In Chris Weyant’s drawing, a man is showing off to his friend or neighbor an upright vacuum cleaner that’s on the mantle above the fireplace. After a loved one is cremated, some people put the ashes in an urn and display it on the mantle. Because vacuum cleaners also hold ashes, I thought of the…
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“Capitol Costume” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
In Bob Eckstein’s Halloween-themed cartoon, a woman dressed as a witch is holding a bowl of candy and saying something to a child dressed as the Capitol. A couple pieces of candy have fallen out of the bowl, perhaps to indicate that the woman was truly startled. To the left of the kid dressed as…
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Anatomy of a Cartoon: After a Fashion
Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics take a look at fashion and its faux pas. Kate Spade reportedly said, “Playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends.” There’s much truth in that. Fashion is undeniably part of…
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“Shark Therapy” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
I was twelve years old in 1974, when I first saw a paperback copy of “Jaws.” On the front cover a great white shark rose from the depths toward a naked woman swimming on the surface. And there, together, were my two greatest fears: sharks and naked women. My fear of naked women was complicated—it…
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“Crime Scene” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
In Pat Byrnes’ crime scene, a detective is looking at the chalk outline of a dismembered body and saying something to a uniformed officer. My first idea was to have the detective state the obvious: “I suspect foul play.” “I’m ruling out suicide.” Then, because the six body parts look like puzzle pieces, I considered…
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