Political cartoonists on navigating a changing media landscape

Political cartoonists on navigating a changing media landscape
Jeffrey Brown:
PBS News Hour's CANVAS Art in Action, Apr 25, 2025 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/political-cartoonists-on-navigating-a-changing-media-landscape 

Alex Fine show at Dwightmess - opening night photos

I popped in briefly to say hello and check out the exhibit. We used to see his work regularly in the Washington Post Magazine, illustrating Gene Weingarten's column. Information on the show follows the pictures. This exhibit is mostly celebrity portraits. Here's Bruce Guthrie's photos.

 

Alex Fine

 

 And a Taylor Swift print for sale, but not on the wall. This was for an Economics journal based on the money generated by her Eras tour:

Hairhoppers & Showstoppers:
Portraits, Posters, and Editorial Art by Alex Fine

Bio: Alex Fine is a Baltimore-based illustrator with an extensive client list that includes TIME Magazine, Newsweek,  Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Wired, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, Scholastic, Harper Collins, AT&T, Variety, Baltimore City Paper, and Politico. He is represented in North America and United Kingdom by SNYDER.

"My first art show in years and I’ll have a large collection of well coiffed portraits, band posters, and editorial art from years of magazine and newspaper work. Contact me or Dwightmess with any print requests and if you live in the DMV, hope to see you there!" ~Alex

Check out more of Alex's artwork !!--> @alexfineillos

Event Info:
Hairhoppers & Showstoppers:
Portraits, Posters, and Editorial Art by Alex Fine

Opening Reception:
Friday. January 10th. 7-9pm.

Location:
DWIGHTMESS
805 Silver Spring Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

In Solidarity with Ann Telnaes by Daniel Boris

Michael Ramirez finally addresses WaPo spineless non-endorsement in the WaPo

Guess which side he comes down on?

You're right! What a shock!

My initial blog post on this has now been updated 10x.  

Alexandra Bowman's first appearance on Counterpoint? updated

https://counterpoint.substack.com/p/new-perspectives-edition?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=3tf3m&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

 

Yes, it is ...

See my new political cartoon for Counterpoint!

My first cartoon in two years... we're off to the races!

Alexandra Bowman

Jun 28 2024 https://stateofthearts.substack.com/p/see-my-new-political-cartoon-for

 

On belatedly discovering Walt Carr

 Today I happened to check the Little Free Library in front of my house, and there was a political cartoon book in it. I wasn't familiar with it, so I took it in the house to take a look. African-American* cartoonist Walt Carr's self-published Just Us! is full of fantastic cartoons. Carr is from the Baltimore area, and is living (I hope) in Columbia, MD. A gag cartoonist turned political cartoonist in his old age (literally, he was born in 1932), these are hard-hitting cartoons of the type you'd expect in a Keith Knight publication. I'm very grateful to whomever put it in my LFL as I didn't pay much attention to the Washington Post article (citation below) on him that came out during the pandemic. I don't know how you can buy his book now - the Amazon link on his website says they don't have it in stock. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum is the only library in WorldCat that claims to have a copy.

Here's some cartoons that struck me as I'm reading the book. Sadly, they're still relevant.

Here's a list of material that I found on him that I will be adding into the Comics Research Bibliography. I've sent an email asking for an interview - as you can see below, he was still active last year. 

Walt Carr’s website CARRtoons plus - http://carrtoonsplus.com/index.html

Just us!
Walt Carr
 [Uptown Press], [Baltimore, Maryland], 2019

Carr releases collection of his legendary cartoons
by Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire
    New Pittsburgh Courier September 30, 2019
https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2019/09/30/carr-releases-collection-of-his-legendary-cartoons/

Walt Carr Cartoons for “Just Us”
D. D. Degg   
https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/09/27/walt-carr-cartoons-for-just-us/

Aunt Jemima cartoon causing ruckus in Ohio [Walt Carr]
Alan Gardner   
https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2009/12/03/aunt-jemima-cartoon-causing-ruckus-in-ohio/

Political cartoonist Walt Carr
Doug Kapustin (photos)
Baltimore Sun October 15, 2019
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2019/10/15/political-cartoonist-walt-carr/

Columbia political cartoonist’s book ‘JUST US!’ showcases a black perspective on current events
By Jess Nocera

October 16, 2019
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2019/10/16/columbia-political-cartoonists-book-just-us-showcases-a-black-perspective-on-current-events/

‘Just Us!’ Should Have Everyone ‘Laughin,’ ‘Signifyin’
  by Stacy M. Brown
Washington Informer July 25, 2019
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/just-us-should-have-everyone-laughin-signifyin/

