In a recent post on The New Yorker, several readers beefed that they no longer like the cartoons. Well, I still like most of them, and always read the cartoon contest on the magazine’s last page, where an artist submits a cartoon drawing without a caption; readers submit their own caption, and the editors pick three of the best. The next week the winning caption is announced.
Reader Mark sent this one, but I don’t know if it’s new. He says the last caption is the best. Judge for yourself—and invent your own caption if you wish, though it’s too late to enter the competition.
I like all three captions. Very amusing.
I prefer the middle one. It’s the wittiest of the three.
agree.
“The case isn’t solved, but clearly it’s making progress”
Yes, I know “progress” is taboo, but it needn’t mean more than that things are happening.
Glen Davidson
Progress just means going forward, it doesn’t imply any particular direction or goal so, it’s ok to say that.
Good point – progression, regression…
“This is going to be the biggest case in this town since the Haeckel Embryo Caper.”
Good ones, all!
“We don’t know exactly what happened, but we’ve got a really good theory”
Good one!
agreed! 🙂
All good but I love the first one.
What was Cunk’s question – If you put a Monkey in the zoo, how long before it changes into a person?
Have you ever seen the film HUMAN NATURE?
“Can’t comment, the facts are still evolving.”
Not at all bad.
I like them all but especially like the first one but not by much (#2 is as wonderful). And I thought this was a great drawing.
When Bob Mankoff was cartoon editor I once wrote and asked him how many of these kinds of cartoons had been published and when the first one made its way to the magazine.
I didn’t expect an answer and didn’t get one either.
All three captions were good. A tie, IMO.
As a 30+ year subscriber to The New Yorker, it’s my opinion that the only consistently funny cartoon feature is this one, where the readers supply the caption. This is a criticism not against the cartoonists, whom I’m sure inundate the magazine with first-rate material, but against the editor, who is evidently an elitist tool, devoid of wit, prone to cryptic, in-group “humor” that isn’t funny even when you get it.
I like DIFFEE, as much for his draftsmanship as his humor. His books are funny. http://www.matthewdiffee.com
“Round up the usual suspects, officer: Natural Selection, Random Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift.”
Good one, but maybe pitched a little high 🙂
A series of random acts of violence. Without an eyewitness we have no case.
The old “were you there?” defense.
The flood
“It look like one thing just led to another.”
“Which reminds me. I have to submit a brief outline of evolutionary theory for my night class.”
“Just one question: Where was Satan when this evidence was planted?”
Glen Davidson
“i say we give this one to whiatzizname … the highbrow.”
“i think you mean detective darwin.”
“This should be a pretty easy case… no missing links.”
🙂
“My hunch? The Watchmaker.”
“The DA claims the fish did it in a murder-suicide, but it’s only a theory”.
I wavered between the first and second.
The first is best, in my opinion.
Just saw Cunk on Britain episode 3!
Whoops, sorry. Wrong link.
Hmmmm…that was interesting…
“Sgt Alfred thinks it’s a case of descent. But Det. Charles suspects modification. They may both be right.”
Okay, those were kinda good. Usually, the submissions are stunningly bad … and way too long.
New Yorker cartoons haven’t made me laugh for ages. Can’t tell whether they got worse*, or it’s cuz I live in the country now.
* (SJWs do have no sense of humor.)
The original first comment was the best, as it references the idiocy the textbook controversy.
All contemporary deaths so not really a progression! That is why the second is best…
So why not:
“One thing we cops do know: these murders occurred at different times, and in which order. But only murdering humans is legally termed murder. So what are the other charges?”
But for humour, something snappy is needed, so:
“Only one human murdered here–or is it?”
or
“Them there ancestors sure survived longer than we thought! Maybe Philomena will get a biology Nobel.”
“They all drowned in a flood.”
“What, even the fish?”
“Yes, the massive change in salinity would have done for it.”
“They all drowned in a flood.”
Nice also.
“God did it!”
/sarcasm
Elaine and the New Yorker Cartoon Editor
https://youtu.be/I1fSMUOzufI
It started out as a fishy situation, but we’ve got it all outlined now.
“The suspect’s probably hiding in a cave somewhere.”
Reblogged this on Airamus Davenport.
“Too bad there aren’t any witnesses…”
The first caption won. https://contest.newyorker.com/CaptionContest.aspx?tab=winner