Joe Dator’s cartoon is set at a private event in a fancy restaurant. The host, as well as all the men who have already been admitted to the event, are wearing suit jackets, bow ties, and denim cutoffs. The women are dressed appropriately. The host is addressing a couple who are waiting to get in….
Continue Reading…
Recent Posts
Watch Bob Mankoff’s Facebook Live: How About Never? My Life in Cartoons
During this Facebook Live, Bob talks about his time as The New Yorker Cartoon Editor, about his creative process, and how to stimulate yours.
Anatomy of a Cartoon: Literary Classics
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 literary cartoons. Well-meaning English teachers have assigned classic plays and novels to teenaged students for generations. The archaic language and stilted social conventions, however, alienate all but the…
Continue Reading…
“Ball-Shaped Businessman” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
First, today is my twin-daughters’ 16th birthday. Happy birthday, girls! Now, on to the commentary. In the late Charles Barsotti’s cartoon, a businessman has just been knocked off his feet by a ball-shaped doppelganger who’s happily rolling along the ground. The man who’s been knocked off his feet is speaking. This contest highlights the difference…
Continue Reading…
“Levitating Patient” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
Carolita Johnson’s cartoon is set in a psychiatrist’s office, where the patient is being levitated above the couch by a magician. The magician is passing a hoop over the patient to show that there are no invisible strings. The psychiatrist is speaking. I first tried to reconcile the disparate elements—magic and psychiatry—by referring to a…
Continue Reading…