An Unworthy Addition

An Unworthy Addition

Well, the unthinkable has happened. The worst possible candidate has become President of the United States. I refuse to use his name and the title "President" in close proximity of each other. Rather, I'll call him the "Anti-POTUS," as he occupies the office but doesn't really belong there. 

Here's some of our greatest presidents, though not perfect individuals, showing their dismay or outrage at what has succeeded them. Clockwise from the top: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Drumpf, Franklin Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. 

I try to remain defiantly optimistic, but I'm not sure there's much hope for the future. It's not so much that Trump is in office that upsets me, as the fact that a large portion of the population sees no problem with that or what he is doing already.

That's Why the Candidate is a Tramp

"Make Russia Great Again" (according to Google Translate.) 

Just a reminder. 

Please feel free to steal.

The Real Issues

The Real Issues

A political cartoon for the 2016 US Presidential Election. Se explicat. 

Share if you wish: Creative Commons 3.0 License - Attribution, No derivative works.

Single Issue Voters

Single Issue Voters

Another political cartoon for the 2016 US Presidential Election. A critique of single issue voters who vote Republican simply because that party panders to their pet issues like gun-owner rights and anti-abortion positions. Pay lip service to those issues and you can go on to talk about mass-deportations, nuclear war, scrapping NATO, and anything else you want without losing the votes of these groups. It's also a critique of spineless Republican politicians, represented here by House Speaker Paul Ryan, who won't speak out against Trump in hopes of riding his coat-tails to re-election. 

Share if you like: Creative Commons 3.0 License - Attribution, No Derivative Works.

Don't Do It!

A political cartoon for the 2016 US Presidential Election meant to sway conservative leaning voters away from voting for Donald Trump. His hardcore supporters won't listen, but some who vote conservative just by default but aren't really committed might. 

Feel free to share.

Some rights reserved. Creative Commons Attribution - No Derivative Works 3.0 License. 

Captain America vs. Donald Trump

Drew this back in September-October of last year. Since I haven't put anything up on this blog in a while, I thought I'd post it. 

Based on the iconic cover of Captain America Comics No. 1.  

Ludus Regnorum

Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything new on here. I'm not in any classes these days and am thus not inspired to draw any new comics by active readings. I fear this is fated to be yet another failed blog of mine. 

But for now, here are the sigils of the great houses of Westeros (from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series--televised by HBO as Game of Thrones) with my Latin renderings of their words.

 Martell : Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken 

Targaryen : Fire and Blood

Tully : Family, Duty, Honor

 Arryn : As High As Honor

Tyrell : Growing Strong

Lannister : Hear Me Roar

Stark : Winter Is Coming

Greyjoy : We Do Not Sow

Of course, I forgot House Baratheon : Ours Is The Fury ("Furia Nostra Est"). Martell was the toughest, I think. It was hard to recreate that "Un-, Un-, Un-" trifecta, especially since "Inflectus" would do for both "Unbent" and "Unbowed."

Anyway, that's out there now. 

Westeros, Game of Thrones, and all associated names, places, and events are (C) George R.R. Martin

Nice Day for a Squirm

It's been a long time since I posted a new comic to this blog/webcomic thing. This one is kind of out of step with the others, but really the blog is for all sorts of cartoon. I just wanted to post something so you'll know I'm not dead. I haven't been enrolled in any classes this past semester, so I haven't had a lot of inspiration or access to black/white boards.

Something I thought up after seeing all the worms out on the sidewalks during a heavy rain. 

I could add this one too, I suppose: 

Just 'cause.

 

It's My Epic, and I'll Cry If I Want To...

Re: Iliad I.348-356, XVI.1-19

OK, so they didn't and don't have quite the same idea about men crying in the Mediterranean world as they do in America and Northern Europe, that is the whole "boys don't cry" concept. Even so, Achilles seems to make fun of Patroclus for crying in Book 16 of the Iliad, by comparing him to a little girl trying to get her mother to pick her up. Thing is, Patroclus has just been around the Greek camp and seen the sorry state of affairs and was fearing for the survival of the Greek army--who can blame him for a few tears? Achilles, on the other hand was bawling to his mummy in Book 1 just because his prize (viz. the girl Briseis) was taken away from him. 

Some people argue that the little girl simile is actually not a taunt, but a reference to the plight of women and children taken captive in war and thus a very sympathetic remark by Achilles. They're welcome to their opinion, though I think the evidence is circumstantial, dependent on the assumption that Homer "whoever he were" carefully chose words that conjur the image of a rich woman fleeing a sacked city with her young daughter trying to keep up--without making any explicit reference to those circumstances of war and flight. *shrug* Anyway, it's funnier my way. 

forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit

"Even you, Aslan?"

Been reading about and discussing the persecution of the Christians 3rd/early 4th centuries AD lately. Naturally, I have to make an inappropriate joke about it. Hopefully it's not 'too soon.' 

The title is part of a line from Vergil's Aeneid (I.203), meaning: "Perhaps it will even be pleasant to recall these things one day." 

AAAUGH!!!

Charles Schulz's Iliad? 

