While Dan Radosh Was Away...

...Deborah Grumet and I were among those who acted as "guest bloggers."

Once again, we worked on Family Circus panels: here and here and here.

And Deborah contributed excellent solo efforts here and here and here. Check 'em out!

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Recap/Anti-Recap

Both the Caption and Anti-Caption Contests are taking a breather, which means that this is a fine time to note the June 1, 2009 item "Chicagoan Larry Wood wins New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for record third time" by Steve Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, which observes that "Blog About Town, which has been tracking the contest, lists Wood, Gable and frequent finalist Lynn Tudor of New York City as two-time winners." Ah, those were the days!


And you know that crazy Caption Contest map that I maintain? It's now the, um, 13th most visited Map Builder Map, ahead of Estadios España and behind Porte de Versailles!


Caption Contest 196 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 196 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all (almost) mapped out here.

32 California

31 New York (27 from the Big Apple, where Lynn Tudor has won twice)

14 New Jersey

12 Virginia (six from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

10 Illinois (eight from Chicago including three captions by Lawrence Wood)

9 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
6 Pennsylvania
6 Texas (three from Houston, one from Austin)

5 Maryland (none named Mary)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio
4 Washington

3 Michigan
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 Nevada (Las Vegas 1, Zephyr Cove 1)
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Maine
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Parodic The Gothamer illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

ABCs of Breakfast Cereals

Friend of BAT Deborah Grumet, finessing her ABCs of Breakfast Cereals, has melded her ABCs and their YouTube counterparts!

Enjoy the melding—and congrats to Deborah!

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

Happy Birthday to Deborah Grumet, artiste behind that wonderful illustration on the right!

The winner of Caption Contest 178 (Tom Cheney's escaped prisoner at a bar) is

"Most men drink to escape. I escape to drink."
Douglas Buck (Flint, MI)

That's the third win for Michigan!


The nominees in Caption Contest 180 (Paul Noth's liferaft survivors eating fruit off a Carmen Miranda-like skeleton) are

"Here's to Little Miss 'Don't You Touch My Hat.'"
Kevin Forhan (Seattle, WA)

"She should have told us the fruit was real."
T. J. Tu (Douglaston, NY)

"I didn't expect to gain weight on this cruise."
Andrea B. Hollingshead (Manhattan Beach, CA)

My loser:

"Her act dates back to the 1940s, but some of it remains remarkably fresh to this day."

Maybe I should have left off the adverb?


The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 181 has not been determined at the time of this post. Maybe Dan Radosh is looking for my submission—but I didn't make one! Hah!!


Caption Contest 182 here Anti-Caption Contest 181 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all (almost) mapped out here.

31 California

29 New York (25 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

10 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke, one from Stanardsville)

9 Illinois (seven from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

8 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 Pennsylvania

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Michigan
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Rhode Island

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Parodic The Gothamer illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Silly Tilleys, Gutsy Grumets

The results of the 2009 Eustace Tilley contest are in. The bad news is that the cover Deborah Grumet and I submitted (right) didn't make the final cut; the good news is that the final cut managed to be fun anyway.

An interesting mini-trend in the contest (aside from the mega-trend(s) of many Obamas and Lincolns) could be found in the smattering of other submissions inspired by comic books. One of the winners was a Watchmen-inspired "Rorshach Tilley" by Marcus Thiele of Tennessee. Others were this manga-style cover and this "The New Joker" and this one, too.

In other Deborah Grumet news, she's had some fun blog entries lately. Most important, her clever artwork "Studies in Digestion" is being auctioned by the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) in support of the panic-stricken Rose Museum of Brandeis University.

Bidding on this artwork (perfect for the gastroenterologist in your life) ends around 1:37 pm [PT] on February 8, 2009.

Meet The Gothamer

I hope you enjoy this Eustace Tilley parody, conceived by me and rendered by Deborah Grumet for the current contest over at The New Yorker. Because Deborah is so over-the-top competitive, she also entered this Tilley, enabling her to compete against herself. (So far we've held back on submitting Eustace K. Tilley.)

See also: "The Penguin Goes A Courtin'"

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

It's apparently time for a pause at the Caption and Anti-Caption Contests, but I do note that the winner of Anti-Caption Contest 173 (Tom Cheney's businessmen with cartloads of cash) is

"I never thought that line about my red wagon, laundry cart, and suitcase business being too big to fail would ever work, but boy howdy, did it ever!"
bunsen

Kudos to Deborah for her Honorable Mention with

"See, this is why I became a taxidermist. To make piles and piles and piles of money."

