Irreverent Editoon & Other News
Skip to comments
Cartooning Pope Leo XIV
Pat Byrnes and the newspaper he rode in on is taken to task by a Yakima Herald-Republic reader:
To the editor — I’m Catholic and from Chicago and celebrating the election of the new Pope.
But your May 13 cartoon on the editorial page went too far. The depicted “communion wafers” are not just that. Catholics believe they are “truly and substantially” Christ’s presence and, as such, deserve the utmost reverence, respect and honor.
From another denomination…
Canadian editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder went viral after sharing his recent political cartoon titled The Contrarian to depict newly-elected Pope Leo XIV reacting to the MAGA faithful who have criticized his papacy because he’s too “woke.”
Michael de Adder came into some praise from Christians who actually follow Jesus’ teachings by portraying Pope Leo XIV standing up to those who claim Christ in name only.
Comic Sands carries the story.
Perhaps the most significant passage for understanding what some today might call the “wokeness” of Jesus is found in Matthew 25:31–46. In it, Jesus delivers a striking critique of societies and systems that fail to care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned—those most vulnerable and marginalized.
Four Editorial Cartoonists Talk Politics
Recently, I was reunited with two editorial cartoonist friends in Switzerland. As we do, we talked politics. Because we feel the current political climate so volitile and scary, and so in need of editorial cartoons, we decided to do an in-conversation zoom together.
The two I met with in Europe were Ann Telnaes and Patrick Chappatte. The third cartoonist who joined us on the zoom today was Signe Wilkinson, who is based in Philadelphia. Since Patrick was in Philly this week, we decided to have the conversation with all four of us.
Patrick Chappatte, Ann Telnaes, and Signe Wilkinson join Liza Donnelly for a half hour chat about political cartooning and their place in newspapers and their recent travels.
Off Ramp Offered for Washington Post Opinion Staffers
And since Ann mentioned a newspaper, “the one I left,” let’s see what happening at The WaPo.
Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post wants to push dozens of staffers out the door, offering opinion staffers, staffers with 10 years’ experience, and some desks buyout packages to leave the paper. “Like the rest of our industry, we are adapting to changing habits and new technologies that are transforming news experiences,” executive editor Matt Murray told staffers in a memo obtained by the Daily Beast.
The Daily Beast reports staffers not in agreement with the Bezos realignment of the paper are being offered an exit. I guess that would include The Washington Post’s editorial cartoonist IF THE WASHINGTON POST HAD A STAFF EDITORIAL CARTOONIST.
The opinion desk was told the buyouts were meant to let staffers “make a clear-eyed decision on whether they want to be part of the new direction for Post Opinion,” according to The New York Times, after Bezos announced his plans to lean into the traditionally conservative values of “free markets and personal liberties.”
Will Joe Sacco Continue with Graphic Journalism
The Once and Future Riot, out in October from Metropolitan Books, could be Joe Sacco’s last longform work of graphic journalism. Speaking with the Comics Journal last week, the author of Palestine (Fantagraphics), Paying the Land (Metropolitan), Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan), and War on Gaza (Fantagraphics) cited burnout while expressing a desire to explore other forms of cartooning.
“The world is rough, and after a while it sort of gets to you, doing journalism,” Sacco told the Comics Journal’s Zach Rabiroff. “Maybe for the first 20 years I could deal with everything. But over time, you dig deep into what’s going on in the world, how humans behave in certain situations. They’re very worthy subjects. I’m never going to say they’re not. But for me personally, I’ve just had my fill and I wanted to approach some of these same subjects, perhaps, but in a very different way.”
Dean Simons for Publishers Weekly asks, “Is Joe Sacco Done with Graphic Journalism?”
For now, Sacco won’t rule out shorter works of graphic journalism. “I’ve wanted to move away from journalism for a while … he hopes to return to the satirical work of his early career.
Can Steve Brodner Continue “Practicing Pictorial Vigilantism”
Steve Brodner, a satirical graphic journalist known for stunning, biting caricatures, has targeted a surfeit of corrupt and venal pols over the years. Like fish in the proverbial barrel, he couldn’t miss. But after four decades of practicing pictorial vigilantism, can he sustain the pace? And can he survive the dearth of media outlets publishing this type of work in the current political climate change?
With the Trump agenda being so assiduously shoved in our faces, Brodner has to work extra hard to make his criticism seen and felt. He maintains a Substack and a weekly spot in The Nation, and has developed a quick line style that uses text to tease the message out.
The Daily Heller’s Stephen Heller interviews Steve Brodner on Making Graphic Wit While D.C. Burns.
Have you been worried about speaking out against Trump?
Never.Have you had any experiences similar to the political travails we’re facing now?
Not only have I not had any experiences similar to this, neither has the country. I’ve known people who were blacklisted in the McCarthy Era and I wondered how they survived. Now I understand. However, the Far Right never achieved the total control they are approaching now. We are facing an administration and Congress filled with McCarthys, Roy Cohns and Father Coughlins.
A Message from Counterpoint
Last week the Counterpoint Newsletter made a confession:
When we launched this platform, our mission was to present both sides of the political spectrum as fairly and equally as possible — knowing full well that true symmetry is elusive, if not impossible. But over time, it became clear: many people, perhaps most, simply don’t want to see both sides. In today’s hyper-polarized climate, balanced perspectives are a tough sell. Even our free subscriptions saw a slow, inexorable decline.
After six years, we’ve finally decided to acknowledge the obvious: the writing’s on the wall. We’re no longer afraid of being labeled biased (cue dramatic shudder). That word has become a slur in political discourse — used as shorthand for “wrong” or “untrustworthy.” But the truth is, nothing created by humans is ever truly free of bias. Every person carries a unique set of values and beliefs. Those values inevitably shape how we interpret the world around us, including the news.
With that the Counterpoint Newsletter has taken a left turn overwhelmingly now featuring such cartoonists as David Horsey, Matt Wuerker, Rob Rogers, Clay Bennett, Nick Anderson, Kevin (KAL) Kallaugher, Bill Bramhall, Chris Britt, and others, while still throwing in some conservative cartoonists but none of their pro-Trump toons.
Comments 4
Comments are closed.