Jun
16
2017
feels
Aug
25
2015
Jeff Koterba's cartoon shows a boy eagerly pulling a reluctant older man toward a roller coaster entrance, where the tracks twist like stock market graphs. The boy urges 'Aw, C'Mon, Dad!!' while the man exclaims he's an investor, not up for the ride. This investor roller coaster metaphor captures the thrill and terror of stock market volatility, especially amid stock market china influences in 2015. The artwork uses simple lines and colors to depict the entrance arch and looping tracks, emphasizing economic uncertainty. Tags like investor, roller coaster, stock market, and stock market china underscore the financial satire. Birds and flags add to the amusement park feel, making the commentary on investing risks both accessible and pointed.
Apr
14
2015
Steve Sack's tax frustration cartoon shows a balding man in four panels, venting anger through symbolic profanity while working on a laptop surrounded by papers. The sequence builds to a punchline about filling the memo line on his income taxes check with implied curses. This income tax filing humor resonates with widespread taxpayer frustration, capturing the annual dread of April 15 deadlines. The IRS check memo line satire uses visual exaggeration for dry wit, avoiding direct profanity but implying it through symbols like skulls and spirals. Such cartoons thrive in syndication for their relatable take on bureaucratic hassles. The piece maintains a light touch on universal gripes without delving into policy debates.
Apr
14
2015
Rick McKee's 2015 cartoon depicts a dungeon scene with an IRS sign pointing to a chained, ragged figure hanging from the wall, his bare feet above a skull on the ground. A muscular executioner, masked and gloved, bears a heart-shaped 1040 EZ tattoo on his arm and holds a tax return document, delivering the punchline about moving to a higher bracket. Tools of torture adorn the stone walls, emphasizing the satirical take on tax burdens. This IRS tax bracket cartoon captures the dread of tax day with dry humor, portraying fiscal policy as medieval punishment. The composition highlights the power imbalance between taxpayer and system, using exaggeration for effect in this tax return executioner cartoon.
