Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics examine cartoons about dear old Mom. Mother’s Day—a day dedicated to the person we love most … or at least the person we have the strongest feelings toward. Naturally, many cartoons feature mothers….
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Interview with Christopher Weyant, New Yorker Cartoonist
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to site down with cartoonist and illustrator Christopher Weyant. We talked about his new book, his cartoon process, writing with his wife and his Neiman Fellowship at Harvard in 2014. With his latest book We are (Not) Friends launching today it seemed like the perfect time to…
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“Treehouse” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
Tom Toro has drawn two kids in a tree house. On the opposite side of the tree is a branch supporting a cubicle where a man is sitting at his desk and conducting business on the telephone. One of the kids is looking at this man, and the other is speaking and presumably explaining why…
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“Bad Dog” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
In Lila Ash’s drawing, a young woman wearing sweatpants with the word PLINK emblazoned across the bottom is addressing (questioning? scolding?) a dog who’s looking down, as if shamed. Behind the dog are the outstretched legs of a murder victim. He’s lying in the doorway in a pool of blood, and there’s a bloody handprint…
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“Executioner and mom” Caption Contest Commentary with Lawrence Wood
Dr. Benjamin Schwartz has drawn a shirtless and hooded executioner introducing a kindly old woman (also wearing a hood) to his next victim: a prisoner who’s on his knees with his hands tied behind his back and his head above a chopping block. The executioner—whose expression, from what we can see, is not very threatening—is…
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