Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists

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Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists is a series of anthologies of alternative comics, photos and artists' interviews edited by Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. The books were designed by J. P. Trostle, news editor of EditorialCartoonists.com. Two sequels and three spin-off titles have been published to date. A group of cartoonists featured in the Attitude series formed the organization Cartoonists With Attitude in June 2006; the group has hosted slideshow and panel events around the United States to promote the series and alternative political cartooning. [1] The New Labor Forum described the series as "filled with politically attuned graphic artistry." [2]

Contents

Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists

Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists
Attitude- The New Subversive Political Cartoonists.jpg
Author Ted Rall (editor)
SeriesAttitude
Subject Political Cartoons
Genre anthology
Publisher Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing
Publication date
June 2002
Media typepaperback
Pages128
ISBN 1-56163-317-8
OCLC 50760357
741.5/973 22
LC Class NC1305 .A87 2002
Followed by Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists  

Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists focuses on cartoonists whose work appeared in alternative weekly newspapers, with a view toward defining a new genre of political comics that, in Rall's words, are "too alternative for the mainstream and too mainstream for the underground."

The Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote: "Some of the cartoons are type-dominated (Don Asmussen's); many are not artistically pleasing; several would not pass the standards for a family newspaper." [3] The Baltimore Sun wrote "There is moral rage, drama and righteousness that are both breezy and mortally serious." "This is provocative, if often still rough and immature, stuff. And if history is still a guide, many of these artists will emerge as the best of the next generation of mainstream newspaper cartoonists." [4] The American Library Association's Booklist wrote that "Whereas old-school editorial cartoonists rely on timeworn traditions, topics, and techniques, the new breed tackles contemporary concerns, such as commercialism and environmentalism ... Their drawings are usually subservient to their scripts, and both take a back seat to their attitude ... The best of them possess so much lacerating wit and unswerving commitment that they fairly shame their hidebound mainstream counterparts into retirement." [5]

Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists made The Progressive's list of "Favorite books of 2002." [6]

The artists included and their comics are:

  1. Lloyd Dangle: Troubletown
  2. Andy Singer: No Exit
  3. Don Asmussen: The San Francisco Comic Strip
  4. Tom Tomorrow: This Modern World
  5. Clay Butler: Sidewalk Bubblegum
  6. Peter Kuper: Eye of the Beholder
  7. Jen Sorensen: Slowpoke
  8. Scott Bateman
  9. Tim Eagan: Deep Cover , Subconscious Comics
  10. Derf Backderf: The City
  11. Lalo Alcaraz: La Cucaracha
  12. Joe Sharpnack
  13. Eric Bezdek: Corn Valley
  14. Ruben Bolling: Tom the Dancing Bug
  15. William L. Brown: Citizen Bill
  16. Ward Sutton: Schlock 'n' Roll
  17. Stephanie McMillan: Minimum Security
  18. Mickey Siporin: America Outta Line
  19. Jim Siergey: Cultural Jet Lag
  20. Ted Rall: Search and Destroy
  21. Matt Wuerker: Lint Trap

Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists

Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists
Attitude2.gif
Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists
Author Ted Rall (editor)
SeriesAttitude
Subject Alternative comics
Genre anthology
Publisher Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing
Publication date
February 2004
Media typepaperback
Pages128
ISBN 1-56163-381-X
Preceded by Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists  
Followed by Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists  

Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists followed Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists by two years. For the second book in the series, Rall turned to alternative weekly-oriented cartoonists whose work leaned more toward general humor than the original volume. It did also includes several political cartoonists.

The San Diego Union-Tribune described Attitude 2 as "the ribald, self-righteous comix in the best alternative weeklies ... 'Question Authority' is their collective motto, and as long as they're making people mad as hell, they must be doing something right." [7] The United Kingdom's The Observer wrote that "This is satire in an angry-youth-with-piercings mode. The spiritual forebears are the cartoonists of the 1960s-70s underground (Robert Crumb et al.) but the use of clip art and scratchy line techniques mark this out as a very contemporary collection, and happily the humour is of high quality." [8] Publishers Weekly wrote that "These cartoonists are, generally, writers who use the medium to get across verbal puns or simple, angry screeds, regardless of visual style or any other comics-based concerns. ... This worthy compilation of cartoonists who otherwise wouldn't be seen outside of their local weeklies showcases the continuing vitality of comics as social criticism." [9]