Howard resident, author Pamela Woolford tells the untold stories of black Columbia [Walt Carr]
By Capital Gazette February 19, 2020
https://www.capitalgazette.com/2020/02/19/howard-resident-author-pamela-woolford-tells-the-untold-stories-of-black-columbia/

Walt Carr Follow-Up
By Sean Kleefeld
Kleefeld on Comics February 11, 2021
http://www.kleefeldoncomics.com/2021/02/walt-carr-follow-up.html

A Black political cartoonist’s new book pokes and provokes. He’s planning another [in print as A veteran Black cartoonist takes setback in stride].
Courtland Milloy
Washington Post September 30, 2020, p. B1, 3
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-political-cartoonist/2020/09/29/43fc8dc8-0270-11eb-897d-3a6201d6643f_story.html

Columbia cartoonist among first to highlight struggles of Black Americans [Walt Carr; online as Cartoonist highlights struggles of Black Americans in mainstream publications]
WBAL Feb 16, 2021
Lisa Robinson
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/cartoonist-walt-carr-highlights-struggles-of-black-americans/35521322 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMwcPM2ntSw

Avery, Jaha N. 2023. Those Who Saw the Sun: African American Oral Histories from the Jim Crow South [Walt Carr oral history]. United States: Levine Querido.

A Talk With Cartoonists Ray Billingsley, Walt Carr and Angelo Lopez
Angelo Lopez
 Apr 2, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=J2w9ZbErZ88

*"Black" really isn't helpful when it comes to search engines finding an article, hence I'm using the older term.

That darn Michael Ramirez

the May 7 editorial cartoon (Michael Ramirez/Las Vegas Review-Journal for The Washington Post)

Another reason to be up in arms

Bruce Krebs, Arlington

Washington Post May 25 2024.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/24/jackson-state-killings-kent-state-massacre/

Michael Ramirez's May 7 editorial cartoon, "A never-ending cycle," copied M.C. Escher's artwork "Drawing Hands" (with "apologies" to Escher as a credit). Escher emphatically rejected a letter from the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, requesting a drawing for an album cover. My opinion is he would not appreciate Ramirez's use of his work, either. But what was Ramirez's point?

I am unaware of President Biden making a dramatic increase in civil service employees. I guess Ramirez was satirizing aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. As most of that money buys weapons and ammunition made in the United States to send to foreign destinations, this circle provides profit for U.S. arms manufacturers and jobs for Americans, which I thought were conservative ideals. What's not to like, Mr. Ramirez?

Today's Republican Party by Daniel Boris

This cartoon appeared originally on Politics Code Blue and was created in collaboration with PCB.

Jerry Buckley cartoon donated to Library of Congress

This Jerry Buckley political cartoon was batched with an influenza cartoon that I wanted. My loss is the nation's gain.

Clone Wars - The Battle for President by Daniel Boris

updated 5/25 at Boris' request.

Do Not Look by Daniel Boris

 

Criminal Referrals on the Menu by Daniel Boris

 

The U.S. House of Representatives Delivers a Holiday Gift to America

 

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "America's Favorite Fascist"

From Mike Flugennock, DC anarchist cartoonist...

"America's Favorite Fascist"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=3568

So, a few days back, a follower on Mastodon (spit) posted this article from the Union Of Orthodox Journalists from May 2018, about a Ukrainian postage stamp series honoring great thugs — uhh, soldiers — of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) on its 75th anniversary. Yeah, that's right, Ukraine fought proudly on the fascist side, and venerates these filthy bastards to this day.

Then, I had to ask myself — why no stamp with Zelensky? God only knows they still loves them some Nazis over there, and I've pretty much lost track of how many times Mr. Z has been busted doing happy-snap foto ops with Azov Battalion and Right Sector thugs showing off their cool 3rd SS Panzers and Waffen SS gear.

The guy is hanging with Nazis, stomping all over the Left, beating  down the working class, walking like a duck and quacking like a duck.

If you're going to #StandWithUkraine that's your business, but at least take a good, steamy gawk at what you're standing with and own it.

