Most remarkable days

So the G20 is over. Cartoonists across Australia can put away their world leader caricatures and get back to tried and true local politics. Or can they...

"Oh, these have been some of the most remarkable days of my life. Never has a simple country gal been blessed with so many fine suitors."

Rockstar Welcome

World leaders flocked to Australia for the G20 summit this week.

But only one leader, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, got the rockstar treatment. And no wonder, with hit tracks like this...

"My economic credentials bring all my people to the yard, and they're like - they're better than yours..."

Spicy pitches

Just read an extraordinary article in the SMH by my childhood hero Dean Jones about everything that's wrong with Australian cricket. Here are some excerpts:

Batsmen seem to have no clue on how to play spin or reverse swing. Our batsmen seem to be always in a rush and they seem to have no idea on how to bat for four hours, let alone six.

And (even more damningly):

Maybe the Twenty20 and one-day cricket hasn't helped either. In this world of instant gratification, where we want everything now without having to earn it, perhaps it is the wrong attitudes that are at fault – players who try to hit over the top and get out, saying, "That's the way I play".

Bamboozled

Hear hear Dean, hear, here. Read the rest here (here): http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/why-the-australians-have-been-flattrack-bullied-20141107-11hoxf.html

It's Not Easy Being Green

Inspiration comes in many forms. But mostly it comes in the form of a sudden humorous idea that makes you chuckle to yourself. And so the idea of Abbott telling Kermit to "give it a rest" was born...

And then I thought, hey, what about poor old Clive - he's having a hard time keeping his green credentials of late. It was all looking so good when he did that Al Gore interview. But now with his support for "Direct Action" and deferment of any carbon trading scheme... well, maybe he needs a song too. Take it away Clive.

Please play along at home while you read this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiIWMWWVco

While I'm at it, I also thought I'd publish a little older carbon country cartoon that didn't quite make the cut last time. It's a little rough (and smudgy) but you get the point.

Pens and other friendships

A good pen, when used properly, can be like a good friend. But it is also a fickle friend. Not only will it, when the mood hits it, ensure that your masterpiece is nicely smudged (refer last post) but it may also escape your grasp entirely when you are not looking. And so it goes with my latest pen-pal (in the most literal sense). Who knows where it may be now? I can only image what grubby hands are grasping its hard plastic shaft (please, no need to go there) and scraping its delicate nib across coarse, inferior paper.

But the loss of my pen has also shown me that sometimes the best friend of all is the one you overlooked. The one who was there all along. Sure, this friend may be less desirable in many ways - perhaps even dull. But they are dependable. And so I present my latest sketch with the help of my trusty, old biro. The topic, "Shorten supports same sex marriage". And away we go...

Doctor: "You're very lucky, Mr Shorten, that we were able to find this backbone implant in time. Your situation was getting quite dire!" 

I also draw this picture as a new logo for the record label Homeless. I sent a physical copy to them in the mail but no reply. Perhaps because they didn't request a new logo. Perhaps because I said their current logo looked like it was drawn by Walt Disney on a bad day. So it goes...

If you want to understand why they need a new logo, here is their site: http://homelessrecords.bandcamp.com/ (I suppose you could also buy some of their excellent music. But I'm mostly referring you there to see the logo.)

It's time... to bring back the blog

Over one year since my last post, I'm back. Some say that the fire in my belly fizzled out when Abbott was elected and I had to swap my Rudd-man cartoons for the chiseled jaw of our new adonis-like PM. Others say, somewhat more cruelly, that corporate life sucked the soul out of my cartooning and confined me to doodling bespectacled pinheads each week for the entertainment of my fellow employees (which, it should be known, I still enjoy).

But, as previously disclosed, I'm back. Ready to prove the naysayers wrong. And this time I've invested - in a new pen. I love it but, as you will see, it don't love me back - not yet at least. It's always saying "Great picture, how about we smudge it a bit?". Cheeky. But I am dedicated to mastering this pen for your enjoyment. So, for now, ignore the smudginess and enjoy!

"Welcome to Carbon Country" (with apologies to Big Tobacco)

Joe Hockey worried about impact of Chinese housing bubble on Australian economy