Election Year, Squishy Progressive Style
September 9th, 2024 Barry Posted in Barry's favorites, Elections | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon is a twelve-panel grid, with each panel labeled in large letters at the top with a month – January, February, and so forth. For this transcript, rather than labeling the panels “panel 1” and so on, I’ll use the name of the month.
In addition, there’s a tiny kicker panel under the bottom of the cartoon. Each panel shows the same character – a fat dude with round glasses, a circle beard (the name for “a chin strap and a mustache that meet to form a circle”), and dark hair held in a short pony tail. Put another way, it’s my self-caricature, so I’ll call this dude “Barry.”
JANUARY
Barry, wearing a long black coat and a scarf, is standing on a sidewalk yelling to the sky, his hands clutched in fists.
BARRY: The Democrats are sell-outs!
FEBRUARY
Barry stands outside, wearing a heavy coat with a hood and (again) a scarf. It’s snowing hard. Barry’s arms are crossed and he has a “don’t try talking to me, I already know everything” expression.
BARRY: They’re owned by corporations, just like the GOP!
MARCH
Barry is wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a floral patter over a black t-shirt. He looks angry and is waving a fist in the air.
BARRY: F#&@! the Democrats!
APRIL
Barry is talking into the phone, smirking a little.
BARRY: Democrats want my money? I’d rather donate to cancer.
MAY
Barry is explaining something to a somewhat impatient looking friend (or maybe just an unfortunate person who wound up at the same bus stop, who knows?).
BARRY: We so desperately need a third party!
JUNE
Barry is standing in a living-room type room; there’s a window in the background, and an armchair. Barry’s talking on the phone, a concerned expression on his face.
BARRY: Yes, Republicans winning would be a disaster.
JULY
Barry sits at a table, head resting on his palm, looking at an open laptop.
BARRY (thought): Actually, the Dem candidates are pretty good. On some issues.
AUGUST
Barry is standing outside, in front of a stone wall lined with flower boxes on top, talking to a friend (or, again, maybe just an unlucky passerby). Barry has both arms raised in the air jubilantly.
BARRY: I still hate them but I really like them!
SEPTEMBER
Barry stands looking pensively out a window.
BARRY: Hate? Like? Hate? Like?
OCTOBER
Hi, I’m a volunteer for the Democrats. Have you made a plan for voting?
NOVEMBER
Barry, looking extremely anxious, is standing and looking at a computer monitor, hands pressed against the sides of his face, sweating.
BARRY (thought): Please please let the Dems win…
DECEMBER
Barry is walking on a sidewalk past a hillside. It’s dark out, and Barry is wearing a long coat and a scarf again. He’s talking on his cell phone with an angry expression.
BARRY: God, I hate the Democrats!
TINY KICKER PANEL BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE CARTOON
A woman is talking to Barry.
WOMAN: So you’re saying hypocrisy is bad?
BARRY: Sorta bad, sorta useful.
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is an old cartoonist’s expression for unimportant but possibly amusing details the cartoonist sticks into the art.
JANUARY: A flyer taped to the wall shows a glaring bunny with a cigarette dangling out of its mouth. The text says “BEWARE evil bunny.”
FEBRUARY: A snowman in the background appears to be a snow alien, with three eyes and two antenna.
MARCH: Barry’s t-shirt has a picture of the evil bunny, surrounded by letters that say “evil bunny 1968 world tour.” Barry has a tattoo on his arm which says “I Have No Tattoos.”
JUNE: A man wearing a black fedora is peering in the window at Barry. On the wall is a framed picture of the evil bunny. A cat sits in the armchair, slouching like a human and looking at a smartphone it’s holding in its front paws.
AUGUST: Barry’s t-shirt has a drawing of the Death Star from “Star Wars,” and under the Death Star is a caption saying “Cici n’est pas une lune.” This is a real t-shirt that was described to me by Packy Anderson in the comments of a previous cartoon.
SEPTEMBER: Barry’s t-shirt has the planet logo from the covers of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” book series.
OCTOBER: Barry’s t-shirt says “your ad here.” The place on the back of the laptop where the manufacturer’s logo usually goes has a picture of Saturn.
NOVEMBER: Barry’s arm has a tattoo of Beaker from the Muppets. I’ve snuck Beaker into a lot of my cartoons because I just like him.
DECEMBER: A bird in the air in the background has Richard Nixon’s head instead of a bird head. A piece of paper lying on the sidewalk says “Last Panel. Phew! 12 panels is a lot.” And in the background, near a tree, is the evil bunny, smoking a cigarette.
