Tag: Bruce McCall

The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of January 13, 2020

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A few thoughts on the art in the latest issue of The New Yorker…

The Cover: a moment in a museum, courtesy of Bruce McCall (read a Q&A with him here). The second cover in a row with ( for me) a retro feel to it. I could see Charles Addams doing something like this, or the late great Richard Taylor (Mr. Taylor’s January 9, 1937 cover appears below right).

 

The Cartoonists:

The Cartoons:

A lively bunch of cartoons: 18 of them — 19 if you include Olivia de Recat’s “Sketchpad” on page 17.  Possibly my imagination, but it appears most every cartoon has breathing space this week. There’s not one that looks cramped, nor is there one that looks like it would’ve been better off in a smaller space. Victoria Roberts’s peas in a pod (on page 21) is an excellent example of a drawing that required and received ample space.

P.C. Vey’s drawing (it’s on page 23) surprised me (always a very good thing). His unusual graveyard scenario accompanied by a terrif caption is a treat.

I like the sextet of cartoons that begins on page 40: Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell’s burning shorts drawing; Charlie Hankin’s magician (p.43); Lars Kenseth’s Charles Addamsy stomped-on cigarette butt drawing (p.44); Liana Finck’s sedentary whale (p.48); Sharon Levy’s abominable snowperson (p. 52) — which reminds me, pockets-wise of Arnie Levin’s great drawing (shown below) from the issue of December 26, 1977.  And, lastly, Ed Steed’s funny off-the-tracks drawing (p. 55).

Two drawings elsewhere in the issue also caught my eye: the fab P.S. Mueller’s drawing (p.65) with its use of the word “subsequent”… and Ellie Black’s dragon drawing (p.29). Hey, what can I say — I really like drawings of dragons, castles, etc..

The Rea Irvin Talk Masthead Watch: Mr. Irvin’s iconic Talk masthead remains under wraps. I don’t know how much effort it would take to return it to its proper place, but surely it can’t be more than a few clicks on a keyboard.

Read about Mr. Irvin’s masthead here, and see it below:

 

 

 

The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of November 11, 2019

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The Cover: Bruce McCall returns with a cut-away cover. I can’t think of a New Yorker cut-away drawing without thinking of this Charles Addams classic from April 28, 1951 (found on the left, mid-way down the link page). 

The Cartoonists:

Some random thoughts on some of the cartoons in this week’s issue:

…as a P.S. Mueller fan, and as someone who loves cowboy drawings, it was a blast coming upon his drawing on page 75….

…there are two cartoons in the issue as a result of team work: one by Kamraan Haffeez and Al Batt, the other by Corey Pandolf and Craig Baldo…

… work appears by two of the three New Yorker cartoonists who’ve been published in The New Yorker longer than any of the other active contributors*: Edward Koren and George Booth. Edward Koren’s first New Yorker cartoon was published May 26, 1962. Mr. Booth’s first New Yorker drawing was published in the issue of June 14, 1969. *Mort Gerberg is second — his first drawing appeared in April of 1965. It should be noted that Sam Gross is hot on Mr. Booth’s heels — his first New Yorker drawing appeared August 23, 1969, two months after Mr. Booth’s first.

…the way Karen Sneider drew the two characters in her fun cartoon (p.80) vaguely reminds me of Chon Day’s work. Mr. Day’s style seemed to me a way more organized and orderly version of Thurber’s. Mr. Day did wonders with a simple line, and an occasional layer of faint wash.

…really like the pay-off of Amy Hwang’s caption in her drawing (on page 61).

…congrats to all the runners in yesterday’s NYC Marathon, including our very own Liza Donnelly    who ran the big race for the very first time (her “Was Married” drawing appears on page 78).

The Rea Irvin Missing (and Missed) Talk Masthead Watch

The above jewel has been missing from The New Yorker since the Spring of 2017. Read about it here.

 

 

 

The Tilley Watch: The New Yorker Issue Of April 1, 2019; MoCCA Fest Event Of Note: Mort Gerberg And Friends (Danny Shanahan, Marisa Acocella, Bob Eckstein, And Michael Maslin); Today’s New Yorker Daily Cartoonist: Christopher Weyant; Today’s Bonus Daily Cartoonist: Barry Blitt

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The Cover: it’s a treat to have Bruce McCall’s work back on the cover. You can read about it here (and see an early version of the cover).

The Cartoonists:

The Cartoons:

And speaking of treats, here are some of this issue’s cartoons that especially caught my eye:

Chris Weyant’s plumbing drawing (p.52). It reminded me, in the best possible way, of Jack Ziegler’s classic 1980 drawing Plumbing Trouble of the Gods. Mr. Weyant has delivered a funny, perfectly handled drawing. 

And then there’s David Borchart’s terrific giraffe drawing (p. 66). Perhaps this is the start of something big? Giraffes have never been anywhere as popular as cats and dogs in the cartoon universe (Lars Kenseth has drawn a very funny pug(?) in his all-dog cartoon on page 35). 

Finally, what a blast to come upon George Booth’s drawing in this issue (it’s on page 59). It’s a sunny day when Mr. Booth’s work appears (it’s worth mentioning again here on the Spill that Mr. Booth is the subject of an in-progress documentary film).

Applause for all.

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There are several drawings in the issue that, for some, might require Googling. I’ve always been a believer in “getting” a drawing without assistance. If I don’t get it, I move on (or occasionally ask a friend for help).  Of course, not getting certain New Yorker cartoons is age-old.

A note: this week’s Talk section includes a Sketchpad (it features a color “illustration” by Emily Flake).  A usage reminiscent of the comic strips briefly brought in during the early 1990s under Tina Brown. The Brown era comic strips ran across the entire width of each page (i.e., 6 columns wide), whereas this Sketchpad is 4 columns wide. Below: an example of a strip from the past: a Victoria Roberts piece from the issue of March 28, 1994.

