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

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