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.
An architect by education, Tommy Thomdean has grown to become one of Indonesia’s most talented cartoonists. He draws cartoons for the Jakarta Post, the largest English language newspaper in Indonesia, and I recently spoke to him about what it’s like to cartoon in his own country.
One thing I discovered about cartooning in Indonesia – Cartoonists apparently cross the line when they compare their leaders to Nixon.
We live in a free country, but sometimes that freedom is ugly. Like the freedom of the Westboro Baptist Church to show up at funerals of fallen soldiers and wave flags saying “God Hates Fags,” “God Hates America,” “God Loves Dead Soldiers, while singing God hates America to the tune of “God Bless America.” It may be vile, but the Supreme Court ruled that their speech is protected.
The free speech of cartoonists is protected as well. Check out what they think of the Supreme Court’s ruiling in our new Funeral Protests cartoon slideshow.
Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view cartoon collection)
Our talented conservative cartoonist, Eric Allie, drew a cartoon yesterday about the protests in Wisconsin that seems to have touched the nerve among our readers. In the cartoon, featured below, Allie recast the fight going on in Wisconsin, making the public sector union the behemoth, while making the average taxpayers as “the evil greedy corporate monster.”
Click to use cartoon in your publication
Here’s a sample of some of the comments we received about the cartoon: VickySP: “I am a public sector worker and I couldn’t disagree more. I took a paycut to take this job almost 15 yrs ago. Not only did I never get back to my pre-public sector pay, I’ve taken pay cuts for the past several years that have put me even lower than when I started. Why do I stay in this job? I took it originally for the job security and benefits – I have family obligations. I’m still there because of the family obligations and the lack of any local job opportunities in my field. Not all public sector unions are the same. Not all are “Goliath”. Look at the facts before you make assumptions.”
Brian Mitchell: “Wonder who the Bankers’ & Stockbrokers’ Association gets to do its corporate cartoons? Sell-out.”
Hhvision: “No wonder cartooning is a dying industry. With a perspective like Mr. Allie’s, it should have passed away years ago.”
David Bruce: “Accurate depiction despite all the marketing spin to the contrary.”
Ron Evry: “I hope the lady in the picture packed her kid’s knapsack with plenty of Brawnyâ„¢ Paper Towels. The hundreds of millions the Governor just gave the Koch Brothers might not be enough for them…”
Steve Berlin: “Considering taxpayers don’t pay for Union pension, once again Conservatives are crying how that mean ol’ David is picking on poor old Goliath.”
Justin Jones: “Wow, what a completely stupid, uninformed, and tone-deaf cartoon.”
Alexander Thorburn Hoffman: “Perfect cartoon. Union thugs vs the people who actually have to pay their salary.”
What do you think about the cartoon: Fair or Foul? Leave your comments below.
Anyone who listened to Charlie Sheen’s crazy rant on “The Alex Jones Show” last week was introduced to a mentally imbalanced, power-hungry control freak who is willing to go battle with any and all of his critics. Hmmm… reminds me of a certain dictator in Libya.
Here’s my new cartoon about Libyan President Moammar Khadafi, who has not stepped-down amid protests for his resignation and turned to violence to defend his power. Fighting so far has claimed over 1,000 lives, and as both sides dig in, it doesn’t seem as though the conflict will end quickly… or with an end to the bloodshed.
