Halloween cartoon I did for Double X (which is the girly side of Slate.)

For Double X I do some cartoons that are current events and political, but also pop culture. Even fem, on occasion!

I think Octomom would fall in the category of pop, or pup culture. Boy, did she wring the public on that one. At first I was angry with how selfish, self-centered, and sick she was – and it still really pisses me off that she is on the dole and leaching off of LA and the state. But now I do understand how mentally ill she really is.

At least her doctor is taking some responsibility for his recklessness, although I feel bad for anyone losing their job now. From PuffPost:

Dr. Michael Kamrava was kicked out of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine last month, group spokesman Sean Tipton said Monday.

Tipton said Kamrava has repeatedly violated the group’s standards. He declined to provide details but said Kamrava was not expelled because of his work with any single patient.

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

But you know what’s worse, Octomom? You’re boring. So take that, and on your way out, go get sterilized.

The cartoon caption: “I was going to go as Octomom, but I didn’t think it was fair to bring that many candy bars into the house…”

I’m not exactly sure what this means, but I assume 14 illegitimate children, each with his or her cute little pumpkin bucket, could score a lot of chocolate.

Gosh, the man looks ticked off, doesn’t he? Methinks he wanted some of that grub.

I’ve been wondering for a while, if birds cry. My parakeet almost moans when he’s afraid, or gives a little shriek, but what about sadness? Google being what it is, I found this WikiHow article instead:
How to Use Clothespins for Your Canary Cage

I mean, who would have thought writing such an article was necessary? I don’t have any clothespins, do you? Does anyone? Nevertheless, I’ll read anything about canaries, and I was fascinated by the title.

Here were the 2 suggestions I think would be helpful if you have both clothespins AND a canary:

• Start using your clothespins daily. Whenever you open the cage door to handle your canary or to clean the cage, have the clothespins handy to keep the cage door open. (Well, maybe not the first sentence. And in my cage, the doors stay open on their own, but many cages do have spring doors.)
• Clothespins can hold the canaries’ greens (leaves, stalks etc.) from the top of the cage. (I use metal clips for greens or treats, and some kind of clip is essential, so everything doesn’t flop to the bottom of the cage. Again, I don’t have any clothespins, but sure, they’d work.)

The suggestion I didn’t like is to use them as perches. I think they’re too short for the bird to feel comfortable and secure. Also, he would slip on the plastic ones.

But let’s not overlook the attractive design in the photo someone made with clothespins to illustrate the article! I like the yellow one at the top, the color of a canary. And it reminds me of the practice women used to follow when they made quilts: the idea that only God is perfect, so they would have one mismatching piece or color or stitch in every quilt.

Even, or maybe especially, in the strict Amish quilts.

For Illustration Friday: subject is frozen.

Well, it would have been understandable, and all too easy to do ice cream for this subject. But it’s almost Halloween! And this is a very very cold…drink.

You know what the waiter is about to say, right? Cold as a witch’s toes in a brass bottle. Isn’t that how it goes?

This cartoon is part of my Daily Special feature, for some of the top newspapers in the country.

The Caption: I make a martini as cold as…well, it’s very cold.”

Yup, I got away with this line! Doing these cartoons every week really taught me a lot about how to draw for newspapers, in a small space, and how to make black and white pop.

OH NO! JAKE IS THE NEW BACHELOR! OH, NO!

They announced it tonight on Dancing with the Stars. Was that Derek in the line-up?! And some other men who looked more interesting. Jake isn’t funny. I need funny in a Bachelor. It’s stressful, strange, and otherwise, strangling. OH, NO!

Photo from etonline.