The Monday Tilley Watch Takes A Glancing Look At Some Of The Art & Artists Of The Latest Issue Of The New Yorker
The Cover: A cover reflecting the theme of the issue: Style & Design
The Cartoonists:
The Cartoons:
Eleven cartoons, twelve cartoonists (Emily Flake has a Sketchpad). No newbies, no duos (that we know of). The Sam Gross streak continues with the 5th Gross out of the last 6 issues (we won’t count the odd “archival” issue of Sept. 6th — it contained reprinted cartoons). Good to see so much Gross!
Besides Mr. Gross’s very funny drawing, a few others caught my eye: Tom Toro’s very strange but winning knitting alligators (probably not crocodiles. According to my extensive research, alligators have wide snouts, while crocs snouts are pointy). Liana Finck’s laser shop; Amy Hwang’s sheet drawing.
Going back to the Sam Gross drawing in the issue. When I saw it, I immediately knew that an unfinished drawing on top of my pile of unfinished drawings would now be forever abandoned.
Here’s Mr. Gross’s drawing in the new issue:
And here’s my unfinished, uncaptioned drawing (I think I put it down on paper about three days ago):
Mr. Gross and I had the identical thought of burying a mechanic’s head deep into the engine well (though he obviously had it first). But here’s the big big big difference: he came up with a brilliant idea for the drawing while I was staring into space awaiting help from the cartoon gods. Mr. Gross’s aliens, and his fabulous caption made for a terrific drawing. All I had was a mechanic with his head deep down under the hood of a car. Mine’s not really even a full-fledged cartoon, but a potential cartoon (it’s now officially a potential cartoon with no potential).
I’ve a feeling that if I canvassed cartoonist colleagues, every single one would have a similar moment: a drawing is published that is somewhere in the ballpark of one they have on their launchpad. And who knows, maybe a majority of the published beat-you-to-it drawings were by Sam Gross.
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The Rea Irvin Talk Masthead Watch:
For those who may have missed the Spill’s Rea Irvin Talk masthead primer, please go here.
Or, go here for an older post on the masthead.
Press: I noticed (and am grateful) that the Rea Irvin Talk Masthead primer was mentioned by D. D. Deggs on The Daily Cartoonist website, adding: “but he [“he” meaning me] will not let go of the modern updating.”
I’ve tried, really I’ve tried.