Panel One: Ian is being evaluated outdoors. He kneels over a grimacing patient laying on the ground.

Ian: The patient’s orthostatic reaction to changing position, in addition to the bruising in his lower back, indicates internal bleeding causing hypovolemic shock that is compensating. We should call for urgent evac and monitor vitals every 5 minutes.

Panel Two: Ian looks up at the examiner who is holding a clipboard and pen. She is smiling down at him.

Examiner: Congratulations you passed!

Ian: Wow, I know a lot of big words now.

Panel Three: Ian turns to look at the patient, who is looking up at him disappointed.

Ian: Probably should have not said that part out loud…

…or this either…
 

Latest Collections

Qualified

I recently became a wilderness first responder, which means if we're in the woods and you've been attacked by a bear (and I haven't run away in fear from the bear attack), I'm a good option for survival. I'm not saying you're going to survive... after all there's a good chance that bear is still around... but I now own a stethoscope.

Also - I'm getting better at spelling "stethoscope" without double checking. I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for med school.

I'm not there yet with "sphygmomanometer", for obvious reasons.

Editorial Cartooning in 2025

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/political-cartoonists-on-navigating-a-changing-media-landscape

I’ve personally shied away from outright divisive political commentary in my own work out of the fear of losing audience*, but lately I’ve seen more and more creators take a stand. In some regards, it is jarring when you find out someone you admired, and enjoyed the work of, is strongly opposed to your personal views and even hostile to your beliefs. In other ways, knowing where a creator stands helps you admire and respect them even more. But for either to happen, that creator must step out from behind the stage curtains and speak on their own behalf. I can’t deny that I’ve been disappointed to find out that some creators I respected and admired so much are sometimes wildly undeserving of my admiration (I won’t list the names).

But not so with editorial cartooning. They’re pitching directly across the plate from day one and you have no doubt where they stand. I can’t help but respect that. When you couple their talent as draftsman, it’s harder not to envy their careers. I just wish it wasn’t a dying artform, as the above PBS News Hour piece seems to indicate.

The PBS video mentions Thomas Nast and his battle against Tammany Hall in the late 1800’s; If you’re curious about that, here’s a article you can visit: https://www.mcny.org/story/thomas-nast-takes-down-tammany-cartoonists-crusade-against-political-boss.

Thinking about what Nast achieved, I still have hope that editorial cartooning may see an opportunity to balance the scales against power abuses in my lifetime.

~~~

*Not to say that I’ve avoided it completely…
https://unfedartist.com/comic/dentaldebate/
https://unfedartist.com/comic/zeropollution/
https://unfedartist.com/comic/making-a-difference-politics/

AI Art Assist

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20241209155445347/index.html

I really like what this offers to someone like me who works alone on my comics; but I also worry that it could be used against me. If I train an AI to only replicate my style, what happens if I lose control of that AI? Theoretically I could also sell my AI assistant to someone else, and they could then make their own art that looks like mine without any input from me – at which point it doesn’t matter that I’m involved. It’s a complicated thing to consider and I’m already getting a headache.

Another important point – there’s nothing stopping someone else from mimicking my artwork to begin with, and that means that I’m already competing against AI art if someone wishes to replicate my style. Does that mean I should jump in to using AI assistants for my comics so I can produce more work before someone else tries to beat me to it?

Honestly, I would have preferred to retire never having to consider any of these implications, but the genie is out of the bottle and we’re all forced to deal with it. I think these new developments make earning a living harder, not easier, for artists.