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satire

Marvellous Maps

April 30, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Marvellous Maps

I’ve always been fascinated by maps. When I was a kid I declared to anyone who would listen that when I grew up I was going to work as a “mapmaker”. To train myself I would copy maps out of atlases and try to squeeze as many place names and geographic features as possible. Then I later found out that the correct name for “map making” was “cartography” and that in order to become a cartographer you had to be a whiz in mathematics. Knowing myself to be one of world’s worst math students on record I knew my dream of drawings maps for a living would never pan out.

Nevertheless, as my career evolved over the years into editorial cartooning I’ve been able to put my passion for maps to good use in satire. Here’s a gallery of map cartoons going back a few decades:

Toronto Megacity, 1996
Toronto Megacity, 1996
November 6, 1997
November 6, 1997
April 1, 1999
April 1, 1999
February 9, 2000
February 9, 2000
December 16, 2000
December 16, 2000
September 8, 1999
September 8, 1999
May 16, 2002
May 16, 2002
June 20, 2002
June 20, 2002
October 23, 2002
October 23, 2002
May 30, 2003
May 30, 2003
September 28, 2004
September 28, 2004
May 9, 2006
May 9, 2006
August 2, 2006
August 2, 2006
March 1, 2007
March 1, 2007
August 2, 2007
August 2, 2007
March 31, 2008
March 31, 2008
August 15, 2008
August 15, 2008
September 25, 2008
September 25, 2008
Toronto 2010
Toronto 2010
February 22, 2011
February 22, 2011
September 3, 2011
September 3, 2011
November 8, 2011
November 8, 2011
April 26, 2012
April 26, 2012
May 15, 2012
May 15, 2012
August 22, 2012
August 22, 2012
December 2012
December 2012
March 8, 2013
March 8, 2013
September 8, 2013
September 8, 2013
Thursday, March 13, 2014
February 3, 2015
February 3, 2015
August 15, 2015
August 15, 2015
September 4, 2015
September 4, 2015
ACC - 2016
ACC – 2016
June 23, 2016
June 23, 2016
June 29, 2016
June 29, 2016
June 25, 2016
June 25, 2016
August 25, 2016
August 25, 2016
December 1, 2016
December 1, 2016
February 8 2017
February 8 2017
February 23, 2017
February 23, 2017
March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017
April 26, 2017
April 26, 2017
October 20, 2017
October 20, 2017
July 24, 2018
July 24, 2018
December 13, 2018
December 13, 2018
April 29, 2019
April 29, 2019
November 9, 2016
November 9, 2016

 

Posted in: Cartooning Tagged: 2019-16, cartography, commentary, gallery, maps, satire

Tuesday December 20, 2016

December 19, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday December 20, 2016 Will the GOP be the pro-Putin party? Beneath the surface of the controversy overÊRussiaÕs efforts to help Donald Trump become presidentis a dramatic reconfigurationÊof opinion on foreign policy. Many Republicans who had long been critical of Vladimir PutinÕs despotic rule are adjusting their positions to accord with TrumpÕsÊmore sympathetic views. Others are hanging back, fearful of picking a fight with their partyÕs incoming president or underminingÊthe legitimacy of his election. At the same time, PutinÕs fiercest Republican critics, including leading neoconservatives, find themselves allied with HillaryÊClintonÕs supporters. They are calling out the KremlinÕs interference with the election and demanding a full accounting of whatÊhappened. Sens.ÊJohn McCainÊandÊLindsey O. GrahamÊhave been among the most outspoken. While some on the left worry about starting a new Cold War, there has been a broad toughening of liberal and Democratic opinionÊtoward Russia. This shift owes in part to outrage over PutinÕs efforts to sabotage Clinton, but the roots of the mistrust of Putin canÊbe traced back several years. PutinÕs hostility toward Clinton is widely seen as a response toÊher criticism of the 2011 Russian elections, a pointÊshe underscoredÊherself last week. Mass protests broke out against what the opposition saw as PutinÕs vote rigging. At the time, he blamed ClintonÊand the American government for the uprising. (Source: Washington Post)Êhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/will-the-gop-be-the-pro-putin-party/2016/12/18/a2d22058-c3de-11e6-9a51-cd56ea1c2bb7_story.html?utm_term=.b0976dcc87f0 USA, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Alec Baldwin, satire, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, blood

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 20, 2016

Will the GOP be the pro-Putin party?

