New Toon: Dude, Where's My Karr?

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Now that it's been established that John Karr did not murder a little kid a decade ago, the media is talking about it even more. Check out this beautiful photo of Rita Cosby over at ThinkProgess. Can you spot the obsessive weirdo?

August Pollak gets credit for the title of the strip.

From the Mail Bag

Why are you cartoons so slanted? Is that the only way they publish politico cartoon this days. Seems like its always a shot at the right? Any problems with being an equal opportunity basher. I cant say I like either side, but I do enjoy parodies lampooning both sides of the aisle.

Donnie Mac

No, it's not the only way they publish cartoons. Usually the only way they publish them in dailies are inoffensive lame jokes. I try not to impose the fairness doctrine in my comics, I just try to make them funny. I suppose they aren't funny to the people I typically skewer, such as hypocritical right-wingers, religious zealots, and pussy democrats, but I'm unconcerned with what those groups think of me. I'm not an objective journalist, I'm just anti-bullshit.

Here are three anti-bullshit takes on Democrats for you. And here is a recent cartoon making fun of certain peace activists.

And from a friend:

I have the "Sudan is for Lovers" postcard posted prominently in my office at the day job and have already been told by our HR head that "it might not be appropriate for a work environment." Her blank stare when I replied that I vactioned there said it all...

And a nice fellow by the name of N.W.A.-CRIP writes about my NWA comic:

o shit so matt bors is the dead man that made this, im gonna fucking stomp your pussy face in. you must be a stupid motha fucka for callin eazy e the fuckin god fatha of rap sleazy p,plaese tell me where you live because i would love to get dre and ren and show you how n.w.a really does things. this fuckin gay pussy website thinks it can diss N.W.A, no way im goin to let you fuckin faggots even try to diss us .I will come where ever the fuck gay place this website is located and fuckin stomp all you then leave a blue bandana layin cross ya face.

New Toon: Alternatives to Democracy

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This gets us all caught up with where we need to be on the Seattle Stranger strips. They will continue to appear here Monday. To keep that going for as long as possible, consider sending them an e-mail.

New Toon: Never Forget

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So I had this idea for collector's items from New Orleans to put on your shelf to show your solidarity with the people who are still homeless down there and then Ben Smith beats me to it and puts a bunch of commemorative items for 9/11 in his last comic. His is better because it also includes a Yoo 3000 Constitution Shredder.

The two cartoons I did on New Orleans immediately following the disaster can be found here and here. Other good cartoons on New Orleans are Brian's 9th Ward Beach party and Ben once again with Sim City.

Confederate Porn...Banned!

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This strip was to be running this week in the Seattle Stranger, but was spiked due to it's "controversial" content. This is the Seattle Stranger we are talking about, one of the only American newspapers to print the riot inducing Muhammad cartoons. They even printed my comic on UN Ambassador John Bolton where I have him take an Arab woman as a "prize fuck", beat her up, and smoke hash. What had happened?

"I'm afraid you've reached our limit! Congrats," The Art Director wrote me.

Here is the strips predecessor, Colonial Porn, which previously ran in the Stranger:

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I wanted this comic printed dammit, so I phoned the only candidate left for the job, the Buffalo Beast. The Beast also printed the Muhammad cartoons, including my death threat inspiring Tom Toles parody. Surely they would run 'Confederate Porn,' right?

"I don't think any of the other Editors will bat an eyelid," said Editor Al Uthman. "We'll print it."

I wasn't trying to be particularly controversial with this one. I prefer when papers don't spike my comics and I get paid. What do you think? Did I cross the line?

Cartoonists With Attitude

I've teamed up with other members of the Attitude anthologies series to launch a new website called Cartoonists with Attitude. Contributors include Ted Rall, Mikhaela Reid, Brian McFadden, Jen Sorensen, Ben Smith, August Pollak, Stephanie McMillan, and Masheeka Wood. We'll all be sharing a table at SPX on October 13&14 in Bethesda, Maryland.

If you aren't familiar with some of the creators, check out the group blog , which will collect posts from all our individual websites into one convenient place.

Oh and I'm posting a bunch of comics this week so be checking back.

New Illustration

Cover for this week's City Paper in Pittsburgh for their story about student debt. Feels good to do something in Pittsburgh again. My strip was running there for a year or so in a paper called the Front until they folded (It began there in my college student paper). In my portfolio you'll see a bunch of covers I did for them that they never paid me for. Freelance rules!

So all of you Yinzers who now read the strip online should take a moment to write an e-mail to CP's Editor Chris Potter and bring Idiot Box back to the 'burg.

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More Family Circus!

I've written a few words on Cagle's blog about Editorial Cartooning and the New York Times. Check it out.

