My cartoons get a lot of eyes on them, but I am never able to pin down my audience. I’m called “Boomer” by younger people and the older people sometimes don’t get the gags.
Recently there was that cartoon with Mariah Carey. I noticed on another website, Comics I Don’t Understand, that a large part of the readership did not know who she was.
The other day there was a Rachael Ray related cartoon. Some didn’t know who she was.
I’m not sure how people don’t know these household names. You don’t have to watch their shows or listen to their music, but how can you not know pop culture issues? You may not be into sports, but we all know famous athletes. Same with musicians I would assume. But guess not.
And that brings me back to my audience. A lot of times I refer to things from the past. You know, people or events and the younger generation doesn’t get it.
“Don’t Yuck My Yum,” is a common phrase these days used by Generations X, Y and Z, but many Boomers don’t get it. But you don’t really have to know the phrase, it sort of speaks for itself.
Anyway, who do I play to? I figured it’s best to stick with my own generation since we have more in common and the gags are more familiar to them, but now when I’m Yucking their Yum — then they don’t get me.
Then there was this priest cartoon. So many people didn’t get it. They told me so in the comments on social media. It’s simple — it’s a young priest who is hot inside the church so he either pulls up his cassock. That’s it. No hidden meaning.
I did it at the same time as I did another priest cartoon which was published on December 5. Nothing having to do with priest molestation or anything like that which is what some people were thinking. The guy could have easily been in a judges robe or a graduation gown, anything long that he had shortened due to the heat. Maybe if it ran in the summer, more people could identify with it.
This influencer/influenza cartoon went over big, people liked it a lot.
I was watching tv, I think The Today Show and they were talking about the flu being around this winter. The doctor kept calling it “influenza” which it is, but why not call it the flu? I guess because he’s a doctor. Anyway, every time he said, “influenza” I would think, that sounds like “influencer,” and there you have it. This one I really love, I laugh out loud every time I see it.
Sort of like the “ice hole” one. I hear something and it turns into something else.
tomversation.com on January 13, 2023.