Beneath the surface of the controversy over Russia’s efforts to help Donald Trump become presidentis a dramatic reconfiguration of opinion on foreign policy.

Many Republicans who had long been critical of Vladimir Putin’s despotic rule are adjusting their positions to accord with Trump’s more sympathetic views. Others are hanging back, fearful of picking a fight with their party’s incoming president or undermining the legitimacy of his election.

At the same time, Putin’s fiercest Republican critics, including leading neoconservatives, find themselves allied with Hillary Clinton’s supporters. They are calling out the Kremlin’s interference with the election and demanding a full accounting of what happened. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey O. Graham have been among the most outspoken.

While some on the left worry about starting a new Cold War, there has been a broad toughening of liberal and Democratic opinion toward Russia. This shift owes in part to outrage over Putin’s efforts to sabotage Clinton, but the roots of the mistrust of Putin can be traced back several years.

Putin’s hostility toward Clinton is widely seen as a response to her criticism of the 2011 Russian elections, a point she underscored herself last week. Mass protests broke out against what the opposition saw as Putin’s vote rigging. At the time, he blamed Clinton and the American government for the uprising. (Source: Washington Post)

 

Posted in: International, USA Tagged: Alec Baldwin, blood, Donald Trump, Russia, satire, Syria, Ukraine, USA, Vladimir Putin

Saturday September 19, 2015

September 18, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday September 19, 2015 Green Party Leader Elizabeth May dominates debate on Twitter Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was not in attendance at the Globe and Mail's leader debate in Calgary on Thursday, but on Twitter she may have come out on top. May used Twitter to answer the same questions faced by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper at the Globe and Mails leader debate. The social media company filmed May's responses, retorts and fact-checks in a Victoria church and posted them to Twitter. In total, May's video posts received 14,000 retweets and favourites, and she gained 3,900 new followers. May's account also received the most mentions on Twitter at the beginning of the debate, topping Trudeau by more than 2,000. In an appearance on CTV's Power Play earlier on Thursday, May criticized the diversity of the debate. "(I am) participating at some distance, but perhaps we can make our way into the old boys club yet," May said in an appearance on CTV's Power Play earlier on Thursday. She continued to mock the makeup of event on Twitter. In an appearance on CTV's Power Play earlier on Thursday, May criticized the diversity of the debate. "(I am) participating at some distance, but perhaps we can make our way into the old boys club yet," May said in an appearance on CTV's Power Play earlier on Thursday. She continued to mock the makeup of event on Twitter. Before the debate, May didn't shy away from taking jabs at the Globe and Mail event, which she called a "bogus, corporate, private debate." Despite May's exclusion, Sean Humphrey, the Globe and Mail's vice-president of marketing, has defended the debate's format. May has also been left off the podium at the Munk Debates on foreign policy in Toronto and a French-language debate on TVA. The Green Party Leader criticized Harper and Mulcair for their plans to skip the traditional

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 19, 2015

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May dominates debate on Twitter

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was not in attendance at the Globe and Mail’s leader debate in Calgary on Thursday, but on Twitter she may have come out on top.

May used Twitter to answer the same questions faced by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper at the Globe and Mails leader debate.

illustration by Graeme MacKay (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). Extracted from an editorial cartoon printed in the Hamilton Spectator: https://mackaycartoons.net/2015/09/18/saturday-september-19-2015/ For Sale at Redbubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/mackaycartoons/works/16375103-ottawa-reptile-club?p=photographic-print illustration

The social media company filmed May’s responses, retorts and fact-checks in a Victoria church and posted them to Twitter.

In total, May’s video posts received 14,000 retweets and favourites, and she gained 3,900 new followers.

May’s account also received the most mentions on Twitter at the beginning of the debate, topping Trudeau by more than 2,000.

In an appearance on CTV’s Power Play earlier on Thursday, May criticized the diversity of the debate.

“(I am) participating at some distance, but perhaps we can make our way into the old boys club yet,” May said in an appearance on CTV’s Power Play earlier on Thursday.

She continued to mock the makeup of event on Twitter.

In an appearance on CTV’s Power Play earlier on Thursday, May criticized the diversity of the debate.

“(I am) participating at some distance, but perhaps we can make our way into the old boys club yet,” May said in an appearance on CTV’s Power Play earlier on Thursday.

