OOh, great dustup on Time Magazine’s list of Best Editorial Cartoons of 2008!

You’ll have to decide for yourself if they made the right decision, and if these cartoons are the BEST – I started to really study editorial cartoons just this year, and they don’t seem great to me, but I am not one to judge. Yet. (Give me a little time, and I’ll be circling like a shark…)

Anyway, Ted Rall thinks the editors there suck. Ted is a well known syndicated political cartoonist, radio guy, author (Wake Up, You’re Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back from the Right), and no doubt creator of other things. He is also editor at a syndicate  and president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. He got mad at Time’s lame editorial picks, and let them have it! Daily Cartoonist published his letter in full, and here is an excerpt:

Your list of the Top 10 Editorial Cartoons of 2008 is an insult to editorial cartoonists, many of whom are losing their jobs to the economic downturn in the newspaper industry. In 2008 hundreds of brilliant political cartoonists produced thousands of hard-hitting, thought-provoking and hilarious cartoons about everything from the flash in the pan that was Sarah Palin to the rise of Barack Obama, and all you could come up with was this phoned-in crap?

More at the link! Well, when has a cartoonist ever kept his mouth shut when he sees bad work? Not I. One bad cartoonist spoils the place for everyone.

Some of the comments at Daily Cartoonist:

• So much for not directly insulting the cartoonists involved ;) That said, bravo. Particularly enjoyed the “clean and sober” slice. Time magazine has become as relevant and useful as an ’80s cocaine binge.

• Wow.  This was already mailed, right?  Well, in that case, um, wow.

• I’m in agreement with Ken. This wasn’t a well thought out letter. I agree with the sentiments but this is not how you persuade people. As much as I hate using tact, it is necessary. Bad move.

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The President-Elect Chia Pet cartoon, © Donna Barstow.

Sorry, all political, Slate, opinion, and editorial cartoons have been moved  to my Slate blog:

The Opposite of Wrong: OpEd Cartoons.

Here ya go: Obama Chia Pet.

“Check your zipper, buddy.” © D. Barstow, 2009, All Rights Reserved.

…or are you just happy to see me?

I did a lot of pet store cartoons when I started out cartooning. Since I was so interested in pets, wouldn’t other people be? Well, Petco and Petsmart would agree with you, but grown-up magazines maybe not so much.

But I’ve sold a lot of bird cartoons! I do know my birds. I drew this one as a sort of crossover for the men’s magazines, Bird Talk and anyone who thought it was funny. This would be a great one for Playboy. They have a variety of work, some of them funny.

Oh, I have a great Playboy joke for you.

Q. How many women cartoonists have sold cartoons there?

A. Just one. Only they never published it!

And it wasn’t me, it was a friend. I have been in some big men’s magazines, but I won’t name them here. And they don’t use cartoons now anymore. :(

This is kind of loose, nay, even a sloppy drawing. And yet, it works! It’s for Illustration Friday, the subject: rambunctious. And if you don’t think big loud birds are rambunctious, you don’t have one. Even my parakeet is driving me crazy lately. He’s fallen in love with a pink pencil, and calls for it all the time.

This is the last Friday before Christmas, so Happy Pink Pencil day to everyone!

Avia gold running shoes and a perky Clementine.

Mervyn’s is going out of business. That makes me very very sad. I bought my underwear, jammies, workout wear, and most sneakers there. They didn’t have very good clothes, but they had a smart jewelry buyer, and I did like some of their fashion jewelry, and gold and silver.

I found these sassy running shoes at half off – they’re Avia, too. I never knew I wanted gold sneakers until now! They’re just this side of ghetto brassy. And yet so tastefully annointed, encased in powerful white stripes! The box describes the shoes as Avia Convexus – White, Natural, and Dark Purple- what, no love for the gold?! I wondered if the wrong shoes were in the box, but no, there is that little dab of purple at the heel and the top.

They’ll never look as new as this again, so here is my homage. I had a clementine on the counter, so there you go, the classic 3 objects that make good design. If you wish to do the same, found some similar crazy purple running shoes here. Free return shipping? Yeah, that’s crazy.

I was too late to get any good bras, though, damn it. Good bras are essential – at a good price, of course. I even liked their house brand, Partners. I went to a real bra fitter once, at Macy’s I think it was. I wanted an expert. She said the type I prefer is called torpedo shaped. Now, guys – (and there should not BE any men reading this, since this is Ladies Only), that doesn’t mean Madonna! Or just Madonna! We all get to pick our own shape.

Most of what they had left was padded (don’t need), and minimizers (don’t want.) Some things don’t need improvement.

“But it says here you have 350 years experience in overnight delivery.” © D. Barstow 2009, All Rights Reserved.

I decorated my blog for Christmas! But does Santa seem depressed to you? Maybe it’s because we can’t see his rosy cheeks and red nose.

(There is a cartoonist that we all know, not naming no names, but here’s her book who draws her character only from the back! I can’t remember if any character in the panel has a face, but the main one has only hair. She said it’s because she can’t draw faces, but also because it lets Everywoman identify with her. Well, I guess so… As it happens, this cartoonist has connected with many pharmaceutical companies, so she’s doing well financially. Perhaps I can claim Santa has rosacea, and this will be my start to fame and fortune.)

Anyway, Santa is too good for the Post Office, but not savvy in applying for state unemployment. Anyone want to help him out?

Love this drawing!  It ran in a very happy paper with a happy editor this month.

This week from my editors:

• One editor was very apologetic to say that her paper was cutting back, and so they couldn’t use my cartoon for a while. (However, since I’m the only cartoon in there, and we have a really good rapport, I think she’ll be back.)
• One editor never let me know about the batch of cartoons I emailed last month. I even called about them. Finally, I emailed to ask again about them, and she said, “we rejected those weeks ago, Donna! I hope we can get your work back on track soon.” That’s chutzpah! A rejection, an insult, and a lie, all in one email! She has lied at least twice more this year about emails – never letting me know the verdict, so I don’t send any more, since I’m waiting to hear. What can you do about a liar? Truly, I understand when editors don’t like my work – fine, screw ‘em. But this is more passive-aggressive. Please, people, don’t fold on that important contract!!
• I have an interesting, different kind of contract sitting on my desk, but haven’t made any progress in getting changes I want (need).
• An art director for a law magazine said my work looks great!

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