Tag: Rea Irvin

The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue of September 9, 2019

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The Cover:

It’s the Style Issue this week….thus the bountiful polka dots on Malika Favre’s eighth cover for the magazine. A Q&A with the artist here. If you link to the Q&A you’ll see the polka dot dress swirl.

I can’t see that many polka dots (and red) on the cover without thinking of Peter Arno’s March 23, 1935 New Yorker cover. It was also used as the cover for The Seventh New Yorker Album.

The dalmatians cover is perhaps overly familiar to me because it’s the front endpaper of my biography of Arno. Hey, what can I say? I like dogs…and Arno.

 

The Cartoonists and Cartoons

With the appearance of another team effort (third? fourth?) by Pia Guerra and Ian Boothby I think we’re in new territory as far as crediting a writing team goes for single panel cartoons in the magazine. Someone please correct me if there has been another duo credited beyond one or two appearances (Robert Crumb and Aline Kominsky-Crumb come to mind, but their work is in a different realm, i.e., their “thing” is not single panel cartoons). The duo of Guerra & Boothby have given us a slightly different take on the usual cartoonist’s representation of Noah’s Ark (the drawing appears on page 78). Instead of the long ramp leading up to the ark, it’s more of a tailgate.  It works well here.

Of note: Elisabeth McNair’s drawing of the tortoise and the hare (p. 72). If you remove the art hanging on the wall, and the door frame, the cartoon could easily be seen as descended from the school of (Charles) Barsotti minimalism. Love the turtle’s expression.

Also of note: Hilary Fitzgerald Cambell’s spooky “campfire” story-time drawing (p.49). At first glance I thought the scene was outdoors, but then saw the light sockets in the background with a charging electronic device (a phone?) connected to one of them. That it plays a trick on the eyes — intended or not — is pleasing, as is the drawing itself.

Further of note: Ed Steed adds another drawing to the cartoon canon of mounted something (in this case, someone) or others on the wall (p. 25).

Being the great grandson of bakers, and a fan of baked goods in general, it was a nice surprise  seeing pastries as a focus in Amy Hwang’s drawing (p. 43). Also a nice surprise: seeing Glen Baxter’s drawing (p.68). While a number of cartoonists box in their drawings, Baxter’s boxes somehow seem part of the drawing within, if that makes any sense (is the word “integral” — maybe, maybe not).

Rea Irvin’s Talk Masthead: Still not home. Read about it here.

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Leighton’s New Book; The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of September 2, 2019; Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon

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Robert Leighton’s New Book: Just out from Workman, Puzzlelopedia, by long-time New Yorker cartoonist and puzzle meister, Robert Leighton (with fellow Puzzability team members Amy Goldstein and Mike Shink). Spill visitors might remember this piece on one of Mr. Leighton’s classic New Yorker drawings (below).

Here’s Mr. Leighton’s entry on the Spill‘s A-Z:

Robert Leighton Born May 23, 1960, Long Island, NY. A puzzle writer as well as a cartoonist, Leighton is one of three partners who founded the puzzle-writing company, Puzzability. See: The New Yorker Book of Cartoon Puzzles and Games (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2006), authored by Puzzability. Mr. Leighton’s New Yorker work: 2002 – .  Website: https://www.robert-leighton.com/

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                   The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of September 2, 2019

                         The Cover: Here’s Kadir Nelson on his latest cover (titled “Heat Wave”).

                         The Cartoonists & Cartoons:

Maggie Larson’s name isn’t listed above, so I’m mentioning her here as she contributes a two-column wide color Sketchpad drawing titled “The Subway Valley Floor.” Eighteen pages later is a  full page color Liana Finck Sketchbook contribution,“Some Relationship Models” (Ms. Finck’s name appears on the Table of Contents).

There are but nine single panel cartoon contributions in this issue (I think most would agree that Ms. Larson’s and Ms. Finck’s drawings fall outside of that classification by virtue of their assigned haedings). Illustrations, as has been the case in modern times, occupy more graphic real estate than the cartoons.  There are sixteen of them (including photographs), including four full pages.

                     Rea Irvin’s Talk Masthead: Switched out in May of 2017 for a redrawn version, Mr. Irvin’s iconic Talk masthead (shown below) sadly continues to collect dust. Read about it here.

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Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon

Tim Hamilton on G7.  Mr. Hamilton began contributing to The New Yorker in 2016. Visit his website here.

 

 

 

The Monday Tilley Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of August 26, 2019

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The Cover: Way to go, Ed Steed! Mr. Steed’s debut New Yorker cover is a gem.  See the cover and read this short interview about it with Mr. Steed.

