When a natural disaster occurs with as much force and power as the earthquake and tsunami that recent struck Japan, a cartoonist is often faced with the challenge of tying to be thoughtful without abandoning his or her own originality. Â I wanted to avoid Japanese flags, Godzilla and references to World War II (see my post about Japanese cartoon “Yahtzees”).
With my first cartoon about the tsunami, I wanted to use a simple image to express sorrow for the Japanese people …
When I was a kid, in the 1960’s, Reddy Kilowatt was the face of modern, nuclear energy …
Here are a couple of guys who always make me laugh …
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that leveled Japan over the weekend, the explosion at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has elevated fears of nuclear fallout. Some are putting the accident on a level just below Chernobyl.
Cartoonists from around the world are weighing in the dangerous situation, as well as it’s ramification for nuclear energy worldwide. See what they think in our Nuclear Crisis cartoon slideshow.
Patrick Chappatte / The International Herald Tribune (click to view cartoon collection)
Every once and a while, cartoonists working hundreds of miles apart will conjure up similar ideas for a cartoon on the same subject. When five or more cartoonists draw the same gag, we refer to these as “Yahtzees.” Our most recent Yahtzee featured Leslie Nielsen and his famous “don’t call me Shirley” line from “Airplane.”
In the aftermath of the disaster that has devastated Japan, several cartoon Yahtzees have emerged from the cartoonists covering this tragic, ongoing event.
As they tend to be instantly-recognizable visual metaphors, cartoonists often use a country’s flag in their cartoon commentary. The Japanese flag is no different, as these cartoonists show:
John Sherffius / Boulder Daily Camera Manny Francisco / Manila, The PhillippinesMartin Sutovec / SlovakiaHajo de Reijger / The NetherlandsR.J. Matson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch Petar Pismestrovic / Kleine Zeitung, AustriaBrian Adcock / Scotland
Another visual metaphor that is conjured up by the tsunami is “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” a famous woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. This was also used by several cartoonists:
Martin Sutovec / SlovakiaR.J. Matson / St. Lous Post-DispatchPeter Lewis / AustraliaFrederick Deligne / Nice-Matin, Nice, FranceAislin / Montreal GazetteKap / SpainMike Keefe / Denver Post
Finally, as the news broke of the possible meltdown of several nuclear reactors, another similar thought crept into the mind of several cartoonists: Godzilla. The famous Japanese icon made its way into at least five cartoons about the disaster, qualifying it as the third unique cartoon Yahtzee:
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan overnight, creating a 23-foot tsunami that swept through coastal areas in Northern Japan, killing hundreds of people. Whenever a natural disaster or tragic event occurs, cartoonists are there to weigh in and present a unique perspective, often saying more with one powerful image than all the words on a page combined (that’s my cartoon below).
$3.70. That’s the average price of gas where I live in California. In fact, the statewide average price of unleaded regular is $3.91 a gallon, up 50 cents from the Feb. 8 AAA survey. And as long as that crazy dictator in Libya is hell bent on shooting his citizens instead of relinquishing power, I imaging we can expect more of the same at the pump.
