and maybe just provoked a very stagnant
part of America to the chagrin of others.
Jerry Falwell believed you should stand up, be counted, think,
act, lead; his message was though really simple: do not become
a bench warmer as there are all too many benches in this world
and far to many lazy people sitting on them.
Yes, Rev Falwell was successful, provocative, loved and hated.
The fact is he did influence the thoughts and actions of many
and his legacy will continue.
Give him credit for being a voice to those who otherwise would
have been speechless.
Greg BrowningThese cartoons are the most revolting
ones I have ever seen in my life. These cartoonists are doing
the same thing they ridicule Jerry Falwell for doing. They are
even more judgmental than Falwell for they don't even give him
the opportunity for forgiveness. God needs no one to help him
judge people. He is quite capable of doing His job without our
puny interference. Whether you liked or agreed with Jerry Falwell
is your business but God's Word instructs us to love and encourage
one another and leave the judging up to Him.
Dorothy C. White
Richmond, VAYes to the Cartoons!
"ANNOY A CHRISTIAN/THINK FOR YOURSELF"
LAYNE Richmond Calif.I met Rev. Falwell only once
and was impressed by his devotion to his calling. I visited Liberty
University and found it to be just what he said it was. He was
honest.
New cartoonists seem only to be negatively oriented no matter
the subject. They must live a miserable life and certainly could
benefit from some of Rev Falwells teachings if only they were
to listen to them.
Paul DavisRegarding the cartoons about the Rev.
Falwell's passing. Having had Jesuit tutors for all of my teen
years I don't think I fall within the bell curve of a Fundamentalist
Christian. As a matter of fact I know that many Fundamentalist
would question whether I am a Christian or not. For the record,
I am.
Having been raised in a 'Yankee' family with roots going back
to the Mayflower, I have been taught from an early age not to
be rude and to behave in "Public". It appears to me
that the cartoonist highlighted not only have an axe to grind
but were not taught manners. Rude is rude, no one needs to be
told the difference.
I enjoy the Cagle cartoons immensly but I feel obligated to opine
on this matter.
Thank you, Anthony BrownI loved the Falwell cartoons!!!
I especially enjoyed the Winky Dinkey and the Falwell in Hell
ones. It seems to me that the "Christian" right is
less about Christianity and more about hate, discrimination,
and policing the beliefs of others. If they were reading and
actually living the Book that they claim to endorse, their "doctrines"
would be kinder, gentler, and more loving. I think Jesus would
have been a Democrat!!! ;-)
Keep up the good work!!!
NS, West VirginiaTo the Georgia pastor who dared
to point out the hypocrisy of those who are continuing to vilify
Falwell even after his death, I say, "Right on!"
Steve Strickland, Fort Lauderdale, FLYes, I will
respond to the "peeved pastor"....by stating that I
agree with him.
I see no reason for these cartoons about Falwell.
Let me say that, although Falwell wasn't one of my favorite people,
now I realize that I should have listened to him more.
Betty WigginsThe same observation was made by
General Robert E. Lee, who commented of those who were most critical
of his strategies wrote about his failures in an editorial rather
than tell him in advance or directly. When anyone declares how
many enemies appreciate one's death, who, from the grave, can
argue? ...And this is a news flash?
Stan KernThe Evangelical community believes JF
is now in Heaven, If any of us heathens end up in that same place,
we would consider it to be pure Hell. It's just a matter of perception.
Mark TeleJerry Fallwell was a fat fascist pig.
The sin of gluttony is enough to send him to hell.
I am proud to have busted waterballoons on his fat head. I am
proud to have heckled his "speeches".
He was a lightning rod of controversey. I'm glad he is dead.
The Constitution allows me to say these things- and it allows
those talented cartoonist to express feelings and beliefs No
matter what they may be. Just as it allows publicication of your
excremental newspaper sermon.
As far as I'm concerned Jerry Fugwell was another HITLER
All you need is love. All you got is hate and fear.
I am so sorry for all of you.
that's why I am Buddhist. Free McBob, Rogers, AR.I appreciate the fact
that your guys go after everyone, republicans, democrats, independents,
none of the above, preachers, etc., in other words anyone who
is now currently at the front line of the news. One thing needs
to be kept in mind in response to the angry letters protesting
cartoons about Falwell's death, especially those in which he
surprisingly arrives in Hell. Jerry Falwell does not - I mean
DID not - speak the language of, of FOR all christians. I am
a christian myself and find his intolerant, knee jerk reaction
against the Teletubbies, gays, liberals, democrats (I am a democrat...a
proud one) etc. offensive and downright un-Christlike. We learn
in the scriptures that Jesus actually hung out with prostitutes,
tax collectors, and other "scum" of his day - because,
as he said, they needed him. I don't really think Jerry Falwell
missed the glories of heaven, and if he is there it is because
of the grace of God, NOT his political grandstanding.