Finally, the beautiful Rea Irvin masthead continues to remain in storage — not even brought out  as some kind of tease for this April 1st issue.  Well, here it is below, as it will be weekly until it reappears in the magazine (I can dream, can’t I?). 

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MoCCA Fest Event Of Note: Mort Gerberg and Friends: Danny Shanahan, Marisa Acocella, and Bob Eckstein. Panel moderated by Michael Maslin

The upcoming Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (otherwise known as MoCCA) will begin its 2019 Festival on April 6th. A number of New Yorker folks will be participating (and I will note them as the information becomes available). Here’s the announcement of one that just came into the Spill:

 

Mort Gerberg and Friends

 

Mort Gerberg broke into print with irreverent drawings in The Realist in the early ’60s. His social-justice-minded—and bitingly funny—cartoons subsequently appeared in magazines including The New Yorker, Playboy, and the Saturday Evening Post. As a reporter, he’s sketched historic scenes including the women’s marches of the ’60s and the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

He is currently the subject of a retrospective exhibit at the New-York Historical Society, and Fantagraphics Underground Press has recently published the retrospective book Mort Gerberg On the Scene: A 50-Year Cartoon Chronicle. Gerberg will discuss his work in a conversation with friends and colleagues, led by Michael Maslin (Inkspill, The New Yorker) and including New Yorker cartoonists Marisa Acocella, Bob Eckstein and Danny Shanahan.

Garamond Room / 3:00 pm, Saturday, April 6th

Link to MoCCA’s website here for more general info.

Photos above, l-r: Danny Shanahan, Marisa Acocella, and Bob Eckstein

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Today’s New Yorker Daily Cartoon/Cartoonist & Bonus Daily Cartoon/Cartoonist

Christopher Weyant is today’s Daily Cartoonist.  You can see his (Trump) drawing here. 

Mr. Weyant began contributing to The New Yorker in 1998. Link to his website here.

…And here’s Barry Blitt’s Bonus Daily cartoon  —  Trump-world-ish .

Mr. Blitt began contributing to The New Yorker in 1994.  Link to his website here.

 

 

 

Talk of Interest: Joe Dator; New Yorker State of Mind Looks at Ralph Barton; An Intersection of Steinberg, Walt Disney and Ungerer?; Stanley Kubrick and Peter Arno; Cartoon Companion Rates This Week’s New Yorker Cartoons

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Talk of Interest: Joe Dator

From The Pioneer, April 3, 2018, “New Yorker Cartoonist Shares Insight”—  a piece about a recent talk at Long Island University by one of the New Yorker‘s best contemporary cartoonists (above, right, a segment of his classic piece, How We Do It  from the New Yorker,  September 24 2012

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A New Yorker State of Mind Looks at the Issue of March 16, 1929

This blog is enjoyable as heck. Bonus: lots of Ralph Barton in this particular post . See it here. 

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Book of Interest: Van Spatz by Anna Haifisch

A book bringing together Walt Disney, Tomi Ungerer, and Steinberg? Read about their fictional intersection here.

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Arno Included in a Stanley Kubrick Photo Exhibit

An exhibit of Stanley Kubrick’s photos for Look magazine will open May 3rd at the Museum of the City of New York.  Peter Arno will be among the subjects on display. Kubrick spent three days photographing Arno in late July 1949. As I wrote in my Arno bio: “The photographs amount to the best visual insight we’ll likely ever have into Arno’s private life…”

I used two photos from the Museum’s Kubrick collection in the Arno bio; one appears on the back cover shown above (that’s the actress Joan Sinclair he’s with at Joan Braun’s Palace Bar).  You can see all the photos — nearly 300 — in the Museum’s collection  here.  

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Cartoon Companion Rates This Week’s New Yorker Cartoons

It wouldn’t be Friday without a brand new Cartoon Companion (well, it would be, but never mind). The CC’s “Max” and “Simon” return with a rated close look at the cartoons appearing in the issue of April 9, 2018 (it’s the one with the Bruce McCall gluten themed cover). It’s always fun to see how much one agrees or disagrees with their ratings.

 

 

The Monday Tilley Watch: The New Yorker Issue of April 9, 2018

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Here’s  Bruce McCall speaking about his gluten-free-gluten cover, along with three cover sketches (a nice touch).

And here are the cartoonists in the issue:

A slightly different Monday Tilley Watch this week…I’m listing my first response as I (electronically) flip through the issue, as if the drawings are flashcards.

Bruce Eric Kaplan…rodents and a tiger — I really like the tiger.

Lars Kenseth…a Snidely Whiplash reversal.  Funny that the train is a toy (shades of Charles Addams).

Tom Cheney…internet mischief in olden times.

John Klossner…support food. Wonder what kind of animal is being served.  

Harry Bliss…Jake LaMotta on ice.  A very outta left field drawing.

Roz Chast…a wicked queen’s magic mirror, updated.

Paul Noth…a patient prefers male doctors.

Pia Guerra…a sacred cow & more

Ed Steed…strong strange man drawing, or strange strong man drawing.

William Haefeli…a lesson in capitalization.

Seth Fleishman…a turkey display, with color.

Joe Dator…a NYC tour bus. Finally, a comment on those noisy things that rumble around the great metropolis. 

Frank Cotham…a witness explains. 

Teresa Burns Parkhurst …an egg ponders. A candidate for The New Yorker Book of Poultry Cartoons.

Mike Twohy…a doggy snow globe.  I can’t get enough of dogs and snow globes. 

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Keen-eyed observers will note that Rea Irvin’s classic Talk of The Town masthead is still in absentia. Here it is:

and here’s the stand-in:

To read more, go here.