My clever losers:

"That new partner sure delivers!"

"I never thought being bailed out would be so much fun!" (Apologies to Carolita Johnson!)

Caption Contest 174 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 174 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

30 California

27 New York (23 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

9 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke)

8 Illinois (six from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

7 Massachusetts

6 Connecticut (two from New Haven, four not)
6 Pennsylvania

5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Satirical "Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Now We Are "Q"

Congrats to Deborah Grumet on making it to Q in her ABC of Breakfast Cereals—and on going with Quisp and Quake! Love those Quisp and Quake poses!



Source (00:59)

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

Um. Uh-huh. Clears throat. Thank you. Thank you. This is such a surprise! I'm not sure what to say, but....Takes out pre-written speech. I can't tell you how exciting it is to finally win one of these things after so many years of trying. Pause. I just want to say that this shows that, if you try hard and you don't give up, you can get recognition! And I feel like I'm in such good company in Anti-Caption Contest 172 (Lee Lorenz's happy head amidst Easter Island statues). I mean, over there is

Standup comedian, off-panel: "You see, black people carve statues like this, and white people carve statues like THIS!"
Francis

and over there is

"Kill him."
Deborah

and there was even

Why the long faces?
xjvpastor

and

"This is Obamahead land. No McCain heads allowed."
J.D.

And to think that all of them lost to my anti-caption:

"What the fuck are you smiling about? It's World AIDS Day, asshole!"
David F

And finally, I'd like to thank the one person who inspired me more than anyone else: Larry Kramer. Thanks, Larry. I'l continue to do what I can to get your Lost Horizon on DVD soon!


In Caption Contest 169 (Leo Cullum's bandito businessman), the winner is

"What makes you think I wouldn't be up for sushi?"
Neal Svalstad (El Cajon, CA)

So thanks to the man from El Cajon, California hits 30 and beats New York as well as Illinois.


California and New York face off again (with Michigan) in Caption Contest 171 (Gahan Wilson's butcher with meat shaped like kick line), the nominees are

"I'd suggest you keep them away from the gingerbread men."
Vincent Coca (Staten Island, NY)

"It's not disturbing until someone wants to buy them by the ounce."
Steve Arrowood (Oceanside, CA)

"I did the choreography myself."
Donovan Reeve (Ypsilanti, MI)

My loser:

"I used to sell strip steaks, but they cleaned up their act."

Thoughts?


Caption Contest 173 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 173 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

30 California

27 New York (23 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

9 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke)

8 Illinois (six from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

7 Massachusetts

6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Satirical "Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

It took a while for Dan Radosh to post the results of Anti-Caption Contest 170 (P.C. Vey's businessman with turkey) but, when he did, Deborah was quick to let me know that I'd garnered an Honorable Mention with

"I'm on my way to get a breast implant. Wish me luck, dawg!"

The winner was

"Yeah, that's the thing with Rate My Professor, you never really know who's trashin' ya. TurkeylovingRacist1956 could be anybody."
David John

I had no such luck in Anti-Caption Contest 171 (Gahan Wilson's butcher selling meat shaped like a kick line), where the winner was

"I don't know, lady. I just fucking work here. Do you want one or not"
JohnnyB

and one of the Honorable Mentions was the great Broadway pun

"So you want one...singular...shank section?"
therblig

and my losers were

"Pleased to meat you!"

and

"If you don't think the world is fucked up, just take a look at the numbers of each of these anti-caption contests.

"This one is 171, the one before it is 247, the one before that is 170, and the one before that is 168!

"It reminds me of when the contest went from 141 to 143 to 143, but it's worse this time around.

"Anyway, what'll it be?"

"It depends. What's today's special?"

"Tenderloins."

"Of course. Then I'll have those."

"I'm sure you already do, my lovely. I'm sure you already do."

"Oh dear!"

In Caption Contest 168 (Tom Cheney's weirdly long arm of waiter), the winner is

"Please try not to stare at his disproportionately short right arm."
Chas Kikel (Cleveland Heights, OH)

Seems like an anti-caption, doesn't it?


In Caption Contest 170 (P.C. Vey's businessman with turkey) the nominees are

"I am useless until I have my morning turkey."
Corey Lowney (Wappingers Falls, NY)

"I was actually hoping for a boy."
Antonia Boyette (Los Angeles, CA)

"I miss the cash bonuses."
Robert Becker (Northford, CT)

Compare that third one with my loser:

"It's part of my severance package."