Thanks for speaking out. I only wish all of your readers would
"chill out" and look at this as mostly having fun -
at someone else's expense. After all, if we can't laugh at our
politicians and other prominent figures, we would have to fear
them more than we do now. (I only wish I could draw...!!!)
Dave Liles, Mansfield, OHHow dare you presume
to claim "all Christians" approved of the hatred and
bigotry spewed by Jerry Fallwell? You certainly don't speak for
me or millions of other Christians who don't ascribe to the religion
of self-righteousness and condemnation embodied by Fallwell and
his ilk. EDAVEYJerry Falwell like many of us has
produced a body of work during a long life. This body of work
is referred to as character or life achievement. The letter writer
refers to some of Mr. Falwell's achievements: developing a large
church, making charitable donations with tithes and beginning
Liberty University. So far so good. However, over many years
I have listened to Jerry Falwell say things that are filled with
bigotry, hatred and extreme prejudice toward racial groups, religious
groups, TV characters, etc. These statements simply left in the
public eye and distributed to the mass media leave an impression
of Mr Falwell as a bigot, self-promoter and vengeful arbiter
of community morals. What a Christian example! To suggest he
was naïve in choosing the mass media as a forum is in itself
naïve. Mr. Falwell knew what he was doing. He knew that
he was cynically distorting the gospel message of compassion,
love, inclusion and tolerance. I can only assume he felt somehow
the end justified the means, which is a typical mask worn by
despots, tyrants, and arrogant public figures when called to
accounts.
The Bible says that if you sow the wind
you reap the whirlwind. The cartoonists portrayed Falwell as
they saw him, reaping the whirlwind. Accurate? Only God and Falwell
know. Fair? Certainly. Falwell courted publicity and controversy;
this is just his funerary Hurrah. Falwell sowed controversy and
theatrics, using the Gospel to cynically promote a political
agenda and cult of personality. Mr. Falwell is being judged on
his body of work, his character as perceived through his public
self. As a citizen and observer of religious culture in this
country, I have no quarrel with the cartoonists.
G. Douglas Cox, TN
The Daily Cartoonist also found an interesting blog posting by cartoonist Chris
Harding about his syndication difficulties that led to the
demise of his comic strip. I think it is a good read for young
cartoonists who dream of newspaper syndication - it brings home
the reality that syndication pays little and demands a lot. May 20, 2007
WE BOTHER THE FALWELL PEOPLE
We all know how gays, Teletubbies, Muslims
and Planned Parenthood really annoyed Jerry Falwell and his followers
- it looks like cartoonists bother them too. In addition to the
preacher who pulled his ads from Mike DeAdder's paper because
he didn't like the image of Falwell in Hell, here's a column by another pastor from Macon
Georgia, who is annoyed by our Falwell cartoons. He writes in his local
newspaper:
In fact, every
one of the 10 nationally syndicated cartoons posted Wednesday
on Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index (www.cagle.msnbc.com)
were offensive to a family and community going through the first
few hours of grief. Frankly, they were offensive to the entire
Christian community. In the cartoon versions of heaven, why would
everyone be admitted except an evangelical pastor? The millions
of evangelical Christians in America must find it hard to imagine
another group of people who would be subjected to such ridicule
so quickly and so harshly.
There should be another look at the
man who put Lynchburg on the map.
His church now boasts 24,000 members, and the millions of dollars
they've given through the years have been sent all over the world
in a variety of charitable efforts. His legacy will eventually
be remembered through Liberty University, a Division I school
with nearly 10,000 on-campus students. Some of the best students
in Middle Georgia have attended, or are attending, this school.
Falwell had once hoped his college could be the "Notre Dame
of the evangelical community," and it appears that his dream
might just come true.
And Jerry Falwell did one more thing for evangelical Christians.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Falwell mobilized conservative
Americans like no one else had ever been able to do. He reminded
Christians that they could vote and run for office. Millions
registered to vote, thousands ran for political office and the
face of American politics changed dramatically.
To some, he was a hero. To others, he became a villain. One cartoonist,
for instance, drew Falwell at the entrance of heaven with a faceless
voice booming, "I Forgive You."
What a strange message! For any person of any belief system,
it is no sin to speak out for morality, to run for office, to
vote, to use one's influence for good or to leave a legacy of
hope to as many people as possible. Falwell did not "sin"
in exercising his rights as an American or his responsibility
as a Christian preacher. He simply endured the scalding criticism
of those who disagreed with him, even after he died.
Judging from our e-mail, our readers don't
like Falwell any better now that he is dead - and it is somehow
gratifying that our gay, Teletubbie, Muslim, pro-choice cartoonist
readers continue to annoy Falwell's followers. Want to respond
to the peeved pastor? E-mail
the Macon Telegraph.
