Kevin Siers: You Write The Caption

The new cartoon caption winner

The winner:

"Let's not get too caught up in qualifications."

-- Brent Sheppard of Morganton

The runners-up:

"I hear that liberal media is making up things again.  They even said you would make a good Justice."

-- Steve Meckler, Charlotte

“C’mon Dave…I dare ya.”

-- Jason Kefover, York, S.C.

Babes in Boyland

-- Doug Cox, Albemarle

"I already wear a robe.  And slippers too!"

-- Kenneth Irving, Kannapolis

"We're from the same mold:  We don't know the meaning of the word 'quit'!"

-- Richard Randall, Cherryville

"What a coincidence! I was a mayor too!"

-- Jeff Byers, Greenville, N.C, with variations from many other readers

Thank you for all your entries. As usual, feel free to discuss any of this in our "Comments" section.  Just click the blue link below this post and add your observations, criticisms or additional captions!

Here's a selection of some of the other better lines we received:

"We're both going to court!"

"I can see a wise Latina woman from here!"

"I have legal bills. She has legal skills."

"Pride and Prejudice!"

 "Our words were taking out of perspective."

"I thought my speech was great, but you be the judge!"

“I can see discrimination from my house!”

“I am behind her all the way!  As far behind her as I can get.”

"OK ... here is your new target."

"I formally endorse Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the Supreme Court."

Please join us again Monday, August 3, for a new cartoon caption challenge.

The Inbetweener: How to win a cartoon caption contest

There have been a few complaints lately that the same names keep showing up as finalists in our You Write the Caption contest.  Some of you probably won't believe me, but I make a strong effort not to play favorites -- I'm not sure I really have "favorites" for that matter. 

That said, this contest has acknowledged from Day 1 that humor is subjective, and what strikes one person as clever or funny may leave another cold.  It's why different folks can list either Doonesbury or Mallard Fillmore as their favorite comic strip.  Because of that, I also try to give captions from both sides of the political debate equal consideration when judging -- which has led to as many outraged howls from the liberal readers of this site as the conservative ones (well, maybe not as many -- perhaps it's that outraged liberals howl louder).  The goal is not to pick a caption that's "left" or "right", but one that fits the drawing the best.

When sorting through the pile of entries, I focus on the captions and not on the names of the folks submitting them.  And I often send a compilation of captions (sans names) to my edit page cohorts seeking their input as well.  The lines you see listed here on Friday are the result of a little bit of luck, and, I like to think, of a certain amount of skill.

What kind of skill, you ask?  Well I'm glad you did!  Here's a piece that ran at slate.com last year written by a former winner of The New Yorker cartoon caption contest, upon which our little gig here is unabashedly based.  (We also linked to this piece last year when it first came out.)  The writer says to focus on 3 things:  knowing that humor and winning are separate matters (which some of the grumpier commentators here will happily affirm), understanding the mind of the gatekeeper (good luck with that one) and employing a little advanced joke theory.

We'll be back Friday, as usual, with the winner of this week's contest.  And not to give anything away, but he's another former winner of The New Yorker contest.  So maybe there's something to all this . . . .

Your new challenge: July 27, 2009

Welcome to You Write the Caption, the Charlotte Observer cartoon caption contest, an opportunity to test your wit and win a prize. Each Monday, Observer editorial cartoonist Kevin Siers will post a political cartoon that needs a caption and invite readers to write one.  To learn more about our contest and see our caption writing guidelines, please click here.

Submissions must reach us by noon, Wednesday, July 29.

Enter as many times as you wish.  To submit your caption on-line, just click here to e-mail us.  (Or address your e-mail to caption@charlotteobserver.com)  Please include your mailing address and daytime phone number. To mail your caption to the Observer, address it to You Write the Caption, Editorial Department, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. 

  For a discussion about last week's winners, please see the "Comments" section below the previous post.

Good luck, and have fun!

The new cartoon caption winner

The winner:

"We spear the wealthy to keep us healthy!"

-- Bill Sturges of Charlotte

The runners-up:

“Our new Wealth-Redistribution Czar!"

-- Ross Bailey, Cornelius, with variations from many other readers

"My signature on another stimulus bill: The Mark of Sorrow!"

