The PCO Cartoon Review of the Year 2022

Another year, another cartoon review featuring work from PCO members. As the world moves on from one disaster to another what more can you ask for than an emergency cartoon service attempting to defibrillate you at the start of the new year!

Cartoon © Dean Patterson

deAn set the tone for the year with this cartoon in The Critic.

Cartoon © Pete Dredge

Let’s get the party started with this by Dredge in Private Eye last January.

 

Cartoon © Wilbur Dawbarn

Out with the old and in with the new from Wilbur in The Spectator.

Cartoon © Dave Brown

In February Russia invaded Ukraine. The haunting spectre of Putin hung over us throughout the year. This fine explosive caricature of him is from Dave Brown in The Independent. We still all hold our breath fearing he will start ‘World Special Military Operation III’ (Putin not Dave Brown)

Cartoon © Zoom Rockman

Of course the major concern at the outset of the ‘special military operation’ was how we all spelt Kiev wrong. Not long after Zoom’s cartoon was published in Private Eye, Sainsbury’s changed their labelling of their ‘Kievs’ to ‘Kyiv’ Who said cartoonists influence nothing!

Cartoon © Andy Davey

A tank topped Putin by Davey in The Telegraph.

 

Cartoon © The Surreal McCoy

In February, we had the winter Olympics in Beijing – this by The Surreal McCoy on China’s shameful treatment of the Uyghur people.

Cartoon © Grizelda

Gender was very much on the agenda this year. This defining moment from Grizelda in Private Eye.

Cartoon © Pete Songi

In May, MP Neil Parish a-tractored attention in The Commons while watching depraved filth…no, not PMQs but porn on his mobile. Here Pete Songi XXXtracts mirth out of it.

Cartoon © Ed Naylor

In April, Talk TV was launched with star presenter Pierced Organ who had flounced off from GMTV. Sadly for he/him this cartoon in Private Eye by Nay will have got much higher viewing figures than Morgan’s little watched show.

Cartoon © Kent Tayler

In June, Roe v Wade abortion laws got overturned in the States. Kent Tayler waded into the debate with this in Private Eye.

Cartoon © Brian Adcock

In July it was evident that Tory MPs were hastily planning Boris Johnson’s leaving party. Captured here by Adcock in The Independent.

Caricature © Ralph Steadman

At end of July The Guardian published a piece on how cartoonists had tackled Boris: this fantastic bit of paint splattering is from Ralph Steadman. You can read the full article here

Caricature © Steve Bell

Steve Bell in The Guardian on the runners and riders for the Tory leadership stakes.

Cartoon © Kipper Williams

Following the summer heatwave Kipper Williams proffered this water saving advice in Private Eye (I found this quite ridiculous as everyone knows it’s much more efficient to stack a human sideways on the bottom rack)

Cartoon © Rob Murray

Meanwhile the water companies were doing their best to foul up what little water was left. Illustrated by Rob Murray in The Telegraph.

 

Cartoon © Glenn Marshall

In August it was the 676th anniversary of the Battle of Crécy. This from Marshall in The Oldie (2011)…Look I write the review so I’m entitled to tenuously crowbar in something by me!

Cartoon © Steve Bright

On September 8th the Queen died. This cartoon by Brighty in The Sun went on to win Political Cartoon of the Year in October.

Caricature © Kevin Wells

A squiggle of the new king appropriately by Kevin Wells AKA SquiggleKing. I think this is the portrait they should’ve used on the new stamps.

Cartoon © Andrew Fraser

Late September, Giorgia Meloni of ‘Brothers of Italy’ radical-right political party became president of Italy. This may now be old news as Italy seems to change its government fortnightly…

Cartoon © Jonesy

….one in one out – just over a week after the Italian election Brazil voted out its far right President Jair Bolsonaro. This £%&*ing corker from Jonesy in Private Eye. Trees thoughout Brazil will be emitting a sigh of relief.

Cartoon © Rebecca Hendin

Talking of jungles, this primate was discovered in Australia eating various animal penises, vaginas and anuses (more commonly known as value sausages). A not so rare sighting of Hancock captured here by Rebecca Hendin for The Guardian.

Cartoon © Guy Venables

Why include one Guy cartoon when you can have a bumper thirteen? This spread published in The Metro at the end of the year included a very funny Hancock one.

Cartoon © Mark Winter

Lettuce remember the short reign of Liz Truss with this from Chicane in the New Zealand paper The Southern Times.

Cartoon © Andy Davey

Davey on the moving experience in the Telegraph.

Cartoon © Richard Jolley

Truss was quickly followed as PM by Rishi Sunak, the third Prime minister in as many months. RGJ on their short use by date in The Spectator.

Cartoon © Nick Newman

Prime Ministers question time by Newman in The Sunday Times. Nick deservedly went on to be voted Pocket Cartoonist of the Year.

Cartoon © Clive Goddard

The aforementioned Political Cartoon of the Year awards took place in October. This from Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation esteemed chair Clive Goddard won the PCO sponsored Pocket Cartoon of the Year. In his very funny speech Clive went on to jibe at ceremony host Jacob Rees-Mogg (AKA the Minister for the 18th Century) that he’d probably expected Gillray to be on the short list. All this year’s winners are listed here

Cartoon © Andrew Birch

Late October Elon Musk bought Twitter and went on to let any old nick return to the platform. The above character by Birch for Private Eye was probably one of the least toxic people allowed back on.

Cartoon © Henny Beaumont

Suella Braverman was criticised in October for using the term ‘migrant invasion’, a term not used accurately since 1066 and the Norman Conquest. Here is Henny Beaumont’s lifejacket-bedecked Braverman from The Morning Star.

Cartoon © Chris Williams

In sports washing news, December saw the Qatar World Cup. Dink reposted this Guardian cartoon which still seemed relevant.

Cartoon © Jonathan Pugh

Lockdown took on a new meaning towards the end of the year as things like a tub of butter had to have security tags attached when austerity bit. This from Pugh in the Daily Mail.

Cartoon © Kathryn Lamb

K J Lamb’s take on rising prices published in Private Eye earlier in the year.

 

Cartoon © Mike Stokoe

As widespread industrial action was going on, cartoonists seemed to the only profession not withholding their labour. Here’s Stokoe’s take on it from Phoenix Magazine

Cartoon © Sarah Boyce

Sarah Boyce also visited the subject in Private Eye

Cartoon © Royston Robertson

In December, after the Lady Susan Hussey’s racism allegation, Royston questioned Santa on his heritage in the Spectator. You can see more of Royston’s 2022 highlights here

Cartoon © Martin Rowson

A very Moggy Christmas by Rowson for the cover of The New European.

Caricature © Graeme Bandeira 

2022 ended sadly with news of the death of the legend Pelé. He is often sighted as the best player we’ve ever known after Franny Lee. Marvellous drawing of him by Graeme Bandeira.

Cartoon © Jeremy Banks

An end of year send off from Banx in the FT.

Cartoon © James Mellor

James Mellor looks forward to the coming year for Beds Life. A question we’ll be back here asking again at the outset of 2024.

Cartoon © Chis Burke

This fine drawing from Chris Burke for The Telegraph seems a perfect summation of Year Past and Year Future.

You can play ‘Doom-laden Year Top Trumps’ by looking back at our previous annual reviews:

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

You can now also watch ‘PCO Cartoon Review of the Year 2022 – The Movie’ on our very own streaming service PCO TV

Thanks to all the cartoonists who’s work I’ve plundered. See you again back here for next years review…if there is a next year!

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