You Only THINK You Liked It
September 1st, 2025 Barry Posted in Barry's favorites, Racism & Racists | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels, plus a tiny “kicker” panel under the bottom of the strip. Each panel features two women talking on a suburban sidewalk. One woman has glasses and a red t-shirt; the other has short dark hair and torn jeans. I’ll call them “RED” and “TORN.”
PANEL 1
Red, angry, is holding out a comic book towards Torn. Torn crouches to examine the comic.
RED: Look! A “diverse” artist’s comic book won an award, but their work is garbage!
TORN: I liked that comic.
PANEL 2
Red tosses the comic away over her shoulder, while producing another comic and handing it to Torn.
RED: You only think you liked it!
RED: No one actually liked it. They just said they did because they’re afraid. Here, read my award-winning comic, it’s actually good.
TORN: Um… Okay.
PANEL 3
In the foreground, we see Torn is reading the comic. In the background, Red continues to rant.
RED: You know why they give awards to middling “diverse” artists? White guilt! It’s pathetic!
PANEL 4
Torn, amused, hands the comic back to Red. Red looks suspicious.
TORN: Have you noticed that when middling white artists win awards, no one thinks that needs an explanation?
RED: Sure, but– Wait, what are you implying?
TINY KICKER PANEL
Torn talks to Barry the cartoonist.
TORN: You’d know all about middling white cartoonists winning awards, right Barry?
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is obsolete cartoonists’ terminology for unimportant (but hopefully fun) details in the artwork.
PANEL 1 – The comic book’s title is “Minor Detail Comix,” and has a sedate dog on the cover. One of the spies from “Spy vs. Spy” is in a hole in a tree in the background. An open can on the ground is labeled “Ant Food” and has a trail of ants leading to it.
PANEL 2 – The dog on the cover of the comic being tossed away now has a panicked expression. The new comic she’s holding out is entitled “Changing Details Comix,” with a skeleton in a suit on the cover.
PANEL 3 – We see some of the panels of the comic Torn is reading. “Hey, wanna have some ill-advised sex? But in an artsy and highbrow way.” “No, I’d rather do it with Mr. Stephen Sondheim.” “I understand. He is the greatest songwriter ever. Maybe I could have sex with Andrew Lloyd Webber instead?”
Also, the Evil Bunny – a character I frequently draw into backgrounds – can be seen in panel 1 of the comic-in-a-comic.
PANEL 4 – The comic now shows the famous painting “The Scream,” and is entitled “Still Changing Comix.”
TATTOO – The tattoo on Torn’s left arm forms a three panel comic strip. In panel one, a moon and a sun, both with smiling faces, face each other across the arm. In panel two, they’re dancing with each other, holding hands, with little hearts floating in the air. In panel four, they’ve floated apart and look heartbroken.
