Caption Contest Commentary

In Bob Eckstein’s drawing, which is perfect for the contest because its simple premise provides such fertile ground for captions, a Hollywood agent is saying something to his client, the Frankenstein monster. “Frankie Goes to Hollywood,” the title I chose for this commentary, was actually submitted as a caption by two entrants, but it’s not…
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Ellis Rosen’s drawing is set on a tree branch, where an old bird is talking to a young squirrel. The bird is sitting in a comfortable chair with an afghan on its lap and a couple pillows providing additional support for its back and neck. (Is the bird sick? Elderly? Both?) To the bird’s left…
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Bob Eckstein’s cartoon is set at a cocktail party, where a large, anthropomorphic red and white pill is holding a glass of wine and chatting with three other guests. Because many medications interact poorly with alcohol, I first had the pill explaining why he could have a cocktail: “You can’t drink if you’re on medication,…
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Many New Yorker cartoons are set in a hospital waiting room, where a surgeon addresses someone who’s anxiously awaiting news of the patient’s condition. Frank Cotham’s surgeon was mercenary: Zachary Kanin’s was desperate for company: And Danny Shanahan’s was well-intentioned but misguided: Shanahan is now back with yet another variation on this scenario, but this…
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John Klossner’s cartoon is set in a conference room. Three unicorns in business suits are meeting with a man. One of these mythological creatures is holding a document (maybe a report or a resume) and addressing the man. I first imagined they were discussing sales figures and projections: “Are these numbers real?” “If we don’t improve…
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In Jon Adams’s drawing, a bearded man with long white hair is standing barefoot in the doorway of a small house in the woods and saying something to a disgruntled woman who’s walking away with a duffle bag.  He looks reluctant to move beyond the doorway, and his left arm is extended back into the…
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