Caption Contest Commentary

This week’s drawing is heaven-set. (I know, I know—and I claim to dislike puns.) An angel with two halos is addressing an angel with just one. In the background are five more angels, each of whom has two halos. None of the angels has wings. I first assumed the angels with two halos would feel…
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Jon Adams’ cartoon poses an unprecedented challenge because no one in the drawing is speaking. Who, then, is delivering the line that will serve as the caption? Is someone we can’t see commenting on the bird that’s flown through the window? Should the caption reflect the bird’s thoughts? Or should the caption be the cartoon’s…
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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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