I suppose I could have simply noted this as a “Juxtaposition of the Day,” but it happens to trigger a rant that’s been building up for about two weeks, but that I have been suppressing because being direct would have involved calling out particular cartoonists, a violation of the Prime Directive, and, besides, it also […]
For some reason, I’ve managed to stumble across a bunch of cartoons, each of which amused me, none of which triggered a major rant.You’ll have to get by today with a series of minor rants. Be strong. A few roses grew out of the steaming pile of ACA commentary today. Drew Sheneman sums up a […]
The Great Cartoon Insight Famine continues, and, with the shutdown (sorry, “partial” shutdown) over, the major issue now is that a bad web site means the entire overhaul of the healthcare system is a complete failure.I believe I flogged the issue sufficiently yesterday, but I thought Jim Morin’s cartoon showed some insight, if not a […]
Jen Sorensen has become something of the standard bearer for the Affordable Care Act, which is okay with me. I like my standard bearers to have some passion for the standard they bear, and I’m also glad she’s received some credit beyond the alternative comics world for her advocacy.(Before we go any farther, I’m going […]
Garry Trudeau has extended his sabbatical into next month but, while the six-day strips are reruns, he’s still producing Sunday Doonesburys.Today’s is intriguing because, as a one-off, it’s a wry commentary on modern families and helicopter parenting, but it also has strong potential to herald a shift, if Mike and Kim really do move from […]
“Cruz” sounds a lot like “cruise.””Cruz missile.” “Cruz control.” ummm … Did I already say “Cruz missile”?And the Great Cartoon Insight Famine continues, buoyed by the endless discovery and rediscovery of that fascinating source of inspiration.We could use a little insight about now, because too many cartoonists, while at least passing up the chance to […]
Our supple tribes repress their patriot throats, And ask no questions but the price of votes; With weekly libels and septennial ale, Their wish is full to riot and to rail. – Samuel Johnson So Tim Eagan basically has […]
I went into my various stashes of political cartoons this morning knowing that, with the budget crisis having hit an armistice overnight, a lot of the commentary would be out-of-date even if it was filed yesterday. That may have put me into a mindset whereby timing, fortunate or otherwise, was forefront. Take today’s Tank McNamara, […]
Thought we’d just hit an odd moment the other day, but the end-of-life jokes are still coming. It’s not a trend over at Stone Soup, but rather a story arc, as Evie tries to reassure Val that things are fine. For regular readers, the secondary joke here is a running gag over the fact that everyone […]
Joe Martin doesn’t do political cartoons, but today’s Willie ‘n Ethel pretty much sums up the current situation and does it better than the “on the one hand, on the other” political cartoonists who simply repeat the same tired “Congress sucks” blame-sharing cartoons. We are media prisoners of the moronically “even-handed” approach to coverage ably […]
It’s hardly surprising when two or more political cartoonists come up with the same metaphor. Lord knows, Ted Cruz’s last name brought forth plenty of the same puns and I used the term “brought forth” because “inspired” seems inappropriate.But when a couple of strip writers happen onto the same general concept at random, it can […]
Sunday seemed like the right day to tackle (heh) the issue of racist names, or at least one in particular.It’s a sort of evergreen issue, so some of these cartoons are not from today or even the past week, which is how editorial cartoons are generally handled here. But none of the arguments are new […]
There are so many really bad cartoons about the shutdown — oh, excuse me, the “partial shutdown” — that I feel particularly compelled to feature ones that (A) seem to get it and (B) make a point beyond “gee, this sucks.”(And, yes, I do think it’s extraordinarily silly to add the word “partial” to make […]
This is the way the blog begins, not with a bang but a whimper.I was diagnosed with diabetes a year or so ago, though I’ve now lost enough weight that, if I’d been here then, I wouldn’t have been diagnosed, but it’s like being pregnant: There’s no going back and I have to exercise the […]
Here’s the opening panel of a cartoon by Bill Roundy called “Orientation Police: I’m gay. I date men. Some of those men have vaginas.”You should click on that link and read the rest of it.I think the timing is good, because society has begun to stop turning away from “alternative lifestyles” but remains, at this […]