She continued to mock the makeup of event on Twitter.

Before the debate, May didn’t shy away from taking jabs at the Globe and Mail event, which she called a “bogus, corporate, private debate.”

Despite May’s exclusion, Sean Humphrey, the Globe and Mail’s vice-president of marketing, has defended the debate’s format.

May has also been left off the podium at the Munk Debates on foreign policy in Toronto and a French-language debate on TVA.

The Green Party Leader criticized Harper and Mulcair for their plans to skip the traditional televised leader’s debate, which is scheduled for Oct. 7. (Source: CTV News)


SATIRE FACT CHECK

MacKinnon-19Sept2015

By Bruce MacKinnon

Aislin-18Sept2015

By Terry Mosher

Same take by two of Canada’s great editorial cartoonists. Excluding political leaders based on their gender fits well with the stuffy old image of “Canada’s National Newspaper” from a bygone era. Was former NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin excluded in debates in the 1980s, or Alexa McDonough in the 90’s, or Kim Campbell, or more recently Pauline Marois, Kathleen Wynne, or Rachel Notley, just to name a few? No. With respects to my cartoonist colleagues, playing the gender card in this case is a bit disingenuous – Women have been leading political parties throughout Canada for the last 40 years. It’s not about Ms. May’s gender that excluded her from the debate, it’s her fringe party’s low ranking in the polls. It’s also why for every 500 or so main three party cartoons we satirists serve up only a few that actually include the Green Party.  When a veteran politician of nearly 10 years finds defence in editorial cartoons then maybe, just maybe, the gig for that politician is up.

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2015, #elxn42, Canada, commentary, debate, dragon, election, Elizabeth May, exclusion, fear, Justin Trudeau, mongering, monster, Political Cartoon, satire, Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulcair

Friday January 30 2015

January 30, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

June 17, 1998A redo, 17 years later

In 1998 I had a completely different style when it came to cartooning that relied entirely on the cross hatching technique, a standard used by editorial cartoonists for centuries. By 2001, I had mostly abandoned the usage, thanks to the introduction of Photoshop as a means to edit cartoons on computer. I’m still very fond of the technique and I have file cabinets full of past work. My eyes, however, might be thankful in their own way that the strain that once came at the end of the day as a result of staring down thousands individual ink lines is mostly a thing of the past.

June 17, 1998

From June 17, 1998

1998 was a year when the Canadian dollar experienced a great drop in its value against the US greenback. That’s when it dipped way down into the mid 60 cent range. There it hovered until the start of 2003, when it made its charge towards par, fortified with the strength that came with Canada emerging as a Petro state when oil prices were at record highs. There was a bit of a dip when the loonie got jostled around the the time of the economic meltdown of 2008, but for the most part, the Canadian dollar has been on a course of strength for more than a decade.

So out from the archives comes this cartoon from a different time but for a familiar reckoning we Canadians are not unaccustomed to. Great for exports, lousy for cross-border shopping.

Posted in: Business, Canada, Cartooning, USA Tagged: Canada, caricature, cartoon, dollar, editorial, Editorial Cartoon, George Washington, greenback, Hamilton, loonie, Ontario, Political Cartoon, satire

November 15, 2006

November 15, 2006 by Graeme MacKay

(Previous blog entry pertaining to Joanna Chapman)

One of my cartoons made it into Raise the Hammer, a local blog which claims that it’s dedicated to providing a variety of views and approaches to the goal of making Hamilton a great city. Towards that end, we encourage readers to contribute feedback, letters to the editor, and article submissions. But really, it mostly attracts lefties who love to bash the Spectator whenever possible. Still, it often provides some well thought out commentary on local civic affairs. Here’s the cartoon at the centre of the fuss:

Posted 2006/11/16, By Ryan McGreal

Graeme MacKay, the Hamilton Spectator‘s sharp, funny, and sometimes mean-spirited editorial cartoonist, took one last opportunity to throw a swipe at Joanna Chapman, the private citizen who did City Council’s job for them and personally pursued charges against Mayor Larry Di Ianni for his violations of the Ontario Municipal Elections act.

Turning the David-and-Goliath mythos on its head, MacKay’s November 15 cartoon shows a gleeful, witchlike Chapman brushing off her hands as she drops a slingshot and walks away from the giant feet of her slain opponent, who lies in repose with a “Re-elect Larry Di Ianni” sign resting against his shin.

