Two yellow diamond-shaped road signs appear against a blue sky. The left sign labeled STUDENTS shows two child silhouettes throwing papers into the air. The right sign labeled MPs displays a black pig silhouette with a top hat flying off. A blue banner above reads OUT FOR SUMMER.... The image is dated June 25 2026 and signed by artist Steve Nease.
The cartoon shows two graduates in blue caps and gowns dancing energetically on a stage during what appears to be a graduation ceremony. One waves a diploma overhead while the other kicks a leg high. Three seated graduates in the background display open-mouthed expressions. A man at a podium with a microphone stands to the right. Speech bubbles contain the lines Good Lord what have we done and Let it go. They are society's problem now. The background is a plain purple curtain and gray stage floor.
The cartoon shows a two-panel graduation scene with a speaker at the podium. In the first panel he delivers an optimistic message about the sky's the limit. In the second panel he corrects himself to Skynet's the limit while an AI robot labeled A.I. JOB TAKE OVER looms nearby. Graduates in caps and gowns sit in the foreground. The image uses tags including college, high school, education, AI, artificial intelligence, sky is the limit, and skynet.
Dave Whamond's cartoon captures a man resembling a political figure leaning over a desk in a classroom, suggesting a bullet-proof 400 million dollar ballroom as a fix for another school shooting. The woman at the desk sighs in response, with a green blackboard showing marks that look like bullet impacts. Tags like school shootings, national issue, security, guns, education, and bullet proof underscore the satire on misplaced priorities, where vanity projects like a top secret ballroom or Trump bunker get funding justifications, echoing build the wall rhetoric and emergency exemptions amid issues like WHCD shooting.
Michael de Adder's cartoon shows a crumbling Elementary School building marked with 'DO NOT CROSS' tape and debris, where three children observe a podium declaring 'SHOOTING PROVES NEW BALLROOM IS NEEDED -TRUMP.' The speech bubble suggests 'MAYBE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS PROVE WE NEED NEW SCHOOLS,' tying into tags like Trump, school shooting, guns, Second Amendment, education, and USA. This piece critiques how tragedies are spun for personal gain, contrasting a political figure's focus on luxury renovations with the dire need for safer school infrastructure amid frequent firearms incidents. The dry humor underscores the disconnect in priorities, making it a sharp commentary on gun violence and political rhetoric.
Ed Wexler\\\'s cartoon captures a toll booth in the Strait of Hormuz, where figures resembling Trump and the Ayatollah enforce a $1,000,000 Bitcoin toll. Smoke rises from what look like mines in the water, blending tags like Iran, Strait of Hormuz, tolls, Bitcoin, Trump, Ayatollah, and crypto into a sharp commentary. The barrier arm blocks passage, emphasizing control over this vital shipping lane. It\\\'s a straightforward jab at geopolitical tensions, with the toll sign demanding payment to proceed. No hidden layers here, just clear visuals tying economic pressures to digital currency in a contested area. The dry humor shines through in the absurdity of a Bitcoin booth amid potential explosions.
Bruce Plante\'s cartoon captures a space capsule\'s splashdown, complete with three orange and white striped parachutes guiding it to a blue ocean teeming with black fish-like forms. The prominent text \'Thanks NASA We Needed That\' adds a layer of sarcasm, typical in editorial illustrations commenting on high-profile events like the Artemis II mission. The simple composition, with a light blue sky and wavy ocean surface, emphasizes the moment of impact, shown by a small splash at the capsule\'s base. This piece fits into the tradition of political cartoons that highlight public sentiments toward government projects, using minimal elements for maximum impact. The artist\'s signature and website appear in the top left, grounding it in syndicated cartoon style.
John Darkow's cartoon captures the Artemis II crew gazing through their spacecraft window at the far side of the moon, where craters frame an unexpected sight: the Midvale School for the Gifted from Gary Larson's The Far Side, complete with a striped-shirted figure fumbling at a 'pull' door on stairs. Tagged with artemis ii, moon flyby, far side, gary larson, nasa, space, and science, the image blends real space exploration with absurd humor. One crew member exclaims excitement, labeled with Artemis II Crew and NASA markings. This satire highlights the blend of high-stakes missions and pop culture whimsy, poking fun at what astronauts might hope to find beyond the visible lunar surface. The dry wit underscores how science fiction tropes collide with actual programs like Artemis II.
