Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Graeme MacKay Web and Editorial Cartoonist

I was born (1968), raised and schooled in the Hamilton area. I attended The University of Ottawa. Since 1997 I've been the editorial cartoonist at the Hamilton Spectator. I'm married with a 2 year old daughter.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
Peanuts, The Far Side, Herman. Magazines - Mad magazine, Cracked, National Lampoon.

Tell us how you landed began working on editorial cartoons.
Ever since I was a kid I've always held a fascination for news and people in government. In grade six I did caricatures of the well known despot from Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeni.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
In University, I drew a politically themed cartoon strip called "Alas & Alack", at the student newspaper, "The Fulcrum". Between 1999 and 2003, I co-created a strip called "Gridlock", which centered around 5 cab drivers plying their trade in Hamilton.

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your editorial cartoon?
Editorial Cartooning is satirizing the news, society, and the people who are in positions of power. Combining caricature, an item in the news, an opinion on that particular item in the news, and throwing in humour makes for the right ingredients of an ideal editorial cartoon. It has been said of editiorial cartoonists that "our job is to come in after the battle is over and shoot the wounded."

Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills.
Practice definitely works. Before becoming an editorial cartoonist, or a comic strip artist for that matter, one has to have a lot of experience drawing. With editorial cartooning, you have to have a keen interest in news. You have to have a sense of humour, and a degree of smarts to be able to defend your cartoon if people are offended.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
Roy Peterson, Ranan Lurie, Michael Rameriz, John Larter, Steve Bell, to name a few.

Where do you get your ideas for comedic relief in your comic?
The news.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
People who wanted links to their site from Gridlock's were kind and polite. As for the "community", and this might hurt, I saw it as a group of cliquey high school geeks made up of a few talented aspiring cartoonists and a lot of other doodling wannabes who had nothing better to do on a Saturday night than to post messages on online comic bulletin boards.

Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream print comics?
I would think if there was any sort of "removal" felt by online cartoonists it would be in terms of money. I would hope most online cartoonists would agree that online cartoons and print cartoons are comparing apples to oranges. The big difference between online comics and mainstream is the fact that there are more freedoms for the online cartoonist who is not restricted by boundaries set out by the syndicates. The more eyes that look at your work before it gets seen by the public, the less edgy and interesting a cartoon becomes. On the other hand, it prevents a comic from stepping over that fine line of wit to tastelessness.

Does anything set you apart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American print comics?
Canadians and Americans are virtually the same when it comes to print comics because our societies are so similar and integrated. Compare a North American with, say, a Turkish comic strip artist and then you have an intriguing discussion.

How, if at all, does being "Canadian" factor into the creative process?
I'd think being Canadian, after being assumed American, plays well with the world outside the US. Big deal. To Americans, the vast majority who'll support a Canadian cartoon by reading it, the nationality behind a strip doesn't do any good, if anything, it'll cause an American to yawn.

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic or Art Conventions?
I've gone to several Editorial Cartoonist conventions on both sides of the border.

Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of comics both online and in print, or improved it?
It's just me, but I hate the anime-style of cartoons - so personally, Anime turns me off from reading a comic in that style. At the same time, I understand its popularity and it's all part of the natural evolution of comic style. Comics all looked the same in the 1930's, and since then have changed reflecting society's trends and ways of thinking. To an old guy like me Anime is off-putting, to younger people, it's progess.

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
I like historical movies, like Masters and Commander, Gladiator, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan. As for humour, I like the many mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, ie: Best in Show. Also, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Annie Hall, even American Pie.
I like a number of shoot 'em up films, Casino, The Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas. I don't watch big network tv. I do watch a lot of shows from TLC, PBS, and Showcase. Six Feet Under is a series I've been following.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
If I was syrupy I'd say my wife and daughter, and a copy of the Holy Bible. But to be practical, it would be two dairy cows and a sharp knife. The cows would have to be male and female so that veal could be a potential dinner in the future. I'd have to figure out how to create fire without matches so I could eat the meat. The surrounding water would have to be fresh so the cows could drink it and so I could drink the cow's milk while waiting for my veal dinner to arrive.

What books do you read?
I don't have the attention span nor intelligence to read books. There used to be a time when I read political and historical biographies. Now I read a lot of newspapers and news on the net to get cartoon material. That's not to say I don't read books to my 2 year old daughter. In the past week I've read Cat in the Hat, Good-night Moon, Rainbow Fish, Barnyard Dance, Richard Scary's Trip to the Airport, just to name a few.

How can somebody contact you?
Email. [Via Graeme MacKay's website]:
http://www.mackaycartoons.net

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
The Internet has revolutionized comic strip art and will in time replace the traditional dull comics in our newspapers.