May 19, 2007
WHAT IS OLD IS NEW AGAIN
Today I took a cartoon that I drew back
in 2005, when everyone was screaming about gas prices over two
dollars a gallon, and I changed the "2" to a "3."
Voila! An entirely new cartoon, updated
for our times.
Sometimes the big oil companies make it
too easy.
The AAEC Auction is Still On, Even Though
Their Site is Down
Ouch! The Association of American Editorial
Cartoonists (AAEC) web site at editorialcartoonists.com is down with technical
problems - but their online auction of original cartoon art is
still on and entering its last day. You can see the AAEC auction
on
Ebay here. This looks like a good opportunity to snag a bargain,
and I see a few good ones on that list.
May 18, 2007
MORE FALWELL FALLOUT FOR DeADDER
Lots of our readers agreed with Michael DeAdder on his Jerry Falwell obituary cartoon. In fact,
some of our East Coast readers were so excited to tell us what
they thought that they found our corporate phone number at caglecartoons.com and called
our West Coast telephone starting before 6:00am, to urge us to
draw their cartoon ideas. Come on, people, cartonists draw their
own ideas and please, just respond to these things by e-mail.
Here are some letters from our big, bursting e-mail bag:
I believe your cartoon hit the mark.
Long may he burn.
Bill L. of Californication (that's intended as a joke)I find it very interesting that
any criticism against homosexuality is immediately labeled as
bigoted while any criticism raised against Christianity or Christian
values (which you are in liberty of accepting or not) is always
dubbed liberty of speech.
The fact that I believe that homosexuals are in sin does not
change my desire to see them free from such destructive prison.
Sincerely, OPI Love it !! He deserves to
go to Hell and rightfully so... I will Be passing this cartoon
to my friends... Good Job.. MyrnaI agree
with Pastor Rockwood....
How completely unprofessional to make a cartoon on a person dying....there
is nothing funny about that to his friends and family.
Let me say this, I didn't especially like Falwell....but....these
cartoons seem to make me realize what I have missed by not listening
to him.
Betty WigginsThe problem with Pastor Rockwood's
argument is obvious.
He makes the mistake of mixing Christian theology with government.
The government is responsible for representing all its citizens
not just those arbitrarily designated to be "decent"
by Pastor Rockwood's standards.
What makes the good pastor think his standards are better than
anyone else's? Who appointed him to speak for me?
As a society, we have decided that the government is responsible
for defining marriage; therefore, it is government's responsibility
to define marriage in a way that does not discriminate and is
inclusive of all its citizens.
Should we incorporate Islamic theology into our laws? How about
the Hindus or Buddhists? And what about those citizens that don't
believe in theology at all? Who represents their philosophies?
Jerry Falwell had the "right" to preach exactly what
"he" thought the Bible said, but he did not have the
right to demand that my government accept his beliefs and that's
where Pastor Rockwood is wrong.
Thank You
Oscar OrtizAlas, again you succumb to your ignorance
and bias.
Compare your life to that of Jerry Fallwell's. Compare your life
to Jerry's and your will see the great difference.
I used to endure Cagles email - - now I just dump it!
John ShollyI enjoy your cartoons but note a great
majority of them are of a left wing bias. it would be fair to
show more conservative cartoonists.
R George BakerI would have gone much farther but
the message would have been the same. Mine wouldn't have been
a joke.
Falwell was anything but funny.
V. HawesIt's interesting that the righteous in
our society are happy to publish their "faith" all
over the place, but freak out when a commentator, ie: cartoonist,
publishes his or her own beliefs. There is not a scrap of evidence
that there is a higher power, and if there is one, there's no
evidence that an evangelist has any claim to it or insight into
it. Falwell was an overweight, self-important liar, claiming
rights that he did not earn or have. Here in Canada's Quebec
province, there are illuminated crosses gleaming from mountaintops,
and nativity-like scenes on front lawns, and Christian symbols
on street corners all over the place. As a non-Christian, I find
it offensive as Hell seeing these symbols of baloney beliefs
all around me. I wonder how Christians would feel if there were
stars of David, or crescents or whatever all over the place...
they'd protest, I'll bet. Christians seem to think that life
goes THEIR way or NO way. They should just shut up, practice
their silly religion, and stop trying to "sell" their
beliefs all over the place to people who are satisfied with their
own, personal beliefs.
Barry R.I think you, as others, know Jerry Falwell
from what you have read and not from personal knowledge. You
were very rude to say the least, to depict someone who has done
a great deal to inform the American public of what is biblically
moral and would not bow down to the very liberal press. You have
only lowered yourself by your cartoon.
Did you know that even those, with whom
he loudly disagreed, still respected and admired him for the
person he was. He would not degrade the person, but the act and
call it what it was. Sin. And I dare say, that he has done more
for the 'unborn child' than you will ever do with your cartoons.or
will you even try?
