Caption Contest Commentary

This contest, featuring a cartoon by Ernio Hernandez, may be the most challenging yet. I stared at the drawing for an hour, trying to figure out what was going on. There are two fish; that much I know. Though they appear to be on the outside of a fish tank—more on that in a bit—they…
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Benjamin Schwartz’s doctor is conducting a back-alley transaction. While checking to make sure there are no witnesses, he hands a picture of the coronavirus to a hitman. The doctor is speaking. I first made several references to former President Trump’s ridiculous comments about Covid-19 (e.g., “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle,…
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Robert Leighton’s cartoon is set in an office, where a man behind a desk is reviewing a single piece of paper. Sitting across from him is The Grim Reaper, holding a scythe in his hand. The man is talking. All my captions assume that the man behind the desk is from Human Resources. If he’s…
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Evan Lian’s drawing is set at a cocktail party, where a woman is talking to a man. Behind her, and engaged in another conversation, is Waldo from the “Where’s Waldo” puzzle books. The challenge in every such puzzle is locating the eponymous character in a crowd. I first imagined the woman explaining why she’s not…
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In Teresa Burns Parkhurst’s cartoon, three elephants are in a couple’s living room. The middle elephant says something to the one who’s facing him, while the couple remains oblivious. “The elephant in the room” is a metaphor for an obvious and pressing problem no one wants to discuss, so I first came up with these…
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In Carolita Johnson’s cartoon, two shirtless men are walking together on the beach. The younger man has an armband tattoo around his left bicep. The older man has a crossword puzzle on his chest. The older man is speaking. I first imagined where the crossword clues might be tattooed: “The clues are on my tramp…
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