A decade of Nate Beeler cartoons on Cagle's syndicate site

Our formerly local Washington Examiner cartoonists work is at Nate Beeler Decade!

Catching up with conservative cartoonist Al Goodwyn

by Mike Rhode

It's been 6 years since I interviewed you for the Washington City Paper - The world's changed a bit since then - have you?

Other than grayer hair and higher cholesterol, I haven't changed much.  Still enjoying life in DC.  And you're right, the world has certainly changed, some for the good and some for the bizarre.  What's also bizarre is that the good and bizarre labels seem to flip depending on individual political perspectives.

About six months ago you started a cartoon blog with Jeff Newman where you provide conservative political cartoons and he does humorous commentary on public events.  Can you tell us how that started, and why you're doing it? How is the reaction?

I had been wanting to try my hand at blogging for some time.  Given that the first steps at blogging aren't really part of the creative process, but include figuring out the mechanics of blogging, the layout, and all of the key strokes needed just to get started, it stayed on the back burner for years.  Jeff's a good friend of mine back in South Carolina and we chat often about politics.  He was actually the push to make the blog finally happen. 

It was over a few beers with Jeff that the topic of blogging resurfaced.  We convinced ourselves we could manage a blog.  Isn't beer amazing?  We wanted the theme to somehow counter the growing number of people who get their news from Comedy Central and memes.  We were both a fan of the book Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole where people seemingly amassed in a confederacy to stymie the protagonist's every move.  From our prospective those who simply latch on to whatever fits their world view without validation from other sources were acting like drones, hence Confederacy ofDrones was launched. 

With lots of snarkiness, satire and sarcasm, we've been posting on a fairly routine basis since then.  Part for fun and part for sanity.  We've loaded over 150 posts so far. We even appreciate other perspectives and disagreement especially when opinions are backed up by facts. The blog can be found here: https://confederacyofdrones.com/.  The reaction has been positive and we've enjoyed engaging with other bloggers on politics.

You've been picked up to do print cartoons for the Washington Examiner, which was Nate Beeler's home when it was a daily. What is the story behind that? Is it all new material for them?

Nate is a phenomenal editorial cartoonist.  His work was a part of my metro commute when the Washington Examiner was a daily newspaper.  I was sorry to see that daily paper go away, partly because it changed my commute routine but mostly because it was another step in the fading of political cartoonists.  Nate has been, and I'm sure he'll continue to be, used by the Washington Examiner through syndication. 

My involvement with the Washington Examiner came about because my cartooning outlet of 28 years, the HealthPhysics News, was cutting back on costs and no longer wanted cartoons.  My start at cartooning began with them back in 1989 when they were called the Health Physics Society Newsletter and ever since then I had been a regular contributor … until this summer when they let me know that they would no longer be running cartoons.  I think they felt worse about it than I did.  It's a business decision that I completely understood.  They had been great to me over those many years and without them, it's possible I may never have tried my hand at cartooning.   

Since one door closed, I was in search of another.  The Washington Examiner, now a weekly news magazine, has its offices near mine in downtown DC.  I made contact with several people there and after they looked at some of my work, we met in person.  They were encouraging during that meeting and indicated that they'd like to occasionally use my work.  The first was in the September 18^th issue. 

How does it feel to have a 'reinvigorated' political cartoon career as a conservative in 2017? 

It's great to have an outlet whether it's the blog or in print.  There's so much going on and so many opportunities to identify contrary opinions to what's happening in politics and society, that there's plenty of motivating material for cartoons. 

Even though I lean to the right and most of my cartoons have a conservative tilt, I still poke at Republicans and President Trump.  Of course many would say, and I'd agree, that those are easy targets based on recent missteps and gaffs.  Fortunately as far as US presidents are concerned, we don't elect them for life.  Unfortunately, in the absence of term limits for congress, the country has moved too far away from the citizen politician and more toward entrenched career politicians.  You'd think with the level of political fodder available today for lampooning that the world of political cartoons would be a thriving industry.  Maybe, again, some day.