It’s always a thrill, and always a reason to cheer when a New Yorker cartoonist’s work appears on the cover. Our presence there took a major hit once the singular title of art editor (last enjoyed by Lee Lorenz) was split in two back in the Tina Brown era. One job became two jobs: a cartoon editor for the cartoons, and an art editor for the covers. For the better part of the magazine’s history, the cartoonists were in the majority as cover contributors (over 60%). That dropped to a single digit percentage in the years since the cover editor’s position was created. Mr. Steed’s breakthrough is encouraging.

The Cartoonists & Cartoons:

A Spill round of applause for several cartoons in the issue that caught my eye: Tim Hamilton’s lion at a party (p.65) is a stand out. Perhaps I’m a sucker for drawings depicting a person held in clenched jaws.  I’m also quite fond of P.C. Vey’s worked-his-way-up-the-ladder chef in a cubicle (p.63). Mr. Vey has given us a very good drawing. Lila Ash’s trapeze artists (p.79) are also a lot of fun; the drawing clicks perfectly with a caption that heavily depends — even more so than usual in this case — on timing.

The over-all cartoon picture for the issue: Just ten cartoons amid a multitude of illustrations (four of the illustrations are full page). I wonder if my colleagues ever submit cartoons as intended full page drawings. Something to ask next time we gather en masse.

Breathing room around the cartoons is good this issue. Frank Cotham’s drawing (p.52) could’ve used a bit more space so we can appreciate and dive into all that’s going on in his court room. Perhaps, as is sometimes the case, that’s not an issue in the print issue.

Rea Irvin’s Talk Masthead:  It’s been twenty-seven months since it was abandoned in favor of a (gasp!) redraw. Read about it here.

Here’s the real thing:

 

 

 

The Monday Watch, The New Yorker Issue Of August 19, 2019; Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon; Sara Lautman’s Daily Shouts

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The Cover: Kara Walker’s early release Toni Morrison cover was mentioned here previously.

The Cartoonists & Cartoons:

Good to see Tom Bachtell‘s fab “Spots” work this week…As you can see, there’s another duo effort from Pia Guerra and her husband, Ian Boothby…No Newbie (or Newbies) this week…Cartoon placement (sizing) in this issue: a few look just right (Bruce Kaplan‘s fun beach drawing for instance) and Danny Shanahan‘s uncovered flooring); Liana Finck‘s perhaps needed to be run larger so we could easily make out the lettering on the caps her folks are wearing (this may be an online issue — won’t know til the print copy is in hand); a few drawings would’ve benefited, graphically, by being run smaller. Fewer than average number of cartoons in this issue (just eleven) but we are after all in the waning weeks of summer.

The Spill’s (Please) Bring Back Rea Irvin’s Classic Talk Masthead Campaign: Mr. Irvin’s beautiful iconic masthead (below), sadly disappeared in May of 2017 and was amazingly (amazing to me anyway) replaced by a redrawn(!) version. Read about it here.

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Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon

Fish in a tube, by J.A.K. who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2014.

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Today’s Daily Shouts

“Mysterious Summer Abrasions: An Investigation” by Sara Lautman, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2016.

Sutton’s Bonus Daily Cartoon; A Deep Dive Into The New Yorker Issue Of July 26,1930; Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon; A Day Late Daily Shouts

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A bonus Daily yesterday — Dems Debate-centric– by Ward Sutton, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2007.  Visit his website here.

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Deep Dive Into The New Yorker Issue Of July 26, 1930

A New Yorker State of Mind: Reading Every Issue of The New Yorker does its usual fab job.  A fun read!

I wish I could provide the entire issue here on the Spill for you to look through. It’s only 60 pages long ( it was, after all,  published during the Great Depression). If you can see it online (as a subscriber) or own a copy you’ll notice that within the first 50 of those 60 pages the cartoons run amuck — they are gloriously present.  Two full- page cartoons (Rea Irvin, and Peter Arno), two multi-panels (Gardner Rea, and Otto Soglow), half-page cartoons, three-quarter page cartoons.

The cover artist for the issue is the great Helen Hokinson. Here’s her entry on the A-Z:

Born, Illinois,1893; died, Washington, D.C., 1949. New Yorker work: 1925 -1949, with some work published posthumously. All of Hokinson’s collections are wonderful, but here are two favorites. Her first collection: So You’re Going To Buy A Book! (Minton, Balch & Co, 1931) and what was billed as “the final Hokinson collection”: The Hokinson Festival (Dutton & Co., 1956). According to a New Yorker document  produced during Harold Ross’s editorship (1925-1951) rating their artists, Ms. Hokinson and Peter Arno occupied a special category unto themselves above all others.

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Today’s Daily Cartoonist & Cartoon

Beating Trump, by Ali Soloman, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 2018.

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A Day Late Daily Shouts

Evan Lian’s “Eternal Damnations For The Twenty-First Century” (posted yesterday). Mr. Lian began contributing to The New Yorker in May of this year.