It's not just books at It's Fundamental! Here's a look at editorial cartoons for ya.
I'm a big fan of editorial cartoons. Tom Toles can reduce me to tears some mornings, and Herblock's passing almost did the same. My problem with them, as with so much of today's media, is that originality is sadly lacking. Here's a few examples:
-Fidel Castro gets sick, goes in for surgery and hands over power to his brother Raul who hasn't been seen since. Seems like great fodder for the cartoons, right? Absolutely! Tons of editorial cartoonists jumped on the opportunity. Here's the first bunch I spotted (all linked from
Daryl Cagle's pro cartoonist emporium on MSNBC; one of my favorite places to visit):
Bill DayBrookinsWrightRamirezBagleyBensonDeeringEven a Bulgarian artist is chiming in:
ChristoOooh, and here's a Canadian!
MacKayThat's 9 artists over two days. I'm sure there's no copy-catting going on, but isn't it a little weird that they could come up with only two ideas for how to represent this (there are more similar, some combining the two genres). The "US watching and waiting" theme is dull, but appropriate and timely. The other one, though, isn't even particularly meaningful. I mean, we know Mr. Castro is old. We know he's sick. We know he really can't keep going much longer. That's not an insightful thought on the situation, it's not a particularly meaningful approach to it, and it's certainly not unique. If I work in a field like that, I've gotta figure that the first two or three ideas that pop into my head are probably gonna be used other places. Most folks don't read many papers, so that's the justification for this appalling lack of originality I guess, but I must say: cartoonists, you disappoint me!
Thank goodness for
Doug Marlette...
(For more examples of this unfortunate phenomenon, look at the number of "syringe puncturing bicyclist's tire" cartoons there are, or the "Hezbollah using Mel Gibson as weapon against Israeli troops" knee slappers)
Labels: Cartoons, Editorials
