New Years through the years

I drew my first cartoon for the Arizona Daily Star for the New Year’s Day edition back in 1986. Thirty nine years ago I relied on a semi-photorealistic pointillist style. I switched to my present Hanna Barbera style when I grew weary of 12-hour days. And it was more fun to channel my inner Saturday morning cartoon loving back-of-the-classroom doodler.

By 2005 I was fully into my Kliban stage.

Thirty three years after I began at The Star I had fully found my visual “vocabulary”.

I often used the New Year’s trope of “Baby New Year” meets the “Old Year” to comment on politics.

Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year 2019

Happy New Year 2022

The new year was always a chance to use my favorite characters, the desert rats.

Sometimes I am overcome by giddy silliness fueled by what I call “cheerful delusion”.

Some years my inner alarmist shines through. Like after Covid.

Throughout the years I have enjoyed drawing multiple panels like the one below. When I created such chatty multiple panel masterpieces I was accused by colleagues of drawing cartoons that were too “wordy”.

Little did I know way back then I was a “closeted” writer struggling to swap my artist’s pen for an author’s keyboard. I am so grateful to providence The Star gave me a shot at column writing. And the second life I was so hungry for arrived just as my daily pen became heavy as Sisyphus’ boulder.

As the new year begins I am so grateful for you my dear supportive reader without whom this life would not possible.

In spite of what comes our way in 2025 I remain inspired by you, your wisdom, your strength, your resolve and your love for our nation.

So dear friends let us dive head first into the challenges of this year ahead.

On January 18th there will be a Peoples March in downtown Tucson. Let’s take to the streets to raise our voices together and rock this coming year.

Register for the details, the time and the location here: People's March

Ever onward, dear reader,

David