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September 30th, 2009

10:48 pm [dr_hermes] [Link]

Dopey cats in seedy apartments And the nominees for Seediest Cartoons begin with the works of George Booth. His little sketches appeared in THE NEW YORKER (home of Charles Addams) for many years. Awhile back, I took out a few hardbound collections of his cartoons and was lost in them the rest of the day. Booth captures a world of working class people trying to get by but still coming up with extravagant dreams. Stout middle-aged wives iron clothes under a naked light bulb (for some reason the iron is often plugged into the same outlet as the light, which is pulled askew making a cat's cradle in the air. In the bathtub, the balding husband with a bushy mustache soaks while he smokes a cigar and proposes how he will make millions. Or it's a rundown gas station and general store out in the sticks, with two old chums sitting in chairs and pondering life's mysteries. Either there are a dozen dopey cats sitting around, playing with their own tail or lying on their backs or there are a number of equally dopey mutts lounging around, staring vacantly into space or digging behind their ears with a hind leg. There's nothing condescending about the cartoons, the world they depict is just there on its own terms. Okay, I just saw that the caption is just about unreadable. It goes, "Edgar, please run down to the shopping center right away, and get some milk and cat food. Don't get canned tuna, or chicken, or liver or any of those awful combinations. Shop around and get a surprise. The pussies like surprises." .... Tags: creator: george booth (2 comments | Leave a comment)