Yee haw – Oct 28, 1999

from the Daily Nebraskan

Apparently the imagery in this cartoon is reminiscent of something from a famous movie. I remember my editor saying that at the time, being surprised that I wasn’t referencing the movie. I just thought it would be fun to draw Cowboy Jesus riding a big arm.

fireworks jesus y2k new year’s eve

Payne Stewart – Oct 27, 1999

from the Daily Nebraskan

As this is intended to be a complete career retrospective and not just a greatest hits, it’s only fair that I include the worst cartoons I’ve ever done. I can honestly say that this cartoon was suggested to me by someone else, but I didn’t have the good judgment to turn it down. In our sheltered position, it was a joke about how people were coming out left and right to say they were running as the Reform Party’s candidate for president. In reality, it was a joke at the expense of a dead guy. Not a great moment, and it received plenty of deserved criticism.

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Mixed message – Oct 25, 1999

From the Daily Nebraskan

I intended this cartoon to represent the various threatening entities – ASUN, the Greek System, etc – were just a nuisance that was more bark than bite, and this cartoon was timed to run the day that these groups were coming to a Publications Board meeting to demand that I be fired.

But several people interpreted this as some kind of David and Goliath situation — that I was suggesting the Daily Nebraskan would eventually be defeated by these folks.

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Hello, I’m Neal Obermeyer – Oct 22, 1999

from the Daily Nebraskan

This was the debut of the “Neal Obermeyer” character. I wanted to do a cartoon coming from me, but I was very much enjoying life as an ‘invisible’ celebrity. Everyone was quickly learning my name, but no one knew who I was. The last thing I wanted to do was compromise that.

It was completely as a joke that I asked my editor if I could draw myself as a large, muscular black man, as I was a frail, weak pasty white guy. It was a sarcastic plan of diversion, but he said yes. We both paused for a minute and were like “Yeah … let’s do that!”

I never thought for a second that anyone would think that’s actually what I looked like. Being familiar with my appearance, it was obvious to me that this was a joke because it was an obvious decoy. But for several years, many people continued to believe that Neal Obermeyer was a large, muscular black man.

As far as the point of the cartoon, the schedule of classes that fall had misspelled “University” on the cover.

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Magic Thigh – Oct 14, 1999

from the Daily Nebraskan

I was trying to convey that the answer to the question was hidden and would likely never be known, but the best thing about this cartoon was that I heard many reports of students actually trying to see the “magic eye” image.

I had either bet someone or dreamt something about doing a cartoon that was nothing but interlocking chicken legs, and this gave me my opportunity.

tom green magic eye chicken