Hint Of What’s Happening

Summary

A New Yorker cartoonist discusses the process of creating cartoons for the magazine, reflecting on the balance between timely and universal themes amidst current events.

Abstract

The author, a seasoned cartoonist for The New Yorker, outlines the weekly rhythm of cartoon creation, with a Tuesday deadline and a preference for starting work on Sundays. The piece delves into the thought process behind selecting topics, which often involves sifting through news headlines for inspiration that aligns with the publication's style. The cartoonist emphasizes the importance of finding themes that resonate on a broader scale or have immediate impact, while also acknowledging the occasional merit of last-minute ideas. The article also touches on the delicate nature of turning tragic events into cartoons and the subtle influence of current affairs on the subconscious creation of less overtly political cartoons. Examples of past work are provided to illustrate how political shifts and electoral dynamics can inspire cartoons, such as those recently published following the House speakership election.

Opinions

The author enjoys the pressure of deadlines but is considering starting the creative process earlier to foster a calmer and more thoughtful approach.
Tragic events like the Greece train collision and the ongoing war in Ukraine are deemed inappropriate subjects for the author's style of cartoons.
The author differentiates their work from that of editorial cartoonists, suggesting a unique approach to political themes that is less direct and more universally appealing.
Subconscious influences from reading news headlines are acknowledged as potential catalysts for the author's cartoon ideas.
The author believes in the value of cartoons that address political shifts and electoral events, as evidenced by a recent cartoon published after Kevin McCarthy's election as House Speaker.

Hint Of What’s Happening

In the world of New Yorker cartooning, Tuesday is deadline day. If you want to sell a drawing for the print publication, you have to submit by noon on that day. And usually, I draw at least 6 every week. As one who loves deadlines, I often don’t start composing them until Sunday: I want to change that. There have been a number of weeks in my long career with The New Yorker wherein I would start my “batch” (as we call the weekly submissions) earlier in the week, and it feels good to do it that way. Calmer, maybe even more thoughtful. Although saying that, I believe there is something to last minute ideas that can really be wonderful.

I just scanned the New York Times and Washington Post headlines. There was a horrifying train collision in Greece, the war in Ukraine continues. Nothing there that inspires a cartoon-at least not the kind of cartoon I might draw for The New Yorker. They do run political, and I have sold many in my years there. But a train wreck with many deaths is not cartoon material, and the war (also with many deaths) is ongoing and not immediately topical for the magazine. The Chicago mayoral race could be of interest for a drawing, but there is nothing in there to me that speaks to the entire country, except maybe the opinion of some that Mayor Lightfoot lost her re-election bid due to crime. I know editorial cartoonists for newspapers are probably drawing about that, but what I do is slightly different than what they do.

It’s hard to explain, but for my drawing, it’s about looking for news that is in some way either universal or immediately impactful. If nothing jumps out, I start going more into my imagination….although just having read the headlines and a few articles, those seeds are in my brain and might emerge in a drawing that makes for a less obvious political cartoon.

For example, this one above was like that. For the first, I had read the news that week, and subconsciously was aware that the word “niche” was being used in politics.

Or this one was about the word “liberal” and a shift in political affiliations of the electorate at the time.

There are a lot of political shifts going on right now, and I have done a few in recent weeks on that. This recent one was published by The New Yorker right after the House speakership election of Kevin McCarthy.

So, maybe something will emerge as I draw today, something universal but with a hint of what’s happening in the world.