AltWeeklies Wire » Books » Fiction

America's Loss Is Political Cartoonists' Gain

By Nikki Davis
Columbus Alive | March 10, 2005
Comics

While the five-year reign of the Bush administration has proven to be the bane of the average American’s existence, an unintended consequence is the limitless source of fodder for politically inclined cartoonists—and Jen Sorensen’s Slowpoke is no exception.

In Slowpoke: America Gone Bonkers (Alternative Comics), Sorensen has collected cartoons that cleverly document America’s slip into insanity—and take it to its naturally absurdist conclusion. For example, in one strip, Spongy the Encephalopathic Politicow—a frothing, monosyllabic, slightly deranged beast—bests a Gore-like opponent because she surrounds herself with smart advisors and has a gentle mooing nature, despite obviously suffering from mad cow disease.

While Sorensen’s thickly outlined characters and familiar left-leaning themes are immediately reminiscent of both Ted Rall and Ward Sutton, the similarities end there, as she’s just as likely to turn her acerbic critiques against players on her home team. As a member of the hyphenated generation and the nebulous creative class, Sorensen’s observations of the tragically hip are so numerous that “This Week in Geek Chic” and the “Sub Culture Wars” are bound to strike a chord with anyone under 35. —Nikki Davis
Tags: Alternative Comics, Jen Sorensen, Slowpoke, Slowpoke: American Gone Bonkers

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