Cartoon notes

I've just returned from a work-related trip to Alberta.
Nice to write from home again.

Two cartoons I enjoyed today:

First, on the crisis in the U.S. financial sector... I think artist Mike Luckovich is right on target (link below). It's hard for me to accept, really hard to accept, how very smart people permitted ill-advised mortgage-backed securities and a competitive herd mentality to lead companies down the path of financial ruin. So now, we're seeing this.

On a completely different topic, I like this slice of life ... a current view of parents and children by Brian Bassett. It's a sign of the times.

Image courtesy of PHOTOCROMO

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Here come the Olympics

Well, here we are.

The Beijing Olympics are getting underway with auspicious numbers on the calendar: 08.08.08.

Let's hope this global event contributes to more harmony, better understanding and greater openness between all people.

The Games, of course, have been overshadowed by concerns over human rights, pollution and freedom of expression, among other things.

As the Olympics begin, editorial cartoons provide a sense of how the event is perceived in the West against the political backdrop of the moment.

The tension between the Chinese central government and the people in Tibet who seek the preservation of the Tibetan language, culture and religion remains a hot topic. Signe Wilkinson jabs with humour in this example.

In South Africa, meanwhile, Zapiro addresses the issue of censorship with this original take.

Jim Morin of the Miami Herald focuses instead on the big concern over air quality in Beijing. Not so funny, but very illustrative.

Finally, for a lighter look, we turn to Stuart Carlson, whose funny cartoon reminds us that we should be careful when we criticize.

Let's hope for the best for these Olympics. The spirit of the Games is a positive one -- may the sports competition help bridge differences and lay the groundwork for progress.
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Thanks to gocomics.com for the links.

The energy of editorial cartoons

A principal reason why editorial cartoons are popular is because they capture the essence of a news story or the perspective of an editor in a single image that conveys emotion and energy.

The editorial cartoonist lives by the maxim that "a picture is worth a thousand words."

When the cartoonist succeeds in making the reader laugh, he or she has reached a higher plateau; the level of difficulty, as in a complicated high dive or an acrobatic feat, is that much higher.

I've selected two examples that caught my eye.

The first relates to the news story about airlines continuing to cut back on service in order to remain in business. The detail in this drawing by Jim Borgman adds to the humour of the editorial perspective.

The second struck me for its remarkable expressive character. It's a portrait of French President Nicolas Sarkozy related to his recent hosting of a summit of 40 European and Mediterranean leaders for the founding of the "Union for the Mediterranean." Sarkozy wishes to tackle the thorny problem of peace in the Middle East.

Jerusalem artist "Kichka," decided to portray Sarkozy in the role of Louis XIV. Check it out here.

You can see the 1701 portrait on which Kichka based his cartoon in this Wikipedia article.