Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday afternoon toons: Special "Jedi mind trick" edition

(Updated below.)

What I told you was true... from a certain point of view.

(Obi-Wan Kenobe, explaining to
Luke Skywalker why he had lied
to him about his father's death)


In the Jedi spirit, the following statements about this week's p3 toon review are also true:

America honors its veterans.
Sarah Palin launches a nation-wide book tour.
The GOP scores a key off-year electoral victory.
Reform comes to Afghanistan.
Congress tackles unemployment.
Flu vaccine is available.
Wall Street finally faces stronger oversight.
The Senate moves ahead on health care reform.
And UO running back LeGarrette Blount was suspended.

, , , from a certain point of view. Let's start this week's Padawan training with Daryl Cagle's toon round-up:

p3 Picks of the Week: Mike Luckovich, Nate Beeler, Pat Bagley, John Darkow, Jimmy Margulies, John Cole, Joe Heller, Jeff Stahler, Scott Stantis, and Monte Wolverton,

p3 Best of Show: Steve Sack.

p3 Legion of Honor: Adam Zyglis.

p3 World Toon Review: Does anyone get the joke--I think it's a joke--in this week's toon by Cam Cardow (Canada)? If so, you're ahead of me. In fact, let that be the theme of this week's WTR: Visually interesting toons that I'm pretty sure I don't get: Stephane Peray (Thailand), Effat Mohamed (Egypt), and Alex Falco (Cuba).


Ann Telnaes runs the numbers, and they're nothing to brag about.


The Onion took a moment this week to gently mock a cartoon character who first made me aware of some of the possibilities that life offered, even if her head did resemble an enormous apple with spit curls. (You can read more about that here.) And did you know, by the way, that all Onion items begin with the creation of the headline, after which the story and/or photo are reverse-engineered?


No one to root for here: I'm including this bit because, if it's happening in the toon world, you count on p3 to be there. But honestly, if you want to give it a miss and scroll on down to "Schroedinger's Reagan," I'll understand. Amanda Marcotte framed the issue rather elegantly (certainly more elegantly than any of the participants deserve): "Misogynist murderer versus misogynist cartoonist."


Schroedinger's Reagan: Think your conservative credentials are all in order because you believe the earth is only 6000 years old? Hah! Tom Tomorrow says that cutting-edge conservatism now knows it's even younger than that--much younger. And like all new theories, there are a few kinks still to be worked out.


The Man in Black (and White): Johnny Cash's biography is out in graphic novel format.


Portland homeboy Jack Ohman updates an American classic,


Prithee? Hm? Hm? This week's animation, "Robin Hood Daffy," was directed by Chuck Jones in 1957. By then the drop in production values for Warner Bros cartoons was beginning to show, and you can see it in this short, most noticeably in the more limited, less expressive animation style. (Also, Carl Stalling had by then handed over the musical direction to his former assistant, Milt Franklyn.) Still, "Robin Hood Daffy" remains pretty funny, in part because Jones was already working on turning a problem (seriously reduced production budgets beginning in the mid-1950s) into a virtue: The necessarily simpler, less-detailed style let Jones move character expression from the Tex Avery style of extremes--eyeballs popping out, jaws dropping, etc.--to the Jack Benny-esque studied stare (which he absolutely perfected a few years later in his characterization of the Grinch). (Update: Watch "Robin Hood Daffy" on B99.tv.)  Yoiks! And away!


p3 Bonus Toon: Jesse Springer notes notes that there's permanent, and then there's "permanent:"



Don't forget to bookmark Slate's political cartoon for the day.

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