By: Dave Astor As "Bad Reporter" starts its second year in the San Francisco Chronicle, three syndicates have expressed interest in Don Asmussen's political/pop-culture cartoon.
Syndicates sign only a few of the thousands of ideas they look at each year, so interest simultaneous from three of them is unusual. "It's a wonderful validation of Don's brilliant work," said Chronicle Deputy Editor Narda Zacchino, who told E&P today that the interested distributors include King Features Syndicate, Universal Press Syndicate, and United Media. She added that Chronicle Editor Phil Bronstein was the person who suggested that the newspaper try to get Asmussen syndicated.
The twice-weekly feature won't be the typical syndicate fare. It's a large-format, text-heavy cartoon with funny drawings, sight gags, mock interviews, offbeat lists, and much more. "I throw a ton of jokes against the wall and hope some stick," Asmussen said during a Tuesday interview.
His Sept. 22 cartoon, for instance, opens with a panel picturing President Bush and Santa Claus. Part of the text reads: "When he was 6, John Kerry believed in Santa Claus. Now, suddenly, he doesn't. George Bush never wavered. Vote George Bush." Asmussen subsequently seques to Dick Cheney saying at a press conference, "If you make the wrong choice this November, Santa may skip your house." The third panel features a fake newspaper headline, the fourth panel brings in Dan Rather, and the fifth panel pictures "The Island of Misfit Issues"--where important topics such as the deficits sob because they're not getting enough attention.
"Bad Reporter" often targets Bush, but also often satirizes John Kerry. Asmussen joked that if Kerry gets elected president, he might have to draw two versions of each cartoon to reflect the candidate's waffling on issues.
The 38-year-old Chronicle staffer doesn't just focus on politicians. Recent full-color offerings included hilarious riffs relating to the former Cat Stevens and the Texas Rangers pitcher who threw a chair at heckling fans. "It was uproariously funny," said Zacchino (referring to the cartoon, not the pitcher's action). "I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face."
What's the story behind the "Bad Reporter" name? Asmussen said: "The government gives us misinformation. I badly report this information. It comes out correct, because two wrongs make a right!" Or, perhaps, because two negatives make a positive.
When he started the feature in September 2003, Asmussen mostly focused on California's gubernatorial-recall election and San Francisco's mayoral race. Then he moved to more national topics.
"Bad Reporter" appears in both the print and online editions of the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/comics). It also can be seen on Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index site (http://cagle.slate.msn.com).
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