More cartoons for all the Internets to see

I'm dumping these cartoons now because I'm going out of town, and I won't be back posting until Tuesday. Kristen and I are going up to Wellsboro tonight, and we're planning drink a lot at the Finger Lakes Wine Festival this weekend up in Watkiss Glen.

So talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. The Thigh Master is neither a thigh nor a master. Discuss.

Any f#@$ing time sweetheart!

Did he torture dogs left handed too?

Well, it's finally happened. Michael Vick, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he sponsored a dogfighting operation where dogs were housed, trained and fought at a property owned by Vick in Surry County, Va.

And it doesn't just stop with dogfighting. It gets a bit more grisly, with the loser of the fight either dying in the pit, being soaked and then electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot.

It's a disastrous allegation for Vick, who according to Judy Battista of The New York Times, stands to lose quite a deal of wealth, not to mention freedom, if found guilty. Since he joined the N.F.L. in 2001, Vick’s No. 7 jersey had been among the top five sellers among all players. Not to mention his many lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Hasbro and Kraft, among others.

I guess that Madden curse is real...

Vick Indictment a Predicament for the N.F.L.
The New York Times

Indictment puts Vick's earning power in limbo
ESPN

And here's the clip of the dog being hit during the Tour de France. Not to worry, the dog came out of it unharmed, which is more than can be said for Vick's pups:

We like you Frank...but we'll keep raising money

My weekly cartoon is up now at PoliticsNJ, so go have a look, and let me know what you think.

Grading on a curve...

I was watching the Sunday talk shows this morning, and on every single one, the question was asked; What grade do you give this administration on the war in Iraq?

This struck me as odd for two reasons:

#1- Is this grade school mentality of relating a war with over 3,000 American deaths, and tens of thousands of Iraqis', to a grade-school report card the best the mainstream media has?

#2- Is there any other possible grade than an 'F'?

Hogwarts School of Politics

Professor Corzine is beginning to dip back down to reality. Once enjoying extremely high poll numbers and support, he is beginning to slide back due to his refusal to come clean about Carla Katz, and his unwaivering support of a so-far secret plan to 'monetize' New Jersey's toll roads.

It doesn't take a wizard to figure out that its time for him to explain his plan, unless he's got something to hide.


Here's the sketch:

Another Nappy-Headed Ho

If you haven't heard, Sonny McCullough, the acting state senator in the 2nd district that took over Bill Gormely's empty seat, told an off-color joke to PoliticNJ's Max Pizarro during an interview in Atlantic County last week.

As reported by the Press of Atlantic City this morning:

"Max Pizarro of politicsnj.com, told The Press of Atlantic City that he and McCullough were outside a Chinese restaurant earlier this week when the senator broke into a story about how he ran into an Asian couple at the mall whom he had married a year earlier as Egg Harbor Township mayor. As Pizarro relayed the joke, the couple pushed a stroller carrying a black baby, McCullough asked the baby's name and the mother replied, 'Sum Ting Wong'"

To me, the joke isn't terrible, and I think the democrats, in full campaign mode, are of course overreacting. That doesn't mean that McCullough is an idiot for saying it. He was already facing a tough fight against the former mayor of Atlantic City, Jim Wheelan. We'll have to see if this becomes his "Macaca" moment.

Dems slam McCullough for racist joke

McCullough: Sorry for dumb joke

In Atlantic Senate contest, the brawl goes on

UPDATE: Those of you that logged on this morning might have noticed that I originally drew this cartoon with Joe Biden offering McCullough the shoehorn. I talked to my editor, and we decided that it might be funnier to New Jersey readers if we changed Biden to Imus, fresh from his Rutgers "Nappy-Headed ho" incident. It is now changed, in my opinion for the better (I love having awesome editors), but the original version can be seen below:

Senator Vitter, you rascal

(click here to view)

Mad props go to Mike Luckovich of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I was going to do a cartoon on this, but just didn't have the time, plus too much local stuff going on that I wanted to cover (Sunny McCullough making racist jokes). But I laughed loud at this cartoon for a solid ten minutes, and I felt the need to share it.

Mad props to you Luckovich!

Cartoon provided by American Association of Editorial Cartoonists

Too many hospital beds in New Jersey

Here's a cartoon I did for NJBiz for a story involving a gluttony of hospital beds at certain hospitals throughout New Jersey.

Newest PoliticsNJ cartoon

Just like every Wednesday around these parts, my new cartoon is online at PoliticsNJ. If you get a chance, leave me a message over there and tell me what you think.

Here's the sketch:

Tulsa World cartoonist dies in car accident

I just finished reading on The Daily Cartoonist that Doug Marlette, the staff editorial cartoonist for the Tulsa World, died this morning in a car crash. Marlette went to work for the World in 2006 to replace David Simpson, who was dismissed due to plagiarism. According to the Tulsa World, Marlette is survived by his wife, Melinda, and an adult son, Jackson.

