Ship Happens.

October

Uh-oh! A boating metaphor! Sigh…I am working through a bad cold…So my creative process is currently moving in sloooow motion. And my drawing abilities are leaving much to be desired. Situation normal then, I hear you say?

I watched the VP debate and – shockingly – have an opinion on how it played out…
I’ll save that one for Sunday’s cartoon, though.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 am by Matt Davies.
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7 Responses to “Ship Happens.”

DisasterMan October 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I’ve missed the debates – too busy moving to the continent unfortunately.

As for the tired metaphor issue, a novel take on an old metaphor can be refreshing, and just as good as trying for something wholly original (and therefore somewhat impossible).

It’s a great punchline either way, alhtough I think the sign is perhaps a little unecessary. Could the boats be named SS Wall Street and SS Little Guy or somesuch? I like the idea of the names worked into the fabric of the illustration rather than as labels.
Matt Davies October 3rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I agree on the labels. I hate labels – but they are sometimes a necessary communicative evil.
Topgunner October 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Can’t say much about thus cartoon but would love to see something showing how amateurish Sarah Palin looked at the debate. “Can I call you Joe?”
She may present as an average American, but I would prefer to have an extraordinary American as VP. This high school cheerleader can’t be given the opportunity to be “one chicken bone away from being President”. I wouldn’t trust her to plan homecoming, let alone be the country’s second in command.

Feel better soon.
alexis October 4th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Matt: idea for another one on same subject: Congress in a row boat, in shallow water near the shore. Label the water: financial crisis. Hole in the bottom of the boat and Congress bailing frantically. On the shore, Wall Street standing with arms folded, overseeing the process. Sure enjoy your ideas and abilities to translate into your great drawings. Thanks. Another—- On topgunner’s wish about “can I call you Joe?” Have Joe/Sarah shaking right hands, Sarah asking the question, with a meat cleaver behind her back in left hand.
DisasterMan October 5th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
“I would prefer to have an extraordinary American as VP”
Well put, Topgunner.

Matt, I totally understand the purpose and need for labels, of course you want a cartoon to be immediately clear to those who might not be overly familiar with the story and labels can help cartoons to have longevity when the original story as faded. I just don’t think the liquidity sign is needed – the rest of the image speaks clearly enough, and I feel the sign simply belabours the boats/water/liquidity analogies.

Where labels are used, it’s nice if they can fit seamlessly into the context of the illustration, which is what I am trying to get at with the ship names idea.

As a whole, you could take this cartoon and put it in any time of financial upheaval, and it would still work, and be instantly recognisable – that is what makes it so good I think.

These are just ideas of course, and not meant as trenchant criticisms – you have to make these decisions while facing the dreaded deadline monster, which as I well know, kicks the ass of the monster in the closet AND the one under the bed, with one claw behind it’s scaly back.

Before breakfast.

With no pants on.

I can feel him looking at me now…
Matt Davies October 6th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Topgunner,
I have to confess, I’m having trouble with Palin. She’s ludicrously easy to caricature and is already such a cartoonish presence in the Presidential race, that doing an actual cartoon about her seems redundant. But I’ll figure it out.

D-Man, I see you are familiar with the beast. I’ll take your comments on weaving labels into the fabric of the drawing on advisement. That’s a helpful suggestion.
Topgunner October 6th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Matt:
You simply cannot shrink from drawing the cartoon character that Palin is; too many people view her as a serious candidate. Her relentless bastardization of the English language alone makes me cringe.
Take a crack at her, trust me…. it will be easy work with non stop material.
I only wish that I could draw.
With halloween approaching, perhaps something about a Sarah Palin mask would suffice.
Given her (and the Republicans) penchant for fear mongering, it might work well. And if you win a Pulitzer, don’t forget me.

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