Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Don't Forget Dangle Opening This Friday

A reminder: The stucco is plastered with Troubletown cartoons over at the Mercury Cafe in San Franciso; the mother of all espresso machines hisses and the new beer taps bubble and foam in anticipation. Get yourself over there after 7p on Friday for some comics yucks, food, drinks, and some great music by Toshio Hirano, the Japanese Robert Crumb, (except that he doesn't draw cartoons). I'll take care of that part with my sly and snide cartoon slideshow. You'll know what I mean when you see him.

South African War on Satire

...Last fall he was taken to the country's human-rights commission and forced to defend his cartoons. At a meeting of the ANC youth league, one member threatened to "shoot him and kill him."


Another place where it's scarier to be a cartoonist.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009



Last week's Troubletown generated more email and Facebook thumbs than most. I struck a nerve with the tax revolters and tea baggers. Some of them didn't like it. It was okay, not all the emails were full of expletives. I asked for permission to post some of the emails sent directly to me. We'll see.

Anyway, that's why I'm glad that this week's cartoon is one everybody can agree on. Yeah, maybe this cartoon is on the obvious side: what if a regular guy went around torturing people? But obvious is good. Nothing wrong with obvious. First I thought there could be a different heinous criminal in each panel, each one getting away with their crime using one of the excuses for not prosecuting Cheney et. al. Then I thought I could do something about sharp defense attorneys who use all the legal precedents set by the Bush Administration to get their murderers and torturers out of jail. First one: "Subpoena? Haw haw! You just ignore those. That's what the president's men do." Then I settled on the girl scout torturing Ernie P. Tuttweiler. Why? I don't have the slightest idea.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

96 Days of Obama Wrap Up

This is the historic day folks, 96 days of our first black president, our first president since FDR to govern during a depression and more than one war going badly, the first president since before George W. Bush not to be a mental midget who can barely tie his shoes. Thanks to everyone who entered the Troubletown 96 Days sweepstakes drawing, and congrats to Donald, the winner of a historic commemorative sketch (providing he claims his prize and emails his mailing address!)

The Troubletown survey of America was carefully tallied and gives us the real pulse of the people, here's a recap:

Obama is nice because he admits when he makes mistakes, and that's refreshing. Michelle is awesome and slamming in her physical appearance, and more people are into her than are into the president, which is cool.

Obama made some boner moves, like when he gave those DVD's to England's Prime Minister, and when he got his picture taken at the G-20 with Berlusconi and Medvedev looking like the Three Stooges. He also shouldn't have compared his bowling with the Special Olympics. I know because I shouldn't have used the word "retarded" with that guy on Facebook either, he was super offended, so I can relate. Some Americans even find Obama's boner moves endearing, but they are in what we call the Obama Infatuated Fringe, OIF, and you can't take their opinions too seriously.

With the surface, cosmetic stuff, his handsomeness and eloquence, etc., the American people are generally impressed, but his grades slip considerably when it comes to "real" stuff like changing Bush's most egregious policies, torture and secrecy. I totally agree with America! I also think Michelle is hot. My fans are very astute. And of course he gets a standing ovation for telling Cheney to fuck off, if indeed he did. There was only one obnoxious comment from a conservative but it didn't make a damn bit of sense.

About half of America failed to comprehend the instructions to the 96 Days of Obama drawing, so instead of "leaving a comment" they apologized for not being able to "be there," as though it was something where you had to be physically present in my studio. It wasn't. That would've been impractical. But hey, that's America, just a big, friendly puppy who's not all that bright, and we love America!

I'll tell you one thing that bugs me, America. I keep hearing people say that Obama is too cool for school, and that cartoonists are having an impossible time finding the jokes, figuring out how to make fun of him. That's bbbuuuooollsheeeeeit! Obama is funny. His ears are funny. His clipped-off Chicago accent is funny. Da Bears! Da Bears! His eyebrows are funny. His half-black side is funny. His half-white side is funny. There's going to be laughter aplenty, my friends. A-Plenty. Stay with Troubletown.

96 Days of Obama: We Have a Winner!

Today is Obama's historic 96th Day in Office and we have a drawing winner! It's Donald who commented in the blog open thread that Obama's job is comparable to the twelve labors of Hercules. I don't have any more than that to go on, so Donald, if you're out there please claim your prize and send me your address. You're the winner of the 96 Days of Obama Sketch! Oh, god this is exciting!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Today's Sketch: Pulitzer Time Again



Another year and the Pulitzer for cartooning has eluded me again. Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory! I was soooo close!

Torture Tune


Heh, Bors turned me on to this. Rockcookiebottom rules.

This Week's Troubletown



Oh, the irony of the tax revolters. The irony! I finished this on Saturday, which for me is super early. Now it feels kind of stale. I should've waited till this morning at 5am and done something about the torture memos or Jane Harman. Rats! That's what keeps that Pulitzer prize just out of reach.

Don't ask me why but this cartoon is causing some mayhem over at Facebook.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Win-a-Sketch!



