Over the course of four years I drew editorial cartoons for the Mustang Daily, the student-run daily newspaper for Cal Poly State University (San Luis Obispo). Since this was back when the paper was print only I haven’t had access to them…until now! Cal Poly recently digitized the entire 100-year run of the paper. I tracked down all of my illustrations – nine quarters’ worth, from ’96-’99, 231 cartoons in total.
The deadlines for a newspaper, especially a daily newspaper, are pretty grueling. I’d usually follow the same routine:
- Stop by the the newsroom to see what topics would be in the next day’s Opinion or Letters to the Editor
- Go down the hall to the radio station, KCPR, and sit on their broken-down couch to do research and figure out what to draw. During my last year, the paper opted to run solo editorial cartoons (not connected to the letters) so those took extra research. I’d usually read through the AP wire for potential topics.
- Draw! The cartoon itself could take an hour or more to draw. On some days when they needed more space to fill there were multiple illustrations to draw.
- When it was done, go back down the hall and drop ’em off with the editor.
The cartoons ranged from very local concerns (campus politics, things happening around San Luis Obispo), to typical college woes, to US and world politics. I’ll be writing posts about a half dozen or so themes I’ve gleaned from looking at all of them together and some of the context around them. In the meantime, here are a dozen of my favorite illustrations that showcase some of the variety of topics.
“It’s Your Turn! Spin to Win at Mustang Village” 2/12/96 issue “Voting — I’m against it” 10/2/96 issue “Quit whining — vote!” 10/2/96 issue “Affirmative action is unAmerican” 10/3/96 issue “The difference between sipping and chugging” 10/4/96 issue “Hey, I’M a nice guy” 10/7/96 issue “Generation ‘No Vote'” 10/8/96 issue “It’s not easy being green” 10/9/96 issue “Careful with the cannabis” 10/9/96 issue “Can I get that for you?” 10/10/96 issue “Proposition Roundup” 10/11/96 issue “The media lynching of Paul Flores” 10/14/96 issue “Prop. 209 — not woman-friendly” 10/15/96 issue “Dating — I’m against it” 10/16/96 issue “Philosophizing on the potty” 10/17/96 issue “‘Tommy’ and Bob Dylan booked on the same evening” 10/17/96 issue “Love thy dog” 10/18/96 issue “Another one skips the bus…” 10/21/96 issue “Thou shalt not covet thy professor” 10/22/96 issue “Free Love” 10/22/96 issue “Virtual rabbits” 10/23/96 issue “End the tipping tyranny” 10/25/96 issue “Vote Cthulu in ’96” 10/28/96 issue “Keep SLO beautiful” 10/29/96 issue “SLO must grow — a little” 10/29/96 issue “Skydiving is cool” 10/30/96 issue “I want a nice guy, too” 10/31/96 issue “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” 11/1/96 issue “Clinton fits the Bill” 11/5/96 issue “Me and Bobby Dole” 11/5/96 issue “Keep business local” 11/7/96 issue “What did you say?” 11/8/96 issue “Could you please stop that?” 11/13/96 issue “Let me in, damn you!” 11/15/96 issue Letters to the Editor 11/19/96 issue “Mickey and Minnie aren’t the only couple” 11/20/96 issue “Just what is so great about color, anyway?” 11/21/96 issue “OK, here comes the enlightenment …” 11/22/96 issue “Silence!” 11/26/96 issue Letters to the Editor (Trashcan) 11/26/96 issue “Skateboarding is not a crime” 12/2/96 issue “Capitalist pigs” 12/3/96 issue “Recycle or die” 12/4/96 issue “Heading back into life…” 12/5/96 issue “I’m leaving, on a jet plane …” 12/6/96 issue “1996 out like a bad bump” 1/9/97 issue “Men rise above women in intellect” 1/9/97 issue Mark Roland commentary backlash 1/13/97 issue More Mark Roland commentary backlash 1/14/97 issue “Division I brings money, excitement to Poly” 1/14/97 issue “So, there’s worth in them liberal arts majors after all” 1/16/97 issue “Wanna man? Don’t play by ‘The Rules'” 1/16/97 issue “Feeling’ the beat: the conformity of non-conformity” 1/17/97 issue “Proud to be 100 percent pure American” 1/17/97 issue “The poor sportsmanship of foul language” 1/23/97 issue “Skid Row opens eyes to the plight of the poor” 1/24/97 issue “Managed health lowers quality of care” 1/28/97 issue Letters to the Editor about abortion 1/30/97 issue “Environmental damage from sports complex ignored by administration” 1/31/97 issue “Building a better planet through theft” 2/4/97 issue “Read this article and label no more” 2/6/97 issue “Correcting one writer’s view of history” 2/7/97 issue “Child’s death casts doubt on God’s