Twisted: The Psyche of the Cartoonists
The cartoonist’s mind works differently. As detached observers, they must recognize and distill complex situations into a single image. Their inspiration can come from a turn of phrase, a moment on the street, or a doodle coaxed into a drawing. The extraordinary range of approaches to the art form varies with the personalities of the artists. Their upbringing, temperament, and individual quirks inform the humor. As Peter Vey told us, not entirely seriously, the compulsion to create “is like having a mental illness that I work out in cartoons.”
In his new book Funny Stuff Funny Times Contributor Phil Witte and co-author Rex Hesner dive deep into “How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons.” Funny Times Editor Mia Beach talks to him about the project and what makes cartoonists tick.
Q: What’s special about this book?
A: Most people look at a cartoon and simply decide if it’s funny or not. We go deeper, looking at the components of the single-panel cartoon: types of humor, illustration styles, caption writing, and so on, so that the casual reader will gain a deeper appreciation of gag cartoons. We discuss the creative process, how cartoonists come up with ideas, how their art styles contribute to the humor, and how their often twisted view of the world is reflected in their work. We do this with a light touch so as not to kill the funny.
Q: How did the book come about?
A: A few years ago, my writing partner, Rex Hesner, and I would critique the cartoons in The New Yorker magazine, just for fun over coffee. That led to a blog called The Cartoon Companion, in which we discussed and rated each cartoon in every issue of The New Yorker for the next three years — which was crazy because we had no financial incentive. We learned that cartoonists for the magazine liked what we were doing, so that kept us going. We also added interviews with famous cartoonists. Eventually, Bob Mankoff himself, the cartoon editor at The New Yorker, contacted us to express his appreciation of our critiques. After he left the magazine to head up CartoonStock.com, he asked us to write a blog for the site. We called it Anatomy of a Cartoon. We could write about anything cartoon-related — and he paid us. Bob was the best boss I ever had. One day he said, “Why don’t you guys write a book?” Funny Stuff is what we came up with.
Q: You quote many cartoonists. Were they cooperative?
A: They were indeed! We had fun interviewing cartoonists who we long admired, like Roz Chast, Bruce Eric Kaplan, David Sipress, Harry Bliss, and many more. We conducted probably the last interview with Sam Gross. Roz sent us a photo of scraps of ideas from her idea box. Frank Cotham sent us a photo of ancestors who inspired his hillbilly characters. John O’Brien let us use pages from his sketchbook. Everyone was very supportive. The sketches-to-finished cartoon by Kaamran Hafeez were eye-opening. We wanted to show how an excellent artist like Kaamran approaches the artwork. He was generous to allow us to include the four stages of his cartoon with explanations along the way.
Q: What’s magical about the single-panel cartoon?
A: It’s so economical and yet can deliver a laugh-out-loud response. A great cartoon engages the reader, requiring us to see the world through the cartoonist’s eyes. Often that means seeing the surprising and delightful connection between incongruous things.
Q: You both write and draw humor. Which is harder to create? Do you prefer one or the other?
A: I enjoy both and I struggle with both. I’ve drawn a couple thousand cartoons, but only a few dozen humor pieces. A cartoon is one illustrated gag, while a humor piece should have a laugh in almost every line. If I have a good idea for a humor piece, I surprise myself how quickly I can knock something out. Sometimes it may only amuse me, but that’s also true of cartoons. Of course, most of what I do never gets published.
Q: If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?
A: I’d be right here but younger.
More from Funny Stuff “How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons“
What’s Funny About It?
Suppose you “get” the cartoon, in the sense you understand the gag, but you just don’t think it’s funny. Of course, certain types of humor appeal to certain types of people. Irony plays better in some cultures, and not at all in others. Sarcasm may come across as perplexing or downright rude. Slapstick appeals to a segment of audiences worldwide, but can degenerate into a cheap laugh. Both understated humor and absurd humor often appeal to the same crowd, while leaving others unmoved. The British may lay claim to the most vibrant world of gag cartoons in print, with the United States not far behind, but other countries are cartoon deserts—and sadder for it, in our opinion.
Race, gender, and ethnic background may also figure into how one reacts to a cartoon. Age may be a factor not only in understanding a cartoon but also whether the reader finds it funny. Cartoons about the elderly, for example, may seem a lot less funny as we gray. Gag cartoonists take the sensitivities of others into account, especially in the current climate. Tastes and standards change with the times, a point that cartoonist and cartoon editor Bob Mankoff may have had in mind with this cartoon:
If you have a favorite cartoonist, it’s probably because that cartoonist’s sense of humor aligns with yours, a subject we explore in the next chapter, “Amusing to Zany: Types of Humor.”
The Pessimist: Frank Cotham
One of the New Yorker’s most prolific cartoonists for decades, Frank Cotham serves up a steady stream of bad news cartoons: doctors delivering bad prognoses, medieval castles under siege, and hillbillies observing the world from their ramshackle porch.
A cartoonist more at home in the quiet environs outside Memphis than in a big city, Cotham is an unfailingly polite, old-school cartoonist. Where the darkness comes from is not obvious, but as he readily admits, “I’m a ‘glass is completely empty’ sort of person. If anything’s going to go wrong, it will, no matter what. I just try to see the humor in the really awful stuff that happens,” he told us with a wicked laugh.
Not only is his humor dark, but the cartoons themselves are also dark, owing to his heavy use of watercolor crayon. It gives his drawings “a murky texture that I kinda like,” in his words. Even the gray and ominous clouds in his cartoons convey the message: there’s no hope, but there is humor.
Phil is a long-time contributor to our paper. His new book, Funny Stuff, is a tribute to a unique art form: the single-panel gag cartoon. It looks at why so many of us enjoy cartoons, and what makes for a great cartoon. Over the course of 10 chapters, authors Phil Witte and Rex Hesner analyze—always with a light touch—the components of an outstanding cartoon.