This closes a trilogy that started with a malevolent, scheming Chapman pushing Mayor Humpty Dumpty off the wall and continued with a sorcerous (complete with black cat) Chapman monkey hanging onto Di Ianni’s back.

Again and again, we see the habit of blaming the whistleblower and sympathizing with the whistleblown.

Joanna Chapman did not break or even bend the law: she enforced it. When she first raised the issue with council, they failed to do their job and launch an audit on the Mayor, preferring to close ranks around one of their own.

Di Ianni denied any wrongdoing and attacked Chapman’s character until the evidence was overwhelming that Chapman was onto something, and then he switched to claiming he had made an “honest mistake”.

+ + + + + +

Well, it’s good that the writer noted the aptly named ‘trilogy’ of Joanna Chapman cartoons I’ve drawn over the past few months — another benefit of posting related cartoons beneath main cartoons (editorial cartoonists take note.)

It surprises me that some are interpreting this as a swipe against Ms. Chapman. It is indeed an exaggeration to suggest that she alone was responsible for the defeat of Larry di Ianni, but I think she deserves more credit than what has been given to her in post election commentary.

As for the suggestion that I depicted her as a witch, well, that’s an interesting interpretation but I usually depict witches with brooms, pointy hats and green complexions. The cat in her bag refers to her bookstore, where I dare not enter anymore due to the number of cats laying all over the place and the fact that I have a very bad allergy to furry animals.

Joanna Chapman’s very determined pursuit of an audit of the mayor’s campaign books became such a significant story of public interest that it simply begged for satirical commentary. Like any editorial cartoonist, I simply acted on my own in caricaturing Ms. Chapman. There is never any direction ordered upon me by some corporate media agenda as is often attached to anyone who works or writes for the Hamilton Spectator. Ms. Chapman was lampooned with the same degree of exaggeration and satire I would apply to any other local personality be they Russ Powers, Stan Keyes, Larry di Ianni, or David Christopherson. The accusation of misogyny is just plain absurd. She’s a tough person, and she’s British, with a good sense of how brutal British satire can be. To a few shrill complainers lacking a sense of humour and getting bent out of shape over a few tame cartoons I suggest leaning your weak kneed frames on Joanna Chapman for physical support. She knows better than to get into a big stink about harmless satire.

* * * UPDATE (November 20) * * *

Raise the Hammer raises it’s hammer (& sickle) again, this time in a confusing attempt to deny that it bashes the Hamilton Spectator. (Reacting to my statement at the top of this blog entry). RTH “usually criticizes the Spec’s editorial stances, not its straight reporting”, writes mouthpiece Ryan McGreal. He embraced my boss Dana Robbins and his weekend column in defence of endorsement editorials like it was some sort confession that the Spectator does indeed hold some opinions. To the Raise the Hammer folks this admission of the Spec expressing opinion is really code word for possessing an evil big money pro developer corporate AGENDA. Which is crap. But the comments beneath McGreal’s article only confirms what he tried to deny in the first place, that Raise the Hammer loves to bash the Spectator… but who really cares?

* * * UPDATE (November 29, 2006) * * *

Joanna Chapman wades in with her comments:

Here’s an excerpt:

* * * UPDATE (February 9, 2007) * * *

Dear Graeme,

I have just returned from the International Congress on Ethics. Your cartoons were a huge success.

My talk was 20 minutes long. The details of the case were in the first half, and I worked that section around the 4 cartoons. When I showed the final cartoon (David & Goliath) there was a burst of applause and scattered cheers. Totally unexpected. I also got a huge amount of applause at the end.

I have spoken before, and sometimes to fairly large groups of people, and never have I received that type of response. I owe this all to you, and just wanted to thank you again. Of course, it will be all downhill from here, but never mind.

My understanding is that the congress organizers may be publishing a book with all the presentations. If this is the case, I will once again need your permission, because, what I said does not work without the cartoons. Of course you will probably need to see context in which I used them, but first let me know if you have any general objection.

I did not congratulate you on your recent award, which was remiss. Belated CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks again,
Joanna

Posted in: Cartooning, Hamilton Tagged: commentary, Dana Robbins, Feedback, Hamilton, hammer, Joanna Chapman, Larry DiIanni, Ryan McGreal, satire
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