Don't forget, folks, it's only six days until Obama's Historic 96 Days in Office and our drawing to win the Original Commemorative Sketch pictured. Just imagine, you can put the Obama plates and gold coins and paperweights in storage and frame this for your bathroom!
All you have to do is join the discussion here for a chance to win.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Dig Toshio Hirano



Come see Toshio play at my opening at the Mercury Cafe in SF May 1. Details

Saturday, April 18, 2009

My Sketches from Sex::Tech 2009


Sex::Tech_2009_025, originally uploaded by ISIS.Inc.

There's lots of them. They're all posted on Flickr.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Conservatives Get Arrested Different



Looks like he's having a good time

I've seen protesters get arrested before but this is different. The guy, John Ziegler, was "covering" the Annenberg School that was giving Katie Couric the Walter Cronkite journalism award, The Excellence in Furrowed Brow Award, or Highest Cheekbones for a Network Anchor, not sure which. But he's there to protest for her heinously unfair advocacyinterview with Sarah Palin six months ago. Ziegler does an annoying drunk reporter schtick and gets himself arrested just for being a dick. The police will always oblige if you want it bad enough. But watch how Ziegler cackles deliriously during the entire incident like he's having the most fun he's ever had. It's strangely entertaining. Contrast it with this video from the G-20 where innocent bystander, Ian Thomlinson, didn't have much fun at all.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Another Career Possibility: Court Reporter

I almost forgot about my scheme to become a court reporter. Now that's an artistic job that earns you some respect in the community, not like my present occupation. You get to sit in the front row of the courtroom with the pastels and charcoal and sketch up O.J., Manson, the suspected Al Qaeda terrorist, or the latest baby-killer--and they put it on TV! Mine would be a little different from normal court reporting because it would be, well, Dangle. Here's a sketch of Phil Specter from the first trial for shooting that woman in the face. That's when his hair was very expressive. It has been laying around the studio ever since and I have no idea where to file it. Whatdya think?

I think I could help advance justice.

Troubletown Event in San Francisco May 1

Today's Sketch

Here's what I've been wasting my time drawing today. Let me know if you'd wear a T-shirt with this on it. I'll make 'em and sell one to you. That's how us web comics cartoonists make our money, you know.

Scrappers Makes a Funny

Last week I was in Palm Springs watching my son swim for seven hours a day and going on a serious fattening-food-eating binge. Fifty-one weeks out of the year the newspaper syndication thing goes off with no problem, but it never fails that when I leave the office for a day something goes wrong. Look at this thing the Portland Mercury ran last week:



"Scrappers" is the art director, Justin Morrison, and you can see he poked fun at me for missing my deadline, which didn't really happen. I sent him his cartoon link at 8am Tuesday morning instead of 10am, all the other papers got it, but Scrappers was having a problem with his email. Besides, I have a fail-safe backup for all my papers that allows them to access the files even if they fail to receive my email with the link––if only they would bother to read the memo!

In case it's not apparent, the words miss and deadline appearing together in the same sentence are anathema and a very serious accusation to a cartoonist. It does not happen here, my friends; it would violate my code. So that's the only thing that got my hackles up, but I dare not complain since there are only two newspapers in world that still run a goddamn cartoon.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

This Week's Troubletown



I was reading Solzhenitsyn on my vacation, so while in Palm Springs I was way deep inside the Soviet gulag. What enjoyment! That coincided with Obama's embrace of the dark side, at least as far as I know. If you haven't been keeping up on Mr. Changey's new love to expanded executive powers and secrecy, oh yeah,Glen Greenwald has it covered. One of my new favorite sites is The Exiled.

Uggh. More Later

Friday, April 10, 2009

This Week's Troubletown

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Pop Tart Economy Causes Killings

Americans find good reasons for mass homicide easier to come by.

Criminologist James Alan Fox:

"The economic pie is shrinking to the point where it looks more like a Pop Tart and some feel all they're getting is the crumbs. There's a combination of feeling despair and hopelessness at the same time as a certain degree of anger and blame."

Friday, April 03, 2009

The NEW Offendo is Here!


Have you always wanted to be a cartoonist but realize the only way you'd ever get any attention would be to go on a killing rampage, get fired from a dying daily, or alienate an entire race, gender, or political persuasion? You're on your own with the first two, but to offend huge swaths of the population Troubletown brings you the NEW Offendo, the Game Where YOU Draw the Cartoon and YOU take the HEAT! Feel what it's like to offend the sensibilities of millions, and don't worry if you can't draw, all the pieces you need are provided as long as you know how to click.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

96 Days of Obama Open Thread


As we approach April 26, the historic 96th day of Obama's presidency, we here at Troubletown want to hear from you. How's he doing? What were his brilliant moves, what were his bozo moments? How's he holding up? Is he living up to your expectations?

All the other news agencies and blogs will be covering the first 100 days, but we're always one step ahead of the pack. So please confine your comments to things that happened in Obama's first 96 days.

Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered in a drawing to win an original Obama sketch from the shaky pen of Lloyd Dangle!