Caption Contest 172 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 172 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

29 California

27 New York (23 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

9 Virginia (four from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Newport News, one from Roanoke)

8 Illinois (six from Chicago, two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)

7 Massachusetts

6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Maryland (none named Mary)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Arizona (two from Tucson)
4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Ohio

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Satirical "Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

"Honor. Integrity. Leadership."

or,

"An Allegorickal Depiction of the Selection of the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate in August 2008, A.D."









click on image to enlarge











Parody of work by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge by David Marc Fischer, Deborah Grumet, and Chris Orsi

While Dan Was Away...

Back in August, Dan "Anti-Caption" Radosh took a vacation and irresponsibly left his terrific blog in the custody of a bunch of others, including yours truly and BAT contributor Deborah. I had a lot of fun contributing to the blog and collaborating with Deborah on a couple of very special posts. I also got a big kick out of reading everybody else's posts.

I think I noted here what was going on, but on reflection I probably should've encouraged you to check things out as they unfolded. Oh well. Anyway, to relive the experience, I recommend you start in the August archives on August 15 and work your way forward into the first days of September.

You'll find good stuff from everyone, but, for the record, here are my posts:

Today in "The Family Circus" (with Deborah)
Art Historians of the Future: The Artwork is Complex Shit
Obama-Biden: A Lookalike Ticket?
Today in "The Family Circus" (with Deborah)
Spanq? Quirigram?? Interroflip??? Curioso????
Protest Babes Worship Sun...and UFOs!
Gawker is Right

I also got a big kick out of this comic book-related post by TG Gibbon and the links to comic book cover galleries.

Here's one of the "Family Circus" parodies that didn't make it to Radosh.net.






















Illustration: David Marc Fischer and Deborah Grumet

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Contest Coverage Continues

The winner of Caption Contest 155 (Lee Lorenz's therapy session with Wizard of Oz characters) is

"And my hourly fee is six hundred dollars. You're not in Kansas anymore."
Bill Craig (Ridgewood, NJ)

I think this might be a case where the winning caption words end up in the mouth of the "wrong" cartoon character, in this case the man in the background rather than the man in the foreground. Thoughts?


In Caption Contest 157 (Mick Stevens's living room with view of the cosmos), the nominees are

"Five hundred billion galaxies and nothing's on."
Tom Elia (New York, NY)

"Can I offer anyone a little more oxygen?"
Norma Allewell (Rockville, MD)

"See? Foreclosure's not all bad."
Janice Ambrose (Tucson, AZ)

I think my loser was in the ballpark:

"You think this is impressive? You should see it on my 65" high-definition plasma screen with fiber optic cable!"

The talented and charming Deborah selected the winner (and runners-up) of Anti-Caption Contest 158 (Zachary Kanin's kid at beach surrounded by talking heads emerging from sand):

"I'd hate to be in your shoes! Oh, wait..."
T.G. Gibbon

My loser:

"The undertow and the jellyfish may be keeping people out of the surf today, but it's the sand that's giving me a real pain in the ass!"

Caption Contest 159 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 159 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

28 California

24 New York (21 from the Big Apple)

13 New Jersey

7 Virginia (three from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Roanoke)

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Illinois (four from Chicago—two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Arizona (two from Tucson)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Ohio

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Louisiana (New Orleans)
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Satirical "Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Cartoon Caption/Anti-Caption Coverage Continues!

Folks from North Carolina, kick up your tar heels! The winner of Caption Contest 153 (Leo Cullum's kick-line in court) is

"I know you have the law and the facts on your side, but I'm going with the dancing girls on this one."
Mark Nebrig (Charlotte, NC)

In Caption Contest 155 (Lee Lorenz's counseling session with sad-looking characters from The Wizard of Oz), the candidates are

"And my hourly fee is six hundred dollars. You're not in Kansas anymore."
Bill Craig (Ridgewood, NJ)

"If you adopt her, please understand that she comes with a lot of baggage."
Eileen Brady (Portland, OR)

"Home—is there really no place like it? Who'd like to start?"
Whitworth Ferguson (Manassas, VA)

This is one of those cases that makes me feel my submission was pretty worthy in itself, especially if you dig Broadway.

"They saw 'Wicked.'"

Thoughts?


