263 – Orc Tagging

UPDATE – 9/19/11  Due to circumstances beyond my control, the new MeatShield strip will be posted tomorrow (Sept. 20th) instead of today. Sorry, folks!

Before you take off for the rest of your day, I’d like to tell you all about something that came to my attention:  I just found out that a cartoonist friend of mine, Mike Smith at the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, was laid off the other day, another editorial cartoonist position falling victim to the budget ax. I’m praying for him and his family, and I’d appreciate it if you did too, if prayer is your thing. If not, send some good vibes or whatever you feel comfortable with, because of all the categories of cartooning, editorial cartooning is the one that is dying the fastest. I started out in editorial cartooning and it took a very long time for me to realize that it was a dying field. Stubborn, I guess. Anyone who pays attention to the news knows that the newspaper industry is shrinking and changing, and no one knows this more than editorial cartoonists. In the early ’90s, there were perhaps 300 working professional ed. cartoonists. Now, it’s more like 30 – 40 or so. This is a bit of a soapbox issue with me, so I’ll just stop right here. Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you kept Mike, a phenomenal cartoonist and a great guy, in your thoughts. Thanks.

Next Monday: An entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia: ORCS.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

~Rob