FEBRUARY 27, 2007 - 5:43 PM
MARY SOMMERS of Anchorage used nicely measured hyperbole to become this week's winner.
In the tradition of close Alaska elections, we had another tie, between Mary and Clayton Awe.
It was a tough call for this veteran cartoon adjudicator. Both Mary and Clayton turned in imaginative and well-thought-out entries.
The decision slowly tipped to Mary because of the slightly distracting nature of the "Hooliguns" pun in Clayton's caption. While the reader is detouring to admire the adroit wordplay involved, the focus on the message is disrupted.
But I did have to count a great many dancing angels to come up with a decision, and there will be muttering from the cleaning staff over all the split hairs littering the floor beneath my table. Kudos rains on both of you.
FEBRUARY 20, 2007 - 4:33 PM
VERN NUSUNGINYA Took top honors in a field thick with entries. Many of them his. By simple but inspired interpretation, the Soldotna Cowboy put a point on a drawing that could have stood alone as a weary comment, but gained needed topspin with Vern's understated zing.
Thanks to the legions of contributors, quippers and questioners who took part this week. You know where to find us next Tuesday.
Your humble servant,
Pete
FEBRUARY 13, 2007 - 5:36 PM
SANDY MATTHEWS brings the honor home to Kasilof yet again. Good on you, Sandy!
There were many variations on the loophole metaphor, and we gave Sandy an edge for promptness in getting to it first.
I was impressed by the ingenuity folks brought to the drawing. I thought it would be a tough one, But you guys came up with stuff I never envisioned.
It's what makes me look forward to Tuesdays. See you then!
Pete
FEBRUARY 6, 2007 - 5:36 PM
A mighty fanfare for RICK NERLAND, of Anchorage.
In a move that will firmly reinstate him as a PR force to be reckoned with, Rick nimbly skipped his way to the front of the Big Wild Mob rushing to ridicule the slogan developed by his own ad agency.
Between the amiable self-mockery and the wry reference to our venerable "Anchorage, Air Crossroads of the World" motto, Rick turned in a deserving winner. It will be embellished both with a Distinguished Chutzpah Cluster and our special NTT Ted Nugent Award for Sportsmanship.
Join us again next Tuesday,
Pete
JANUARY 30, 2007 - 5:46 PM
Congratulations to ERNIE HELTON of Anchorage whose puckish twist on the old joke about what you get when you play a country song backwards was a landslide winner (by modest Name that 'Toon polling standards.) Ernie set his gag up skillfully with a humorous prelude that makes the shot that goes off at the end more potent.
Just for fun I decided to see what happens when you play winning entries from Name that "Toon backwards. I recited them into my little digital recorder, ran it through the audio reversing software on my Mac and out came a flood of testimonials to the eloquence of Don Young, the humility of Ted Stevens, the fiscal acumen of Lyda Green, the charisma of John Harris, and the singing of Wayne Newton.
JANUARY 23, 2007 - 6:18 PM
The Timinator, TIM KELLEY, strikes again!
In six words, Tim simultaneously summed up and satirized the embarrassing imbroglio that has given ethics reform its momentum.
George Will couldn't clear his throat in six words. Tim (OK, with a little graphic help) condensed an entire opinion column worth of content down to an economical one sentence package.
Which, of course, left him plenty of leftover words to make into other captions. And, being Tim, that's what he did. And that is a good thing.
The screeners were highly entertained this round by many quality submissions. Keep setting those standards high, folks.
JANUARY 16, 2007 - 3:53 PM
Let's have a warm Name that 'Toon welcome for this week's winner KEN JACOBUS!
It's likely that Ken holds the distinction of being the only person in the state to donate his labor to both the Republican Party (as party attorney) and the Anchorage Daily News (as caption contributor.) Which raises the intriguing question:
Is he now, or was he ever... kidding?
Whatever you make of that question, it's clear that Mr. Jacobus has the skill and scathing wit to fashion a caption that spotlights the strange bedfellows in our Senate and conveys profound skepticism about the long haul for these kids.