He will definitely be missed, not only by his family, and his fans around the country, but by all of his cartooning peers, who from talking to them hold him in high esteem.

From Editor and Publisher, Nick Anderson, the staff cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle and president-elect of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, told them in an e-mail:

"This is really shocking. He was only 57. It's a loss to the world of cartooning. He was a respected member of our profession. There will be a conspicuous absence on the pages of American newspapers. I'd like to extend my sympathies to his family."

Doug Marlette, World editorial cartoonist, dies in Mississippi accident
- The Tulsa World

Doug Marlette Dead After Mississippi Car Accident
- The Daily Cartoonist

Cartoonist Doug Marlette Dies in Car Accident
- Editor & Publisher

A slideshow of recent cartoons
- The Tulsa World

I thought I marked it "private"

I'm sure you all have heard by now about the plight of Miss New Jersey. For those of you that haven't, Amy Polumbo, the current Miss New Jersey, was mailed a batch of photos that she posted on the social-networking website Facebook. The person that has mailed them continues to be anonymous, and has called for her resignation last month.

And posted today, a story from the Press of Atlantic City reveals that a person or group calling itself the Committee to Save Miss America was behind an alleged blackmail threat demanding Miss New Jersey relinquish her crown, according to a pageant spokeswoman.

So of course, I thought it would be fun to play it off of Corzine's back-and-forth action in terms of New Jersey's powerful labor unions. Seems he still can't shake Carla Katz away, even as he contends in court papers filed today that his e-mail exchanges with his former girlfriend and labor union leader during recent state worker contract negotiations are not subject to disclosure under the state's open records law.

On the web:

‘Committee' sent threat to Miss N.J.

Corzine tells court Katz e-mails should stay private

Here's the sketch:

Transform and roll out...pollution!

I'm officially back from Washington and this year's American Association of Editorial Cartoonists' convention. I have some pictures I'll post soon, I swear!

Speaking on this cartoon, I haven't seen the new Transformers, and other than a morbid curiosity, I really don't have any intention to. The Transformers themselves look terrible. And it's directed by Michael Bay, so it's already got a couple of really crappy things going for it.

However, I would go see it if Optimus Prime looked like this:

Here's the sketch:

Always look in the bright sight of life...

Hey gang! I'm in Washington right now enjoying the AAEC Convention. Tomorrow there are some great seminars, as well as lunch at the Washington Post, so I'll try and put up some pictures tomorrow.

Now, time for bed!

Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July to all you New Jersey bloggers out there. My newest cartoon is up at Politics NJ, so go check it out, and leave some comments.

I've been away, but now I'm back

Sorry it's been so long between posts, but I've been up to my eyeballs designing a new website for the newspaper I work for. Luckily, they got me a spankin' new MacBook Pro so I can go on the road and continue to be their web slave. And where on the road am I going to be, you ask?

Why at the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary (of which I've been apart of one), and there are a number of cool events.

Topping my list is Cartoonapalooza: Fireworks in Pen and Ink!

Ten of the nation’s best political cartoonists, Ted Rall, Tom Toles, Mike Luckovich, Mike Peters, Rob Rogers, Jack Ohman, Ruben Bolling, Ann Telnaes, Keith Knight and Mark Fiore, will be discussing their most controversial cartoons. There is a cocktail reception before the panel discussion, so if you want to go, get their early and drink often!

Here's some official info about the event:

Cartoons & Cocktails and the Association of American Cartoonists Present: *Cartoonapalooza: Fireworks in Pen and Ink!*
Date: Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Time: 6:30 PM*
Location: Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036
Tickets: $25 in advance/$35 at door (PayPal available)
Proceeds from this event will go to support Newspapers In Education’s “Cartoons for the Classroom” program

Order tickets online (and download the poster by Mikhaela Reid) here.

PoliticsNJ.com

My newest cartoon is up at Politics NJ, so go check it out, and leave some comments. As you can see, the people there aren't shy, so tell me what you think!

Just waiting out of sight...

New Jersey Power List 2007

Over at PoliticsNJ, they've published their New Jersey Power List for 2007. I did the caricatures for the top 10 influential individuals on the list. According to the site:

"In developing our list, we eliminated anyone who currently holds elected office, as well as the Judiciary. We also eliminated the living former Governors, United States Senators, and Bill Gormley: we believe that all former statewide officeholders remain highly influential and well respected. This is an Insiders List. We looked at policy makers, party leaders, fundraisers, lobbyists, labor unions, businesses, and associations and have assembled the ultimate list of New Jerseyans with clout, with an impact on politics and government in the Garden State.."

Check out the power list here.

A broken record