The New Yorker’s Latest Digital Issue…The Format Of Things to Come?
With the arrival this past week of “The Family Issue,” The New Yorker‘s second digital issue (the first, the “Interviews Issue,” appeared last February), it might be time to crinkle our face and ask: is this The New Yorker‘s future? I haven’t a clue if these special digital issues are trial balloons, or just an exciting new way to present additional content to readers. If we were voting I’d enthusiastically vote for the latter.
With print magazines not exactly a burgeoning biz, and eyeballs addicted to screens, digital-only seems the “natural” way to go. This digital issue’s contents, as introductory text informs, can be found “only on newyorker.com and in The New Yorker app.” Not only are the issue’s contents screen-only, but so is the special cover (shown here). There aren’t cartoons in the issue, but there is an animated series of drawings, something print obviously can’t do. This makes me think back to the many multi-panel cartoons that once appeared in the magazine — you know, the ones your brain animated as your eyes traveled from panel to panel (but hey, I love animated cartoons — they’re partly the reason I got into this wacky cartoon business. Thank you, Max Fleischer).
As one who treasures the print edition of the magazine, I suppose I’m laying down some personal groundwork for acceptance should the week come there is no print issue. However, I hope that day never comes (and no one has even hinted it will…well, then again, there was this). Although I enjoy zipping through the digital magazine that shows up Monday mornings at 6 a.m., it’s the print issue that fully engages the eyeballs in this household. Despite the availability of every single cartoon that’s ever appeared in The New Yorker on their (subscriber only) archive, it’s not for nuthin’ that I collect bound New Yorkers. Nothing beats feeling the paper between your fingers as you turn an actual page to find the next New Yorker cartoon, up close, and personal. Meeting a friend via, say, Zoom, is a whole different experience than meeting the friend in person.
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John Bennet: 1945-2022
The New Yorker has posted two pieces in tribute to John Bennet, who worked at The New Yorker for four decades beginning in 1975.
Mr. Bennet was at one time, back in 1984, named a managing editor for non-fiction by William Shawn; Charles “Chip” McGrath was named managing editor for fiction.
Here are links to the two pieces, the first is a Postscript by Nick Paumgarten, that will appear in next week’s New Yorker:
“‘John Bennet, Enemy Of The ‘Blah Blah Blah'”
and Mary Norris’s Culture Desk piece, “My Last Visit With John Bennet”
More Bennet:
Podcast (2017): “What I Learned After 40 Years With The New Yorker“
Article: From Elle, by Louisa Kamps, November 2017, “The New Yorker Editor Who Had My Back”
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The Tilley Watch Online, The Week Of July 11-15, 2022
An end of week listing of New Yorker artists whose work has appeared on newyorker.com features
The Daily Cartoon: Adam Douglas Thompson (twice), Sarah Kempa, Avi Steinberg, Liz Montague.
Daily Shouts: Ward Sutton (twice), Mads Horwath.
Animated Daily Shouts: “Cartoon Cautionary Tales” by Ed Steed.
Barry Blitt’s Kvetchbook: “What The Webb Telescope Found In Deepest Space”
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Paul Karasik’s Graphic Novel Workshop
Mr. Karasik, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 1999, will be teaching the workshop from August 1st-5th, at The Center For Cartoon Studies, located in beautiful Vermont. All the info here.
Link here to Paul Karasik’s website.