Three-In One Special

Three recent cartoons for the SALEM NEWS (Massachusetts): Most notably, the effects of Global Warming in the 1600's...Plus, a sequel to the Cummings Properties' tree cuttings some time ago..Plus, a plan to install extra parking meters has people going postal..

Salem News: Winter Market

Published 09/24/2011 in the SALEM (MA) NEWS;
There are some advantages to having a Farmer's market in the wintertime. (The small shelters that make up the marketplace in Salem have no utilities..)

Salem News: If At First You Don't Suceed...FAIL AGAIN!!

Originally published in THE SALEM NEWS (MA) 12/18/2010:
A proposed Methadone Clinic, already booted out by a massive neighborhood protest. once again tries to gain a foothold in Salem. Unfortunately, their choice for an alternate area-in the vincinity of the local HIGH SCHOOL..as well as traffic concerns... once again bring up an uproar and the clinic was denied..Will there be a next chapter in this saga? Stay tuned...

Salem News: Fattening the Economy

Published 07/28/2010 in THE SALEM NEWS: The Paper ran an article about the new restaurant boom in Downtown Salem and the hopes the city has for its success. I know Salem is no Boston or New York, but given its size and locality, 65 eating joints is quite a thing. Given this, I decided to have a bit of fun with the city logo . The top image is the one the NEWS printed. The lower one is an alternative idea. I sent BOTH to mt editor at the same time and told HIM to choose the one he liked best.

Salem News Cartoon : Outdoor Seating

Restuarnt outdoor seating- especially on public sidewalks-is irking many on the city council lately..published 05/05/2010.

From The Smig Archives: Meet Ma Kabre!

Some years ago I pitched a comic strip to the syndicates called MA KABRE. It was loosely inspired by the fact I live in Salem, Ma. "The Witch City" where we have plenty of fortune tellers, aura readers,not to mention a good number of new age shops and magic supply stores. (these days, Pickering Wharf is practically a Witch Mall) I came up with a gypsy-styled character who was more of an modern age huckster and named her "Ma Kabre"(A pun on "Macabre")
Ma needed a sidekick/conscience type character. Origially I figured on a Black cat, but that would have been way too obvious, so I opted for a more unusal, and yet still appropriate animal given the Halloweeness of some of the concept-A black fruit bat named "Austin". Austin was actually based on a puppet I made some time earlier.
The original idea behind the strip was to satrize business and consumerism with a definetly skewred slant.I drew up about a month's worth of strips, made up a presentation packet, and mailed them to the syndicates. Neddles to say, they came back in record time.
I'll be posting the packet here in installments. Right now, here's Part One, what would be considered the first week of the strip.

Getting the Ax

I live in Salem, MA, known as the "Witch City" for being the area of the historical "Salem Witch Trails" this tends to get us a LOT of tourists during the Halloween season, in fact,the high point of Salem's Tourism season are the last couple months towatrd Halloween., during which the city runs a LOT of Haunted Houses, Witch Museums, Witchcraft Shops,Fortune-Tellers,(Often on borderline tacky and tasteless) you get the picture.

The latest addition is called THE TRUE STORY OF LIZZIE BORDEN MUSEUM. In my capacatity as local issue cartoonist for THE SALEM NEWS, I offered my take on what the souvenir stand for a museum like that would be..