Over in Anti-Caption Land, the news is that Dan Radosh is on hiatus, leaving a bunch of "All Stars" (including yours truly) free to wreak havoc. Deborah Grumet and I have already teamed up with this. Harry Effron gets to judge the next contest; Deborah gets to judge the one after that. At least I think that's how it works!


Caption Contest 157 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 157 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

28 California

24 New York (21 from the Big Apple)

12 New Jersey

7 Virginia (three from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Roanoke)

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Illinois (four from Chicago—two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
5 North Carolina (two from Charlotte)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Arizona (two from Tucson)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Ohio

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Satirical "Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

Mona Lisa (Druck)

Does anyone in America today stimulate our imaginations more than Lisa Druck, a.k.a. Rielle Hunter? What secrets lie behind her enigmatic smile and distinctive gaze?? Mulling over such questions, I consulted with artist Deborah Grumet, who responded with this modern masterpiece, known as the Mona Lisa (Druck).

It felt awfully good to finally join with Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dalí and Philippe Halsman, Andy Warhol, and the countless others who have also improved upon Leonardo's rough original. For other examples, see McAdam's Mona Lisa Page, the many Monas of Robert A. Baron, and Mega Mona Lisa.

Mona Lisa (Druck) realized by Deborah Grumet from a concept suggested by David Marc Fischer

Deborah Grumet's The Ten Commandments

Source (2:55)

The music is from Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956).

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION COVERAGE CONTINUES!

Before getting around to the contest results, I'd like to comment on the new illustration (right).

Last week artist Deborah Grumet and I worked on a fully realized response to Barry Blitt's satirical New Yorker cover depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as Islamic terrorist types in the Oval Office. I wanted a satirical parody cover that would "turn the tables" on The New Yorker, and I was delighted to find that Deborah was onboard with the concept. So far our cover's gotten some attention at The Tim Zone and elicited some musing from New Yorker cartoonist Carolita Johnson, whose amusing and informative guide to "Lunch Hour Birds of Central Park" received a lot of play over the past week despite its rejection by The New Yorker.


On to a less controversial topic—you know, the lighter side of suicide—the winner of Caption Contest 150 (Lee Lorenz's man with gun to his head), is none other than

"Just come to bed and kill yourself in the morning."
Marcos El Malo (Los Angeles, CA)

I wonder what salsa trombonist Willie Colon would have to say about that!


In Caption Contest 152 (Mick Stevens's car blocked by Earth), it's looking like a CA-NY faceoff. The nominees are

"Why do I always get stuck behind the slow planets?"
Brian Ahern (Long Beach, NY)

"Oh, great, we're stuck behind a four-and-a-half-billion-year-old."
Ari Stern (North Hollywood, CA)

"Honey, I told you the whole world is headed to the Cape this weekend."
Terri-Lee Burger (Brooklyn, NY)

My reject:

"Looks like we're almost there."

In Anti-Caption Contest 153 (Leo Cullum's female kickline in court, with one disapproving lawyer), the winner is

"Hubba hubba! Maybe a dingo did eat the defendant's baby!"
kejo

My rejects:

"Ha ha ha, hee hee hee, ho ho ho. What do you mean, you don't 'get' the satire?"

"Don't look so glum--next week we'll bring in male strippers. That should turn your frown upside-down! Or something to that effect."

"Hey, I know what's obscene when I see it. And I sure hope I see it. Lots and lots of it!"

Caption Contest 154 is here, while Anti-Caption Contest 154 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

28 California

22 New York (19 from the Big Apple)

12 New Jersey

7 Virginia (three from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Roanoke)

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Illinois (four from Chicago—two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)
4 North Carolina

3 Arizona (two from Tucson)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Ohio

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont
2 Washington

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

"Eustace K. Tilley" illustration realized by Deborah Grumet from concept by David Marc Fischer

IS THIS THE NEXT NEW YORKER COVER?

Hey! Look what artist Deborah Grumet and I happened upon the other day, not very far from the Conde Nast building! Could this be the follow-up to the New Yorker's already infamous July 21 cover? It does seem inspired by that old image of Eustace K. Tilley.

Let us know what you know if you have any inside information!

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION COVERAGE CONTINUES!

The winner of Caption Contest 148 (Drew Dernavich's police lineup with five religious figures) is

"By the way, we are not allowed to show the face or image of No. 6."
Joel Collier (Roanoke, VA)

Congratulations to Collier, whose win advances Virginia into the fourth-place position!


