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As the adage goes, tragedy plus time equals comedy. But what does tragedy plus distance equal? California cartoonists naturally addressed the subject of last week’s wildfires using morose, anguished imagery. Steve Greenberg went so far as to invoke Beelzebub himself. Moving east, though, the winds blew slightly differently. New Orleans’ Steve Kelley (who, incidentally, spent much of his career in San Diego) allowed himself a little sympathetic sarcasm. Further east, Philadelphia’s Signe Wilkinson (who did a stint a while back at the San Jose paper) dared to aim a little gentle humor California’s way. Of course, her Rust Belt-rush cartoon was highly inaccurate and insulting. Golden Staters would never litter their empty pinot bottles.

-- Joel Pett