Holiday Special: A Cartoon Christmas Drama

Posted by ractrose on 23 Dec 2020 in Cartoons

Something different for the season. Enjoy the next couple of days in the snow!               Rudolph Buy on Amazon                                       (2020, Stephanie Foster)      

Cartoon Stories: Critters

Posted by ractrose on 25 May 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Critters         A few sentient beings from a older-person’s storybook world.         Vermiculture. No lightweight larva of literary lore.        A Matter of Policy. Rabbits will freeze in place when a hawk circles…       A Place for Everyone. Peaceful coexistence, while meditating on […]

Cartoon Stories: Bad Attitudes

Posted by ractrose on 27 Apr 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Bad Attitudes         Some political, some cultural, some animal…       Boy Wonder Wanted. On the theme of dangerous old gurus, and their insular recruitment centers…       Long Time No See. Some people never get the body language right. Or the fashion statements. Which, incidentally, I like […]

Cartoon Stories: Encounters

Posted by ractrose on 20 Apr 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Encounters       Some two-character vignettes.       Smarter Than Average. Investing the apparent with inscrutability…makes a better story? Inspired by the dumb punditry of our times, where anything not face value is still no deeper than a layer of tanning mousse.       Grapple with It. Humans are basically […]

Cartoon Stories: Side Glances

Posted by ractrose on 13 Apr 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Side Glances       Various takes on cultural commonplaces.       How’s the Look. Plaids were almost making a comeback…       Check It Out. To make this one, I had to find where I had a check to copy from.       Self-Confidence Is Key. The perfect 80s […]

Cartoon Stories: More from the Idea File

Posted by ractrose on 6 Apr 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories More from the Idea File       Cartoons are sight gags, basically (unless they’re walk-and-talk strips, as much of Calvin and Hobbes). Below, like last week, whimsy, with a mini-sitcom, and a touch of existentialism.     Lobbying for a Special Interest. Who wouldn’t cheer the fighting spirit of the poor lobster […]

Cartoon Stories: Whims Brought to Life

Posted by ractrose on 30 Mar 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Whims Brought to Life         One category of humor cartoons are especially adapted to; and that, outside of skit comedy, can’t well be communicated to an audience (skits, requiring some minimum length, may also labor the joke), is this sort of idea we all have, little whimsies that take off […]

Cartoon Stories: Historical Hijinks

Posted by ractrose on 23 Mar 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Historical Hijinks         This week, some riffs on topics drawn from history.       Buzz Word. “Hello” is an evolved word, from hola (to fetch), more or less its Germanic origin. Of course, hello is basically an Americanism, but anything (and everything) goes in cartoons. New slang is forever […]

Cartoon Stories: Lightly Macabre

Posted by ractrose on 17 Mar 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Lightly Macabre                           Your challenge, in creating scenarios and casting characters to act them out, is how to portray both the person as his/her individual self, and that self reacting to…a circumstance. Above, one in my cartooning style, but done for […]

Cartoon Stories: Grabbed from the Headlines

Posted by ractrose on 9 Mar 2020 in Cartoons

Cartoon Stories Grabbed from the Headlines       Everyone does topical humor. But some cultural influences are more middle-ground than others. Political criticism might need to be veiled for safety; while making fun of advertising, movies, fashion, is fairly safe across the board (although we’ve heard of militant superfans). For a cartoonist, or comedian, […]