On November 7 2018 a drawing shows a tall figure wearing an American flag cape standing on a high brick wall. The figure kicks at numerous people climbing or falling from the structure. This responds to the migrant caravan moving from Honduras toward the southern border during the Trump administration push for expanded wall funding.
The cartoon shows Senator Lindsey Graham transformed into the Hulk, ripping through his suit with an angry expression. Two smaller figures stand to the right holding a paper. The scene references the 2018 Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination process. Graham, a key Republican on the Judiciary Committee, defended the nominee during contentious hearings. The visual uses the Hulk metaphor to illustrate Graham's forceful response to opposition.
The cartoon depicts a cluster of male senators in dark suits holding a document marked designated female with Rachel Mitchell's image. One senator states they need a woman to do their job. A group of women in vote shirts on the right side replies by asking how about eleven women. Small text at bottom notes they would be pleasing if they smiled more. The scene references the 2018 Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation process and the role assigned to Mitchell during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
Gary McCoy's 2018 cartoon shows Pope Francis in bed, labeled 'Francis,' smirking as he pulls a green blanket over a figure hidden under covers marked 'Church Sex Scandal.' A speech bubble reads 'WHAT UP?! COVER UP!' with a clerical collar on the nightstand. This satire targets the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano's accusations, predator priests, pedophiles, and Vatican City coverups. The pontiff's grin highlights perceived zero tolerance failures and progressive stances amid clergy molestation claims involving Theodore McCarrick. The hairy arm and mustache on the hidden figure add a layer of absurdity to the coverup pun.
Arend van Dam's 2018 cartoon captures Maduro as a busdriver recklessly joyriding the Venezuela bus off a cliff, a stark metaphor for mismanagement under the dictator in South America. The bus, marked prominently with 'Venezuela,' carries worried passengers, their faces showing distress as the vehicle leaves the winding road. This piece underscores the chaotic leadership steering the nation toward ruin, with tags like Maduro, Venezuela, busdriver, joyriding, mismanagement, and dictator emphasizing the satirical take on political turmoil. The clear lines and exaggerated motion lines add to the dramatic effect, making it a pointed commentary on governance failures.
Active shooter drills in schools highlighted ongoing partisan divides over gun policy in 2018. One side advocated stricter controls including bans while the other emphasized thoughts and prayers. The divide reflected broader debates on preventing violence versus addressing aftermath. The piece critiques both approaches as insufficient for meaningful change.
Dave Granlund's cartoon from 2018 portrays the Statue of Liberty as America's Foster Mother, raising a bouquet of vibrant flowers instead of her torch, while cradling cards like 'Happy Mother's Day' and 'Love You Mom.' The speech bubble says 'Thank You,' emphasizing appreciation. Tags such as Mothers Day, thank you, flowers, symbol, foster mother, and care highlight the theme of symbolic maternal love in American iconography. This piece blends holiday sentiment with national symbolism, showing Liberty in a nurturing light amid discussions of immigration and foster care.
This IRS tax fairy cartoon by Gary McCoy cleverly twists the innocent tooth fairy legend into a humorous IRS satire illustration, showing a flying suited figure with purple wings bursting into a bedroom scene. The surprised person in bed, tucked under a blue blanket with a striped pillow and nearby teddy bear, faces the intruder holding a green dollar bucket. The speech bubble reveals the punchline, equating the IRS to a mythical tax fairy that takes rather than gives. As a political cartoon tax collection fairy, it highlights the dread of taxation in an irreverent way, with the figure's angry expression and dynamic pose emphasizing the intrusion. Elements like the brown chair and nightstand add to the domestic setting, making this taxpayer nightmare tooth fairy parody both relatable and sharable. Overall, it's a witty take on fiscal folklore.
Following the February 2018 Parkland school shooting, renewed calls for stricter gun laws emerged in Congress and state legislatures. Lawmakers debated measures including background check expansions and assault weapon restrictions. The piece argues that entrenched gun culture continues to block meaningful reform despite public pressure.
The cartoon depicts Attorney General Jeff Sessions standing before a full-length mirror and declaring that he recuses himself. Sessions holds a newspaper headlined Trump insults Sessions again. The mirror reflection shows only a hand with three fingers extended. The scene references tensions within the Trump administration over the attorney general role in early 2018.
Osmani Simanca's 2018 cartoon shows a map with USA, Cuba, Venezuela, and Latin America labeled clearly. Uncle Sam stands on the USA landmass, telescope in hand, gazing south toward a mustached man in a red suit on Venezuela. This figure, resembling Nicolas Maduro, raises a red card in one hand and a Venezuelan flag in the other, with a palm tree nearby. The Summit of the Americas tag suggests commentary on exclusion, while Uncle Sam and USA elements point to American oversight. Latin America spans the bottom, emphasizing regional dynamics in this straightforward satirical piece.
Osmani Simanca's 2018 cartoon depicts Donald Trump in a sequence of devolution: starting as a pudgy, naked humanoid with signature hair, holding a tiny club, then growing fur and a tail, eventually becoming a full monkey brandishing a large 'Monroe Doctrine' bat while advancing toward a sign labeled 'Latin America.' The imagery skewers the Trump administration's apparent revival of the Monroe Doctrine, tying into tags like Latin America, Donald Trump, Venezuela, Cuba, Secretary of State, and Rex Tillerson. This satirical take highlights concerns over interventionist policies, rendered in a simple, exaggerated style that amplifies the primal, regressive nature of such diplomacy.
