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First, let me thank all of you who left comments on my last post. It’s great to hear from so many of you. Cartooning and blogging can be lonely activities; you create stuff, send it out into the world and wonder if anyone sees it. Before the Interwebs, it was really lonely. The occasional bit of snail mail was all you had to tell you if anyone was reading.
I usually do all my drawing, inking, and computer coloring of cartoons on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, which is why my posts are usually Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, and Saturday. Now you know. Since this is Wednesday (at least here in Brooklyn) I’m posting three to catch you up to date.
As you may see from the bottom right-hand corner of this first cartoon, Monday was my eldest daughter, Krapuzar‘s, birthday. The cartoon itself has nothing to do with her, though. I got an email about it wondering what it meant and I told them that as near as I could tell, it meant that he guy was taking so much pain medication that he was hallucinating. That’s my best guess, anyway. If you have a better explanation, let me know.
Here’s a dandy little ditty about an unusual patient at the shrink. I got two emails about this one. The first said that halibuts have two eyes on the same side of their head, so I was one eye short. I actually referenced that so I could get it right and saw that a halibut’s second eye is sort of cheating over to the side so I figured I could get away with not showing it from this angle. Just don’t use this drawing in any fish anatomy classes and I think you’ll be okay. The second letter was from a reader who is offended by my use of “trans people” as subjects for cartoons. Obviously, people of unusual sexual orientation experience a lot of discrimination and ridicule, so they are sensitive to any mention of them in the media. I understand that and don’t blame them. On the other hand, this is not an attempt to ridicule people (or fish or hamsters) but rather an absurd situation that would lead the reader to believe that if anyone is crazy, it is the shrink. My own theory is that if traditional social outsiders become regular features of pop culture – like cartoons – they will become less “unusual” and seem more a part of society. Fifteen years ago, I likely would not have been allowed to publish a joke with any mention of trans gender people, so there has obviously been progress in this area.
I like this chainsaw gag for many reasons. I like jokes about the half-ass attempts most of us make toward environmentalism (changing to energy-efficient lightbulbs while driving an SUV, recycling newspapers while still eating meat, etc.) and I like chainsaws. Any time a tree would fall in my neighborhood and be left in chunks for the city to pick up, I’d grab a few large chunks and carve them into classy, attractive fine art. Lots of fun and good exercise. I haven’t done that since I moved to NYC because I don’t see big tree cuttings on the side of the road anymore. Now I only use my chainsaw when my ATM card isn’t working.
SPECIAL EARTHQUAKE UPDATE: Yesterday was my first earthquake and I really enjoyed it. I was sitting at my desk on the second floor of my apartment here in Brooklyn when my table, computer screen, and chair started swaying back and forth by about a half inch or so. I was confused since my building isn’t close enough to a subway to feel the trains going by, as is the case in many buildings in NYC. I looked around the room and noticed the plants (I have a lot of plants) were all shimmying and a floor lamp was swaying as well. I looked out the window and noticed that my window frame was moving in relation to the apartment building across the street. This was the moment when the little voice in my head shouted “EARTHQUAKE!” I glanced down at the parked cars across the street and they were shifting back and forth, too. The whole episode lasted about ten seconds. It was very exciting. A LOT more exciting than the subsequent 12 hours of news coverage of how there was no damage or injuries, leaving reporters to ask person after person to tell their story, all of which were pretty similar to mine.
I tweeted that the earthquake reminded me of Obama’s presidency: seemed like a big deal at first but then nothing really happened. I’m still an Obama fan, by the way, but can’t deny that I wish he’d been more forcefully liberal.
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I wish Obama had lived up to his ‘promise’, as well. I shall vote for him, once again, in hopes that some positive ‘change’ will come of the second go-around and Congress will learn to work together for the betterment of the country.
Hey, I can dream.
In your first cartoon, my first thought was that the nurses where so sick of his pressing his “pain buzzer” all the time, causing a little beep to go off at the nurse’s desk, that they were passively/aggressively telling him to knock it off. He didn’t have an IV so he’d be pressing his call button all the time. He won’t listen to the nurses so maybe he’ll listen to Dr. Clown. Also, I loved the solar powered chainsaw. I predict these will catch on, and I will see them at Ace Hardware within a year :)
Good guess on the doc cartoon. I think you’re right.
Proclaiming that you’re a fan of President Obama and referring to him in the past tense. That’s gotta hurt. :-(
The hospital patient wrote “Happy B-day Krapuzar!” on his sheet next to someone else’s eyeball, and we know he is completely oriented because he knows his hospital laundry and publication schedule well enough to know what day she would see it in her local paper. Duh!
Actually until you mentioned it in the text I mentally rewrote the puppet’s words to say “call button” and thought it might be the nurse on the other side of the curtain. But since it says “medication” maybe it is the patient in the next bed and he or she is somehow sharing the guy’s medication IV (that we cannot see). Since the puppet is wearing a little mirror on his head we know he must actually represent a doctor from the 1940s. Or a doctor who rejected flashlights in favor of something much harder to use. :-)
Dan, if you want someone more forcefully liberal, consider Gary Johnson (libertarian who’s pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, wants to decriminalize drugs, wants to end the Patriot Act and TSA screenings). I can send you a link to his campaign page if you want to learn more about him.