-Graeme MacKay
Editorial Cartoonist
The Hamilton Spectator

Strips:

"America: Our so called friend"
"Ontario Literacy Tests to Tenth Grade Students"
"Casino cops secretly scan you"
"Salt-Lick Cab" - Gridlock
"Happy Easter Indeed..." - Gridlock

Posted by B.Scott
Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Graeme MacKay Web and Editorial Cartoonist I was born (1968), raised and schooled in the Hamilton area. I attended The University of Ottawa. Since 1997 I've been the editorial cartoonist at the Hamilton Spectator. I'm married with a 2 year old daughter. What were your favorite comics growing up? Peanuts, The Far Side, Herman. Magazines - Mad magazine, Cracked, National Lampoon. Tell us how you landed began working on editorial cartoons. Ever since I was a kid I've always held a fascination for news and people in government. In grade six I did caricatures of the well known despot from Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeni. What other writing or comics have you worked on? In University, I drew a politically themed cartoon strip called "Alas & Alack", at the student newspaper, "The Fulcrum". Between 1999 and 2003, I co-created a strip called "Gridlock", which centered around 5 cab drivers plying their trade in Hamilton. For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about your editorial cartoon? Editorial Cartooning is satirizing the news, society, and the people who are in positions of power. Combining caricature, an item in the news, an opinion on that particular item in the news, and throwing in humour makes for the right ingredients of an ideal editorial cartoon. It has been said of editiorial cartoonists that "our job is to come in after the battle is over and shoot the wounded." Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills. Practice definitely works. Before becoming an editorial cartoonist, or a comic strip artist for that matter, one has to have a lot of experience drawing. With editorial cartooning, you have to have a keen interest in news. You have to have a sense of humour, and a degree of smarts to be able to defend your cartoon if people are offended. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? Roy Peterson, Ranan Lurie, Michael Rameriz, John Larter, Steve Bell, to name a few. Where do you get your ideas for comedic relief in your comic? The news. Your thoughts on the online comic community? People who wanted links to their site from Gridlock's were kind and polite. As for the "community", and this might hurt, I saw it as a group of cliquey high school geeks made up of a few talented aspiring cartoonists and a lot of other doodling wannabes who had nothing better to do on a Saturday night than to post messages on online comic bulletin boards. Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream print comics? I would think if there was any sort of "removal" felt by online cartoonists it would be in terms of money. I would hope most online cartoonists would agree that online cartoons and print cartoons are comparing apples to oranges. The big difference between online comics and mainstream is the fact that there are more freedoms for the online cartoonist who is not restricted by boundaries set out by the syndicates. The more eyes that look at your work before it gets seen by the public, the less edgy and interesting a cartoon becomes. On the other hand, it prevents a comic from stepping over that fine line of wit to tastelessness. Does anything set you apart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American print comics? Canadians and Americans are virtually the same when it comes to print comics because our societies are so similar and integrated. Compare a North American with, say, a Turkish comic strip artist and then you have an intriguing discussion. How, if at all, does being "Canadian" factor into the creative process? I'd think being Canadian, after being assumed American, plays well with the world outside the US. Big deal. To Americans, the vast majority who'll support a Canadian cartoon by reading it, the nationality behind a strip doesn't do any good, if anything, it'll cause an American to yawn. Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic or Art Conventions? I've gone to several Editorial Cartoonist conventions on both sides of the border. Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of comics both online and in print, or improved it? It's just me, but I hate the anime-style of cartoons - so personally, Anime turns me off from reading a comic in that style. At the same time, I understand its popularity and it's all part of the natural evolution of comic style. Comics all looked the same in the 1930's, and since then have changed reflecting society's trends and ways of thinking. To an old guy like me Anime is off-putting, to younger people, it's progess. What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? I like historical movies, like Masters and Commander, Gladiator, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan. As for humour, I like the many mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, ie: Best in Show. Also, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Annie Hall, even American Pie. I like a number of shoot 'em up films, Casino, The Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas. I don't watch big network tv. I do watch a lot of shows from TLC, PBS, and Showcase. Six Feet Under is a series I've been following. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? If I was syrupy I'd say my wife and daughter, and a copy of the Holy Bible. But to be practical, it would be two dairy cows and a sharp knife. The cows would have to be male and female so that veal could be a potential dinner in the future. I'd have to figure out how to create fire without matches so I could eat the meat. The surrounding water would have to be fresh so the cows could drink it and so I could drink the cow's milk while waiting for my veal dinner to arrive. What books do you read? I don't have the attention span nor intelligence to read books. There used to be a time when I read political and historical biographies. Now I read a lot of newspapers and news on the net to get cartoon material. That's not to say I don't read books to my 2 year old daughter. In the past week I've read Cat in the Hat, Good-night Moon, Rainbow Fish, Barnyard Dance, Richard Scary's Trip to the Airport, just to name a few. How can somebody contact you? Email. [Via Graeme MacKay's website]: http://www.mackaycartoons.net That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? The Internet has revolutionized comic strip art and will in time replace the traditional dull comics in our newspapers. -Graeme MacKay Editorial Cartoonist The Hamilton Spectator Strips: "America: Our so called friend" "Ontario Literacy Tests to Tenth Grade Students" "Casino cops secretly scan you" "Salt-Lick Cab" - Gridlock "Happy Easter Indeed..." - Gridlock Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine