Wreckage Begins with “W”: Cartoons of the Bush Administration Paperback – June 15, 2004
by Jeff Danziger (Author), Frank Miller (Foreword)
JEFF DANZIGER IS an independent political cartoonist whose work appears in hundreds of newspapers around the world via the New York Times Syndicate. He draws from six to ten cartoons a week on a wide variety of subjects, from international folly to Hollywood hubris. An equal opportunity satirist, he is politically to the left of Genghis Kahn — everyone and everything is fair game. His dark drawings, pull-no-punches humor, and “Danziger” signature line are instantly recognizable to any regular reader of newspaper opinion pages. As with any great political humorist, Danziger’s funniest creations lampoon the most deadly serious subjects. Created in the heat of the moment and collected here for the first time, Danziger’s cartoons of George W. Bush’s ascent to the White House and first term in office amount to a highly entertaining excursion through the national and international political landscape of the past four years. Wreckage Begins with “W” showcases a singular wit and an artist of uncanny prescience.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Political cartoonist Danziger contributes to the cottage industry of books on the Dubya Years with this collection of strips from January 20, 2000, to March 2004, giving a stinging and graphically startling look at recent events. Along with the usual topics—the 2000 election, the horror of 9/11 and the relentless march to war—Danziger also examines such byways of history as Vladimir Putin’s strong-arm tactics, Senate legislative activities and what he sees as the continuing excesses of Hill and Bill. While he saves most of his barbs for the right, Danziger takes aim at venal pettiness on both sides of the political fence. Although not a master of caricature, he excels at stark imagery and bold composition that recalls past masters Bill Mauldin and Herblock. For instance, he captures the current Clintons in a powerful image of Bill shooting up with a needle labeled “Sex” and Hillary using one tagged “Ambition.” Text beneath each cartoon sometimes gives historical context and sometimes explains the joke. Danziger, a Vietnam vet, aims his most powerful weapons at the politicians who send young people off to war, and current events have provided him ample fodder.
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Review
“Jeff Danziger is everything a great political cartoonist should be in this over-reverential age: savage, merciless, accurate, ribald, and blessed with a lovely eye and hand. Again and again in recent years, Danziger has drawn what so few in the American press have had the guts to write.”— John le Carré
“Jeff Danziger’s muscular line cracks like a whip, flailing into shreds the hypocrisies that make up the body politic. Drawing like a dream, he renders these smart, witty (often hilarious), comic nightmares. His rage is our solace.”— Jules Feiffer
“Jeff Danziger’s cartoons are invariably great because his ability to draw, his ideas, and the composition, drama, and import of his work are great.”— Arnold Roth
“People laughed when Jeff Danziger said he wanted to be an internationally syndicated editorial cartoonist. They’re not laughing now.” — Martyn Turner The Irish Times
Product Details
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Steerforth; 1 edition (June 15, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 158642078X
ISBN-13: 978-1586420789
Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
