449. Lunch with Mort Gerberg, A New-New Yorker Softball Mascot, & A Very Special Edition of Toonstack!
Plus! Talking to Hilary F. Campbell, New Yorker Softball, Dog Bars, & Morris smiles for the camera.
Hey again, friend!
Welcome to Issue #449 of New York Cartoons. As I’m writing this, the sun is out in New York, the birds are chirping, the chairs in Bryant Park are all full of people, all making the most of what remains of our limited summer weather, and I’ve been leaving these things all around the city, with… mixed results.
I spent last Friday afternoon with one of my favourite people on the planet, the inimitable Mort Gerberg. At 94, he’s busier and more engaged than most 20-somethings. I can’t keep up with this guy. He squeezed me into his packed schedule for lunch, where we discussed the current state of cartooning and the impending National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards, which take place this week in Boston.
Mort and I have been going to the Reubens every year for a long time— it’s great to be able to hang out with fellow cartoonists and see what the hell they’re doing to make a crust these days, in the face of AI-generated art, dwindling publications that run cartoons, and the general undervaluing of the work of career artists in favour of cheaper alternatives.
On Day 1 of the conference, I’ll be on a panel of cartoonists for the live recording of the Comic Lab podcast, hosted by
and Dave Kellett. I’ll be discussing the alternative methods of making a living as an artist on platforms like Substack at a time when algorithmically-driven social media models are making it harder and harder for your ‘followers’ to actually see what you post for them. You can subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts to get the full episode when it airs.Speaking of cartoonists, I’ll be speaking with fellow New Yorker cartoonist
today at 12pm EDT for another edition of “Draw Me Anything”. Hilary is also a comedian and burlesque dancer— and happens to have one of the funniest dogs in the world. Tune in FREE at noon to watch us draw live.Speaking of cartoonists still, we got Asher to guest edit this week’s edition of
— complete with cartoon contributions from Roz Chast, Liana Finck, Asher Perlman, Joe Dator, Dave Ostow, Tom Toro, Kendra Allenby, Jason Chatfield, Hilary F. Campbell, Amy Kurzweil, Will Santino, Ivan Ehlers, Colin Tom and Akeem Roberts! Check it out below, and make sure to subscribe to get future editions in your inbox. (We pick a different theme each edition).
Oh! And lastly, if you need something to hold your coffee in, I now have official “New York Cartoons” mugs for ten bucks! Take a look in the store and pick which one(s) you like. (Click image below to see more)
But enough of this palaver. Let’s get on with this week’s edition!
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The Sketchbook I’m sharing with you this week is a selection of the sketches I did of people’s dogs as gifts this past week. If you have a friend with a dog, send me a photo and I’ll draw them into the book for you.
Here’s a sketch from an Amtrak ride in 2023. I spotted a guy wearing cool socks…
Finally, here’s a drawing of the very funny
from when I was on his show:
I know I spend a lot of time talking to you about what’s happening in NYC, but this month, I want to actually see your faces. If you haven’t yet heard, next Thursday (21st August)
is hosting a meet-up. There will be drinks, snacks, and hand-drawn portraits by me! Drop by solo or with a friend. See you there. RSVP here.
On Tuesday, we bested Harper’s in a fierce seven-inning slugfest. A new mascot, Oscar (below), presided over the game as Bark of the Town. With two matchups left in the season, our record is now a staggering 8-1.
In the second inning, I went to catch a fly ball and slipped on the sweaty grass, pulling a muscle in my back. I was on the bench for the rest of the game.
Tonight, (Tuesday, August 12th), at 7 P.M., in our penultimate game of 2025, we will take the field again at North Meadow in Central Park to take on the pearly-voiced folks at NPR!
Stay tuned next week to hear who our final rivals will be in season 2025…
I went to a dog bar in Brooklyn on Sunday and have never been happier sharing a bar with the goodest of boys and girls. I love that there are places like this in NYC. I hate that there aren’t more of them.
— aaaand Finally, I’ll be giving everyone a sneak peek into the New York Public Library’s exhibition for the 100th Anniversary of the New Yorker in the coming weeks for paid subscribers. Sign up now to get it in your inbox!
The New Yorker Cartoonists Centoonial Party
This is the final post celebrating the New Yorker’s Centenary Week— one epic blowout party to round out a century of cartoonery. Read my other post on the anniversary here.
I want to know where the dog bar is and I don’t even drink!
Mort Gerberg’s book Cartooning: The Art and the Business was one of my favorites when I was in high school. He made work as a cartoonist seem like a possibility, and a glamorous one no less. I still read it from time to time even though a lot of what he discusses isn’t all that relevant to me anymore, but it’s a nice bit of nostalgia. And there’s some great cartoons in there!