Bob Mankoff pays tribute to "New Yorker" cartoonist Ed Fisher and cartoon-caption writer Roger Ebert

"It seems to me that ordination of women
might brighten the place up a bit."

by Ken

New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff tells us that Ed Fisher contributed to the magazine from 1951 to 2000 and over that time published over 700 cartoons there. The above is the last one, which Bob says --

works as well today as it did when it was published, more than ten years ago. In its masterful art, its gentle wit, and its continuing relevance, this cartoon is echt Ed at the top of his form.

I think it's sublime.

As you may have guessed, the reminiscence is occasioned by Ed's death "a few days ago," at the ripe old age of 87. Happily, Bob includes a bunch of other Ed Fisher specials, from the '80s and '90s. Understandably for a cartoon-centric person, Bob leads off with this one:

"Why, no. I've never thought of putting
funny little captions on the bottom."

The cartoons Bob has chosen show a wicked sense of social awareness, and you should really take a look at all of them. Here's just one more, which Bob uses to illustrate the point: "Ed was one of the quintessential New Yorker cartoonists of his time, and his cartoons depended on a shared knowledge of historical, cultural, and contemporary information."

"The Athenians are here, Sire, with an offer to back
us with ships, money, arms, and men -- and, of
course, their usual lectures about democracy."

ROGER EBERT (1942-2013)

In a May 2011 post, I highlighted Bob Mankoff's report on newspaper and TV film critic Roger Ebert's long-awaited celebration of his vindication in finally winning The New Yorker's caption contest.

Today Bob posted a sweet remembrance called "Roger Ebert's Final Cartoon Captions," in which he says, "I had a feeling that [Ebert] was much sicker than he was letting on" -- because "he hadn’t entered our most recent Cartoon Caption Contest, No. 375."

Bob recalls the story of Ebert winning contest No. 281, then tells us:

After his win, Ebert claimed, a bit hyperbolically, that he had sent a caption in every week. In fact, he had entered a mere hundred and seven times. But after he won, that statement was no hyperbole. Ebert really did enter every week of the ninety-three contests that followed. And, in a tribute to the human spirit, which is nothing without the humorous spirit that Roger so nobly and ably embodied, he was entering right up to the end. And he always entered early. For example, in contest No. 374, out of over five thousand entries, Roger submitted the hundred and thirty-sixth entry:

"For burial, a companion coffin will facilitate
when he takes it all with him."

"Maybe not his best effort," says Bob, "but considering the circumstances, at least worth one thumb up." Then he offers "a two-thumbs-up tribute to Roger," consisting of a 13-entry slide show of "what we think are his best captions." I kind of like this one:

"I'm tired of waiting for the Rapture to come to me."

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