Readers: Original Announcement - After publishing fresh cartoons every day for over two years, I've decided to scale things back a teeny-weeny bit. You'll still get new cartoons and commentary Monday thru Friday, but the weekends will now be "catch up" time for all of us...when you can go back and read cartoons you may have missed (or visit the frequently spirited comments sections), and I can spend time working on some additional mischief.
This is purely a time-management situation (despite rumors that I just closed a $315 million dollar deal to become part of AOL-HuffPost-HopeNChange) and I assure you that I'm every bit as dedicated to Hope n' Change Cartoons as ever. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how much the Left might want me to.
And it's not impossible that the occasional weekend cartoon will turn up, depending on what kind of jackassery is in the news and whether or not I can keep my opinions bottled up for two days without having an aneurysm. (I've already delayed this announcement a couple of times as the world was unraveling).
In the meanwhile, if you're concerned about going into cartoon withdrawal, let me recommend that you visit the links in my sidebar to check out Diversity Lane, Angie comics, Day by Day, and the non-political but equally depressing Johnny Optimism. For that matter, Diversity Lane and Angie both have new, lovely, oversized paperback collections available (again, see the sidebar) and I highly recommend them...not only as well-done and funny books, but as a way to show your support for conservative cartoonists (who also happen to be really nice guys).
Which brings me around to saying "thank you" for the wonderful support that you show me on a daily basis. It gives me tremendous pleasure to see how the readership numbers have grown, and it means a lot to me when you re-post my cartoons or share them with friends who will hopefully become regular visitors to this site.
That's it for now - see you back here on Monday! -Stilton Jarlsberg
Readers: Updated Announcement - Having perhaps underestimated my OCD and need to post daily, I'm going to try posting cartoons from the "Hope n' Change Vault" on weekends, selecting cartoons that are in some way relevant to today's news and adding a quick bit of perspective from the present. Let me know what you think!
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You've done a FABULOUS job for us, Stilton.
ReplyDeleteYou've certainly earned your weekends.
Enjoy the opportunity to recharge the "little grey cells".
Thanks for being there,
Psalm 91
Rose from Texas
I found you about a year ago and have been sending some of your more poignant strips to my friends (most of my family are hopelessly liberal). These missing two days a week will be difficult but knowing that you will be “hiding out” in Indiana with the WI senators, I am confident you will have fodder for even better strips. Enjoy your well deserved time off.
ReplyDeleteNobody should work 7 days a week. It's not healthy.
ReplyDeleteI love the word "jackassery", and use it frequently.
"Spirited" comments? Like we've been drinking, or something?
ReplyDeleteWell, occasionally guilty as charged...
I'll miss the weekend editions, but as folks say you deserve the break. Take care, be well, and "see" you on Mon!
Well dang. I'll still be checking in on weekends. Seems like the Whitehouse has a habit of disclosing embarrrassing info late on Fridays in hopes that no one picks up on it. I KNOW you'll be paying attention. Thanks for all your hard work, insight, and humor.
ReplyDeleteI meant embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteI sure will miss you on the weekends, Stilton, but everyone needs a little down time. Knowing you, that down time will result in revealing even lesser known stories than you'd already been all over. Thanks for all you do, but GET SOME REST!
ReplyDeleteBy all means, enjoy your weekends. You deserve it!
ReplyDeleteEkshully it's good that you're going to get some time off into your schedule - there've been too many talented, brilliant, clever, witty artists who've burnt themselves out. A suggestion for the weekends: Is it possible to have old strips automatically posted? It'd be nice to start with #1 and work up to date.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know "genius" took a break. But if anyone was more deserving...
ReplyDeleteReaders- Aw shucks, now I'm blushing! Thank you, all, for such nice comments.
ReplyDeleteI wish I really was able to just prop my feet up and take weekends off, but actually I'm just going to use the time to work on additional projects (some of which are directly related to Conservatism).
