Our readers and subscribers have spoken. Our cartoonist of the year is BoomSlang.
Boomslang
I grew up in an era of ‘BIG’ and ‘GOOD’… Back then news stories, music, rockstars, football matches and movies were big! Talent was big! Humour was big! “Big” stood out from the crowds and the best then, still stand out today. This is when I began my cartooning career having work published in many papers over the years, trying to develop through hard graft and often without payment. There was no instant success. It took years. “Pushing the envelope” was my mantra.
Then slowly and insidiously, things changed. Talent, individuality, humour and excitement, gave way to some weird, global doctrine of PC and slowly and insidiously this cultish religion spread like a virus around the planet contaminating everything in its path. The biggest victim has been… the’ truth’ and the best humour, offensive as it is now deemed, usually has the truth behind it. Truth hurts.
“Boomslang” hatched after the death of the little Maori boy, Moko. There had been other similar deaths but the mainstream media seemed to avoid the hard questions. Why were Maori over-represented in child abuse statistics? So my usual meek and mild light-heartedness gave way to shock then anger hence the Moko cartoon I submitted to WO.
Since then I’ve tried to set Boomslang free but he often visits in the night and hisses irreverent thoughts in my ear. I have to act on them. So if something offends someone then great. I couldn’t give a toss. Blame the snake!
Below Are the Winning Cartoons from Each of the Six Rounds.
