TOON-OP

Laugh or cry

Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today.
September 4, 2005

The humorist's mantra is that tragedy plus time equals comedy. But even in the hyper-paced world of daily editorial cartooning, it may be awhile before Hurricane Katrina prompts any side-splitters.

Not that we're completely unwilling to try. New Orleans Times-Picayune cartoonist Steve Kelley was field-testing a line about "bringing the Saints back to the Superdome to lose a couple of games — you know, to return a sense of normalcy to the place." Pretty snappy for a guy with an evacuated job site and water moccasins slithering in his living room.

For most of us, such calamities produce somber-toned efforts. Former New Orleans cartoonist Mike Luckovich called it heartbreaking. Another, Walt Handelsman, found a way to invoke a quagmire of a different sort. And the Picayune's Kelley gamely tried to put things in perspective.

-- Joel Pett

'Brideshead Revisited' and costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh

If you weren't sitting in a theater, you might think this parade of '20s, '30s and 1940s Anglophile finery was a Ralph Lauren retrospective.

After the tragedy: Vent? Not necessarily

On the heels of events such as terrorist attacks, say researchers, some people do better to leave things unsaid for a while.

Save over 50% off the newsstand price. Click here to subscribe to The Times.

Email
|
Print
|
Text
|
RSS

Most Viewed

Most E-mailed

World Headlines

1.	Fun may be a casualty of Beijing's effort for a perfect Olympic Games
2.	Time running out for other Bosnian Serb fugitives
3.	Writer Orhan Pamuk targeted, Turkey alleges
4.	Nouri Maliki asks pope to urge Christians to return to Iraq
5.	Bush adds to sanctions against Zimbabwe

World treasures in sand

The Tottori Sand Museum in Japan is showcasing sculptures of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia.