What's His Apron Called?

Adam Zyglis, 4/3/13:

Yes, the wages of fast-food peons is paid for directly by your taxes!

So let's require all teens to work for free at Hardee's today!

Norman Rockwell's Royalty Office Called

...with a question about payments for all of these "Freedom from Want" rip-offs.

Some have political concerns:

Mike Luckovich, 11/21/12:

Clay Bennett, 11/21/12:

Robert Ariail, 11/22/12:

And some just want to continue the perennial complaint that people go shopping for Christmas much earlier than some unspecified time in the past:

Adam Zyglis, 11/22/12:

Nick Anderson, 11/22/12:

And all of them are taking advantage of a long holiday weekend to do a little lazy cartooning and get off to their own Thanksgiving tables a little earlier. Let's salute their work ethic!

Cartoon of the Week

Adam Zyglis, 10/20/12:

This is one of Editorial Explanations' rare "attaboy!" moments, the times when we point out that a cartoonist has done something quite clever and incisive.

There have been a lot of cartoons, and a lot of other commentary, about the attacks on the Libyan embassy, about the confused and contradictory State Department responses, and about Republican attempts to capitalize on that confusion and contradiction.

But Zyglis boils it down to one stark image: Obama has a weak spot, but Romney can't manage to aim his arrow correctly at it.

This is what an editorial cartoon should be: not a campaign slogan for either side, but a clear-eyed view of what's really happening, presented visually.

The Ol' Ball and Chain

Adam Zyglis, 6/15/12:

Businesses could do so much better if they didn't have to follow all of those pesky laws -- like actually paying their workers, or worrying about safety conditions, or monitoring their output so they don't pollute. And, if you loved America sufficiently, you would immediately dismantle all of those laws and allow American businesses to be competitive with Chinese slave labor again!

Note: Yes it is a double-Zyglis day! Let's celebrate!

Is He Crossing Niagara Falls?

Adam Zyglis, 6/15/12:

Advertisers have to walk the narrow tightrope of Brand Image, it's true -- but, if they fall off, they have the tether of...um, of...I dunno, Corporate Deniability?, Customer Loyalty?, Marketing Power? ... to save them.

Is this cartoon actually about anything? Has there been some big brou-ha-ha about branding up in Buffalo that I didn't hear about?

And is Zyglis aware that he's spinning a tether -- something that saves you from death if you make a mistake -- as a bad thing? Does his metaphor even make any sense to begin with?

Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

Adam Zyglis, 4/15/12:

The social "safety net" -- the metaphor of the social programs benefiting the poor, such as food stamps, housing aid, and direct cash payments -- is an actual net, which Congressman Paul Ryan has recently realized could be put to a more capitalistically beneficial use, such as catching fish.

This, sadly, has bad consequences for the poor, who are balding men falling from a great height into the sea -- not women or children, as one might expect, since they're the vast majority of recipients of these programs -- who will now drown in the waters of...now, what would the water be in this metaphor? The economy in general?

They Tried to Kill Him With a Forklift (Ahem, Wheelchair)

Adam Zyglis, 3/28/12:

Yes, the opposition to Obamacare is primarily driven by paraplegic uninsured middle-aged men, who were given their mechanized wheelchairs by the Wheelchair Fairy, and prefer to cover their crushing medical costs by running over the poor, helpless insured.

What the hell? Is Zyglis channeling Kelly all of a sudden?

Where's Buddy Rich When You Need Him?

Who would have expected two "drums of war" cartoons on March 12th, of all days?

But we got them, from R.J. Matson:

And from Adam Zyglis:

Luckily, they have different drums being beaten, so they don't get the dreaded "great minds think alike" tag.

Assuming Conservatives Will Pay For Anything? Hah!

Adam Zyglis, 3/6/12:

Zyglis cartoons in black and white specifically so that you can't call him a racist today.

Solving the Wrong Problem

Adam Zyglis, 2/25/12:

Bulk-mail volume and profits are up, actually, and the consumer-sent stuff was always more of a hassle than it was worth.

The USPS has been forced to pre-pay its pension obligations for the next few decades, though -- unlike any other private or public entity in the world -- and so may be forced to close facilities and lay off people to get under that Congressionally-mandated demand.

But keep trying, Zyglis! You'll get it right eventually.

Is That Supposed to Be a Haircut?

Adam Zyglis, 11/23/11:

Yes, the debt crisis in the US is so bad that the US government is completely unable to restructure its debts or pay interest! We're all gonna die from runaway debt!

Oh, wait, that's not true at all: actually, the US Treasury gets such favorable terms right now that they actually make money by borrowing.

The Tinkertoys Come Next

Adam Zyglis, 10/26/11:

Hands up, everyone who's chomping at the bit to vacation in sunny Buffalo next year!

And what about their fabulous heritage -- not every city can boast a team that lost four Super Bowls in a row!

Horrible Steve Jobs Cartoons Roundup, Day Two

It's always sad when a famous person dies. It's even sadder when the rest of us have to look at drivel like this!

MStreeter, 10/7/11:

Grammar matters, folks! "iCon" is not the same thing as "Icon," and calling attention to "Con" is probably not what you mean to do right now.

Ed Stein, 10/7/11:

There's a difference between a legacy and a tombstone...for most of us, that is.


Randy Bish, 10/7/11:

Jobs made products under the name of Apple, but he wasn't himself an Apple -- Bish seems to have missed that part.

Adam Zyglis, 10/7/11:

Plus one point for trying to incorporate Jobs's other major success, Pixar. Minus several dozen for the image of Buzz Jobs-year.

John R. Rose, 10/7/11:

Rose got the short straw this time, and was obliged to do the Single Tear cartoon.

Scott Stantis, 10/7/11:

There's a special genius-only sub-heaven, and Jobs, being an adopted bastard, probably won't get in.

Or perhaps the message here is that even dead people use smartphones?

Or that their end table is levitating?

Or that "there's an app for that" has now joined "where's the beef" and other phrases in completely losing all meaningful content?

Jeff Koterba, 10/7/11:

When in doubt, illustrate the kind of rambling, meaningless conversation that the cartoonist himself might have had that morning.

Update!

Dana Summers,  10/7/11:

Summers also goes with the crying Apple logo,  though his is both shinier and more off-model than Rose's.

Gary Varvel, 10/6/11:

And Varvel goes totally on-model, adding only a subtle Single Tear. Must have had an early tee-time that day.

The New Angel in the House

Adam Zyglis, 6/16/11:

Not to throw a wet blanket on anyone's celebrations, but what did the Weiner scandal have to do with women in politics, anyway?

Or is this just a way of saying "Women pols: none of them have sent naked photos yet! (That we know of.)"? If so, it's only a matter of time -- all politicians are massively narcissistic by nature and there's no end to the shenanigans they get up to.

The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Vegetables

Adam Zyglis, 6/12/11:

Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot, and nothing repels them more quickly than...newly-mown grass!!!!

Seriously, if the worst thing going on in your town is that some vacant lots have tall weeds, I think you'd want to keep that quiet, to keep the rest of us from piling on.

That One Sank Into the Swamp Too

Adam Zyglis, 4/25/11:

Even for the purposes of a metaphor, depicting GOP stalwarts as being relatively young and female is worth a round of loud, derisive laughter.

Regime Change

Adam Zyglis, 2/17/11:

Please ignore the fact that the Egyptian military just executed a bloodless coup, suspended the constitution, and is ruling by fiat. Facebook is totally the most important power!

Oh, and they're completely secular, now, too -- no pesky religious differences to worry about, and the imams have no influence!