In Caption Contest 150 (Lee Lorenz's man with gun to his head in bullet-riddled room), the nominees are

"Bullets don't grow on trees, Harry."
Stephen Schweiger (Montclair, NJ)

"I told you to hire a professional!"
Ela Kotkowska (New London, NH)

"Just come to bed and kill yourself in the morning."
Marcos El Malo (Los Angeles, CA)

My loser:

"For heaven's sake, Fred, it was only a caption contest."

Opinions?


In Anti-Caption Contest 151 (Cheney's office with giant pencils and sharpener), the winner (selected by Harry Effron) is

"You know the worst part about this job? I'm allergic to pencils. And they knew it, too, when they hired me. I hate this fucking company."
Tom Meltze

Congrats to Deborah for snagging an honorable mention with

"Your job would be to sharpen these pencils. What experience do you have sharpening pencils?"

I didn't get anything for any of my submissions:

"As I'm sure you know, pens are famous for being mightier than swords. But these seven pencils--when sharpened properly and wielded by a skilled practitioner--are just as powerful as pens, if not moreso. So, Mr. Grasshopper, I ask you the last and most important question of this interview: Do you have the patience, discipline, and concentration to sharpen your skills to become a true master of the Seven Deadly Pencils? I ask because, you see, you left that space blank on the application."

"Welcome to the headquarters of The Big Store! Are you enjoying 1988 as much as I am? This is going to be a great year for us, and a great year for the Mets!"

"What do you mean when you say you'd 'like to put lead in my pencil'? Which pencil?? And why not use graphite, silly???"

Caption Contest 152 is here, while Anti-Caption Contest 152 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

27 California

22 New York (19 from the Big Apple)

12 New Jersey

7 Virginia (three from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville, one from Roanoke)

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Illinois (four from Chicago—two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)
4 North Carolina

3 Arizona (two from Tucson)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Ohio

2 Alaska
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION COVERAGE CONTINUES!

California conquers in cartoons again, in controversial Caption Contest 145 (Harry Bliss's belatedly acknowledged takeoff on Jack Kirby "monster at the window" comic book cover art):

"O.K. I'm at the window. To the right? Your right or my right?"
Patrick House (Palo Alto, CA)

So House wins with an apartment joke that isn't too far from the caption that I submitted. Yay, me?


The nominees for Caption Contest 147 (Jack Ziegler's attorney representing killer whale) include a strong contender from Brooklyn:

"Objection, Your Honor! Alleged killer whale."
Will Simon (Brooklyn, NY)

"My client maintains that the penguin had a gun!"
Dan Von Kohorn (Chestnut Hill, MA)

"I demand a change of venue to a maritime court!"
S. Michael Ricciardi (Watchung, NJ)

My loser:

"Your Honor, I object! Is this the fin of a loan shark?"

That wasn't any worse than the nominees, was it?

You don't have to answer that.

Maybe I should've submitted one of my rejects:

"Killer, sure. Loan shark, never!"

Whatever.


Catching up on Anti-Captions: The winner of Anti-Caption Contest 147 (Jack Ziegler's attorney representing killer whale) is

"Fuck, it's the dream again. I'm on trial, surrounded by tiny non-whale mammals, and I don't even know what I'm being tried for. Wake up, don't worry, you'll wake up, wake up."
Snazzy Spazz

WWI? player Deborah merited an Honorary Mention with

"Your honor, my client requests a jury of his peers! And some water. Immediately."

My loser:

"Tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle
tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle
tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle!!!!!!"

And in Anti-Caption Contest 148 (Drew Dernavich's religious leaders and Satan in a line-up), the winner is

"The black one."
Clambone

My loser (perhaps reflecting my unawareness that the religious figures were in a line-up, not a portrait):

"Of course, they are as nothing compared with our Supreme Lord and Master, Drew Dernavich."

If you think that's off-base (perhaps not such a bad thing for an anti-caption, wait 'til you see my caption submission).


Caption Contest 149 is here, while Anti-Caption Contest 149 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

27 California

21 New York (18 from the Big Apple)

12 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania
6 Virginia (three from NOVA, two from Richmond, one from Charlottesville)

5 Connecticut (two from New Haven, three not)
5 Illinois (four from Chicago—two captions by Lawrence Wood, two drawings by Leo Cullum)
5 Texas (three from Houston)

4 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)
4 North Carolina

3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 Ohio

2 Alaska
2 Arizona
2 District of Columbia
2 Florida
2 Michigan
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Arkansas
1 Delaware
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington
1 Wisconsin

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone