Many cartoonists will do a ‘year in review’ this time of year, a selection of what they, their editors, or their readers viewed as their best cartoons of the year. It looks good on the editorial page of a daily newspaper. Since all of my daily work is syndicated and freelance, any selection of my best national cartoons won’t be printed on an editorial page anywhere, although one or two of mine have shown up in dailies where a number of cartoonists have been represented. I’ll have a selection of MY favourite syndicated cartoons here on Monday. But for now, here is the ‘Best of 2012’ selection for the Rocky Mountain Outlook, the local weekly I draw for that covers the communities of Exshaw, Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. We’ve lived in this area for quite awhile, 7 years in Banff, 11 in Canmore, and while we talk about leaving every winter (even just for a few months), I’m pretty sure it’s all talk, at least for a few more years. This is home.
A few notes…we have a bunny problem in Canmore. I could have filled the page with bunny cartoons and had some left over. Banff National Park has a problem with tourists feeding wildlife, especially bears. They’re not tame, people. It’s not a petting zoo! Bottom left, the dogs in the window, refers to a dog attack in March by a cougar in Canmore. A LOT of people told me they loved that cartoon, so I guess it hit home for locals. Bear deaths on the highway is an ongoing issue as well, as people refuse to obey the speed limit. And finally, Banff has an ongoing battle with providing economic stability and growth for a tourist town, located inside of a national park. Never easy, but always fodder for cartoons.
Click on the page to see it larger.