On average, I put 2-3 hours a day in on Hope n' Change, which is a significant time commitment for something which isn't done for profit (the only ads on this site are unpaid, and provided for people and causes I believe in). But it's fun, fulfilling, and cathartic.
Per Nabu the Scribe (now there is a cool name), I'll give some thought to perhaps publishing some "out of the vault" golden oldies on weekends. The downside is that the HnC cartoons are intended to be so timely that their appeal (or cultural references) can sometimes fade from memory after months or years. Still, there's merit to the idea and I'll think about how (or if) it could be implemented.
Don't forget that every cartoon is available in the "Blog Archive" in the left column. You can go back to the first cartoon in 2009 and start reading them all if you like.
By the way, if you do go way back you'll see that the cartoons were much simpler, and there was frequently very little commentary from me to go with them. That made them pretty easy to knock out, but didn't really give me a chance to speak my mind (or include links to articles which I felt were informative or important). So over time, the commentary has grown to be as important as the cartoons, and every bit as time consuming.
Truth be told, I don't really like the idea that there will be any days - even weekends - in which there isn't some sort of update. Maybe there's something simple and fun I can post on weekends instead of doing the full-on cartoon and commentary. I'll definitely think about it!
Enjoy your weekends off...quitter!
ReplyDelete;-)
Stilton, I just recently found you. Great work. Astute, insightful, piercing... not only is the Emperor parading naked, but you capture just how strange his butt looks as well. I forward you on often to friends and encourage them to subscribe.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekends.... you're as entitled as anyone, probably more. The auto-repeater suggestion for weekend re-runs has a lot of merit.
Thanks for the personal time you generously invest for all our benefit. Enjoy those weekends.
Rest and recharge, O Stiltonish One!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the mention!
I'll miss the weekend posts, but understand the need to drop them. No matter how you slice it, there are still only 24 hours in a day! If you do think of something quick (and pithy) to "fill-in" on the weekends, I have no doubt that I will enjoy it, too!
ReplyDeleteI think I speak for many when I say that we appreciate you more than you could possibly know. I am constantly amazed that you manage to do what you do!
Enjoy the time off, Stilt!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, we'll all continue to tune-in.....
Readers- Wow, it didn't take long for me to start twitching, sweating, and needing my blog "fix." So I'm trying a new experiment. I WILL post on weekends, pulling up a cartoon from the vaults which is relevant to current news, and adding a little perspective from the present (like saying, "See?! I TOLD you so!")
ReplyDeleteWe'll start the new plan tomorrow...and I'll look forward to your feedback!
God bless ya, man....I think we all realize we are in a fight for the soul and survival of this free nation! I appreciate all you do!
ReplyDeleteWhile I agreee w/ 99% of what you say, I find unions to be a necessary evil, lest we all work in a wal-mart fashion, 7 days a weeek, on holidays...
ReplyDeletewhich brings me to the irony of your decision to go five days a week .... I'll say no more :)
Kevin- Note that the legislators in Wisconsin aren't doing anything regarding private sector unions... they're only trying to reduce the power of their public sector unions in order to curtail the 74¢ of benefits they get for every dollar of salary.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I think there are an awful lot of people who would be delighted to get a job that employs them "Wal-Mart fashion," 7 days a week and on holidays, rather than being jobless. Or, increasingly, so hopeless that they don't even bother looking for jobs.
Additionally, there are laws on the books which protect workers even without unions. There isn't much danger of 9-year olds being forced to work 18 hour days in steel mills anymore. Unions had an important role once. But times have changed.
As far as my own situation is concerned, there is no irony. I'm still working 7 days a week (and long hours on each of those days). I'm not reducing my workload in the least; I'm simply shifting a bit more of my time to other ventures.
@Kevin, quickly, as some background I am in a union.(Rail). But I read Ann Coulter last week and she makes a good point which I am compelled to point out. Who exactly is the big evil corporation that teachers need protecting from? They work for government.
ReplyDelete