Here we have Achilleus bewailing the loss of his prize of honor (γέρας, which you can see I put the wrong accent on...). I'm afraid I didn't draw Lucy (playing Agamemnon) at all well... but I didn't have any references to look at. 

I Have Political Opinions!

No further comment.

Gyges and Kandaules

RE: Herodotus, Histories I.7-14

Without classes during the summer, I have had less material inspiring me to draw cartoons lately. But I have been doing some independent study reading Herodotus in Greek. I've just gotten to reading the tale of Gyges, which always seems pretty funny to me. I think it would make a good comedy sketch for people who know the story. But, for the nonce, here's a cartoon of that story. 

For those who don't know the story: The uxorious Lydian King Kandaules keeps bragging on how his wife is the most beautiful woman in the world to his counselor Gyges. Convinced that Gyges will only believe him if he sees for himself, Kandaules arranges for Gyges (over Gyges' objections) to spy on his wife so he can see her naked. But Kandaules' wife sees Gyges and knows of her husband's involvement. So, she later calls Gyges to her and gives him a choice: kill Kandaules, marry her, and become the new king OR she'll get Kandaules to kill him. He chooses the former option and his descendents rule Lydia down to the days of Croesus. 

You Always Seem About to Pay

pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest - Ovid, Ars Amatoria I.444

"Anyone can be rich in promises." (lit. "things promised")

In this section of the Ars Amatoria, Ovid advises the prospective lovers how to avoid spending  money on gifts for their girlfriends. He advises they promise to give gifts, that way they don't have to actually give anything. As he puts it:

at quod non dederis, semper videare daturus:

  sic dominum sterilis saepe fefellit ager.

- I.449-450

"But that which you haven't given, may you always seem about to give:

Thus has a barren field often deceived its master."

So, naturally, I thought of Credit Cards. 

Gospel Troopers?

Mark "Suddenly!"

Luke "Parable!"

John "Verily verily!"

Matthew "Blessed!"

The Four Evangelists and their standard heraldic symbols (Mark=lion, Luke=bull/ox, John=eagle, and Matthew=holy man/angel) as a kind of Power Rangers team, each with their own catch-phrases.

Mark uses the word for "suddenly" or "immediately" a lot, so that's his catch-phrase. Luke has perhaps the greatest number of Jesus' parables. John stubbornly writes "Verily, verily" instead of just one "verily" when Jesus says "Verily I say to you." Matthew is notable for the Beatitudes. 

Feed My Fish

"Simon, feed also my fish. Not more than enough. Also walk with my dog."

RE: John 21:15-17

Near the end of John's Gospel, Jesus instructs Peter three times to "Feed my sheep." If it were literal we might add more animals to take care of. 

Doubting Thomas and Beach Fish Fry

Left: "Who am I?" Right (Apron): "Kiss the Cook"

RE: John 20:24 - 21:14

My take on the famous "Doubting Thomas" incident in the Gospel of John (Left), and on Christ's subsequent appearance to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias) and the miracle of the fishes (Right). It was like a beach fish fry celebrating the Resurrection. 

So You Want to be a Roman Poet?

"So you want to be a Roman Poet?"

"Get reading, boy. The more obscure the better!"

My gosh, how I hate the ultra-learned poems we have to read sometimes. Just some poet showing off how well he knows the myths to the Nth degree--mentioning obscure places in Greece and obscure people that you  have to use the BIG dictionary to find. We get it, you're very smart. Now shut up. 

Corrigenda: A Latin professor here pointed out that it would be better to say "fieri" ("to become") rather than "esse" ("to be"). Also he suggested "quo ... quo" instead of "quantum...tantum" and that there might be a better word choice than "melius." 

Put-Upon Pilate

RE: John 18:28-40; 19:16-22

The Roman Governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, is having a hard week. It's Passover and the local Jewish population are more riled up than usual. They bring him this Jesus fellow to have him put to death, but they won't tell him what Jesus did and they won't even come inside the Praetorium because it would make them "unclean" for Passover. So Pilate has to go back and forth between the high-priests outside the Praetorium and Jesus in his cell inside. Jesus denies being the King of the Jews and then goes into some theological stuff about preaching the truth. Despite his efforts, Pontius has to give in to the demands of the high-priests and crucify the man. Then, on top of everything, they start complaining about the sign he put up. 

Oy vey! 

Boom! Headshot.

RE: Vergil, Aeneid IX 

So, I finished reading Aeneid book IX today, and I have to say, there were an awful lot of headshots in this book. Four of them, I think, which I have summarized above with the appropriate textual references. 

1. Tagus, an Italian, is pierced through the head by a spear thrown by Nisus
2. the son of Arcens (whose name we don't learn), gets a sling bullet to the head from Mezentius
3. Lyceus has his head chopped off by Turnus
4. Pandarus has his head sliced in two by the same. 

Vergil uses a wonderfully illustrative line for that:

      "et mediam ferro gemina inter tempora frontem"

It's a golden line (or silver?) nicely divided, like Pandarus' head, in the middle by "inter."