JANUARY 9, 2007 - 3:27 PM
Congrats to MARY MINOR for her scalding take on the present state of a party that needs every bit of reflected integrity it can get.
On a technical note, I got a question from the ever-prolific Tim Kelley who wondered that since there were two panels, didn't the form dictate a two caption solution? It's not surprising that Tim would come up with this question as Tim likes nothing better than a space in need of a caption.
My response is "Whatever works." The reason I drew the first panel was to establish the hoop
as a halo. If I were creating this for my regular spot in the opinion section, I would have felt no need to put a caption for the first panel alone.
JANUARY 2, 2007 - 5:53 PM
Would SANDY MATTHEWS please report to the Name that 'Toon winners podium to accept her... her... uh... Lenox Crystal Trophy? Brass statuette? Plastic Tiara? Don Young Hummel figurine?
(ahem) We're working on that, Sandy.
In the meantime here's a heap of praise for the deft irony linking our hero's tight collar to the roomy loopholes in our bribery laws. Thanks for kicking off our new year with verve!
Pete
DECEMBER 29, 2006 - 6:48 PM
This has been incredibly fun. Why didn't we think of it years ago? Maybe... because we stole the idea from the New Yorker, and they didn't think of it years ago? Plausible.
Why is it so fun? It's not only the spellbinding entertainment of the unexpected things you all do with the pictures. It's not because Name that 'Toon has stoked my visual imagination and inspired me to push myself graphically. It's not just that I enjoy the opportunity the weekly comments create to sharpen my writing skills. It's not the many positive reactions I get for the stuff that you guys are doing. It's not the heady sense that we're creating something new. It's not the pleasure that I get corresponding with those of you who have sent me your thoughts, criticisms and thanks. It's not the kick that comes from seeing the camraderie that is building among the tooners across the state. And no, it's not the brownies.
DECEMBER 19, 2006 - 4:31 PM
The stalwart TIM KELLEY prevailed this week. Through an impressive act of sheer will, he turned what was essentially a goofy Christmas card into a political cartoon. Along the way he let us in on the secret that, while Santa may know who's naughty and who's nice, he's clueless in the political prognostication department.
While we're on the subject of prognostication, this just in from the crystal ball: I will be working on the special year-end edition of Name that 'Toon next week, and will not be putting up a drawing this coming Tuesday. The regular NMT routine will resume the following week as we kick off our second year!
DECEMBER 12, 2006 - 3:48 PM
A quick shout out to the Midnight Sun Cowboy, VERN NUSUNGINYA, who calls Soldotna home, under the watchful eye of the Federal Wit Protection Program. Sorry to blow your cover, Vern, but we must give credit where credit is due. And it goes without saying that any real Alaskan man is more than a match for some down-south-foul-mouth radio shock jock.
Next week I will be working on a year-end wrap up review of Name that 'Toon.
I would love to hear from you all about which of the caption contest cartoons you think deserve to be part of the big wrap-up. You can check out the Name that 'Toon archive by clicking on the archive link at the right.
DECEMBER 5, 2006 - 4:40 PM
TONY SHOLTY of Juneau rode the hometown advantage to a brutally conclusive trampling of all competitors. Tony also lobbed up a second caption that deserves note. Everyone remember the fatal effect that an encounter with cannabis had on Ronald Reagan's Supreme Court nomination of hippie rebel Douglas Ginsburg?
Tony did. Here's the result: "Ruth Bader? Where is Douglas Ginsburg when you need him!!" Nice exercise of free speech, Tony.
For those of you hungry for an update on subject of my animated short "A Clean Miss" I am proud to say it was placed in competition for a "Golden Oosik" in the "Snowdance" category by Anchorage International Film Festival judges.
NOVEMBER 28, 2006 - 6:10 PM
TIM KELLEY shows Frank the door with an effective use of repetition that has a spontaneous feel of real frustration. Feel better Tim? I know I do. Nice job.
As to the question of where Name that 'Toon turns now, this manifesto:
Wherever buffoonery, ignobility, absurdity, chicanery, pomposity, or any other word ending in "y" lurk in our fair state, we will take our outrage, our passion and our imaginations and flay it with savage abandon. In our spare time.
