Planet Waves is happy to announce that Jen Sorenson, one of our weekly cartoonists and author of the Slow Poke comic on the Planet Waves Daily Astrology blog, has been awarded the Herblock Prize for 2014. Jen joins Matt Bors, another weekly cartoonist for Planet Waves and the Herblock Prize recipient for 2012.
Herbert Lawrence Block, or “Herblock” was a nationally syndicated political editorial cartoonist in the 20th century, with work spanning five and a half decades. His images and commentary were always from a liberal perspective, and often quite devastating.
If there was one Herblock cartoon I remember best from my childhood, it was a re-draw of the famous photo of LBJ showing us his stomach surgery scars, only the scars were drawn to look like the map of North and South Vietnam. It was apparent to Herblock and the rest of us in the late 1960s that the Vietnam War was becoming wildly unpopular. And it was Herblock who, image by image, relentlessly pounded on “Tricky Dick” Nixon and the burgeoning Watergate scandals.
Herblock was never enamored of politicians. He was interested only in what they did. And he illustrated that interest without mercy. Which is exactly what politicians deserved and what we needed. Same goes with Jen Sorenson, whose Slow Poke comics show us the ridiculousness of our modern-day political theater, with that same refreshing relentlessness and intolerance for crap. We look forward to her work every week. Congratulations, Jen! Happy and honored to have you here with us!
Congratulations indeed! That’s a big deal, and well deserved. I adore Jen Sorensen’s cartoons. I have no doubt Herblock would, too.
Congratulations to Jen Sorenson indeed! It’s a pleasure looking at her cartoons. 🙂
Congratulations to Jen Sorensen for a richly deserved honor. And thanks to you, Fe, for such a richly articulated tribute to fearless political cartoonists past and present. We here at Planet Waves are enriched beyond measure by your contributions and those of Ms Sorensen.