THIS MODERN WORLD

Officer Friendly!

Update: Just recieved word that TMW will remain a fixture in the newly redesigned New Haven Advocate! Many thanks to everyone who wrote in — sometimes these things can make a difference! And of course thanks to the powers-that-be at the Advocate. I understand that I have no inherent right to run in their paper (or anyone’s), and am profoundly grateful that I will continue to have a space there.

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In response to queries, TMW hasn’t been cut from the Advocate papers, exactly. This is the note I got from the editor of the chain:

TMW hasn’t been cut altogether from the papers. We’ve been facing major space constraints and have had to trim a lot of different content week to week – some weeks TMW has been trimmed that way. Some weeks we’ve found room for it at the back of the book – last minute. We’re still planning on having TMW among the pool of cartoons/comics we’ve got in the papers. With the redesign we’re looking for where best to put them, etc. And hoping we’ll have room for everything we’re planning for.

So that’s sort of good news, I guess, but I do hope to remain a more important part of these papers than an occasional contributor. I’ve lived in this area for a total of ten years, give or take (lived here in the mid nineties, moved to NYC, then ended up moving back), and the New Haven Advocate has been a huge part of my life, through which I have made numerous close friends, and more importantly, met my wife. The chain was bought a few years back by the troubled Tribune Company and there have been a lot of cutbacks since then, but honestly, cartoons are both popular and cheap. If you live in the area and would like to see the strip run every week rather than on an occasional space-permitting basis, please be sure to let them know. Politely, of course!

(Note: I’m deliberately not posting contact info so the papers don’t get spammed. If you’re one of their readers, you’ll be able to find it.)

This cartoon from last April — mere months ago — was intended as a response to the right wing talking point that raising taxes on the rich won’t help address debt/deficit problems because “there aren’t enough rich people.” It seemed to me at the time that no one was making the obvious counter argument — a small percentage of people control a large percentage of the wealth. In fact the most recent numbers I could find then that seemed trustworthy were from 2007.

Now, of course, people are talking about little else, and we can thank the Occupy movement for that.

As a side note: for several years, anyone who was frustrated with Obama’s refusal or inability to use the bully pulpit was told by his supporters that the bully pulpit is a myth, the President simply doesn’t have the magical ability to shift the national conversation. In reality, the overwhelming number of people in this country who have been screwed by the plutocracy were primed for a paradigm shift, and while I think Obama blew a huge opportunity in 2008 by choosing the path of moderation over confrontation, we should all be profoundly grateful that the Occupy movement has picked up the slack.

An animated piece from 1998 or so, still sadly relevant.

This was based on a print cartoon which doesn’t seem to be online at the moment (having some archive problems — I’ll try to dig it up and get it posted).

… adding: note post below, for those interested in supporting the arts, specifically the art of snarky cartooning.

I’m releasing a special artist’s print featuring the cover art from my last book. This is a signed and numbered edition of only twenty copies, and will not be made available again. They’re printed in archival ink on high quality fine art paper using a high-end professional printer, which produces beautiful, vivid prints. Paper size is 17×22, actual image size is approximately 12.75 x 20.

Also: the s/n edition of my poster for Eddie Vedder’s Hartford show is available again, after a bit of a delay (I had to discontinue sales over the summer due to the chaos of a move).