I heart Michael Ramirez *so hard*
That’s today’s Ramirez cartoon and I just want to take a minute to say how much I admire this guy.
His picture ideas are consistently so awesome. Not just ideologically strong, but visually striking. And he pulls them out of thin air, time after time after time. Hoo boy, I have to tell you, the good strong visual ideas are the hard part.
Most of his cartoons are simple, but he can draw like a dream when he wants to. His likenesses are great and his caricatures are cruel. Despite being a staunch righty, he’s won a ton of journalism awards, including two Pulitzers. I’d say Ramirez is who I want to be when I grow up if he weren’t a year younger than me.
His father is a first generation Mexican-American and his mother is Japanese. He was born in Tokyo (maybe that’s why he didn’t get caught up in the Identity Politics Shuffle — he couldn’t decide which box to tick). I don’t know how old he was when they all moved to the States, but he went to college in California. His brothers and sisters are doctors, and he was headed that way himself before he published a political cartoon in the school newspaper that changed his mind (I don’t know what it was, but everybody demanded he apologize and he thought that was pretty sweet).
No link; I don’t remember where I read all that. I won’t pick any favorites, just do please sample this Google Images search of Ramirez cartoons. Savor. Enjoy.
The thing I love most about Ramirez? That cartoon up there. He said to himself, “black background, a few white circles, blur them a little, it’ll totally look like a circus ring.” And it totally does. Geeenius.
Posted: March 26th, 2014 under art, personal, politics.
Comments: 13
Comments
Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: March 26, 2014, 11:39 pm
Mr. Ramirez really IS a Super Genius!
Comment from QuasiModo
Time: March 26, 2014, 11:45 pm
I like the depth of field effect he gets by blurring the background…makes the foreground more punchy.
Comment from AliceH
Time: March 26, 2014, 11:52 pm
Ramirez will be one of the speakers/guests on the National Review “post election cruise”.
Not that I can picture you signing up …
Comment from gromulin
Time: March 27, 2014, 1:20 am
SCHADENBONER ALERT:
Hi, my favorite fake internet ‘friends’. I don’t check in very often, but today was a Very Fine Day for Casa Gromulin – California State Senator Leland Yee -ardent gun control activist, SF Mayorial candidate in 2011, current state senator and all-around Democrat asshat was arrested on a Federal indictment for corruption and…wait for it…GUN RUNNING with his SF Chinatown Triad buddies to support their criminal activities. They have this guy six ways from Sunday, FBI plants in the room with wires. He’s going away to Club Fed for the rest of his life. He’s the THIRD Democrat CA Senator brought up on corruption charges in the past few months. I recently moved to San Mateo county and watching the hard-left local media begrudgingly cover the story has been like Christmas in March. Tee-Hee. Can’t wait for all the details to come out, it’s been a 3-5 year FBI investigation. California make have hope yet…
Comment from Oceania
Time: March 27, 2014, 1:42 am
Jason Gresh planning to assassiate Natalia Poklonskaya?
Comment from Mike James
Time: March 27, 2014, 2:06 am
Gromulin, this can’t be real, it’s bad, cheesy wish-fulfillment pulp fiction. Leland Yee wasn’t possibly conspiring to run guns for Kwok Cheung “Shrimp Boy” Chow.
Comment from Mojo
Time: March 27, 2014, 2:41 am
Just bought some of your shit (as I believe it’s referred to) from Zazzle.
Did you see what those pirates are charging for shipping? Hangings too good fer ’em…
Comment from Mike C.
Time: March 27, 2014, 6:54 am
Ramirez is simply the best in the business these days. The last work that came close was the team of Cox and Forkum, who unfortunately retired from the business. How these guys dream this stuff up is one of the world’s great mysteries. Execution and style is important, of course, but it’s the solid, smash-mouth ideas that cause your jaw to drop, especially considering how regularly they do it.
Comment from Deborah
Time: March 27, 2014, 5:18 pm
Oh I love Ramirez, too. Every day is a picnic where he roasts another Democrat wiener. As a former draftsman (the obsolete drafting arm/board kind), I especially admire his lettering. I’ve saved samples of lettering styles for years, and Ramirez’s is amazing—highly creative and distinctive.
Comment from Chicken Farmer
Time: March 27, 2014, 8:42 pm
Weasel, you famous now.
http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/driveby/campaign_poster_hillary_2.php#025964
Comment from S. Weasel
Time: March 27, 2014, 9:45 pm
ZOMG, Chicken Farmer — that made my day!
Comment from jwm
Time: March 27, 2014, 11:52 pm
(just to keep makin’ it..) Weasel, you’re a regular cult hero in that little corner of the web. You’re bookmarked with a lot of people I trade notes with.
JWM
Comment from edulog
Time: October 21, 2014, 2:30 am
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