Most laughable reason to disagree with Fiore's Pulitzer goes to...

...the Washington Examiner!

From April 18, 2010's "10 Lowlights of the Week" column:

#4 Puerile Pulitzer
Political cartoonist award goes to 'Tea Bag' jokester

The details: According to the Pulitzer committee, Mark Fiore "Set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary" with his animated cartoons on the Internet. Fiore is best known for a cartoon, "Learn to Speak Tea Bag" which has tea party protesters running around screaming "Nazi! - Socialist! Baby killer!" High standards, indeed.

On the next page, Nate Beeler picked his pro-Tea Party cartoon as his favorite of the week - can't agree with that call either, Nate.

Editorial cartoon change at the Examiner

Perusing today's Examiner online, we find that their editorial cartoon today is from Mike Ramirez and Creators Sydicate. I'm not sure if Cagletoons will still be providing cartoons to them as well. Their editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler is syndicated through Cagle.

Nate Beeler's The Year in Cartoons in Examiner

Today's Washington Examiner has Nate Beeler's The Year in Cartoons feature. I haven't looked at it yet, but I'll be stealing copies off the sidewalk for libraries at Michigan State and Ohio State. Nate's one of the best young editorial cartoonists working now, as well as being a friend of mine. And bravo to the Examiner for both doing this and putting it on the cover.

Joe Sacco reviewed in Washington Examiner

Joe Sacco's new book is reviewed in Washington Examiner, December 6, 2009, p. 26, but it doesn't appear to be online. Pull quotes:

"Having already established his reputations as the world's leading comics journalist, Sacco is now making a serious case to be considered one of the world's top journalists, period."

"Sacco's art is alternately epic and intimate, but he exceeds himself in the scope of his ambition (particularly in one sequence that shows in vivid terms how desert refugee camps from 1948 turned into the teeming slums of today). But it's his exacting and harrowing interviews that make this book an invaluable and wrenching piece of journalism."

The review is unsigned.

Washington Examiner editorial on Danish Islam Cartoons and Yale

I wouldn't have remotely written a column such as this one, but I am appalled by Yale's actions, inactions and stance regarding their Press' refusal to publish the Danish Islam Cartoons in a book about them, and then the over-reaction to Westergaard's visit. See "Yale chose Shariah over U.S. Constitution," by Diana West, Washington Examiner Columnist, October 11, 2009. I will note snarkily that the Constitution's guarantee of free speech doesn't mean that one has to take advantage of it.

Examiner goes negative

Today's Examiner printed Eric Allie's "Bending the Curve" syndicated cartoon from Cagle Cartoons, as a negative image, so it's black and
green and purple. It's an odd effect.

Examiner's USA Weekend magazine on Watchmen

The Washington Examiner's USA Weekend Sunday magazine is on Watchmen. That's the free paper that's delivered to some homes in the area. They commissioned Dave Gibbons to make them a new poster too, as seen on the right. I just walked around my neighborhood in the snow picking up copies for the libraries I supply. The poster's interesting - Gibbons used features of the actors so it's a curious blend of the graphic novel and the movie.

FYE in Georgetown has some Watchmen giveaway material too, I'm told.

Spider-Man and Obama

As is the case with pretty much every other major news media outlet, The Examiner has a blurb on Obama being in an upcoming issue of The Amazing Spider-Man (p. 10 in the 1/9/08 edition). The story originally ran in USA Today.

Comics Articles in Today's Free Papers UPDATED

And there's an online-only Aqua Teen Hunger Force bit at the Express today - "Hunger Forced: 5 Ridiculous Moments From 'Aqua Teen's' Shake."

