Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind the gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics take a look at Desert Island Cliché. A novelist’s greatest anxiety is the blank page. Cartoonists are similarly afflicted when their drawing paper remains stubbornly empty. There is a refuge for stumped…
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Cartoons From 25 Years Ago
Ready or not, the news is always happening. Good or bad, these popular news cartoons will generate some grins in your next newsletter, social, or email campaign.
“Shakespeare Monkeys” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
“Charmingly eccentric.” That’s what Kirkus Reviews called me in its review of my book on The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest, which will be released on June 4, 2024. “Wood,” Kirkus states, “has a great time here, mixing the bizarre, the jocular, and the wise into a clever package.” The book is available for pre-order…
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“Bar Baby” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
This month’s contest featured a drawing by New Yorker cartoonist Jason Chatfield, who joined our judges’ panel to help select the winning entry and five runners-up. His drawing is set in a bar where a baby is sitting on a stool, looking down at his shot glass, and saying something to the bartender and other…
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“Mattress Store” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
This month’s contest featured a drawing by Lila Ash, with whom I’ve collaborated on New Yorker cartoons. Here’s my favorite: Lila has a terrific new book, “decodependence—a romantic tragicomic,” that you should all buy. (Speaking of books you should purchase, mine comes out on June 4, 2024, but you can pre-order it here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250333407.) Lila’s…
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