Enough said.
Lynne MastersThe "Falwell arriving in hell
cartoon" by Michael DeAdder is funny, ironic, and appropriate.
Please don't give in to close-minded extremists who have no sense
of humor. Freedom of speech and a right to one's own opinion
should come first.
The cartoon is not overly offensive; in fact, it is rather mild
considering the amount of intolerance and hate Falwell generated
in the name of goodness.
Susan MannngHomosexuality is a sin.
Even Homosexuals know that.
Why is it they are always trying to find a place of affirmation
in the Church?
Have they not learned by now, that you cannot take what is unholy,
and expect to place their lifestyle before a Holy God.
God certainly loves the Homosexual with a grace that man cannot
understand, yet His love is offered that the Homosexual will
not spend an eternity in hell.
That grace is not cheap, all of us must repent of our sin, and
submit our lives to the Holiness of God.
I am glad that you cannot place anyone
in hell, and neither can I.
Here is a truth for you; the day is
fast approaching when you will die and face God. This I know
for sure: God will will not want to see your cartoons about Jerry
Falwell, He will have the cartoons of your own life.
Bishop Don R. WilsonIn an episode of the West
Wing a point is made that not only does the Bible take a stand
on homosexuality but it also allows a man to sell his daughter
into slavery (Exodus 21:7) and to put to death anyone who works
on a Sunday (Exodus 35:2) would that include the preacher who
does not like your cartoon? I'm sure he showed up for work on
many a Sunday....how literal does he really want to take the
Bible?
Lillian GriffithsAfter reading pastor Perry F.
Rockwood's letter to the editor of the Daily News I must say
I was brought closer to the Bible. This Bible Preacher brought
me closer to the love and kindness of Jesus. To read this Bible
Christian's words filled me with the acceptance, tolerance and
faith in salvation only God's Word could do. How the Editor of
your paper isn't dropped to his knees in repentance at the glorious
love shown here I have no idea.
-dHi all:
It seems that the good reverend used
the cartoon merely as a stepping stone to spend 4 paragraphs
outlining his position on homosexuality and same sex marriage.
Would his comments have made it to the editorial page otherwise?
Yvonne Thompson
Monroe, WashingtonThank you, Pastor Rockwood for
saying so succinctly what I can't take the time to say. When
are people going to understand that it is not how we are born
that makes a difference. It is how we act. We love those who
are born differently than us, or who make wrong choices in life,
and we pray for all to walk the path of righteousness, and ask
forgiveness when we sin, and we all do.Thank you so much for
your letter.
joanie JohnsonSir,
Cartoons like the one you have published are very insensitive
right after a person dies. To make fun over death is a callous
act. I understand you do not agree with Jerry Falwell but could
you not have some sensitivity and withhold such publications
for a time? Think of how his family feels seeing the mockery
and almost glee that is behind your cartoon over a man's death.
No matter how wrong a person may be .give some respect for them
when they die. Your cartoon cheapens the individual's life.
I had a three way discussion between
cartoonists about what to do with Jerry Falwell. After much debate,
mostly with myself, I decided I was going to put him arriving
in hell instead of heaven. The irony was just too tempting.
Falwell for all his preaching about love and forgiveness, he
himself practiced hate and intolerance. He has hurt many people
in his life, he has done more damage than good and he has done
this under the guise of doing what's "moral."
I really don't think Falwell will find himself in hell. The God
Falwell preached about was far more forgiving than that. Some
cartoonists have already made the point that Falwell's God was
far more forgiving than Falwell himself.
But, to me, it is not off the mark to depict Jerry Falwell arriving
in hell, at least in a cartoon. Especially the way it was drawn.
It's not exactly Dante's Infernal. It's a cartoon hell with a
cartoon character as the main element. To me it's so over the
top that I didn't think people would take it that serious. It's
just a joke.
But my opinion is not shared by everyone. Especially some readers
at the Daily News.
I was informed by my editor when I arrived at work on the day
that it appeared that Pastor Perry F. Rockwood was pulling all
his ads from the Daily News. Not only this, but he wrote a diatribe
against me for the next day's letters. There's another letter
going to Friday's paper and I had correspondence with a few other
people who took exception with the depiction. So I decided to
put it up on my blog for discussion. Surprisingly, more people
liked it than took offense. At least so far. It's still up for
debate.
The letter from the angry preacher is below,
along with Michael's cartoon.
To the Editor:
As a 90 year-old Christian and preacher, I am very disappointed
in your Editorial Cartoon regarding Jerry Falwell.
Jerry Falwell was a Bible Christian, a Bible preacher and a respected
leader for those who believe in the Bible. What is wrong with
that? I know his stand on homosexuality was not popular but it
was a Bible stand. God's Word teaches that homosexuality is a
sin. The same-sex marriage law is an abomination. The whole scene
reeks with the stench of Sodom. Whoever it is, wherever and whenever
it is, it has no place in Christian circles or in any decent
human society.
