Tom The Dancing Bug Blog

Post

Washington Post article about the Cartoonists Demand Action video.

THIS WEEK'S COMIC!

ONE DAY AT THE OFFICES OF NERREX ARMS, INC.

 

 

Click here to read on Boing Boing.

Click here to read on Daily Kos. 

Click here to read on GoComics. 

 

AFTER THE SENATE VOTE ON GUN CONTROL, IT'S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

CARTOONISTS DEMAND ACTION TO END GUN VIOLENCE

 

I'm so proud to have organized this film, "Cartoonists Demand Action to End Gun Violence," for Mayors Against Illegal Guns (co-chaired by New York City Mayor Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino).

 

 

Click HERE to see the video on the Demand Action website, with a slideshow of the artwork.

 

For myself and many of the contributing cartoonists, this was a unique experience, shedding our badges as humorists, satirists and storytellers, and creating artwork as unabashed advocates.  But fighting gun violence has become a singular issue, and I was deeply gratified that this group of incredibly talented artists joined me at the drawing board to demand action.

 

When I asked cartoonists to create artwork the this project, I was shocked at how enthusiastically and passionately they agreed.  And when I thanked them for helping, I was amazed that so many thanked me for organizing the project and for including them.

 

This issue mobilizes people like nothing I've ever seen.  We were able to enlist the Academy Award-winning director/producer Peggy Stern to direct the film, with animation by Brandon Roots and Paul Penczner and their team at Buffalo Pictures.  And the music was composed by Ron Sadoff.

 

And to narrate the film:  Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore!

 

Despite all this amazing talent's refusal to accept my thanks, I remain eternally grateful for their brilliant contributions.

 

Particularly after the recent Senate vote to filibuster even modest, common sense reforms that 90% of Americans supported, we need to fight to keep the pressure on however we can -- to let legisislators and lobbyists know that Americans will not give up, and this issue will not go away.

 

I hope you enjoy the film, and that it will inspire you to take an active role in this fight against gun violence.  

 

AND PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD RIGHT NOW BY PASSING THIS VIDEO ON, ANY WAY YOU CAN -- EMAIL, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, BLOG, MYSPACE, AOL CHAT, TELEGRAPH, ETC ETC!

 

The film includes illustrations by:

Lalo Alcaraz

Bill Amend

Ruben Bolling

Jim Borgman

Steve Brodner

Roz Chast

Jeff Keane

Rick Kirkman

Peter Kuper

Mike Luckovich

David Mazzucchelli

Stephan Pastis

Mike Peters

Lincoln Peirce

Dan Piraro

Ted Rall

Dave Roman

Jerry Scott

Art Spiegelman*

Raina Telgemeier

Tom Tomorrow

Garry Trudeau

Mo Willems

 

(*All artwork is original for this film, except Art Spiegelman's piece, which was originally published on the September 23, 1993 issue of The New Yorker.)

 

FLASH!

Comic book expert (and comic book writer, and television writer, and blogger, etc etc) Mark Evanier corrected obituary articles that used Flash #165 as an example of the late artist Carmine Infantino's work.  Evanier said that it's one of the few covers of that era that Infantino did not draw -- he may have had some involvement in the sketching stage, but if it were signed, Murphy Anderson would have signed as artist.

 

Readers responded that the cover actually is signed by Murphy Anderson.  Can you find the signature?

 

 

I recommend Mark's blog, which is a lot of fun, and one of my daily stops.

EVERYONE A SUSPECT

This Tom the Dancing Bug is from September, 1996, when the FBI had leaked that Richard Jewell was a "person of interest" in the Atlanta Olympic bombing.  It turned out Jewell was not the perpetrator, but was a hero of the tragedy.

 

 

 

 

THIS WEEKS COMIC!

REMEMBERING THE GREAT PHOTOSHOP WAR OF 2013, USA vs. NORTH KOREA

 

 

Click here to read on Boing Boing.

Click here to read on Daily Kos.

Click here to read on GoComics.

We Don't Outnumber You. We Are You.

 

I read the post by Patton Oswalt (who I think is hilarious and brilliant) about the Boston Marathon tragedy.  I really liked his point that so many people were running toward the destruction to help -- which reminds me of Mr. Rogers's very comforting suggestion when confronted with a catastrophe:  "Look for the helpers."  The human species can be mind-bogglingly brave and altruistic.

 

But Patton goes on to say that when a human commits some violent act like the Boston explosions, it's because of some anomalous snarl in the wiring of that human's brain.  That's also very comforting.

 

And it's wrong.  It's actually the brain functioning exactly as it's supposed to.

 

Look, no one knows who caused this.  Maybe it was that rare psycho, and his parakeet told him to do it.

 

But it looks like this was just one of those not-at-all rare acts of humanity that was borne out of aggression, hatred, revenge, lust for power, political calculus, fear, bigotry, etc. etc.  These violent acts are carried out every day, by and in the name of MILLIONS or BILLIONS of people, all over the world.  Just ask people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda, the Middle East, the entire 1940s, and countless decades and centuries and islands and regions and continents through human history.

 

I'm not making any moral equiavlence, and I'm not making a political point.  I'm making a philosophical point, a biological point.

 

We can't pretend that when this happens to us it was caused by boogie men who crawled out of a crevice in the earth.  They didn't do it in spite of their humanity, they did it because of their humanity -- the very worst side of it.

 

And maybe if we recognize that, and see it clear-eyed in others and in ourselves, we'll come closer to finally defying that horrible, evil part of our humanity, and make a rational move toward peace.

 

 

---

To comment, please use facebook or twitter (#tomthedancingbug).

 

THE MAINE HERMIT

Mystery solved!

 

Didn't the name of the Maine Hermit, Christopher Knight, sound familiar?

 

 

Remember how much Peter Brady liked going camping?  How he was dissatisfied with his personality?

personal announcement

Aside from a Mr. W.C. (sketch on the way), is there anyone who bought something for the tip jar and did not get a sketch? I've got a nagging feeling I've forgotten someone.  If it's you, email me.

THIS WEEK'S COMIC!

One step pushes you right down the slippery slope to TYRANNY!

"First They Came to Register..."

 

 

Click here to read on Boing Boing.

Click here to read on Daily Kos.

Click here to read on GoComics.