-- Doug Cox, Albemarle

"My ambitious legislative agenda will leave its own iconic mark."

-- Kenneth Irving, Kannapolis

"My new budget will result in a Zorro deficit soon!"

-- Elton Parker, Charlotte

Thank you for all your entries. As usual, feel free to discuss any of this in our "Comments" section.  Just click the blue link below this post and add your observations, criticisms or additional captions!

Here's a selection of some of the other better lines we received:

"I just couldn't get Harry Reid to wear the Robin Hood outfit."

"Speaker Pelosi wanted to make sure she left her mark."

“I’ve told the Feds to keep interest rates close to Zorro.”

"It's easy to poke holes in the Republicans' ideas!"

"He must be a Republican because he punches holes in every bill I introduce."

"I would like to introduce Zorro, my new Czar of Szocialism."

"Congress needed an extra long receipt holder."

"The Legend of Soetoro: the Missing Birth Documents."

"My approval rating is getting close to Zorro!"

Please join us again Monday, July 27, for a new cartoon caption winner.

The Inbetweener: Hits are nice, cash is nicer

In cartoon parlance, an inbetweener is the lowly cartoonist charged with the tedious job of filling in the various drawings between two key images drawn by the animator in a hand-drawn animated film.   And it's that in-between time in contest land again -- the entry deadline is passed and the new winner's announced Friday.

Over the last few weeks, a number of commentators here have expressed how much they enjoy web comics.  Cartoonists also enjoy the freedom of the web, as well as the exposure it provides their work.  But not many enjoy pay for their web-based efforts.  I don't claim to be an expert, but most web-based-only comic publishing, that I'm aware of, is compensated mostly by adoration and accolades, not dollars.

I'm one of the lucky ones, a cartoonist with a paying gig.  But more and more of my colleagues in this tightening media market are being forced to find other outlets for their work, and many are now relying on web-based publishing.

I only bring the subject up because it seems to be on the minds of cartoonists Garry Trudeau ("Doonesbury") and Stephan Pastis ("Pearls Before Swine") this week as well (Click the images to enlarge):

Universal Press Syndicate

United Features Syndicate, Inc.

As Zonker says, content doesn't really want to be free.  It's just that many outlets don't want to pay someone to produce it and consumers don't want to pay to read it. 

Or do they?  Would you still read online comics for a price?  Some online syndicate distributors do charge for a subscription to their toons.  Is this a practical model when other outlets offer the same toons for free?  Are there other online-comic business models out there that seem to be a success?  I'm guessing that lots of folks out there have more experience in the land of online comics than I do -- what works for you?

Your new challenge: July 20, 2009

Welcome to You Write the Caption, the Charlotte Observer cartoon caption contest, an opportunity to test your wit and win a prize. Each Monday, Observer editorial cartoonist Kevin Siers will post a political cartoon that needs a caption and invite readers to write one.  To learn more about our contest and see our caption writing guidelines, please click here.

Submissions must reach us by noon, Wednesday, July 22.

Enter as many times as you wish.  To submit your caption on-line, just click here to e-mail us.  (Or address your e-mail to caption@charlotteobserver.com)  Please include your mailing address and daytime phone number. To mail your caption to the Observer, address it to You Write the Caption, Editorial Department, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. 

  For a discussion about last week's winners, please see the "Comments" section below the previous post.

Good luck, and have fun!

The new cartoon caption winner

The winner:

"Scarlet letters are now sent by e-mail."

-- Sam Mitchem of Lowell, NC

The runners-up:

“I call it the Red State Letter.”

-- Lee Baber, Charlotte

"John Edwards got an 'A-.' "

-- Doug Cox, Albemarle

"I did not have text with that woman."

-- Elton Parker, Charlotte

"I told my staff it stood for 'Appalachian'!"

-- From several readers

Thank you for all your entries. As usual, feel free to discuss any of this in our "Comments" section.  Just click the blue link below this post and add your observations, criticisms or additional captions!

Here's a selection of some of the other better lines we received:

"I went to Argentina, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

"This isn’t exactly a red letter day in my political career."

