2025-01

Saturday January 4, 2025 | Substack edition 8

The Week That Was: Reflections, Predictions, and the Drama of 2025

The week we’ve just lived through marked the transition from 2024 to 2025, a time when we naturally look back at what the past year brought us and wonder about what the new one might hold. It’s a period of both reflection and anticipation, as we close one chapter and prepare to open another. On the global stage, two significant waiting games are unfolding. In the United States, the countdown to Donald Trump’s second inauguration is underway, bringing with it the weight of past controversies and future uncertainties. Meanwhile, in Canada, Justin Trudeau’s position as Prime Minister seems to grow more precarious with each passing day, leaving the nation speculating about his next move—or whether he has one left to make at all.

This moment feels charged with expectation, a mix of unresolved questions and impending decisions that will shape not just the year ahead but potentially the political landscape for years to come.

January 10, 2017

January 10, 2017 – Waiting for Take-Off
For the two days I didn’t create new material this week to celebrate New Years Eve, and loaf about New Years Day, but for loyal readers I revisited cartoons from eight years ago. One particular piece from January 10, 2017, struck me for its eerie prescience. It depicted an anthropomorphic globe in an airport departure lounge, surrounded by conjecture and uncertainty in the lead-up to Trump’s first inauguration. At the time, I felt compelled to encourage restraint—“dial back the hate for this guy,” I thought, as the world seemed to spiral into panic over what Trump might become. Of course, much of that early speculation turned out to be prophetic, and the fears that took flight in 2017 still haunt us today as Trump prepares for his second act.

January 11, 2016

January 11, 2017 – Dealing with the Beast
For some Canadian context, this era of Trump is interwoven with our own political turbulence. A re-run from the same around this time 8 years ago portrays Chrystia Freeland as Fay Wray (fun fact, also Canadian), bound and offered up to a King Kong-like Trump, with Justin Trudeau doing the tying, and then-Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion scrambling in the background. That cartoon foreshadowed Freeland’s rise as a key player in managing Canada’s fraught relationship with the United States during Trump’s first term. How times have changed. Freeland, once indispensable, has now exited the stage, replaced by Dominic LeBlanc, as Finance Minister in a desperate bid to salvage the Liberals’ plummeting fortunes and after an intention to replace Canada’s first woman Finance Minister with former Governor of Banks messiah Mark Carney literally blew up in Justin’s face.

Freeland’s departure and Trump’s public disdain for her (“that nasty woman”) underscore the shifts in Canada-U.S. relations. As Trudeau faces mounting criticism at home and Trump toys with his vision of Canada as the “51st state,” the dynamics feel more volatile than ever. The stakes are high, and the pressure is mounting for Trudeau, whose silence over the holidays—no year-end interviews, no definitive statements—has only fuelled speculation about his leadership.

January 3, 2025

January 3, 2025 – Justin’s blue Christmas Extended
In my first cartoon of 2025, I captured the collective sentiment of post-holiday blues, juxtaposed with Trudeau’s “period of reflection.” As the Prime Minister stayed silent and away on a skiing holiday, questions about his future dominated the news. Is Trudeau preparing to step aside, as some whisper, or is he merely regrouping for the battles ahead? With Pierre Poilievre poised to capitalize on Liberal missteps, the coming months could define Trudeau’s legacy—or his downfall.

January 4, 2025

January 4 2025 – The Anticipated Meltdown
The week’s final cartoon offers a stark warning about the precarious position Canada finds itself in as the Trump era 2.0 approaches. In the illustration, fireworks stand ready for Trump’s inauguration, dangerously close to a Canadian flag. Beside them, a shadowy billionaire—known for his dominance in social media, space travel, and surveillance—stands as a potent symbol of the unsettling power dynamics shaping the world. Their pairing is reminiscent of a sinister alliance straight out of a James Bond villain’s lair, and the reality of watching this surreal drama unfold in real time begs an odd curiosity of how it’ll all come to a tragic end.

The cartoon channels the sense of dread many feel as we approach January 20, 2025. It’s a bizarre repeat performance, with Trump returning to the very Capitol he incited his supporters to attack four years ago. The sense of déjà vu is overwhelming, but this time, we’re not guessing—we know what Trump is capable of.

For Canada, the stakes are equally high. With Trudeau’s leadership in question and the opposition circling, the Liberals are navigating a minefield of political crises. Will they prorogue Parliament to buy time? Face a leadership contest? Or risk a non-confidence vote that could lead to an early election? The answers will shape the country’s trajectory for years to come.

As 2025 begins, the sense of uncertainty is palpable on both sides of the border. What’s clear, however, is that we’re in for a wild ride. The fireworks are lit, and all we can do now is watch and see where this turbulent year takes us.

December 31, 2024

For those curious about how these cartoons come to life, I’ve been sharing animated “making-of” clips in my notes on Substack. Thanks to my iPad Pro and the Procreate app, each cartoon comes with a sped-up video of its creation, showcasing the tricks, missteps, and layers that go into editorial satire. These clips are a behind-the-scenes look at a process I find endlessly fascinating, and it seems readers do too.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with CapCut, a smartphone editing app that breathes new life into these videos. With music, AI voiceovers, zoom effects, and dynamic transitions, these clips transform from raw process videos into engaging, modern animations. It’s a thrilling way to bring the centuries-old craft of editorial cartooning into the digital age, and I think it adds a new dimension to the art form.

As print continues to fade and digital platforms become the primary stage for editorial cartoons, these videos feel like a step into the future. They represent not just the evolution of the craft, but also the adaptability that’s necessary to keep it alive and relevant.

In many ways, this week’s cartoons and their accompanying animations reflect the strange blend of history and modernity we’re living through—a world where familiar faces return to power, old crises resurface, and technology reshapes how we see and tell our stories. It’s a bizarre and captivating reality, and as an editorial cartoonist, I can’t look away.

Please Subscribe. It’s free!