200th Strip: No Queers, Please!

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We are an Army of One....sexual orientation. The 726 number is real, as reported in the New York Times. Meanwhile, we are relaxing standards for white supremacists. I imagine a scenario where some codebreakers are sitting in a room, deciphering transmissions from the enemy. One is found to be gay. A General walks over and orders him to stop working, telling him his will be discharged from the military. "But why?" the man asks. "I'd rather leave America open to an attack than have a fucking gay guy help the country out," the General says "Get out! We'll deal with our troop shortage some other way."

At least when soldiers rape 14 year old Iraqi girls and burn their bodies we know they aren't sick fags.

On a lighter note, this strip is #200 for me. On this momentous day, I'd like to take a look back at some Idiot Box milestones.

the first strip:

The first few were retroactively titled Idiot Box when I launched my first website. Here is the seventh, but actually the first, Idiot Box strip ever:

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#50 old Joe Mentum. How appropriate.

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All about the Benjamins.

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#150. Before they were outing secret terror-fighting programs, a reporter actually outed a secret Gulag of ours. How appalling!

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That's all for now. I plan on keeping this whole thing going well into the thousands, so stick around. And pick up my collections in the store so you can read the rest!

The Glorious Life of a Cartoonist

Mark Henricks of the Wall Street Journal's StartUpJournal.com has written about me and other cartoonists for his 'lifestyle entrepreneurs' column:

Cartooning Draws Expressive Individuals

For Matt Bors and many other cartoonists, drawing funny pictures is a serious way to make a living. "I've been into comics forever, and I never wanted to do anything else, really," says the 22-year-old author of the Idiot Box strip.

Mr. Bors, of Canton, Ohio, started drawing cartoons for his college student newspaper while studying graphic design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and now sells Idiot Box to alternative weekly newspapers in several cities.

Idiot Box on YouTube

The video podcast on me by the General Cabbage Report that was done last month has been posted on youtube. I've been trying to post the video in the blog, but it's just not letting me, so you have to click the link. Very time consuming, I know.

Random Freethought Stuff

• A great episode of the Infidel Guy show. Charles Goodman argues the Buddhist concept of "no-self" from a logical and scientific standpoint and explained why atheists should adopt it. Extremely thought provoking.
  
• freethunk comics!
  
• Armor of God Pajamas. No Kidding. (via August)
  
• Check out this youtube video of a Sam Harris speech in Canada, which pretty much encapsulates his argument in The End Of Faith. If you haven't read it yet, do so immediately. His next book, Letter To A Christian Nation, comes out next month.
  
• The Landover Baptist Church.
  
• Hardcore reborn christian Stephen Baldwin, of the Baldwin acting troupe, is releasing a memoir of his brainwashing titled The Unusual Suspect: My Calling to the New Hardcore Movement of Faith. Note how the title is derived from the only good movie he has been in. Note that it is co-authored because he can't write. From the Publisher's description:

  Stephen Baldwin explains why he compares his new life of faith to jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, and calls on you to take the plunge.

  You go on ahead first, Stephen. I'm right behind you!
  

New Illustration

I'm supposed to post a new comic today for the Seattle Stranger, but 'Confederate Porn' was held for a week to consult the publisher on whether or not they should print this one. You see, it contains one of those racially sensitive jokes. Kind of. I don't know what their decision is so I don't want to publish it here first. Tune in next week to see what all the fuss is over Mason Dickson.

In the meantime, here is a cover for the Anchorage Press. Sarah Palin is the Republican candidate for Governor and almost assured a victory. There is a GOP backlash against her however, because she is running on one of those "reformer against all corruption" platforms.

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New Toon: AirPort Security 2015

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So I'm all for being safe and whatnot when I fly, but just how safe do they need to make me? I will accept a certain amount of risk if it means I can bring a magazine and a jar of gourmet baby food on my flight.

I pose it as a joke in the comic, but if a terrorist were to smuggle some C4 in his rear end and blow up a flight, would we then have to submit to anal cavity searches? I think the answer would be yes, seeing as how we have to take off our smelly shoes for the rest of our life because a crazy tried to set his explosive shoe on fire.

A version without the cussing went out earlier in the week if you saw it anywhere on the web.

Next week: Terrorists and Confederate Porn!

New Toon: Another Corner Turned

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New Toon: The 1% Doctrine

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Posting a bit late today because I've been sick. I want to make this brief so I will just say the 1% Doctrine of Dick Cheney is real and detailed in a new book by Ron Suskind. And to explain it, I'll just quote the New Yorker, who quoted Suskind, who quoted Cheney:

In November, 2001, Suskind writes, Vice-President Dick Cheney announced that if there was "a one percent chance" that a threat was real "we have to treat it as a certainty in terms of our response." He added, "It's not about our analysis, or finding a preponderance of evidence."