Same-sex marriage is a perversion of sex. There is no stretch
of anybody, circumstances that gets homosexuality properly defined
as normal . It is the opposite of normal. It is the antithesis
of right and the companion of evils. It is an attack on the family.
You check biblically there's no place given to homosexuality
as a foundation for families. It has not been the standard for
families in any nation in history.
It is a mockery of marriage. The Bible says: "And He answered
and said onto them, Have ye not read, that He which made them
at the beginning made them male and female. And said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to
his wife; and they shall be one flesh" (Matthew 19:4,5).
Jerry Falwell would not insist that everyone believe the Bible.
He did preach that the Lord created Adam and Eve, not Adam and
Steve, not Edie and Eve. He preached that marriage was designed
for a man and a woman. That has been the pattern for human society
for the past 6000 years. To even ponder the possibility of same-gender
couple in a husband-wife relationship is a mockery of marriage.
The legacy of Jerry Falwell is that he was a preacher of the
Bible. No one is forced to believe what the Bible teaches. But
in our society we still have the freedom to preach exactly what
the Bible says.
It was not long ago you made an Editorial statement that you
had plans to increase the circulation of your paper. There are
still many thousands of Bible believers in the HRM area who believe
the Bible. This Editorial Cartoon against Jerry Falwell will
not be well received by any of them.
Pastor Perry F. Rockwood
Halifax, N.S.
Want to comment on Falwell, Michael's cartoon
or the preacher's letter? E-mail
us! And check out Michael's daily blog here.
May 17, 2007
More on Animated Cartoons
Political cartoonists continue to argue
about the Pulitzer Prize as the winner and nominees this year
all went to animated web cartoons. Mike Keefe posted this comment:
I am a great fan of editorial cartoon
animation and have tried my hand at it several times. (eg. a
year's work of weekly 30-second animations for a local NBC affiliate
and two years worth of work for AOL.) And I may do it again.
But comments regarding the Pulitzer
Prize from Scott Stantis strike me as exactly on target.
This is not to denigrate Walt's fine work. I love his new stuff
and endorsed his print cartoons as a Pulitzer juror in 1997.
But there is some shape-shifting going on in our profession that
requires redefinition. Not all cartoonists are afforded the time
and resources to create animations. How can the print-only cartoonists
compete with animators? It's Marmaduke versus Dancing Penguins.
My suggestion is that a separate category be established, in
all cartoon competitions, for animated work versus print work.
And then, among others, we will see some huzzahs going the way
of Bill Mitchell, Mark Fiori and Don Asmussen. Long overdue.
Cartoonists worry too much about awards,
so something that should be a petty little thing looms large
in the profession. This happened before, when comic strip cartoonist
Berkeley Breathed won the Pulitzer Prize and the traditional
editorial cartoonist community was outraged - at least Breathed's
work was printed in a newspaper.
The current kerfuffle over Pulitzer Prizes for animated web cartoons
seems to be a reflection of newspaper editors' paranoia about
the web surplanting traditional print journalism - in fact, television
replaced newspapers as our main outlet for news many years ago.
Perhaps we should see those Pulitzers that are given to newspaper
journalists given to TV news reporters, so instead of choosing
prizes based on their guesses of where journalism will be in
the future, they could acknowledge where journalism has already
gone in the past fifty years.
The National Cartoonists Society introduced
an award for "New Media" that was recently abandoned,
because so few cartoonists were doing web animations and there
were few entries. Until there is something that looks like a
market for animated cartoons on the web - somewhere on the horizon
- cartoonists should step back and not let a handful of people
on a Pulitzer Prize committee push them into making stupid career
decisions. A PLEA FOR THE AAEC AUCTION
Cartoonist Clay Bennett of the Christian Science Monitor
sent me this note:
Hi Daryl.
I just wanted to encourage the fans
of your site to check out the online cartoon auction being held
by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. The cartoons
being offered are by some of the biggest names in the business,
the proceeds from the event go to a great cause, and there's
only a few days left to bid on one of the great cartoons being
auctioned.
The program benefiting from the funds
raised from this event is 'Cartoons for the Classroom'. Currently being
used by thousands of educators worldwide, this program provides
a biweekly lesson plan that employs editorial cartoons as a tool
for instruction in history, civics, current events, and critical
thinking. It's proved to be an entertaining and valuable resource
for students of all ages, and is offered to their teachers for
absolutely free.
Well, free for the teachers that is.
It's not free for the AAEC. And that's why we're having this
auction.
The AAEC hopes to keep this program
available for some time to come. With that goal in mind, we're
raising operating funds by auctioning off cartoons from 30 of
America's most recognized and acclaimed editorial cartoonists
(16 Pulitzer Prize winners included). The list of contributors
reads like a who's who in editorial cartooning ...
