The Top 6 Rejected Cartoons of January 2010

This month had a combination of several recycled ideas (meaning fewer total sketches), a few that are still held in reserve (so they might end up getting finished), and then just some flat out bad rejects that I don’t wish to share, resulting in only six that make the countdown.

6. The pickin’s were so slim this month that I’m giving you a cartoon that wasn’t even finished! I was working on an idea inspired by two stories that ran in the same day’s paper. One was about people complaining that healthcare reform was an infringement upon their constitutional rights and an example of the federal government’s intrusion into people’s freedoms, and the other was about how a majority of Americans are totally fine with giving up civil liberties in exchange for protection from terrorists. So the idea here was that these two guys would be chatting about the evil healthcare reforms, how much they love freedom, etc., but at least they’re safe. As you can tell from this eloquent write-up, I’m still unable to capture that thought succinctly, but I enjoyed the visual enough that I figured I’d share it.

5. This cartoon was based on a letter to Don Walton, which he shared in one of his columns, that referred to health care reform as “Satanic.”


4. I’m not heartbroken that this cartoon wasn’t chosen, though I did like the idea of debuting this new character. Given the way Nebraska’s fiscal conservatives operate, I’m sure I’ll have more opportunities.

3. I’m making an executive decision after already naming and intro-ing this countdown to give you a bonus cartoon here. Both of these were submitted on the topic of Sen. Charlie Janssen’s war on roadside memorials. I was eventually able to touch on this issue in a cartoon that included both a giant asphalt mural of Jesus and Bigfoot riding Nessie, so I’m glad things worked out the way they did.

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