Well, I'm sold on the idea. My only question is when will we implement this doctrine into our Science or Math curriculums?

Joe-Mentum

"For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand," Lieberman said.

He is running as an Independent and trying to defeat the Democrat for the sake of the Democratic party? Let's see is there are any Democrats who will endorse him, you know, for the sake of the party.

I'm just really really hoping he loses. I've got a big send off planned.

New Toon: NYT Anti-American Agenda

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I had written this comic back when the financial spying scandal broke in the New York Times, but didn't do it because I figured my Editors (and readers) wouldn't care as much about the New York Times' anti-cartoon policy as I do. But I had some extra time last week and busted out two comics. I've been pleasantly surprised with the reaction so far.

With rapidly disappearing staff cartoonist jobs already the norm, papers like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times completely eliminating comics sets a dangerous precedent for those in my profession and decent comic-loving Americans everywhere. Setting aside the usually lame comics section when your readership is only interested in hard news (as is the case with those two papers) is one thing, but eliminating political cartoons on the editorial page is ludicrous. More columns from David Brooks and Thomas Friedman please!

I've basically just switched the subject and kept the rhetoric the same (even toned down a bit, actually--you just can't compete with reality these days). Right-Wingers were calling for the execution of Editors by gas chamber , while Ann Coulter prefers "a firing squad, but I'm open to a debate on the method of execution." If it were about adding the Family Circus, I'd agree completely.

Comics To Check Out

• Mathematician Brian McFadden has calculated the Price of Life to the 32nd decimal point.
• Jen Sorensen points out all the new Satellite Radio stations.
• The first rule of War Crimes club is you do not talk about War Crimes Club.
• The tooth fairy visits Family Circus.
• Rex Babin has a clearance on crappy Mel Gibson cartoons.
  

New Toon: Condi & Bolton

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Consider Me Stunned

Apparently facts can break through even the thickest veil of bigotry and superstition. Pat Robertson has stated he now believes Global Warming is real.

"...it is getting hotter and the ice caps are melting and there is a build up of carbon dioxide in the air. We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels. If we are contributing to the destruction of the planet we need to do something about it."

It's great if he's serious. This is a guy who blames most weather phenomenon on anal sex, so I have to wonder why the conversion. But apparently, Pat Robertson is now displaying a finer grasp of logic than the President. I'd like to say that again. Pat Robertson is now displaying a finer grasp of logic than the President.

New Toon: It's The End Of The World As We Know It...

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...and they feel fine. The message board over at Rapture Ready was brimming with excitement as people started needlessly dying in the Middle East. Some of their comments were getting attention from atheist blogs so they pulled them. But not before they were reprinted elsewhere, such as Bartholomew's notes on religion:

• I too am soooo excited!! I get goose bumps, literally, when I watch what's going on in the M.E.!!
• I am a Jewish princess, my Father is the King of Kings!
• Days like today it's all I want. Other days because of others I want one more. But what a privilege to be apart of the rapture. I can hardly wait!!
• I am excited beyond words that the struggle of this life may be over soon and I can finally be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

CNN: Rapture Ready

CNN, a once trusted news source, has spiraled further into FOX territory by treating the Biblical Apocalypse as a legitimate news story. A staggering number is revealed in the video: 59% of people believe the events in Revelation will come true (according to a Harris poll of 1,000 people). OK, so you are doing a segment to play to your more ignorant viewers. At least have some journalistic integrity and get some skeptic/scientist/atheist on there to give the rational based view. Instead they get a Catholic priest who thinks Revelation was not meant to be taken literally. "My view of magic differs slightly from yours."

New Toon: Regime Change

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I decided to do this extra one panel comic yesterday for a change. And because I didn't have any work to do. The premise relies on you knowing about the situation with Fidel Castro.

The New Yorker's psychic editors were already on top of the news, printing a long story about Castro's plans for succession in the current issue. Going to print this week with his upcoming 80th birthday celebration in mind, it ended up being even more relevant.

New Toon: Media Activity Fun Sheet

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This one is running as a full page in the current issue of the Cleveland Free Times.

Special thanks to BlackDog.net, who let me use their skull maze and saved me many tedious hours of work creating my own (I altered it slightly, adding teeth). I posted that cartoon as a stand alone yesterday.

ACLU Comics

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I've started working with the ACLU on their new website Stand Up. It's targeted at the yutes and has audio and video features with podcast coming soon. So, I'll be attempting to make the site cool by adding a new one page comic every two months or so. Each one has to do with a specific issue the ACLU focuses on. First up, racial profiling.

Thursday: It's the end of the world as we know it...and they feel fine.