Porter, Christopher. 2008.
Noisy, brutal genius: The second season of 'Metalocalypse' is a hilarious headbanger.
[Washington Post] Express (December 23): 17

Greenberg, Rudi. 2008.
Just keeps getting quirkier: The sixth volume of 'Aqua Teen' is as whacked as ever.
[Washington Post] Express (December 23): 15

Associated Press. 2008.
Batman and Japan: In a new book, perfect together.
Washington Examiner (December 23); 18

The incredible shrinking Examiner cartoon

The Washington Examiner, Nate Beeler's home paper, has cut the size of its editorial cartoons in half again to about 3" x 4" - tiny in other words. They've got Nate doing a full cover color caricature for the front of the Sunday tabloid (and two other editons), but inside you can barely see the cartoon. When the paper started a few years ago, Nate's cartoon ran at about 1/3 of a page and they had two pages of comic strips which are now gone. I'm sensing a trend...

Jason Rodriguez and Chris Piers Article

Jason Rodriguez and Chris Piers are featured in an article about careers - "Getting Ahead: The Write Stuff," by Rachel Kaufman Express, August 13, 2008.

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2008/08/wednesday_getting_ahead_the_write_stuff.php

Over in the Examiner, they note Jim Henson's career, including some of his works as a University of Maryland student cartoonist along with the Muppets, are on exhibit at the Smithsonian's Ripley Center (the underground one). The article isn't online.

Examiner starts comics blog too

I think this one is based out of Texas, but Brian Steinberg is writing the Comics Examiner blog as of August 6th apparently. He links to Cavna's Comic Riffs blog, but through a Houston paper link.

Nate Beeler featured in American University's magazine

I found this magazine in the library's sale section today:


Which led to finding this link to American University's alumni magazine for you gentle readers - "Drawn to Washington: Editorial cartoonist for the Washington Examiner, Nate Beeler '02 has a ringside seat for D.C.'s political circus," by Adrienne Frank, American (Spring 2008): 26-27. I don't know why he doesn't tell me about these things - maybe it's the new baby. By the way, the Examiner started running his work in color this past week.

Bought at the same library - three Story magazines, just for R.O. Blechman's covers:

If you haven't read Blechman's graphic novels, such as The Juggler of Our Lady, step away from this website and hunt them up through a used bookseller NOW.

Washington Examiner starts Sunday edition

The Examiner sent out an email today saying "is launching a new home-delivered Sunday edition. The Examiner is also doubling the newspapers we distribute weekdays through our street agents and our news racks to upwards of 100,000 copies. I hope you are as excited as we are! Look for your home-delivered Sunday edition to start arriving July 13." The Washington Times had mentioned the Sunday edition last week, but also said that fewer copies would be delivered during the week, and the Saturday edition was being dropped.

Apropos of our purposes, I have no idea if they will have a Sunday comics section. They dropped all of their daily comic strips months ago, although editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler is doing nice work for them when he's not busy having babies.

Examiner covers New York Comic-Con

See "Costumed crusaders hit Big Apple," by Jeremy Monken, The Examiner Apr 21, 2008. It's on page 22 of the print edition. There's also a sidebar "Comic cinema."

So, who's Monken? A new comics columnist for the Examiner, replacing Rosenberg and Truitt of years gone by?

Bits from the Examiner

Today's paper has The Best of Beeler 2007 in it, 5 cartoons. I don't think I agree w/ the editor's choices, but check it out and see what you think.

Also, Sam and Max was a comic book back in the day, and it was selected as the year's #1 videogame on page 21.

Nate Beeler congratulated by Examinerr

The Examiner ran this thingie (I'm sure it has a technical name) congratulating Nate for getting syndicated today.

Beeler. Nate Beeler.

Nate's picture is grinning from the weird wrap-around advertising for their website that the Examiner put on today's papers. So, they pick the most interesting picture for the cover they can, to attract attention in a town with ohhh, five free papers, I think, and then put a wrap-around ad over it. Nate's on the back as part of The Examiner News Team and Partners. His shortcut is Cartoons.

He did have a good bash at Al Gore in today's paper.