I’d be happy to read what he has to say. But the reality is that a third-part candidate has no more chance of winning a presidential election in this country than I have of converting everyone to veganism.
As a resident New Mexican, let me just say that Gary Johnson is a little bit nuts. Sure, he’s got some libertarian policies that make him appear socially liberal. But he’s definitely a Republican, and very fiscally conservative. To hell with the poor and all that. In other words, he’s taken up just the right platform to draw the ire of both major parties.
I mean, if that’s your thing, hey, go for it, but he’s got enough conservative baggage that I’d never vote for him.
I agree. The “every man for himself, to hell with the poor” concept that most libertarians hold is what keeps me away from them. They are often like Republicans on steroids. In a perfect world where everyone had an equal chance it might work, but this is far from a perfect world.
Dan, Benny, to say that Libertarians don’t care about the poor shows your biases, and, if I may say so, is intellectually dishonest.
You’re in college, aren’t you Josh? :)
Regarding environmentalism, I think it’s ridiculous that energy efficient light bulbs have mercury in them and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Who does that? A marketable Chindogu. Solves one problem by creating more. (And young halibut don’t have both eyes on one side.) There is a school out here in L.A. that spent a grip of $ on solar panels. The panels were too heavy to install on the existing structures. I do believe millions of dollars were spent. So sad. And funny.
First, let me thank all of you who left comments on my last post. It’s great to hear from so many of you. Cartooning and blogging can be lonely activities; you create stuff, send it out into the world and wonder if anyone sees it.
Personally, I think you’re a genius. What you would consider a lonely activity, many envious people would consider joyous independence and freedom from the daily grind of corporate bullshit. There are probably many more people than you think who appreciate your creativity, but don’t don’t express it.
Thanks. I never lose sight of how lucky I am to be able to make a living doing something I enjoy, without someone looking over my shoulder and telling me what to do. :o)
I’m with you on the lightbulbs. Here is my email signature, that I’ve been using for a while:
How many eco-lightbulbs does it take to change a meat-eater? Go to http://www.quitmeat.org.nz/Harms-Earth/ and ask yourself the same question.
Now it’s in a place where people actually read it, it can go viral, woohoo
I think some people don’t realize in order to effectively mock something (trans folk, vegans) you need to understand it, which is why Tea Party folks jokes are terrible.
I’m saving up my vegan jokes for you, Dan.
Why did the vegan cross the road? To get away from that crazy chicken.
As a vegan, this might be better: Why did the vegan cross the road? To make sure the chicken got there safely. :o)
Why did the vegan cross the road? To teach the woodchuck and the raccoon how it’s done!
Aww, cute!
LEDs are twice as efficient as CFLs and no mercury. Last for a decade or more and don’t cook in ceiling cans.
I remember being behind a pickup truck in Berkeley in ’08 with a bumper sticker with Obama on it; reading ‘we’ll all be very disappointed’. All I can say is, “Compared to what the economy wreckers would have done?” You’re creative and smart: time for some campaign slogans/cartoons. And please, something better than, “They drove the economy into the ditch, don’t give them the keys back.” from 2010. True, but…
Wish I could be Vegan [allergies], but I do stick to local organic.
Yay, you’re still blogging! Where else can I find a vegan cartoonist with a sense of humour? (I’d like to think that I’m a vegan with a sense of humour, but my cartoons sucks.)
What happened to the “Scream” OMG? I lost the paper but I want to show it to my friends. Love your stuff (and books!) .
Dan,
I’ve enjoyed and read your blog from afar ( very afar – South Australia) for some years now. I particulary enjoy the musings about the creative process. You efforts are much appreciated and enjoyed.
Coffee is on me next time you are in the neighborhood :-)
Careful. I might take you up on that and I can drink a LOT of coffee.
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With regard to the halibut cartoon, here’s my two cents:
Yes, individuals/communities/identities do need to brought into the public light to become more accepted; that’s a given. The problem with your cartoon, however, is that people aren’t educated enough about the topic to realize what you’re trying to say with it. Actually, I’m not even sure that it’s an education issue, because I, a trans-identified individual, had to log-on and read your write-up about it to ensure you weren’t trying to make a mockery of our identity. Can you imagine how someone of the non-trans experience would be interpreting it? They can very easily take it the wrong way. Gender transition is nothing like changing from one species to another.
I can understand why you may have thought this joke would work; it worked for the gay rights movement (ie. if gays can marry, next thing you know people will be marrying their dogs!). But unfortunately, the knowledge and acceptance just aren’t there to do the same thing.
Another similar to the solar power chainsaw might be along the lines of:
Groing organic food makes me feel less guilty about clear cutting the forest.