Alan Michael Parker was a poet and teacher for four decades. Alan Michael Parker still teaches. But Alan Michael Parker is no longer a poet. Now, he’s a cartoonist. A single-panel cartoonist, to be specific—and in this piece for VQR, he turns the critic’s eye on himself in order to explain what makes the form so joyous and multilayered. Red cowboy boots and sparkly nail polish never signified so much.
Color is the most affective aspect of the single-panel cartoon, and thus where we find our feelings. Color also has cultural power, symbolism, and a profound relationship to dreams. Thinking about color in a cartoon provides a fertile site for exploring who we are and, in turn, for learning about cartoons in the digital age.
What are the feelings and thoughts evoked by a cartoon? What are the feelings and thoughts invested in making them? A close study of color might offer some clues. At the very least, it allows us to pause and spend some time with art.
More stories by (and about) cartoonists
Writing in Pictures
“Richard Scarry and the art of children’s literature.”
The Feminist Paradox of Cathy Guisewite
A profile of Cathy Guisewite, the Baby Boomer creator of “Cathy,” the popular comic strip widely syndicated from 1976 to 2010, and the eponymous character’s conflicting concerns.
Ralph Steadman: The Gonzo Marksman
“It can be hard to fill the hours, so I try to make a mark every day.” Ralph Steadman, the Welsh artist best known for his political cartoons and collaborations with Hunter S. Thompson, continues to make art that makes a statement.
