A. A warped, alternate (often simplistic/offensive) view of reality. Sometimes this is expressed to an extreme degree, where an author cares way, way more about a subject that the average person doesn't care about. At all.
B. A complete absence of creativity or effort. The pinnacle of this is when hundreds of the turdlings draw the same cartoon; A Cartoon Yahtzee. Revolting. Why do you exist, guys? (The endless cliffs during the "fiscal cliff" season was the worst.)
C. A long droning lecture.
D. Self-insertion fantasies. The one where the guy puts his words into a little black girl's mouth is really creepy. I guess that falls under the umbrella of BAD WRITING. (eh, this one's called "Prickly City". It's too infamous you can't walk a second around the internet without tripping over it)
E. Sticking a label on something and calling it a "metaphor". No one deserves a punch in the groin more than these hacks.
F. Repetition. You can read political cartoons from 1890 and not be sure they weren't created yesterday. Srsly.
It's harder than it would seem on the surface, much like writing up an online dating profile.
An overview of significant things:
Something Awful
As political cartoons are a terrible thing, it's no wonder I got into them from SA. They have an annual thread to catalogue the madness. This is where I was introduced to "pants on the ground donkey", a wonderful creation that can be photoshooped into almost any image and make it better.
They weren't especially thrilled at their murdered friend being used as a political gimmick, btw.
Notable creations:
"Seven Racist Caricatures". Most political cartoons draw Obama (and Sanda Fluke, for that matter) as some kind of sub-human monster. Sometimes even when it's not a conservative drawing the thing; art is hard you know?
I think this gif is one of the most wonderful things.
This Modern World
The penguin comic with a ton of :words:. Don't misunderstand me, Tom Tomorrow IS terrible; a lot of work for the reader for no payoff. I just wanted to mention his two doodles that cover just some of the last election's craziness. It was especially crazy.
... The 2011 edition of the review mentions how Herman Cain once quoted lyrics from a song in a Pokémon movie. With the SimCity 9-9-9 tax plan, you have to wonder if his speech writer isn't a huge, hilarious, nerd.
... Also Romneyisms kick ass. What's his term for "park" again?
A Good Cartoon
"While conservatives politicize Americans overseas as faceless, nameless pawns in their game, Secretary Hillary Clinton names and respects each individual who has died on her watch and rejects politics. As an added bonus, she pays closest attention to my friend Sean, who died in Benghazi. A touching cartoon."
A spinoff of the SA. They take terrible cartoons and then add context afterward to frame it in a way a human being would interpret it.
Matt Bors
Hit and miss; the guy has to churn out a hundred strips a year after all. This is the only political cartoon I don't consistently hate:
Political Perry Bible Fellowship
Don't ask me why. It just works. All too well.
This thing I found once but can't find again since I guess the internet doesn't love him
Some comic by a moderate conservative who has the rare ability in his field to draw non-racist caricatures and criticize his guys in a way besides calling them liberal RINOS or whatever.
I really wanted to show how it's possible and ok to draw a man who has big ears with big ears. And to outline the odd, confused, and troubled demographic that makes the GOP of today still able to manage 47% penetration in the vote.
I've failed SHMUPS.com. I am sorry.
Dry Bones
Seems to be crazy propaganda for Isreal's hard right. Like, of the "make the rivers run red with the blood of Palestine" variety. I'd include parodies of this, but it includes gore and I want to keep this thread PG-13. For the children.
Just google image search Dry Bones parody.
The Onion Editorial Cartoon
A brave soldier who doesn't overuse the symbol of Lady Liberty.
He has an outstanding "Behind the Pen" video series where he'll teach you the tricks and secrets of cartooning. It is the best.
