466. Doing a #3, The AI Uncanny Valley, & an Ed Subitzky Sketchbook

Plus! A Special Doggo Tribute, Plotting a Media Rebellian, and, of course, Morris!

Hey again, friend.

Welcome to Issue #466 of New York Cartoons. That cartoon above is from July of 2018. It’s a verbatim example of one of Trump’s bonkers, rambling speeches. Still works. In fact, he’s become even more baffling every time he opens his mouth - the tangents are getting genuinely unhinged. It’s a good thing he doesn’t have control of the world’s most powerful military and economy. Whew!

Oh, speaking of insane, I noticed you all made this substack #3 Rising in “Humor” last week. Not only is that (appropriately) humorous, but to be honest… it really doesn’t mean anything. These numbers and lists for ‘rising’ or ‘best in’ are sketchy ways of ranking things, especially when we have no idea on what the rankings even depend. Either way, it was fun to see me get closer to George Hahn than I’ve ever been. (ooer.)

I got to do a full hour-long AMA with my friends over at the Design Better Substack/Podcast this past week: We covered a LOT of ground, including what stand-up taught me about Substack, why using analogue tools doesn’t automatically make you a Luddite, and why the AI Uncanny Valley is alive and well in the youth of today. It was a great chat, I think you’ll like it. Click below to watch/hear the whole thing:

Speaking of live streams: I got to speak with two different cartoonists last week - Liza Donnelly and Kyle Beaudette- we spoke and drew together on the most recent episodes of Draw Me Anything. Scroll down to the DMA section of this email to watch the replays.

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I heard from a happy recipient of a signed book on Instagram last week: They’d come to our book signing in Florida earlier this year with their two amazing puppers, Roo and Pluto. I’ve been enjoying doing these for dog owners this past year since the book was released. If you have a friend with a dog, send me a photo, and I’ll draw them into the book and send you a copy.

While I’m speaking of our dear four-legged besties, I wanted to give a tribute to one of the best there ever was. She was a family member of my two best friends in New York.

Bailey is the reason I got a dog.

I completely fell for her. She had this hilarious, sassy little attitude and didn’t warm to me right away. She was picky about who she liked. Over the years (and multiple gift offerings), she came around, and we became friends.

She was the lady of the house, clicking her little claws on the hardwood floor to race to the door and vet anyone who dared cross the threshold. She would jump on the bed during guest visits and start whistling at the wall for no particular reason, and then, at the most random moments, she would pick up a toy and, if you were the lucky chosen one, push it against your leg. She could be heard letting out a perfectly timed bark -almost exclusively- during important Zoom calls, podcasts and audition recordings, and would notably aim for the very edge of the pee pad so some of it still went on the floor.

She was a person. She had a very long and happy life, and I’m so glad I met her. They tear you in half, these little monsters, but they change your life in ways you could never anticipate. My adoration for Bails was the reason I finally pulled the trigger and got Morris after YEARS of equivocating and blathering non-stop about getting a dog. I daresay I’d still be on the fence today had I not had the nudge (to my leg).

Rest in Treats, little friend.

Here’s a sketch I sneakily did of Ed Subitzky while he was being interviewed by Owen Klein at Rizzoli last year.

Aaaaaand here’s a sketch I drew for a client who was giving it as a parting gift to someone leaving their job. I think his name was …Norm?

Wed, March 11th - 9:15PM | New York Comedy Club (Upper West Side)
Happy Time Apocalypse ft: Anthony Moore, Jason Chatfield, Alex Gardes, Molly Densmore, Yvette Segan. This is always a fun show- book now!

If you’re new here, or you haven’t had a moment to wander back through the archives of profound genius I’ve shared up to this point, take a peek at the following scribblings:

Annoying the living shit out of Bailey one last time…