existence” 4/3/97 issue “Poly Plan goals should be possible without raising fees” 4/3/97 issue “God loves people, even through tragedy” 4/8/97 issue “Revenge of the Nerds: a reality at Poly?” 4/10/97 issue “Everyone’s got to have faith” 4/15/97 issue “Out the Window” column 4/15/97 issue “No…wait! Sorry, do sign that petition” 4/17/97 issue “Animal rights activists just plain wrong” 4/22/97 issue “Remembering the Armenian Genocide” 4/24/97 issue “Concrete promises needed from the plan’s planners” 4/29/97 issue “The Holocaust’s heartaches” 5/1/97 issue “Students screwed up on the Poly Plan vote” 5/5/97 issue “If you could cast three votes…” 5/6/97 issue “Not the best way to vote on a leader” 5/8/97 issue “Credit/No Credit changes don’t make the grade” 5/13/97 issue “Graduation woes grow as the day draws closer and costs soar” 5/15/97 issue “Vote for Entzi is a vote for action” 5/19/97 issue “McShane’s worthy of a second term” 5/19/97 issue “Religion issue response” 5/22/97 issue “Galerie cut based on bad survey” 5/29/97 issue “Senate goes controversial” 5/29/97 issue “Surfing nerds wipeout, brah” 5/29/97 issue “Speaker cut society’s fabric” 6/2/97 issue “Speaker gave a history lesson, not a bash session” 6/2/97 issue Letters to the Editor about surf poseurs 6/3/97 issue “Ag department’s not all bad” 6/5/97 issue Letters to the Editor about controversial speaker 6/5/97 issue “Will the surfing clothing debate ever end or will it be an endless summer?” 6/5/97 issue “God help us — a special In-Depth, Trendy Story” 6/6/97 issue “A professor’s list of Don’t Dos”
9/25/97 issueLetters to the Editor (winking)
9/25/97 issue“Affirmative Action: A step towards equality”
9/26/97 issueLetters to the Editor (fishwrap)
10/1/97 issue“Think people! Don’t curse the Utilidor”
10/1/97 issue“I miss the old Cal Poly”
10/1/97 issue“Students watch out! Cal Poly isn’t really an open campus”
10/2/97 issue“Focus on your studies!”
10/2/97 issue“Get to work!”
10/2/97 issue“Seek higher education reform at state level”
10/6/97 issue“Where’s the Cal Poly melting pot?”
10/6/97 issue“Time to face the music”
10/7/97 issue“More room for bikes!”
10/8/97 issue“Danger may lurk at the bars”
10/8/97 issue“It’s high time we get our act together”
10/8/97 issue“Women aren’t property (Point) / You owe it to tradition (Counterpoint)”
10/15/97 issue“Hit ’em where it hurts”
10/17/97 issue“University bilks students during co-ops”
10/20/97 issue“Check your records!”
10/28/97 issue“Making the best of campus dining”
10/29/97 issue“What about the Men’s Center?”
10/30/97 issue“Picture implies we’re drunken farmboys”
11/3/97 issue“Girls are mean!”
11/4/97 issue“Practically a Spaniard”
11/5/97 issue“Choose wisely and avoid Mustang Village”
11/5/97 issue“Give us a chance to die well”
11/13/97 issue“Athletes are smarter than you think!”
11/18/97 issue“A miscarriage of thought”
11/19/97 issue“A wall of heroes”
11/19/97 issue“Not just a sex issue, a human issue”
11/20/97 issue“Incredibly shrinking old people are scary behind the wheel”
11/24/97 issue“Techno Time Stealers”
12/1/97 issue“True spirit of Christmas isn’t under the tree”
12/2/97 issue“Television violence: hooray V-chip”
12/3/97 issue“Enjoy life as an undergraduate”
12/4/97 issue“Rise of the whiny white woman”
1/8/98 issue“The Mark Roland Rape Crisis Hotline”
1/12/98 issue“Rose Float satisfaction”
1/13/98 issue“Umbrella etiquette, it’s just common courtesy”
1/22/98 issue“Where’s the beef?”
1/26/98 issueIllustration for departmental secretary picket
1/27/98 issue“Adultery isn’t a crime / We don’t care unless it’s about sex”
1/29/98 issue“Questioning Clinton’s honesty”
2/2/98 issue“Mythical pay raises at Cal Poly”
2/3/98 issue“Don’t gun it and ‘mow’ anyone down”
2/5/98 issue“Forget embryo and fetus rights”
2/5/98 issue“It’s too easy to forget ‘Him'”
2/9/98 issue“Some spice ain’t so nice”
2/9/98 issue“Sign theft is serious”
2/10/98 issue“Wrestling Mustang Daily”
2/10/98 issue“Delta Tau scapegoat”
2/12/98 issue“Efficiency and Cal Poly separated at birth”
2/19/98 issue“Music industry gives you what you want”
2/23/98 issue“Read up on some bookstore etiquette”
2/24/98 issue“Obviously logic has yet to evolve”
2/26/98 issue“SLO nightlife — Nicole’s guided tour”
3/2/98 issue“A dividing line between the living and the dead”
3/3/98 issueIllustration for Culture Fest letters
3/5/98 issueIllustration for existential letter
3/5/98 issue“Like, give the word a break”
3/10/98 issue“Other groups decorate the ‘P,’ too”
3/10/98 issue“GIMMEE a human!”