Most of the items being auctioned are
original drawings, others are signed prints, but every single
cartoon in the collection is the creation of one of finest political
cartoonists working today. If the price of a cartoon is more
than you'd like to contribute, there's also a donation page to
support 'Cartoons for the Classroom' available at www.editorialcartoonists.com. Anything you
can give would be much appreciated.
The clock is ticking on the event though,
and the gavel will bring the auction to a close soon (7:00 PM
Eastern, Sunday, May 20, to be exact). So don't miss the chance
to bid on your favorite cartoon at: www.editorialcartoonists.com/auction.cfm.
Not only will you be supporting a terrific program, but you'll
also be collecting a unique example of editorial cartooning at
its very best.
Thank you all,
Clay
---------- Clay Bennett
Editorial Cartoonist
The Christian Science Monitor
May 15, 2007
YUCKY TINKY WINKY YAHTZEE?
When I think of Jerry Falwell I think of
Tinky Winky, the "gay," purple, purse-carrying Teletubbie.
Falwell said some unkind things about Tinky Winky that may come
back to him on Judgement Day as Falwell's life flashes before
his eyes at heaven's Pearly Gates. I started my drawing of Tinky
Winky as soon as I heard Falwell died.
Unfortuately, I'm not the only cartoonist with Falwell and Tinky
Winky on his mind. Cartoonist Cam Cardow e-mailed this to me:
Daryl,
I was emailing Michael De Adder yesterday when I mentioned
I didn't know whether to draw Falwell in heaven or hell. He thought
the idea was funny, so he drew a great Falwell in hell cartoon.
I thought my Tinky Winky one would be an obscure twist, since
I knew that was the direction he was going and wanted to avoid
drawing the same idea. Graeme MacKay told him that there would be
"lots of Falwell in hell" cartoons. Ironically, I haven't
seen any Yathzees, other than Tinky Winky at the Pearly gates.
As I was uploading my cartoon, I saw a
Tinky Winky and Falwell in heaven cartoon from Scott Stantis, who writes:
Daryl,
I hate the Yahtzee thing. It demeans the profession. Besides,
I like drawing Tinky Winky. Good lord, what does that say about
me?!?!?!?!?!
Lord! Why do you smite me with Tinky Winky
Yahtzees?! Why?! WHY?!
Scott Stantis, the conservative cartoonist for the Birmingham
News, who also draws the comic strip Prickly City, wrote the
column below about animation and the Pulitzer Prize. This is
the first year that the award for newspaper editorial cartoons
was given for cartoons that could not run in a newspaper, which
has sparked a lot of conversation among cartoonists. The winner,
Walt Handelsman is a great cartoonist who often allows us to
post his award winning animated cartoons on our site, see Walts animated work here and Walt's print
work here. Another great animated editorial cartoonist,
Mark
Fiore, was not eligible for a Pulitzer for his work, because
he didn't work for a daily, paid circulation newspaper. Since
the top news sites on the web are not newspaper sites, and newspapers
are steadily losing readers to the internet, it is time for the
Pulitzers to rethink their ill-considered rules in a number of
areas.
Have an opinion about Scott's article and
his views on animated cartoons and awards? Email
Scott.
Walt Handelsman won his second Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning
this year with this citation:
Awarded to Walt Handelsman of Newsday,
Long Island, N.Y., for his stark, sophisticated cartoons and
his impressive use of zany animation.
Handelsman's editorial cartoons speak for
themselves. He does great work, and is an old friend. Walt saw
a new medium in animation and went to great pains to teach himself
the fine points of producing it. And the results are predictably
hilarious. But is it an editorial cartoon?
Let's put it this way; giving the Pulitzer Prize for an animated
cartoon is like awarding it for best novel to "Doctor Zhivago"
starring Omar Sharif. It's just not the same thing.
In an industry that seemingly has more awards per person than
any other profession the Pulitzer Prize is arguably the best
known and most sought after. Try going into a bar and announce
you just won the Fischetti and see how many folks buy you a drink.
We were led to believe that this is an award for the newspaper
industry. Unless it's broken down and printed on every page so
you can view it as a flipbook it's hard to imagine how an animated
cartoon qualifies.
Winners in every category other than cartooning are lavished
with words like 'sharply edged', 'creative', 'comprehensive',
'tenacious', 'skillful' and 'zestful'. Brett Blackledge of my
own home newspaper, The Birmingham News, won in the investigative
journalism category for his remarkable series of articles unraveling
the twisted web that had become the Alabama 2-year college system
that was described as 'distinguished'. No other category was
branded as 'zany', (although that is one word to describe the
antics of the Alabama 2-year college system).
