The Week in Cartoons, Annotated

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel...like I have to draw it...

Another Week in Krazyland, people. Let’s get to it.

This was my Smerconism.com cartoon for Tuesday.

This tragedy has been politically-infused all week by The President of All The People, who thinks that it’s OK to micromanage something he clearly doesn’t understand. Now his little handmaiden Speaker Mike Johnson has jumped in as well. Of course, no political silliness is pulled in Louisiana, and no disaster aid would ever be questioned there, right?

Unless a Democrat was involved with it.

I was thinking about David Duke the other day, speaking of Louisiana, and that feeling of dread that this Nazi might take the governorship. It took Edwin Edwards to beat him, and now I wonder if David Duke would win today—that how bad this feels.

As you can see, we hit the old Photoshop paint bucket hard this week. A major cartoonist even complimented me on the pink retardant. This is what we do, observe and report Photoshop techniques.

Next up:

This was probably my best-executed cartoon of the week.

I felt almost lightheaded watching Pete Hegseth’s borderline personality disorder on full display in the U.S. Senate. One accusation after another was brushed aside as an “anonymous smear”.

You know what the problem with this era is? There are simply too many cartoon ideas, and I simply do not have the physical energy to do everything I want to. I can’t tell you how many major stories I’ve had to take a pass on for lack of time and/or energy. You know when people say the cartoons write themselves?

They write themselves. These aren’t punchlines. These are transcriptions.

You have to be careful with the People in Bed Together Metaphor. One false move, and it’s lots of Terribly Unpleasant Comments.

I think I’m getting Hegseth down. He’s handsome in a super creepy Ted Bundy way. No one is wearing gel, though, buddy.

His testimony sounded like a used car finance manager trying to get you into a 72 month lease, throwing in The Lord to close the deal. Listen, my wife used to be a pastor, and even they don’t talk like this. People who do this self-conscious Performative Faith make me ill. I’m from Minnesota, dipped my toe in various liberal sects like LCA Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, and Unitarianism, and, look, not even Catholics talk like this clown does.

Sorry.

Next?

This was my favorite cartoon of the week.

It was also the one I wished I had more time to execute.

Editorial cartoonists think readers pay intricate attention to the artwork, and they simply don’t. The idea is conveyed, or it isn’t conveyed. I’m not saying the artwork was a catastrophe—it was not. The Jimmy Stewart likeness was good, I liked the BW effect, and I thought it was bold.

Naturally, I’m going to OCD on the lack of U.S. Senate background detail, and why the door is lopsided.

You didn’t notice, did you.

I did take the time to look at Warner Bros. “The End” slides, before realizing this was a Columbia Pictures movie. Oh, well. Did you notice?

WAKE UP SHEEPLE! ;-)

Next.

I kinda like this, but not in love with it.

The likenesses were upper B, but not A. Sometimes drawing people as animals really works beautifully, and sometimes it seems a bit forced. This felt a shade forced, but, again, editors aren’t that hung up on that sort of thing. In fact, American Journalism Hero And Chronicle Managing Editor for Opinion Pete Wevurski is a big Draw Funny Animals Proponent, as you will see in the next cartoon.

Anyway, the perspective was good, Trump doesn’t own a dog, so it all worked. Sometimes I’ll draw something that I’m not that into (that’s rare, honestly—not that I’m an egomaniac, but because aforementioned OCD is def a trait I share with every other artist and writer ever), but I thought a few hours later it was perfectly serviceable.

Next:

People love the talking animals. Ask Bill Watterson what his net worth is, minus the $250 million in licensing he decided he didn’t want. A lot.

Anyway, AJH Pete is always egging me on when I suggest panda ideas. The Panda Situation in San Francisco (this is a very real thing, friends) is now precarious. They need (?) to build a $25 million enclosure, which seems an odd civic priority given the current condition of Union Square. I go into The City (sorry, that’s what they call it), and it is definitely better than it was a year ago. I am not a Bay Area resident, and I am not given to dumping on SF and surrounding areas gratuitously. I always consult with Pete first, during, and sometimes after.

Except when I’m flying low under radar and have to get done ASAP—but I always send the rough first, to protect me and the Chronicle.

Next?

Here’s your cartoon for January 20th, 2025.

It’s all I can muster.

I am not watching this quasi(?)-fascist game show Monday. Not for a second. Unfortunately I’ll be exposed to it in an ambient way, but I intend Not to Pay Attention (It’s Tom Wolfe Capitalization Night). I am fishing Saturday, seeing friends Sunday, going for walks, cooking, sitting outside, sorting my fly fishing equipment, reading a fantastic book on Hubert Humphrey by Samuel Freedman (buy it here), and otherwise occupy myself listening to my fishing videos and Apollo program documentaries.

What else we got here?

When I saw Pam Bondi a few weeks ago, I knew I was going to have a New Main Character (WOLFE). This was my first pass at her, and I really had to mess around with it in Photoshop. See the black and white version and you will see how different they are:

What I did in Photoshop: I widened the set of her eyes, which I see now is the key to hitting her caricature properly. I cranked up the eye makeup. I dramatically altered the mouth.

Sow how much I love you all? I could just left her as is.

This will run in the Chronicle Monday or early in the week. As it’s California, it counts, but national folks can also grock it.

Started with the bricks, then the frame, then drew in behind the frame, then did the men. This is what I’d call a keyword cartoon. The key word is “strings”, so I chewed on that this morning for awhile, then came up with this.

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Hey, Fellow Democracy Anxiety Sufferers: That’s it for the week. Going to hit some Chinese food and watch a movie. Have a great weekend.—J.