Bad Cartoonist
Over the last few years, more and more editorial cartoonists are ridiculing their own profession. I'm not sure if this happens in many other communities, but we specialize in wielding brickbats so why not on ourselves? The best example is Ward Sutton's weekly cartoons in the Onion, which parody a hack cartoonist.
The latest critic is an anonymous editorial cartoonist that started a blog called Bad Cartoonist ripping on work, sometimes with some personal attacks thrown in. He (it's almost certainly a man) is definitely a professional cartoonist with personal knowledge of the people he's attacking so it's whipping up a firestorm of speculation. The Daily Cartoonist has an interview with the unknown blogger and a growing comment thread with a lot of pros responding. Justin Bilicki already has a comic about it.
Internal criticism is sometimes hard to take, but editorial cartooning desperately needs it. The artist should have started the blog with their name on it, but whatever. I guess it's more exciting this way. Everyone gets to call each other and rampantly speculate! Maybe we can out him like Larry Craig.
I've been told that some artists have floated my name as a possibility. It's not me.
I have been critical of the state of political cartoons though. The first time a lot of people saw my work was when Cagle posted this cartoon on his blog on 2005.
The latest critic is an anonymous editorial cartoonist that started a blog called Bad Cartoonist ripping on work, sometimes with some personal attacks thrown in. He (it's almost certainly a man) is definitely a professional cartoonist with personal knowledge of the people he's attacking so it's whipping up a firestorm of speculation. The Daily Cartoonist has an interview with the unknown blogger and a growing comment thread with a lot of pros responding. Justin Bilicki already has a comic about it.
Internal criticism is sometimes hard to take, but editorial cartooning desperately needs it. The artist should have started the blog with their name on it, but whatever. I guess it's more exciting this way. Everyone gets to call each other and rampantly speculate! Maybe we can out him like Larry Craig.
I've been told that some artists have floated my name as a possibility. It's not me.
I have been critical of the state of political cartoons though. The first time a lot of people saw my work was when Cagle posted this cartoon on his blog on 2005.
The Bad Cartoonist brings up a lot of embarrassing characteristics of "mainstream" comics--the cliche driven metaphors, the random cross hatching thrown behind word bubbles for no apparent reason, and the Jeff MacNelly style that so many cartoonist derive their work from.
The blog is enraging some pros because of the anonymous nature of the criticism (and the ad hominem attacks). I understand their beef. But I think the blog points out something important about this diminishing profession: There's simply too much unoriginal work drawn in very similar styles.
It's the fault of the artists as well as their editors. The decades-long drive to get an editorial cartoon that appeals to all readers has lead to safe, homogenized, and uninspiring cartoons that most everyday people can't even differentiate. Many editors are fearful of any cartoon that takes a partisan position and instead reprint safe political gag cartoons (as exemplified by the cartoons run three inches wide in Newsweek).
I just don't see the excessive labeling and holiday metaphors (cupid shooting arrows at whomever is in the news near Valentine's Day) as resonating with people in 2008. It's time to move on from that.
The anonymous criticism within our ranks may spawn resentment and paranoia but hopefully it will embarrass some people to do better work.
It's the fault of the artists as well as their editors. The decades-long drive to get an editorial cartoon that appeals to all readers has lead to safe, homogenized, and uninspiring cartoons that most everyday people can't even differentiate. Many editors are fearful of any cartoon that takes a partisan position and instead reprint safe political gag cartoons (as exemplified by the cartoons run three inches wide in Newsweek).
I just don't see the excessive labeling and holiday metaphors (cupid shooting arrows at whomever is in the news near Valentine's Day) as resonating with people in 2008. It's time to move on from that.
The anonymous criticism within our ranks may spawn resentment and paranoia but hopefully it will embarrass some people to do better work.
posted by Matt Bors at
1:04 AM
7 Comments:
The bad cartoonist needs to get the name right, tho.
That Hillary Clinton cartoon where BC claims to be drawn with buttcheeks by "Glen (sic) McCoy" is actually by Gary McCoy, Glenn's brother.
I guess it's easy to confuse the two. They both have similar artstyle (although Gary's are more rougher) and are very right-wing.
Interesting, Matt - I hadn't heard about this.
I was disappointed, though, that the BC didn't have more examples from Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle, who violates every single tenet that you and the BC hate: inept caricatures, lapel pins that identify the most recognizable people, use of giant newspapers with thuddingly obvious headlines, "Uncle Sam" walking into panels, and labels on EVERYTHING.
His latest cartoon shows Rep. John Lewis (drawn as one of McKee's trademark Scary Black Men) stabbing a really hideous Hillary Clinton in the back. You know it's gotta hurt because he added cartoon stars wafting out of the wound.
But McKee's best work lately was his reaction to the NY Times story on John McCain. It had the requisite giant newspaper, but what made it quintessentially McKeeian was the treatment of the editor, who not only had a cigar in his mouth (because all newspaper editors chomp on cigars in the newsroom these days), but also had a plate on his desk that read EDITOR. Just so you wouldn't have to think about it.
I'm really glad you posted about this, I've found it really interesting.
People seem a little too hung up on the anonymity thing, frankly. Especially if the comments under that interview are any indication. Maybe it's a little too close to home if the guy is a personal friend or something, but jeese. If the remarks are unfounded, then ignore them. It's that simple.
Penny Arcade get heat for this sort of thing all the time, when they lampoon lazy video game developers and critics. Who care if they've never made a game before, or if they aren't professional critics? Their perspective is valid 99% of the time.
Yeesh, wish I could edit comments. Apparently my keyboard was running short on the letter S.
Not one day after I posted that comment, and McKee draws THIS:
http://spotted.augusta.com/chronicle/display.html?gallery=87728&photo=427950&imgsize=zoom
Are we sure he isn't the cat who draws the parody political cartoons for The Onion?
Kevin - McKee sure is a national treasure!
1,2,3 - The 100+ comments to that thread show the guy is ruffling feathers and that his criticism matters.
Hey, looky what I found...
Well, .....Kevin Allman, cheesy, no-talent, hack writer..... is entitled to his opinion.
(I just wanted that to show up when he Googles himself for the rest of his life...)
I've been called much worse by much better witers, Kev, but did you really refer to me as a "cat"?! Who are you, Daddy'O? Sammy Frickin' Davis Jr.? That kind of creaky writing is why your books are for sale for 21 cents on Amazon. That's still too much if you ask me. And "Hot Shot" as a book title? Wow. How original. Bet that's never been done before.
And Matt... I like your stuff. Seriously. But what you and the other alties fail to realize is that mainstream cartoonists, like myself, have a much larger reader demographic: ages 6 to 106. Your readership is mostly hip, well-educated urbanites. My readers span the spectrum of ages, "current event awareness" and reading ability.
You and your blog buddies are welcome to go through my archives anytime at: http://spotted.augusta.com/chronicle/display.html?event=0&gallery=28124&page=1
I make no claims to be the best. I'm not. But I think you'll find I'm certainly not the worst either. Please. Go through and tell me what you think. I can take it.
And, Kev, FYI all my editors have smoked cigars. For real, Daddy-O!
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