MetaFilter posts tagged with cartoon and satire

Neutral to the Slibs!

Rhaomi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:11:51 -0800

Initiate salutation cascade, star-citizens! Seven years ago tonight, Stephen Colbert introduced Tek Jansen to the world. Originally a one-off parody of vanity fiction by media blowhards, the "super-awesome spectacular ultraspy" became the center of a small universe of comics, cartoons, and books, his exploits satirizing awful pulp sci-fi, rampant ~~Mary Sue~~ "Marty Sue" syndrome, and the cheesy melodrama of 1970s Hanna-Barbera. Look inside for US/Canadian links to both animated seasons along with other content available on the web. Full Theme Song (Most episodes are available in Canada via The Comedy Network) Season 1 by J.J. Sedelmaier

Operation: Heart of the Phoenix - Dead or Alive
Tek confronts the evil Abraxxia (Amy Sedaris)
Operation: Destiny's Underbelly: Entrapped! (might be broken atm)
Sidekicks Kevin and Jenny save Tek from certain doom, but at a terrible price
Operation: Aurora Strikes Midnight: Courage's Arrival
Guest George Lucas is teased with a dull, painstakingly detailed short about docking at Space Station Theta-Zeus-Aquarius
Operation: Homecoming's Doorstep: Cat On A Luniharp
This hospital ship is no match for a Bizlarmian Battlewedge... or is it?
Hounds of Hell: Ragtime Billy Peaches
Teleported to the Combatosphere, Tek must grapple with armed guards, angry bees, open-heart surgery, and a very pregnant woman from the future
Operation: Dragontongue: Chocolate Blades Of Thunder
A series of Teks from further and further in the future interfere with each other's attempts to save a lost prince

Season 2 by FlickerLab, which recounts the show's origin story

Beginning's First Dawn: Episode One Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Two Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Three

The series is also elaborated in a graphic novel line by Oni Press, and the original pulp novel serialized on the official site, which includes a wiki glossary of the increasingly outlandish terminology.

“Today we have a new group of satirists who, at the same time that they bite the bourgeoisie, use only their lips, but not their teeth”

The Whelk — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:55:08 -0800

While he was contributing to the New Yorker as Syd Hoff, he was also contributing to the Daily Worker and New Masses as A. Redfield — the pseudonym he adopted for his radical work, The Ruling Clawss (Daily Worker, 1935) a collection of surprisingly relevant cartoons.

The Cartoon Guide to Life, the Universe, and Everything

Rhaomi — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:20:53 -0800

Larry Gonick is a veteran American cartoonist best known for his delightful comic-book guides to science and history, many of which have previews online. Chief among them is his long-running Cartoon History of the Universe (later The Cartoon History of the Modern World), a sprawling multi-volume opus documenting everything from the Big Bang to the Bush administration. Published over the course of three decades, it takes a truly global view -- its time-traveling Professor thoroughly explores not only familiar topics like Rome and World War II but the oft-neglected stories of Asia and Africa, blending caricature and myth with careful scholarship (cited by fun illustrated bibliographies) and tackling even the most obscure events with intelligence and wit. This savvy satire carried over to Gonick's Zinn-by-way-of-Pogo chronicle The Cartoon History of the United States, along with a bevy of Cartoon Guides to other topics, including Genetics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, The Environment, and (yes!) Sex. Gonick has also maintained a few sideprojects, such as a webcomic look at Chinese invention, assorted math comics (previously), the Muse magazine mainstay Kokopelli & Co. (featuring the shenanigans of his "New Muses"), and more. See also these lengthy interview snippets, linked previously. Want more? Amazon links to the complete oeuvre inside! Reading note: All the book titles in the post above link to readable versions on the web. Some of the older Cartoon Guides and the first chunk of the original Cartoon History of the Universe comics (through Volume 9 -- ancient China) are available in full; the rest, including the (two-part) Modern World series and The United States, are available partially through Harper-Collins' free book preview feature, which includes the first dozen or so pages of each book and then jumps ahead randomly from there to the end. So pay attention to the page numbers on those links to avoid getting caught off guard by the (unannounced) page-skips! Amazon links:

Cartoon History: The Cartoon History of the Universe I (Vol. 1-7): From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great (1990) The Cartoon History of the Universe II (Vol. 8-13): From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome (1994) The Cartoon History of the Universe III (Vol. 14-19): From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance (2002) The Cartoon History of the United States (1991) The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part 1: From Columbus to the U.S. Constitution (2007) The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part 2: From the Bastille to Baghdad (2009) Cartoon Guides: The Cartoon Guide to Genetics (1983) The Cartoon Guide to the Computer (1991) The Cartoon Guide to Physics (1992) The Cartoon Guide to (Non) Communication (1993) The Cartoon Guide to Statistics (1994) The Cartoon Guide to the Environment (1996) The Cartoon Guide to Sex (1999) The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry (2005) Other: Kokopelli & Company in Attack of the Smart Pies (2005)

"Hey. Whatever you just said was really stupid."

The Whelk — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:15:14 -0800

Following in the fine tradition of The Nietzsche Family Circus (previously), Pearls Before Swine, And the Dysfunctional Family Circus, comes Scott Meets Family Circus ( via and self-salvaged from metachat)

The only editorial cartoon worth reading

KokuRyu — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:14:05 -0800

Kelly returns. Ward Sutton (aka "Kelly") and his wonderfully sublime editorial cartoons are back in the Onion. Sutton's website. Sutton is so dead-on that his Kelly cartoons leave many confused. Interview of Mark and Ward Sutton at Mother Jones.

Controversial/popular German Hitler satire cartoon

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:06:59 -0800

Who knew Hitler sang reggae? View (YouTube, in German but with moustached rubber ducks).

The Mohammed Dance

dagny — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 22:33:53 -0800

The Mohammed Dance! We all remember the Hampster Dance (more) and the Jesus Dance. Now, with the ongoing cartoon controversy, comes the Mohammed Dance.

Eulogy of George W. Bush

flarbuse — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 07:34:31 -0800

Eulogy of George W. Bush A comic of a far-right debate show hosted by Jerry Falwell and Pat Buchanan looks back on the presidency of George W. Bush in 2024. See them also debate Gay, Marriage, The Pledge, and Private Security in Iraq. Also, you might want to see as special guest Donal Rumsfeld Discovers Catch-22!

an open letter

the fire you left me — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 13:35:28 -0800

For the love of Crusade. A short animation that may not be played at the 2004 Republican Convention.