---------------

"Chaplain of SS Galicia featured on postage stamp", Union Of Orthodox Journalists, 05.03.2018
https://spzh.news/en/news/53086-kapellana-ss-galichina-izobrazili-na-pochtovoj-marke

"14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)" via Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Waffen_Grenadier_Division_of_the_SS_(1st_Galician)

"Ukrainian Collaboration With Nazi Germany", via Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_collaboration_with_Nazi_Germany

"Nothing unusual, just the President of #Ukraine #Zelensky publishes a selection of photographs on #VictoryDay over fascism, the first of which shows a #Ukrainian #Nazi with the chevron of the 3rd SS Panzer Division"
—Peter Pobjecky @Peterpobjecky on Twitter, 05.09.2022
https://twitter.com/peterpobjecky/status/1523654575429144576

"Ukrainian President Zelensky posts image of soldier wearing Nazi patch", Financial Assets, 05.09.2022
https://fa.news/articles/ukrainian_president_zelensky_posts_image_of_soldier_wearing_nazi_patch-185833/

"Zelensky Suspends 11 Left-Wing Political Parties", Paul Knaggs at Labour Heartlands, 03.20.2022
https://labourheartlands.com/ukraine-zelensky-suspends-11-left-wing-political-parties/

"President Zelenskyy Bans Opposition Parties in Ukraine", Juan Andrés Gallardo at Left Voice, 03.21.2022
https://www.leftvoice.org/president-zelenskyy-bans-opposition-parties-in-ukraine/

"Zelensky and NATO plan to transform post-war Ukraine into ‘a big Israel’", Alexander Rubinstein at The Grayzone, 09.17.2022
https://thegrayzone.com/2022/09/17/zelensky-nato-ukraine-big-israel/

______________________________

_____
Mike Flugennock, Political Cartoons: http://www.sinkers.org/stage
Mike's press kit: http://sinkers.org/stage/?page_id=2

 

The Very Rare "Tweeting Trump" Digital Trading Card by Daniel Boris

 

Sinema turns Independent by Daniel Boris

 

Steve Brodners's full spread about Biden in the Washington Post

This appeared in yesterday's paper. 

 

Online it's at 

  

All eyes on Joe Biden: The characters in the White House’s world, one year in

Illustration by Steve Brodner

Jan. 20, 2022 

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/interactive/2022/joe-biden-steve-brodner-year-one/

 

 

 

Michael de Adder, Canadian political cartoonist, joins The Post

de Adder was fired from his last position* one of his major customers for being too hard on Trump. It doesn't appear that he'll be moving to DC, as Toles did, nor will he have as many days as Tom.

Michael de Adder joins Washington Post Opinions as a political cartoonist

By WashPostPR

WashPost PR Blog March 26, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2021/03/26/michael-de-adder-joins-washington-post-opinions-political-cartoonist/

 

*Corrected.

 

See

 

Cavna, Michael. 2019.

This Trump critic’s cartoon went viral on social media. Within hours, he no longer had a contract [Michael de Adder, Canada].

Washington Post (June 30): https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/06/30/viral-trump-critic-canadian-cartoonist-loses-his-freelance-contract-with-publisher-brunswick-news/

 

Degg, D.D. 2019.

Brunswick News Inc. Cancels Michael de Adder – Updated.

Daily Cartoonist (June 29): http://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/06/29/brunswick-news-inc-cancels-michael-de-adder/

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Listen To The Science"

 From DC's anarchist cartoonist, Mike Flugennock -

"Listen To The Science"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=3158

(shown: full-length and "short mix";
Washington Post clipping 02.27.2021)

Oh, sweet jeeeeeezus, where do I even start with this? What, are they 
taking a break from slagging on Maduro? It's almost breathtaking, the 
way the Post is so obviously, openly mortified that the poor are being 
vaccinated first in Mexico...

Not to mention that they're basically taking this whole article to 
simply bleat "Listen to the science!" like everybody and their 
freakin' dog who's trying to shoehorn their goddamn agenda into 
someplace where it doesn't belong (usually people trying to whip the 
kids back to school so they can whip their parents back to work). 
"Listen To The Science" hit my Top Ten Bullshit Alarm List even faster 
than "Existential Threat". Why am I not the least surprised to see 
that clunker so quickly and clumsily weaponized?

I see absolutely jack in the Post about China doing their part in the 
WHO's cooperative vaccination program all over Africa and the Global 
South, but ZOMFG, López Obrador is vaccinating the poor first...! No 
big surprise here, either, as it seems Obrador is "the new Maduro" at 
the Post these days.

-----

"Mexico's Poor Go First Despite Science", Washington Post 02.26.2021
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexico-coronavirus-vaccine-lopez-obrador/2021/02/25/81c28c50-76ad-11eb-9537-496158cc5fd9_story.html

"China joins WHO-backed vaccine programme COVAX rejected by Trump", 
Reuters 10.08.2020
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-covax-idUKKBN26U027

"Venezuela Receives 500,000 COVID-19 Vaccines From China", TeleSur 03.02.2021
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Receives-500000-COVID-19-Vaccines-From-China-20210302-0002.html



Mike Flugennock, Political Cartoons: http://www.sinkers.org/stage
and follow me on Mastodon at https://mastodon.social/@flugennock