Bill Mauldin's weeping statue of Lincoln mourning the death of
President Kennedy, Herblock's incessant attacks on Joe McCarthy
and Richard Nixon, Tony Auth's scathing cartoons against the
Vietnam War, Paul Conrad earning a place on Nixon's enemies list,
Jeff MacNelly's subversively wry takes on Jimmy Carter. None
of them described as 'zany'.
What makes an editorial cartoon great, what makes it the thing
readers turn to first on the editorial page is the unique ability
of a well conceived and well executed cartoon to cut through
the spin. To slash through the deliberate fog that politicians
create and get to the hard and often uncomfortable nub of an
issue. They may take a comic turn but in their black hearts they
are not 'zany'. They're savage.
For more than a decade at The Birmingham News unnamed targets
have demanded "draw me skinnier", "make my chin
smaller", "notice my new hair style!" and, to
the editor, "Can't you control your own cartoonist?!".
These politicians know the power of a cartoon and believe me
none of them thought the work zany.
Zany is not what an editorial cartoonist aspires to, yet many
in the publishing business increasingly expect it. When The New
York Times renames it's weekly round up of editorial cartoons
"Laugh lines". When Time Magazine stops running them
all together and when more and more editorial cartoon positions
are being cut, the writing is on the wall. In truth, it's hard
to blame them. The newspaper industry is in full retreat as readership
plummets and the Internet supplants the print medium. In the
struggle to reinvent themselves for the brave new world, newspapers
are restyling many of the best parts of themselves, or leaving
them behind entirely. What offers the best model? Facebook? Youtube?
Is sharp commentary passe? Should it be replaced with silly?
And what's next? The Family Guy gets a Pulitzer? The Simpson's?
American Dad? The Jib-Jab guys? They are animated, have political
content and are posted online. According to the new rules, they
are all eligible. So don't be surprised some day if you see Scoobie
Doo accepting the highest honor in journalism.
Now that would be zany.
Scott Stantis is the editorial
cartoonist for The Birmingham News. He also draws one cartoon
a week for USA Today. His editorial cartoons are syndicated to
over 400 newspapers. His comic strip, Prickly City, is distributed
by Universal Press Syndicate to a growing list of nearly 100
newspapers. By writing this column he understands he is obliterating
whatever minuscule chance he ever had at winning a Pulitzer Prize.
Email Scott.May
9, 2007
The AAEC Online Auction
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
(AAEC) is trying an online auction for the first time, to raise
money for their "Cartoons for the Classroom" program.
The auction starts tomorrow and runs through May 20th on Ebay.
The art can be seen on the AAEC site here, with links to the corresponding
pages on Ebay that go up tomorrow. There are some original drawings
but many of the cartoons are signed, limited edition prints from
cartoonists who draw or color their cartoons on the computer
and don't have traditional original artwork to sell. I hope the
auction will be a success and I'll be interested to see what
cartoon prints sell for I have no idea what to expect.
The cartoon below by Michael Ramirez is one of the signed prints
offered for sale.
Many editorial cartoonists are happy to
sell their original artwork to fans who contact them at the e-mail
addresses in the attributions on our site. Prices for original
ink drawings usually range from $200 to upwards of $1,000, depending
on the popularity of the cartoonist and the subject matter of
the cartoon. Cartoons that feature people and events that will
be historically significant and remembered years later are worth
more. Cartoons on special subjects that are popular with some
collectors also draw higher prices. Fans can usually pick up
a cartoon on a strange subject, or a topic that might be a bit
yucky on the living room wall, by a cartoonist who isn't very
famous, for a pretty low price.
I think original artwork from editorial
cartoonists is an excellent investment. We've seen growing prices
for cartoon art in other areas of cartooning, like animation
and comic book art. As editorial cartoons are being more widely
accepted in elite circles, and are seeing more gallery and museum
showings, I expect that the prices for editorial cartoon artwork
will be the next to rise. I rate editorial cartoon artwork as
a solid "BUY." (Disclosure: Cagle has a house full
of editorial cartoon art.)
MAY 4, 2007
ANIMATED CARTOONS FROM MATT DAVIES
I've had some interesting e-mail exchanges with a number of cartoonists
since my recent rant
about how cartoonists are being pressed into animating their
cartoons. I don't see much business purpose for doing animated
political cartoons, but I appreciate them and I enjoy posting
them on our site. We've posted a number of animations from Walt
Handelsman, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for his animated
web cartoons. My argument about "what are these for?"
is not the argument that carries the most water with other cartoonists,
who are having a roaring debate over whether animated web cartoons
should be considered political cartoons for the awards. (Political
cartoonists think a lot about awards.)
Another great Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist
who is moving into the animated arena is Matt Davies, who sent us two nifty animated cartoons along
with these comments for the blog.
