Modeled somewhat after Joel Pett’s Toon-op that runs in the LA Times, Daryl Cagle has started a similar feature reviewing the current events with cartoons. The new feature will be written by his daughter Susie. From his blog:
I’ve never seen anything like this in syndication, probably because cartoons and the written word are very separate things in syndication. We deliver cartoons as suggested illustrations for our columns, so our delivery system was set up to do this. Also, all of our subscribing newspapers subscribe to all of our content as a “package,” unlike some other syndicates that sell each cartoonist and columnist separately and couldn’t know if a particular subscriber had purchased each cartoonist contributor to a “week in review” feature – so we’re in a unique situation to make this feature work.
You can see the first column on his blog (currently the first post at the top of the page.).
Leave it to Cagle to leverage off somebody else’s idea, pass it off as his own, then “employ” his own daughter to boot…quite the entrepreneur!
I credited Joel Pett as the inspriation for the feature.
Daryl, I wish you well with it. I think something is gained and something is lost if there is lengthy explanation behind an editorial cartoon. I think one of the attractions to an editorial cartoon is that the cartoonist isn’t bloviating. The mystery behind the cartoon and the ability to let the reader take it and let their imgination run with it, will be taken away with a complete explanation behind each cartoon. Doing it on occasion for reader edification is fun, exciting and instructive … doing it as a regular feature … should be interesting to see how that goes.
The first installment seems alright … it is short and connects several on a theme. However, none of those cartoons really seemed in need of an explanation. I guess it’s kind of like when you have to explain a joke … it kind of defeats the purpose. IMHO.
Again, good luck. Trying different things is worth a try AND there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiasties), so credit where credit is due (as you did) and run it up the flag pole and see if anyone salutes.
All this being said, I’ve found it helpful in some of my book projects to have commentary to provide context to cartoons. Sometimes marginal characters (like Oliphant uses) assist in doing sort of the same thing.
The nature of the cartoon beast is that the minority of talented people create while the majority of mediocrity imitate, hoping to ride the coattails of the talented. It’s always quite evident which is which.