It's a big job in this state. Luckily, there seem to be quite a few us.
Which reminds me- Superjonk... you out there?
Peter Dunlap-Shohl
NOVEMBER 21, 2006 - 4:56 PM
Scene: The Weekly Name that 'Toon Award Gala
Exuding well-oiled charm, the Master of Ceremonies warbles the final bars of the beloved Name that 'Toon theme song, "Jerusalem on the Jukebox" by Richard Thompson. (Ted Nugent failed the audition when his guitar discharged feedback accidentally while he was cleaning it, piercing Wayne Anthony Ross with a high "E".)
With a flourish, the emcee disembowls the golden envelope containing the winner's name. He pauses to note that "It's amazing what you can find at Costco." A clever tactic that builds tension as the impatient masses howl the names of their favorite captionators.
NOVEMBER 14, 2006 - 5:04 PM
Wow! Who knew there was so much fertile territory to explore where the world of computers meets the world of politics. Leave it to the ever-inventive C. HOEHN to make the most of the opportunity. His gem of a caption wryly makes the point that half the battle in bringing high standards of behavior to public life is electing people who are already hard-wired for the behavior we want. Another small victory for Alaska's Humor capital, Haines.
Speaking of small victories...
NOVEMBER 7, 2006 - 4:51 PM
The redoubtable Vern Nusunginya sent us this week's winner. Congrats to the Soldotna Cowboy. Several people asked me about this caption, how it related to the drawing, and the lack of overt political relevance. After a bit of pondering, some mulling, and protracted navel gazing, the explanation hit me.
Ready? How about: The whole gestalt of the combined caption and drawing imparts a message on a meta level that signifies the stamp of a Dada-esque absurdity that brands the Alaskan political landscape as capricious and nonsensical. Not unlike our screening comittee. Not that I would know anything about that.
OCTOBER 31, 2006 - 4:06 PM
Let's have a sack dance from Ultimatecowboysfan, VERN NUSUNGINYA who applied wit and a certain logic to this week's drawing. Vern expertly wrapped the various visual angles into a neat package and made it look seamless.
Extra credit to Chuck Hoehn for his Daffy Duck research. That serum run rap was pure gold.
A reminder: I'll be giving a talk (and, technology willing, a powerpoint presentation) to the Alaska Prospector's Society on Nov. 7th. They specifically requested a segment on Name That 'Toon, so I'll be including NTT thoughts and observations along with slides of some of our greatest hits. You're all welcome to come and contribute to the discussion, and it would be fun to meet you.
OCTOBER 24, 2006 - 4:59 PM
Hail this week's winner, Anchorage's CLAYTON AWE, who is nimble with words as Don is clumsy. Speaking of which, did you all catch Don's complaint in Saturday's AFN story about being lampooned in Name That 'Toon? Quoth Rep. Young: "I'm not one who says I'll never put my foot in my mouth." It's a campaign promise that we can expect him to keep.
It's great to hear him admit he has a shoe chewing issue. It probably helped that people in DC were starting to refer to Don's mouth as "Gucci Gulch." Let's be honest, how many other people can fit an entire snowshoe in their maw?
It's not like he's the only one who suffers from this dread affliction. Our own president has professional speechwriters who wrote lines like "axis of evil" that he has been choking on like a bad pretzel ever since. Which in a way, is worse: It's having OTHER people put their foot in your mouth. And then paying them.
OCTOBER 17, 2006 - 4:57 PM
Congratulations to DAVE NOTT, of Anchorage, whose emphasis on satiric content and vivid language persuaded the powers that be (namely, me) that the three-way split of all the votes should be resolved in favor of his caption.
The "Matanuska's finest" gag from Leo was a hoot, but this ain't Hooters. Political cartoons are at their best when they go beyond the gag, whip in a little irony, spice with outrage, provoke thought and deliver an opinion that either slaps you upside the head, or better yet, causes you to slap your own head and shout in admiration or disgust. In that spirit it was easy to give the nod to Dave's caption, which took Sarah's failure to keep some important appointments to an absurd conclusion. She actually shows up... and then disappears!
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