Mister Rogers Meets The Thing

I figured it was time for me to add my own two cents to the Fred Rogers statue controversey. When I saw photos of the statue by sculptor Robert Berks I was perplexed. The surface of the statue is rough and jagged to the point of looking dangerous. Jimmy Kimmel called it a "mud monster." In my opinion, this is not the gentle man from the Neighborhood we all knew and loved.

Sure, art is subjective ... but who are these folks defending the Mister Rogers statue? Can they somehow relate to the monument's crusty exterior? Then it dawned on me. There IS one character in the world who can really relate to this statue: Comic book superhero and member of the Fantastic Four, The Thing.

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Retro Rogers: The Berlin Wall

It is hard to believe that it's been 20 years since the world watched as Germany dismantled the Berlin Wall. It was an inspiring thing to watch, even on TV. I was actually cartooning back in 1989 and here are several of my favorite cartoons about the fall of Communism as well as the Wall.

The only Cold War still raging is the one between right-wing Republicans and the White House. Here is yesterday's cartoon about the Wall coming down.

Halloween Is Coming!

I love this time of year: the colorful leaves, the crisp air, the football, the sugar shock from all the leftover Halloween candy ... Some people never outgrow Halloween. I am one of those people. Every year I get to relive my childhood trick-or-treating joy by drawing cartoons using Halloween as a metaphor.

The so-called "swine flu" should make pig costumes popular this year. Oink, oink.

When the news reported pay cuts for bailed out bank executives, I decided to go with a Frankenstein monster metaphor.

Speaking of monsters, the Republicans have been trying to make a monster out of Obama since last Halloween.

Balloon Boy Lives

Don't you just love the fact that we can say "balloon boy" and everyone knows what we are talking about? Like "Runaway Bride" and "Jilted Astronaut", "Balloon Boy" has entered the lexicon thanks to poor judgement and the 24-hour cable news machine. (Note: "Diapered Astronaut" also works.) The poor judgement in this case was provided Balloon Boy's idiot father, Richard Heene, who wanted to be on TV so much he was willing to sacrifice his son, Falcon. Even if the Falcon was never in any danger, what kind of parent uses his kid like that?

The saddest part of all of this? We created Richard Heene. He is a product of the "reality TV" we are bombarded with every day. That garbage isn't there by mistake. It is there because we watch it. I have seen the enemy and he is us. We are "Balloon Boy."

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For larger image, click HERE.

Rush Limbaugh's America

I have received several emails this week from readers who have criticized my cartoon depiction of Rush Limbaugh. They ask if I have ever listened to Limbaugh's show. My answer is yes, I have, but I can only take him in small doses. His inflamatory rhetoric, lies and distortion make me too angry to give him that much of my precious time. These Limbaugh fans claim that Rush would never say anything like I had him saying in the cartoon below.

I would ask these Limbaugh defenders the same question. Have you ever really listened to Limbaugh's show? Where do they think I got the dialogue? Limbaugh has made many statements that could be called "racist", including this remark about how the NFL --- "Look, let me put it to you this way: The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it."

In this YouTube video Limbaugh blames all the racial tension in this country on "Obama's America."

Where's My Nobel Peace Prize?

I just got back from a week at the beach (yes, cartoonists need vacations too) to the news that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Hey, I love Obama as much as the next sane person, but come on! Is it really time to start giving Nobel Peace Prizes for things we HOPE will come to pass? If that's the case, the committee should know that I did a lot of world peace negotiating in my head while I was on the beach this past week ... and I am not currently waging two wars. Where's MY Nobel?

Overheard At The G-20 Summit

I was out in the middle of two protest marches during the G-20. The security was off the hook. At one point, during the protest in Larenceville on Thursday, there far were more riot police than protesters. The bystanders and journalists were the only ones being pushed back by the blockade. I overheard some funny stuff, mostly questions about why they were protesting or why we needed the huge show of force.

Check out my final G-20 sketches on the P-G's G-20 web site, including this one below.

Does This Tarp Make My Butt Look Big?

Just a reminder to check out my G-20 Sketch Blog on the PG's dedicated G-20 web site. I will only be posting to it during the G-20 Summit here in Pittsburgh. Here is a sample of what you can see. I drew this sketch while watching the workers cover the Hilton Hotel's unfinished front with a tarp to hide the eyesore of failed labor/managment relations.

G-20 Cartoon Slide Show!

Check out a slide show of the Drawn To The Summit exhibition at the Warhol Museum! Below is one of the cartoons in the show. It is by Steve Bell of the Guardian in London and is called, Sermon On the Hood.

A Truly Pittsburgh Summit

For the next few days I will be posting sketches and thoughts to the P-G's exclusive G-20 web site. You can go there to see my G-20 Sketch Blog and all the cartoons from the Warhol exhibition Drawn To the Summit that I mentioned in my previous post. Here is today's cartoon about how if we approach this summit like a Steelers home game ... we may just pull it off.

For larger image click HERE.