Cuttin’ Loose
I started this cartoon shortly before the announcement that Sarah Palin had signed to become a regular contributor to Fox News, following in the footsteps of fellow Republican bullhorns/criminals Oliver North and Karl Rove. I’m not certain if this is good or bad for the cartoon, but it was not part of the intended message, either way.
Instead, what this cartoon is supposed to be about is lunatic fringe groups like the Tea Partiers attempting to sever themselves from the Republican Party. If I were a Republican, I’d say good riddance, because an association with an out-of-touch buffoon like Michael Steele is better than one with a mob of ignorant, violent racists. But then, when it comes to maximizing votes, I guess you can’t afford to have scruples.
I’m particularly happy with how the modeling turned out on the tree trunk in this. The shadows from branches and things look just right! Technically speaking, the only thing I’m not happy with is the way the stresses of gravity don’t really seem to be acting in a believable way on Palin’s left shoulder–the way she’s waving makes it look as if she’s hoisting the entire left side of her body with her right shoulder. In retrospect, I probably should have angled her more steeply from right to left, so her shoulders wouldn’t be as nearly parallel with the tree limb.
9 Responses to “Cuttin’ Loose”
Grr. Why does someone like Horsey get big awards for his sappy, low-hanging-fruit, while people (such as you) go mostly unnoticed? The world is not fair. Keep up the good work!
excellent work. i’ve never been a fan of most political cartoons, but yours are top notch!
I hope the GOP still doesn’t plan to use Palin as a Presidential candidate for the next election…otherwise it will be a very easy win for the Democrats.
And of course, because her name’s been mentioned, Google’s decided the ad for this page should be “Sarah for 2012? Vote Here!”
Indeed, I’m not exactly happy with the ad space being entirely populated by pro-Tea Party junk. I may have to contact Google to flag the ad content as inappropriate/offensive, if such a thing can be done.
I find it a bit amusing that you’re concerned that your cartoon doesn’t properly display the way the laws of physics and anatomy would be affecting Sarah Palin as she hangs from that branch by one arm, but in this same cartoon you’ve got an elephant in a suit hanging onto that same branch with his feet.
But I love the cartoon!
I’m curious about something. What was your rationale for depicting Sarah Palin in a Playboy Bunny costume? I get the connection to the Mad Hatter, but I feel like there could easily have been a way to accomplish the same analogy without the sexualized imagery. I worry about the sexualization, both positive *and* negative, of female public figures because it tends to represent a male-gaze filter, and it tends to be used as a way to try to discredit women without actually addressing their views. And as we all know, it’s incredibly easy to discredit Sarah Palin without sticking her in a skimpy outfit.
In DeepHurting’s defense, UberNils, Palin *IS* a former beauty pageant contestant. Being sexualized (and how her beauty is one of the first things often mentioned about her) is nothing new.
And overall, a simple, but effective comic.
@UberNils: Isn’t Palin’s outfit supposed to be a way to depict her as the March Hare without making it impossible to figure out who she is?
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