The artists included and their comics are:

  1. Keith Knight: The K Chronicles
  2. Neil Swaab: Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles
  3. Emily S. Flake: Lulu Eightball
  4. Tak Toyoshima: Secret Asian Man
  5. Brian Sendelbach: Smell of Steve, Inc.
  6. Jennifer Berman: Berman
  7. Alison Bechdel: Dykes to Watch Out For
  8. Shannon Wheeler: Too Much Coffee Man
  9. Mikhaela B. Reid: The Boiling Point
  10. Aaron McGruder: The Boondocks
  11. Tim Kreider: The Pain – When Will It End?
  12. Barry Deutsch: Ampersand
  13. David Rees: Get Your War On
  14. Max Cannon: Red Meat
  15. Eric Orner: The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green
  16. Greg Peters: Suspect Device
  17. Jason Youngbluth: Deep Fried
  18. Steven Notley: Bob the Angry Flower
  19. Justin Jones: Soda-Pong
  20. Kevin Moore: In Contempt Comics
  21. Marian Henley: Maxine!

Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists

Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists
Attitude 3 The New Subversive Online Cartoonists.jpeg
Attitude: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists
Author Ted Rall (editor)
SeriesAttitude
Subject Webcomics
Genre anthology
Publisher Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing
Publication date
June 2006
Media typepaperback
Pages128
ISBN 1-56163-465-4
Preceded by Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists  

Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists is the third volume in the Attitude series. Whereas volumes one and two of the series concentrated on print cartoonists, Attitude 3 focuses exclusively upon webcomics.

The artists included and their comics are:

  1. Rob Balder: PartiallyClips
  2. Dale Beran and David Hellman: A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible
  3. Matt Bors: Idiot Box
  4. Steven L. Cloud: Boy on a Stick and Slither
  5. M.e. Cohen: HumorInk
  6. Chris Dlugosz: Pixel
  7. Thomas K. Dye: Newshounds
  8. Mark Fiore: Fiore Animated Cartoons
  9. Dorothy Gambrell: Cat and Girl
  10. Nicholas Gurewitch: The Perry Bible Fellowship
  11. Brian McFadden: Big Fat Whale
  12. Eric Millikin: Fetus-X
  13. Ryan North: Dinosaur Comics
  14. August J. Pollak: XQUZYPHYR & Overboard
  15. Mark Poutenis: Thinking Ape Blues
  16. Jason Pultz: Comic Strip
  17. Adam Rust: Adam's Rust
  18. D. C. Simpson: I Drew This & Ozy and Millie
  19. Ben Smith: Fighting Words
  20. Richard Stevens: Diesel Sweeties
  21. Michael Zole: Death to the Extremist

Related Research Articles

Webcomics are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.

Bob the Angry Flower is a webcomic by Stephen Notley, published weekly starting in 1992. It tells the exploits of an easily angered anthropomorphic flower named Bob and his interactions with the world, often in search of either global domination or love. Though the comic strip features a range of recurring characters, most strips stand alone with little or no continuity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Editorial cartoonist</span> Artist drawing editorial cartoons that contain political or social commentary

An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current affairs in a national or international context. Political cartoonists generally adopt a caricaturist style of drawing, to capture the likeness of a politician or subject. They may also employ humor or satire to ridicule an individual or group, emphasize their point of view or comment on a particular event.

Get Your War On is a series of satirical comic strips by David Rees about political topics. Initially, the comic concerned the effects of the September 11 attacks on New York City, but it quickly switched its focus to more recent topics, in particular the War on Terror. The strip debuted on October 9, 2001.

