Cartoon © Steve Bright
As is tradition, here is our review of the year featuring cartoons by PCO members and when I say tradition I mean we did it for the first time last year.
The Brighty cartoon above was done to introduce last year but is sadly still very true for the end of 2018.
If you can’t bear any more mentions of Brexit or Trump you’re advised to look away now!
Cartoon © Dave Brown
After the terrible Florida school shootings towards the beginning of the year Trump’s well considered proposal was to arm teachers. This was Dave Brown’s response in his ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ drawing for The Independent.
Cartoon © Mike Turner
Salisbury received a tourism boost in March when visited by two Russian holiday makers. Here’s a cartoon of Mike Turner’s on the Novichok nightmare.
Cartoon © Graeme Bandeira
March also saw the relativity sad news of Stephen Hawking’s death. Graeme Bandeira paid cartoon tribute to him in The Yorkshire Post. Our quarks are with Stephen’s family.
Cartoon © Sarah Boyce
In April the Home Office become Rudd-erless after the Windrush scandal erupted. This by Sarah Boyce published in Private Eye.
Cartoon © Nathan Ariss
Nathan Ariss had signalled Amber Rudd’s departure in Private Eye too.
Cartoon © Steve Bell
In June we had the start of the Donald/Kim love-in as they met in Singapore. That moment captured here by Steve Bell in The Guardian.
Cartoon © Martin Rowson
Then in July The Donald asked his administration to invite his other love interest Vlad Putin to the White House. The moment foretold here by Martin Rowson also in The Guardian. Of course the person Trump loves more than anyone else is Trump himself.
Cartoon © Steve Jones
The nation went into shock in July when England actually preformed well AND won a penalty shoot out in the World Cup!!! This was a favourite football tournament themed cartoon by Jonesy (used in Private Eye).
Cartoon © Tat Effby
There’s been much in the news this year about climate change and plastic in the oceans. Here’s a fine cartoon I’ve recycled on the subject by Tat Effby.
Cartoon © The Surreal McCoy
The Surreal McCoy also took to the oceans with this message on #MeToo.
Cartoon © Kipper Williams
In August Theresa May started thinking of life after being PM when she put in a ‘Strictly’ application by throwing some shapes, mostly Isosceles triangles, on her tour to South Africa. This from Kipper Williams in The Spectator.
Cartoon © Jeremy Banx
In September the Dancing Queen announced at the party conference in Birmingham plans for the ‘Festival of Brexit’. This Jeremy Banx cartoon in the Finacial Times became very popular on social media.
Cartoon © Royston Robertson
On the subject of Brexit, and it’s very difficult to get OFF the subject of Brexit, here’s a fine cartoon by Royston Robertson from The New European.
Cartoon © Andy Davey
…and there’s more. Andy Davey’s finely woven tapestry on the Brexit battle within the Conservative party. (Daily Telegpah)
Cartoon © Rob Murray
This Rob Murray Private Eye cartoon perfectly sums up our nation divided.
Cartoon © Wilbur Dawbarn
It’s not only the UK that’s been in turmoil, across in France they’ve had gilets jaunes fever. This Gauling cartoon by Wilbur Dawbarn.
As the year ended Trump closes down the US government to try and force through funding for his election promise to ‘Build A Hamster Wheel’. This just in from our correspondent Clive Goddard.
Illustration © Rebecca Hendin
This illustration by Rebecca Hendin has NOTHING to do with the year (it was drawn for the BBC Culture series ‘Stories That Shaped The World’) but I think it sums up 2018 perfectly…a sort of contemporary Edvard Munchian existential scream.
Cartoon © Brian Adcock
…and in The Guardian new PCO member Brian Adcock digs out his crystal ball to predict what might happen in 2019…yep, more of the same.
Happy? New Year from the PCO
Latest Blog
by Glenn Marshall
Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival photo album
May 6, 2019 in Comment, Events, General, News
The ‘Plan B’ Shrewsbury Square. Photo © Tat Effby.
Glenn Marshall & Jonathan Cusick write:
With Storm Hannah due to roll in threatening rain and high winds the marquee company wouldn’t put up the festival’s gazebo roofing. Fear of airborne ‘para-boarding’ cartoonists made the festival organisers hastily arrange a Plan B for Saturday, which involved us decamping to the local Darwin Shopping Centre (every third business in Shrewsbury seems to contain the word Darwin)
A distant Steve Bell in front of a crowded audience. Photo © Jonathan Cusick.
Before that, on Friday evening Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell returned to the festival and spoke to a packed and enthusiastic crowd at the University Centre. Surveying his use of animals throughout his career, he picked out highlights including the penguin from his ‘If’ strip and ended with a few live drawings including his toilet-headed Trump. After twenty minutes of audience questions he signed copies of his latest book. A real treat for cartoon fans and definitely one of the highlights of the festival.
Saturday morning at John Cusick’s cartoon animal drawing workshop using exhibits from the Shrewsbury Museum collection. Photo © Jonathan Cusick.
Zoom Rockman cartoons stripped bare teaching how to draw his Skanky Pigeon character. Photo © Kate Lennard.
There were also well attended indoor talks by The Surreal McCoy and TWO by Clive Goddard (above) nothing to do with folk wanting to get out of the bad weather. Photo © Alison Patrick.
Meanwhile in the basement level of Darwin Shopping Centre dry and warm cartoonists began creating. Here Shrewsbury based cartoonist Tat Effby took to the big boards like a duck to water. Photo © Clive Goddard.
Luke Crump with one of his incredible ‘doodle style’ creations. Photo © Clive Goddard.
The Surreal McCoy hot-footed over from her ‘Wolf of Baghdad’ talk to fit in a board before hot-footing off again to join the ‘festival music ensemble’. Photo © Clive Goddard.
Jeremy Banx and Noel Ford mid-boards. Photo © Tat Effby.
Tim Harries & Rich Skipworth colouring in. Photos © Tat Effby.
John Landers’ snakes on a plain surface. Photo © Clive Goddard.
Pete Dredge caricaturing Pa Marshall plus Jonathan Cusick really going with the animal theme. Photo © Tat Effby.
The 30 second rehearsal before the launch of The Shrewsbury Cartoon Players and Puppeteers inaugural performance of ‘The Animals Went In Two By Two’. Photo © Tat Effby. The Noah’s Ark was ironically moved indoors even though it would’ve been perfectly suited to the biblical weather conditions.
Royston Robertson featuring in the festival write-up in the Shropshire Star.
The festival produced a book of the ‘Drawn To Be Wild’ exhibition cartoons which is still available here price £9.95 + postage.
Thanks to all the organisers and sponsors for another successful festival that went down a storm.
Tags: Banx, Big boards, cartoon festival, cartoons, Clive Goddard, festival, Glenn Marshall, Jeremy Banx, John Landers, Jonathan Cusick, Luke Crump, Noel Ford, Pete Dredge, Rich Skipworth, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival, Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival 2019, Shropshire, Shropshire Star, Steve Bell, Tat Effby, The Surreal McCoy, Tim Harries, Wolf of Baghdad, Zoom Rockman 1 Comment »