Laughing In The Reign

A comical look at the political landscape and the barbaric nature of crapitalism.

An exploration of the colorful characters and profound events of recent history (mostly 2009 through 2020). This uniquely illustrated book dissects the hypocrisy of the previous decade with sharp wit and a no-holds-barred approach. It names names, spoofs major institutions, and tackles the horrors of the climate crisis.

The cartoons of an era tell a particular kind of story of that era. They capture the pulse and brush on the dreams of their time. In compiling these cartoons, I began realizing that it would be important to do justice to the bigger picture, or the story of those times. This is true even of the early roots of my artwork, but even more with what is presented in this book. While I was with the Thomas Merton Center's New People monthly newspaper, there was a people's story going on – starting with Obama's startling backsliding and betrayals, through the stunning, bizarre Trump era –full of colorful characters throughout, that set the tone and substance of the era. There were the highs of such things as the Occupy Movement, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Million Woman March offsetting the lows of Obama's progressive betrayals and Trump's insanity. It's all part of the story. Years passed before the artist in me would pick up the pen and paper again; it was quite by accident. I volunteered to do ceiling repair and patch work at Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center. Since the 1970s, the Merton Center (founded by Molly Rush of Plowshares 8 fame), has been working for peace and social justice. I noticed some of the editors of the New People newspaper were there, so I mentioned I had some artwork the newspaper might be interested in. They looked at the work and agreed—the rest is history, 11-plus years of political cartoons. I was also politically active throughout this period, in the Thomas Merton Center's anti-war committee, and the Pittsburgh branch of the International Socialist Organization. The commitment to anti-war struggle and socialism has been a lifelong priority for me. I hope you find these cartoons funny, inspiring, and food for thought. As you think of the times they reveal, in a cartoons' unique kind of way. Happy travels! Russ Fedorka