Here we are on that awkward last day of the year — the day most everyone can’t wait to end — when midnight, and all that happens at midnight, becomes the focus. This year it also happens to be the day the first 2019 issue of The New Yorker hit electronic screens and newsstands. And what do we see? Harry Bliss’s attractive cover of Puck shivering. It took me awhile to understand the cover — it’s possible I still don’t. I’ve become so used to almost all of the covers having a political bent (read Trump), that my mind raced around trying to link Puck to the current President. Reading the piece about Mr. Bliss’s cover did, at first seem to make the political connection (that the Puck Building is owned by Kushner Companies). But that seemed thin. Perhaps, just maybe, the cover is simply about the Puck statue shivering in the Manhattan cold of winter?
The Cartoons
Here are the cartoonists in this first issue of the year:
Several cartoons of note:
A favorite caption of the issue: William Haefeli’s (p. 32), “Name something that isn’t a shadow of its former self.”
Kim Warp’s two drawings that seem to mirror each other. In the first a man and dog are walking down a wintry slope. In her caption contest drawing, an abominable snowman walks up a wintry slope.
Joe Dator’s terrific drawing recalling Jack Ziegler’s many wonderful truck drawings.
Farley Katz’s intriguing living room drawing.
And finally…Rea Irvin’s iconic masthead has not reappeared in the new year…yet. Here’s something about it, and below is the masthead itself.
