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.