3/12/98 issue“Shakespeare”
3/12/98 issue“Sexual harassment falls by the wayside”
4/2/98 issue“Meter maids from Hell”
4/7/98 issue“Listen parents: Our future lies in children”
4/9/98 issue“Propositioning you to vote in June primary”
4/9/98 issue“Prince Charming, meet Kelly the college student”
4/15/98 issue“The search for Area 51”
4/16/98 issue“Hearst Castle reigns atop La Cuesta Encantada”
4/16/98 issue“Find the path less traveled and hike through untouched beauty”
4/16/98 issue“Prop 227 is bad news for kids”
4/21/98 issue“Using our e-mail to get rich quick”
4/23/98 issue“Letter to the Big Man on campus”
4/30/98 issue“Damning ‘sinners’ in the dorms”
5/7/98 issue“Save the world from marijuana!”
5/8/98 issue“Pot smokers are people too, happy people”
5/14/98 issue“Macs won’t crash in 2000”
5/19/98 issue“The skinny on campus flesh”
5/21/98 issue“Shop for roomies before next year”
5/21/98 issue“Carrot Man the clandestine anti-lover super-hero of San Luis Obispo”
6/1/98 issue“Peeping at loud and lewd neighbors”
6/1/98 issue“Talkin’ Cal Poly Blues”
6/1/98 issue“Restless nights”
6/1/98 issue“Fieldless at Poly”
6/4/98 issue“How noble of you, voters”
6/4/98 issue“Culture school: Arts and Literature 101”
9/25/98 issueCartoon about Clinton testimony
10/2/98 issueCartoon about Taliban
9/25/98 issue“Conquering the cult of physical fitness”
10/9/98 issue“Human rights come before animal rights”
10/9/98 issue“Cartoon about Betty Sanders Assembly campaign”
10/9/98 issueCartoon about Nobel Prize for Viagra
10/16/98 issueCartoon about John Glenn returning to space
10/30/98 issue“Halloween is a demonic holiday”
10/30/98 issue“Wrestling with an obsession”
11/6/98 issueCartoon about Jesse Ventura as governor
11/6/98 issueIllustration for November Coupon Edition
11/10/98 issueCartoon about merging CPE into CSC Dept
11/13/98 issue“Cal Poly’s GEB requirements need refining”
11/13/98 issue“Beer was not the problem in Reno”
11/20/98 issueCartoon about Star Wars Ep.1 preview
11/20/98 issue“Is monogamy really that difficult for men?”
12/4/98 issueCartoon about “lower” textbook prices
12/4/98 issueCartoon about Hustler fishing for scandal
1/8/99 issueCartoon about SLC Olympic corruption
1/12/99 issue“Getting ready for the ‘Y2K’ disaster”
1/14/99 issue“The ‘Y2K’ buildup is nothing but hype”
1/14/99 issueCartoon about hand transplant ethics
1/26/99 issue“New Fox comedy is culturally offensive”
1/26/99 issue“‘The PJs’ address important issues”
1/26/99 issueCartoon about surplus and deficit
2/2/99 issueIllustration for February Coupon Edition
2/2/99 issueCartoon about Dan Quayle
2/9/99 issue“We need to focus more on recent case”
2/11/99 issue“Reopening of case may jog memories”
2/11/99 issue“Hand transplant is risky and unnecessary”
2/18/99 issue“Transplant brings new hope for all”
2/18/99 issueCartoon about Alabama banning vibrators
2/23/99 issueCartoon about Teletubbie’s TInky Winky
2/23/99 issueCartoon about campaign finance reform
3/2/99 issueCartoon about Chinese democracy
3/2/99 issueIllustration for March Coupon Edition
3/2/99 issueCartoon about single-candidate ASI election
3/9/99 issueCartoon about US banana exports
3/9/99 issueCartoon about Melissa virus
4/1/99 issueCartoon about NATO sanctions on Milosevich
4/7/99 issueCartoon about talk show embarrassment
4/14/99 issue“War is necessary to preserve peace”
4/15/99 issue“The war in Kosovo is not solving anything”
4/15/99 issueCartoon about awareness seen as graffiti
4/21/99 issueCartoon about nonsense flyer campaigns
4/28/99 issueCartoon about Star Wars advance tickets
5/5/99 issueIllustration for May Coupon Edition
5/11/99 issueIn memory of Shel Silverstein
5/12/99 issueCartoon about presidential salary
5/19/99 issue“Students debate athletic funding at Cal Poly” (Con)
5/26/99 issue“Students debate athletic funding at Cal Poly” (Pro)
5/26/99 issueCartoon about easy-to-access guns
5/26/99 issueCartoon about cold summer
5/26/99 issue
Hina Naqvi
What a blast from the past! I used to look forward to these Julie