Here are two animated pieces
I did late last year - before
the "are or aren't they editorial cartoons?" debate
over the official status of online editorial animation reared
its inevitable head. I did the artwork and writing, and my talented
(and patient) colleague here at the paper, Chris Brown did the
animation and original score.
Why the long silence on my animation front after only grinding
out two? First off, it's hard work. Much harder than doing an
editorial cartoon. And, after almost making my third effort a
song parody, I decided instead to take some time off and think
a little more about what I want to do with the medium. (Not knocking
song parodies mind you, I just don't feel I can compete with
the kinetic energy of the amazing work of this year's Pulitzer
Prize winner, Walt Handelsman.) I will be doing more animated
cartoons however, starting this month.
Without a doubt, animation offers a
creative and interesting way to convey opinion and humor. Of
course, the jury's still holed up, tensely arguing about where
this is all going (and who's going to pay for it.) But in the
meantime the cartoon world has been given online access to a
freshly paved new avenue, and us cartoonists are still running
around excitedly marking the fire hydrants. Predictably, the
debate will center around the fine line between genuine editorial
content, and goofy current-events humor, which is basically an
extension of the ancient print cartoon debate...
It's an un-winnable discussion, however, so it's unlikely we
will all arrive at a consensus on what works anytime soon and
stop there. Editorial animators will be free to run the
gamut And there's fresh painted hydrants as far as the
eye can see...
On Saturday we'll all sip our Margaritas,
munch on our burritos and think about cartoonists. Saturday,
May 5 is "Cartoonists Day."
Some readers will remember when most of
the newspaper comic strips touted Cartoonists Day. As a cartoonist,
I love the idea of having my own day where my fans shower me
with gifts and adoration - in fact, that was pretty much the
idea behind Cartoonists Day. The date was chosen because the
first recurring character in American newspaper comics, the Yellow
Kid, first appeared in print on May 5, 1895. Cartoonists are
suffering from a painful transition now as newspapers decline
and their traditional markets for gag cartoons and advertising
work suffer a prolonged slump. We can cheer Mom up on Mothers
Day, make the secretary happy on Administrative Professionals
Day and feed the government on Tax Day -- even trees and flags
have their own days -- why not make long-suffering cartoonists
happy with their own day?
The first Saturday in May is also "Free
Comic Book Day," where comic book stores join in a promotion
to give away comic books and which happens to fall on May 5 this
year. This is also Cartoon Appreciation Week. The stars are aligned
for cartoonists this Saturday.
Unfortunately, Cartoonists Day has had
a bumpy ride and cartoonists have allowed it to fade away. It
all started back in 1997 when Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman, the
creators of the comic strip "Baby Blues," organized
"The Great Comic Strip Switcheroonie," where cartoonists
traded places to draw each other's comic strips on April Fools'
Day. It was great fun and a creative success.
When I was president of the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) in 2000,
Charles "Sparky" Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts,"
passed away and I oversaw a special day in the comics where almost
all of the cartoonists drew a comic strip tribute to Sparky.
After 9/11 the NCS organized a successful Thanksgiving Day tribute
on the comics pages to raise money for victims of the World Trade
Center disaster.
Cartoonists usually work in isolation and
the opportunities to work together were great fun at first -
then the glow started to fade. Some cartoonists were enthusiastic
about the idea of Cartoonists Day, and pushed the idea of every
comic strip artist participating to display the Cartoonists Day
logo in their strips, and write something about it in their strip
to "raise awareness" of underappreciated cartoonists.
The strip cartoonists were urged to do this every year on May
5. Then charities got the idea; they called the NCS saying, "Hey!
You cartoonist guys all got together to raise money for the 9/11
victims, how about raising money for this terrible disease, or
that one - you can't believe that Cartoonists Day is more important
than my horrible disease, do you? Where are your priorities?!"
Of-course, they were right, but there were just too many terrible
diseases and social ills waiting in line for space on the comics
pages.
Then many of the star cartoonists became
weary. They would say, "Why are we doing this Cartoonists
Day thing in our strips again?" and "Isn't it kind
of egotistical and self-serving for us to use our strips to call
attention to ourselves like this?" Of course, they were
right.
Then there was the problem of Cinco de
Mayo. Cartoonists who wanted to generate publicity for themselves
had to share their day with another topic. Cartoonists in the
Midwest couldn't understand why the cartoonists in California
were busy with their Margaritas on Cartoonists Day.
The NCS stopped promoting Cartoonists Day
and it slowly faded away. Some cartoonists hated to see it go.
There is still a Web site at cartoonistsday.com. Some cartoonists still
lobby for the return of Cartoonists Day, but the day has disappeared.
Mexico won the cartoon war because the cartoonists took their
pens and went home.
June 21, 2007
Pig: "Our goal is to find out how hard we
can squeeze the little guy without killing him."
Cinco
de Mayo: Cartoonists Day?