<i>Fetus-X</i> Alternative comic

Fetus-X was a weekly romantic horror comic written and drawn by Eric Millikin and Casey Sorrow. Millikin is an American artist and former human anatomy lab embalmer and dissectionist. Sorrow is an internationally known American illustrator and printmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Fiore (cartoonist)</span> American political cartoonist

Mark Fiore is an American political cartoonist specializing in Flash-animated editorial cartoons, whom The Wall Street Journal called "the undisputed guru of the form".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Sorensen</span> American cartoonist, born 1974

Jen Sorensen is an American cartoonist and illustrator who creates a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events from a liberal perspective. Her work has appeared on the websites Daily Kos, Splinter, The Nib, Politico, AlterNet, and Truthout; and has appeared in Ms. Magazine, The Progressive, and The Nation. It also appears in over 20 alternative newsweeklies throughout America. In 2014 she became the first woman to win the Herblock Prize, and in 2017 she was named a Pulitzer Finalist in Editorial Cartooning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Bors</span> American cartoonist (born 1983)

Matt Bors is a nationally syndicated American editorial cartoonist and editor of online comics publication The Nib. Formerly the comics journalism editor for Cartoon Movement, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and 2020, and became the first alt-weekly cartoonist to win the Herblock Prize for Excellence in Cartooning.

Notable events of 2006 in comics.

The Pain – When Will It End? is a cartoon drawn by Tim Kreider from 1994 until June 8, 2009. It was self-published until it began running weekly in the Baltimore City Paper in 1997. It was later picked up by the Jackson Planet Weekly and The Indy in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Since September 2000, it is also a webcomic.

Animated political cartoons are the evolution of the editorial cartoon. The animated political cartoons are normally written in Flash.

J.P. Trostle is a graphic designer and cartoonist, whose work often appears under the pen name of "Jape". He is the author of Attack of the Political Cartoonists: Insights And Assaults From Today's Editorial Pages, and is the current editor of the Notebook, the quarterly magazine of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), and editorialcartoonists.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Rall</span> American cartoonist, born 1963

Frederick Theodore Rall III is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions. At their peak, Rall's cartoons appeared in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States. He was president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists from 2008 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Dangle</span> American cartoonist

Lloyd Dangle is an American writer and cartoonist, illustrator, and political satirist.

Neil Swaab is a New York based artist, designer, writer, and educator. His illustrations and comics have appeared in numerous publications in the US as well as abroad in Germany, Prague, and Italy and Russia. Swaab's most famous work is Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles, which deals with a pill-popping, foul-mouthed teddy bear. The comics frequently deal with sex, addiction, intoxication, psychosis, molestation, cross-dressing, self-hate and misanthropy. This weekly comic strip currently runs online as well as in The New York Press, Real Detroit Weekly, Internazionale, and New Times Broward-Palm Beach.

Mikhaela Blake Reid is an editorial cartoonist whose work has appeared in various alternative newspapers and magazines, including The Boston Phoenix, Bay Windows, Metro Times, and In These Times, and was also reprinted in Los Angeles Times. Reid frequently draws cartoons supporting LGBT rights.

Brian McFadden is an American cartoonist who started on GeoCities in 2001, created Big Fat Whale, and became a featured artist at The New York Times in 2011.

Andy Singer is an American political cartoonist born in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Peters (cartoonist)</span> American cartoonist

Greg Peters was an American editorial cartoonist best known for his détournement-based comic strips "Suspect Device" and "Snake Oil".

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) E&P Staff (June 12, 2007) "Cartoonists With Attitude Coming to DC" Editor and Publisher .
  2. Worcester, Kent (2007). "Review: Serious Fun: Comics, Graphic Novels, and "The Labor Question"". New Labor Forum . 16 (1): 129–136. doi:10.1080/10957960601113506 via JSTOR.
  3. Armstrong, Robert (July 21, 2002). "Paperbacks; Subversive cartoonists brandish drawing power". Star Tribune . Pg. 15F
  4. Pakenham, Michael (August 25, 2002). "Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists". The Baltimore Sun . Pg. 9E
  5. Flagg, Gordon (September 1, 2002). "Attitude: the New Subversive Political Cartoonists". Booklist , Pg. 36
  6. Clinton, Kate, et al. (January 1, 2003). "Favorite books of 2002". The Progressive . Pg. 35
  7. Lee-Youngren, Tiffany (April 18, 2004). "'TOON 'TUDE; Alert the authorities! `The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists' are coming to take you away!". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Pg. BOOKS-2
  8. Sabin, Roger (December 12, 2004). "Review: CHRISTMAS CARTOON ROUND-UP: 68,647 ways to make you laugh". The Observer . Pg. 15
  9. Publishers Weekly Reviews (May 17, 2004). "Attitude 2; The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists". Publishers Weekly . Pg. 36