An inside look at the New Yorker‘s signature cartoons, the artists who create them, and the editorial team who bring them to readers.
Inspired by the magazine’s weekly Caption Contest, director/producer Leah Wolchok, working with producer Davina Pardo, set out to learn more about the cartoonists who played such a vital role in distinguishing the New Yorker on the stands. Gaining access not only to a core group of illustrators, but also to cartoon editor Bob Mankoff and his staff, the filmmakers go behind the panel to explore the history of this feature, which used to be a staple in magazine publishing, and to gain insight into the process artists go through to try to get their sometimes clever, sometimes quizzical gags into print.
Wolchok and Pardo have two weeks left in their Kickstarter campaign for production and post funding. At the time of this writing, they’ve raised just over two-thirds of their $75,000 goal. For more information and to join the project’s mailing list, visit its website.
Despite their long and storied tradition, most comics and cartoons are typically dismissed in contemporary culture, relegated to the domain of kids or overgrown fanboys. There are exceptions, such as political cartoons, or the occasional comic strip like CALVIN & HOBBES or THE FAR SIDE, which are recognized as distinctive, and, years later, are still held in reverence, but the heyday of the appreciation of the form seems very much a thing of the distant past. The cartoons of the New Yorker, however, have somehow managed to maintain a perpetual association with intelligence, wit, and sophistication. The promise of Wolchok and Pardo’s project, beyond its welcome humor and lightness, is in witnessing the cultivation of the talent and sensibilities that have given the cartoon form such a longevity and reputation in this particular magazine.
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