The Evening Standard is apparently thinking about getting political cartoons back in the paper!

The decision to banish the political cartoon in 2003 puzzled and angered people in cartooning circles. That a paper with such a rich cartoon history - the employer of some of the finest cartoonist the country has ever had - would drop the slot completely, was extraordinary, outrageous and worrying.

Now, if what Christian is writing is right, it seems that they've come to their senses.
The last line currently readable on the Telegraph blog is: "...spotted in their offices last week was a trial cartoonist, working..."

UPDATE: ".. 'as live' near the backbench. We keep our fingers firmly crossed, but our breath not held, that this is a return to the paper's rich tradition of cartoons..."

Does anyone know who this trial cartoonist is?

UPDATE 2:
An email-round to investigate further, sparked this glorious response from a fellow cartoonist:

A trial cartoonist? Christ, it sounds torturous. Who may this be? It must be a fairly toxic environment to work in - with Dominatrix Wadley scouring the cartoons for any evidence of
lily-livered pinko liberal intent.

Still, it's heartening to think that someone considered that a political cartoon might help to right
a sinking ship.

Super.

FINAL UPDATE:

The rumours of a cartoonist on trial at the Standard turned out to be unsubstantiated.
Adams has posted again, with the news that there were no news - which is bad news. The person spotted drawing in the newsroom were none other than Ken Pyne.
I wonder how my fellow PCO-er will like being described as a "trial cartoonist, working as live."

Brilliantly interesting from a nerdy point of view - thought provoking from a cartoonist point of view.

Listen again online before it's taken off iPlayer (in four days time).

Well, Nick has now discovered the more intuitive qualities of 2D and Flash, and is producing animated gag cartoons with the help of animator Todd Ramsay. A wise move indeed, because compared to the 3D work the Flash animations look great, and have a entirely different pace and energy. The use of interactivity in some of the cartoons works very well too - such as in the torture cartoon from April 29.

Enjoy the work here.

Hattip: ColdHardFlash

There's a funny one from Matt 'Hack' Buck on Channel 4 News Online too. Slightly short ending, but you just about get enough time to enjoy Tory villains in all their leotardic glory.

For other animation.

Mark Fiore. I might be a little late with this one, as it's been out for a while, but it is terrific. So if you haven't seen Politishop, please do.
Walt Handelsman has got a great new animation on the Presidential Olympics. Gag overload, but it somehow works incredibly well.

I don't know if I've linked to this episode before, but if so who cares. It's the sixth episode of World Leaders on First Post. Old now, but so good it's worth watching again in anticipation of new stuff.

There's an amusing non-political-self-loathing-Hipster-mock over on Current Super News.

I only meant to comment on the hidden liberal agenda of Dark Knight but I've been sidetracked.

The post which makes these allegations, found through the Dark Knight tag, is from a blog called That's Right Nate.

It's a blog by somebody who purports to be a conservative American, but the posts almost sound like a Colbertian caricature. It is very well written by a pretty even tempered person. At the same time, the author's attitudes toward things like race or personal character are... well, it's hard to describe. I suppose you could call them old.

Some quotes for illustrative purposes:

The best part of the trip was our tourguide–a young black boy who was friendly if not always well-informed.  We had a great discussion about how the Republican party was the better party for African-Americans and how Barack Obama would be the worse thing that could happen to his people.  I think he learned a lot that will help him make an informed choice in November.

[On John McCain's penchant for off-colour jokes] One of the reasons that John McCain is able to make comments like this and call Hillary Clinton a bitch or his wife a cunt is because John McCain is a sophisticated guy.  You can actually picture him showing up at a bar in his bomber jacket and picking out the girl he’s going to sleep with that night.

What America needs is a flexible candidate like John McCain who is steadfast and strident in his flexibility.  McCain didn’t hesitate to co-opt Obama’s policy on Afghanistan and make it his own, yet at the same time while Obama would bring troops from Iraq, McCain wouldn’t interfere with our success in Iraq and would get the 3 brigades needed to sure up Afghanistan from some as yet unspecified location.  To me that’s leadership.

Whatever happenned to walking injuries off?  Nowadays, you break a bone and right away you want an expensive cast and if you’re in pain–you need a $50 perscription for pain relievers.  A $12 bottle of Jack Daniels won’t do anymore.  Whine, whine, whine.  Where are my benefits?  If we really want to get health care costs under control then let’s get the winers under control

link, link, link, link

I wouldn't normally blog this, especially after my tirade about tirades and the general incivility of electronic discourse, but I'm afraid if I leave a comment on his blog it will be misinterpreted as hostile, especially since my question boils down to "Are you joking? Seriously?"

So what do you think? I ask this question with genuine curiosity, not as an excuse to attack another blogger. Is this an example of clever blogging by someone critical of the right, or the living embodiment of the conservative stereotype?

It's almost too good to be true, as far as cartooning goes. Or maybe too good to be effective, as it is such a funny image in itself. It lends itself well to a label-cartoon though. I scribbled the one below when I saw the picture yesterday, thinking I might use it in one way or another today.

©morland

UPDATE:
Martin Rowson used the image nicely for his cartoon in today's Guardian.
As did Christian Adams, before anyone else, in the Sunday Telegraph.

Il a trouvé un autre moyen d'imager l'amour.

Et je pense qu'il va droit sur les traces de Miki  car voici une de ses caricatures. Je n'ai pas honte de le dire : à gauche, c'est moi, à droite, son père !

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie the current golden couple of Hollywood.

It was also a happy moment for the staff.

Paul Newman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors to ever appear on film. He has never put in a bad performance (but that's not to say all of the films he has been in have deserved his presence). Personal favourites of mine are The Verdict where his performance as the washed up ambulance-chaser was surely the one he deserved the Oscar for, Absence of Malice with it's brilliant finale and Nobody's Fool which is just a great humanist performance. None of these are amongst his best known films and they are all examples of the mature actor. His earlier, more testosterone charged performances, in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Hud were also brilliant. Newman is a great humanitarian and his generous efforts for charity are second to none. To me he encapsulates everything that is good about America. So I was very sad to hear of his illness recently and I for one wish him a speedy recovery.

It occurred to me only after I had finisjed this caricature of Hugh that his haunted expression reminds me of Munch’s The Scream. I wonder if the casters of House had this in mind when they approached Laurie for the role?

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Bruce Willis, action hero, everyman. One of a series of caricatures I've been responsible for creating recently.

A series of pieces I'm currently doing for the Euro Championships. This one featuring the first prolific Dutch Real Madrid striker is the first.

Thierry Henry, France and Barcelona Striker

One of my favourite players and in my opinion the greatest player to have played in the English Premiership.