Neighbors being neighbors

More Stilwell frogs -- the first "Stilwell"

Continuing the series of digitally restored comics published in The Cauldron, Cleveland State University's student newspaper, 1971-73. According to my records, this was the first in the Stilwell series to appear in the paper. There were a number of them dealing with dysfunctional social situations. The joke in this one was not original. It was shamelessly stolen from banter by Paul Stookey in the "Peter, Paul & Mary In Concert" double album, circa 1964. Stookey's comedy narrative was a stock feature of the famous folk group's concerts. The strip ran on April 20, 1971. I would soon discover that there was a wealth of original material happening all around me on campus.

More Stilwell frogs -- Cafeteria cliques

Another in a series of digitally restored cartoons published between 1971 and 1973 in The Cauldron, the student newspaper at Cleveland State University. Stilwell cafeteria wasn't merely randomly peopled. There were social strata. Certain tables were "claimed" by the members of the fraternities and sororities on campus. The Greeks would hold court at their respective rows of tables throughtout the day as their ilk came from and went to classes. You just knew not to sit at the Tekes' or the Deltas' table, nor at any other table within earshot of them, if you valued individualism and genuine social interaction or just wanted to eat a bland meal, sip a cup of flavorless coffee and study for a while in relative peace. This cartoon is obviously a sendup to this dynamic. You can probably tell that I did not, to put it mildly, identify with my fellow students who "belonged" to these organizations. I was perfectly content not "belonging" to any group. That is, until my circle of friends formed our mocking takeoff on them, a co-ed "frasority" we called Mei Kong Delta, named after the mouth of a river in Vietnam. I should point out, also, that in my five years at Cleveland State, I never saw a rat in Stilwell cafeteria, although I must confess that the nickname of one of the people at our table was "Rat." Seriously. The one used in this comic, which was published on May 4, 1971, is just a comic device, used in the last panel, a panel that also attempts to faithfully represent the southeast corner of the cafeteria, next to the curtained plate-glass windows looking out onto East 24th Street.

I'm just sayin'

More Stilwell frogs -- Cafeteria in chaos

Another digitally restored cartoon from the Cleveland State University student newspaper, The Cauldron, published on Oct. 26, 1971. It's interesting how some of the cartoons bring back forgotten details of campus life. The cafeteria in Stilwell Hall had apparently been upgraded, though the particulars of the make-over escape me. I do remember that the place got a little roughed up in a riot that broke out the previous year after the Kent State shootings. Hugh plate-glass windows were smashed and chairs got tossed. The main topic in this cartoon, however, is the campus radio station. It didn't broadcast; it was patched into the cafeteria's PA system. At times, the volume level was not carefully monitored, so it could be piercingly annoying. Also, references in the cartoons to how much things cost continue to amuse. I'm sure that the price tags on the plates are meant to make the point that the entrees were too expensive, particularly considering the modest size of whatever the glops in the middle of them are supposed to represent. And, on top of that, flimsy plasticware at those prices? What an outrage!

Boxing madness

If you are sane and you'd like to feel what it's like to be insane, try drawing a crowd of spectators at a sporting event, from scratch. As much work as it was in this case, it feels like a cop-out because, in the end, I lazily decided to put the crowd in a monochrome shadow instead of coloring everybody in Photoshop. If you are already insane, never mind; you already know what I'm talking about.

Happy Father's Day, all

It's not much, but this is the only father-related cartoon I have in my collection. So, if you're a dad, count yer blessings. This one's for you. If you're a dad who still has his teeth, count yer blessing even more!