"...And would that I might endure her agony, as well as mine!"

"I am a Pampas fool!"

“No, I’m not Dimmesdale. I’m just Dim.”

I USUALLY have to go to Argentina for a "DE-BRIEFING"!

"I've found a new soulmate -- Hester Prynne."

Sanford and Sin

"I would like to buy another vowel."

"I got off lucky.  You wouldn't believe where they wanted to brand the 'H' for 'Hypocrite'."

"In lieu of resignation...."

"If the shirt fits, you must quit."

"'A' is for 'Absence'!"

"I finally got a letter for a sport I'm good at!"

"Though RED with embarrassment, I'm  not too YELLOW to explain my SCARLET letter in PURPLE prose...again."

"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it."

“We’ve outlawed burning at the stake, right?...right?...RIGHT?!”

"I got an 'A' in International Affairs."

"I'm supporting Andre for governor."

"My wife picks out all of my clothes."

"It's just a bad habit I picked up at Young Republicans Camp."

Please join us again Monday, July 20, for a new cartoon caption challenge.

The Inbetweener: Has 'Zits' jumped the shark?

In cartoon parlance, an inbetweener is the lowly cartoonist charged with the tedious job of filling in the various drawings between two key images drawn by the animator in a hand-drawn animated film.   And it's that in-between time in contest land again -- the entry deadline is passed and the new winner's announced Friday. 

Defining the other term in the headline, "jumping the shark," in TV parlance, refers to an episode from the television series "Happy Days" where Fonzie water-skied over a shark.  Critics cite this as the point where the show moved away from its original premise of dealing with the pangs and humor of adolescence and suburban America, and instead became driven by more absurd plots and  characterizations to the point of self-parody.

While "Zits" has always been zany and imaginative, some recent strips seem to show a similar trend:  focusing less on teenage humor and angst (and the angst and humor of the parents of said teenagers), and more on the wackiness of the characters they've created.  Which doesn't make it a worse strip, or one that's passed its peak, or one that's less imaginative, zany or fun.  Some could argue that it's even more so.  But it seems to make it a different strip.  Perhaps it's just natural cartoon evolution.

© King Features Syndicate

I rest my case.  What's your opinion?  And please join us Friday for the new caption contest winners!

Your new challenge: July 13, 2009

Welcome to You Write the Caption, the Charlotte Observer cartoon caption contest, an opportunity to test your wit and win a prize. Each Monday, Observer editorial cartoonist Kevin Siers will post a political cartoon that needs a caption and invite readers to write one.  To learn more about our contest and see our caption writing guidelines, please click here.

Submissions must reach us by noon, Wednesday, July 15.

Enter as many times as you wish.  To submit your caption on-line, just click here to e-mail us.  (Or address your e-mail to caption@charlotteobserver.com)  Please include your mailing address and daytime phone number. To mail your caption to the Observer, address it to You Write the Caption, Editorial Department, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. 

  For a discussion about last week's winners, please see the "Comments" section below the previous post.

Good luck, and have fun!

The new cartoon caption winner

The winner:

"No, fellas, it's two words: 'In dependence.'"

-- Jeff Lindle of China Grove

The runners-up:

"You guys forgot to include 'free unlimited health care' as an inalienable right."

-- Daryl Edmonds, Indian Trail

"Great. Another set of problems I inherited."

-- Boyd Barnhardt, Lenoir

"Sorry, guys.  I can't sign the Declaration until I finish apologizing to the British for wasting all that tea."

-- Greg Bucy, Rock Hill

"Wait a minute!  This is Jenny Sanford's Declaration of Independence!"

-- Lee Baber, Charlotte

Thank you for all your entries. As usual, feel free to discuss any of this in our "Comments" section.  Just click the blue link below this post and add your observations, criticisms or additional captions!

Here's a selection of some of the other better lines we received:

"But I campaigned on CHANGE!"

"Give us liberty instead of debt!"

"You dumped King George and so did I."

"Do I read this literally or figuratively?"

"You Republicans call that a health care plan?"

"If it is not on a teleprompter, I do not want to read it."

"Yes, we canned it!"

Please join us again Monday, July 13, for a new cartoon caption challenge.