Last updated on January 3, 2023
I don’t usually read other editorial cartoonists. I don’t want to be influenced by them too much! But 2 or 3 times a month I look at some to see what topics they’ve covered, or haven’t, so I can decide what to do next, or to find out what’s important to cover, because they have tons more experience than I do.
I also don’t usually laugh at most political cartoons, but I thought this was a good clear drawing by Mr. Summers, a good punchline, with the extra bon mots of using the sock imagery, and, maybe most importantly, how I feel about Ms. Sotomayor. At least when she spoke those words, a few years ago, there was a tiny bit of racism there, you must admit.
Donna,
All due respect, you don’t belong doing political cartoons. Perusing gocomics every other week or so (sure, right) you can see the difference in caliber between yours and the cartoons of say Glen McCoy, Ted Rall, Chuck Asay, Tom Toles, Ken Handlesman, Tony Auth, Pat Oliphant and Ben Sargent.
Your routine seems to be akin to the bratty little girl (from a man with 6 sisters and 2 brothers) who comes out swinging, but as soon as anybody swats back you’re off running to “tell mommy on you!”
You don’t have the stones or the cred to be a political cartoonist!
Thanks for the career advice!
Say, I noticed all the cartoonists you mentioned were men. Hmm. I agree with about half your list. But your point of view is suspect.
See I like Glen McCoy’s work and often even agree with the point he is making even though his pov is what one would call the opposite of mine (or visa versa).
But his drawing are always funny. The expression in the eyes, the goofiness of the face, the angle of the body line; the charicaturiaztion of the features.
I don’t like Rall’s drawings. His tendency to ignore perspective and spacial relationships has the ability to skew the understanding of his message. But the message is very often not what his intended audience would like it to be. At this point he is the most credible critic of Obama out there, mostly because his is criticism coming from the left. As opposed to say Ramirez, who’s art work is both impressive and unremarkable, but his attacks on Obama seem to be of the “Republican party talking points” variety.
Walt (not Ken) Handlesman was also chosen because he has a drawing style that is non conventional as opposed to Ben Sargent, Chuck Asay and Tony Auth. But even in his simplistic, cartoonish style his composition and use of colors create an exciting image regardless of the verbal part of his cartoon.
Yours are often drowsy to a point of being torporific. This is the genre of choice at the New Yorker where their aim is to be too droll by half. They want their readers to be reassured that it is really the literati that are the pithy. The New Yorker strives to be the “anti sitcom” (ironic, given Chas Addams).
So please understand that I respect your talent in that talent pool. And I respect that talent pool for what it is.
As to the gender of those chosen… At the gocomics editorial cartoonist site there are two females (you and Lisa Benson). Since you said that that was the site that was the sourse for the Dana Summers cartoon, I confined myself to that list.
Pardon me I was wrong, Signe Wilkinson is also a female editorial cartoonist at gocomics.
Yes, you forgot Signe. One third of women cartoonists there. She actually wrote an interesting article about why there aren’t more women editorial cartoonists – her take, anyway. I don’t have the link at hand, but it was in a media journal online. One of her points is that women don’t like to be called names.
If you don’t like my art, I suggest that you not look. There are tons of other cartoonists out there for you to read. Whoops, were you trying to give me career advice again? My bad.
I think Glen is impressively himself. I don’t care for his drawing, which isn’t funny at all to me, but his bw shading is the best I’ve seen.
Ted is also well defined. His drawings hurt from being squished online. His white on black text is almost impossible to read, and since his text is important…
Don’t like Asay or Sargent at least online. I’m sure they improve with more space in the paper.
Tony Auth is accomplished, clever and nice to look at.
I don’t understand what you mean by “Squished online” perhaps you adopted the mini pc too soon?
Ted’s multi-panel cartoons are too big for the space that Gocomics gives us. His single panel ones fit fine.