Sutton Impact: The Political Cartoons of Ward Sutton (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Political cartooning has a long history, and most political cartoonists learn their craft by studying their predecessors. Sutton, however, comes to the field from the world of alternative comics, and much of the pleasure in this work comes from Sutton's deft use of that medium's tools. His approach owes more to Tom Tomorrow, Matt Groening and Joe Sacco than to Pat Oliphant or Herblock. First, his comics are almost always multipanel affairs, either telling a brief story or making a series of related comments on a particular subject. Second, he rarely uses the broadly symbolic or allegorical characters like Republican elephants and Democratic donkeys. His drawing style recalls that of alternative artists like Joe Matt and Chester Brown. Sutton is unapologetically liberal and assumes the same is true of his readers. He is, not surprisingly, savage on Bush and Cheney, and has strips that are anti–Wal-Mart, anti–Katherine Harris, anti-handguns, anti–Rush Limbaugh, anti-Hummer, etc. But his strongest cartoons are the ones where he addresses the mistakes and weaknesses of his fellow liberals: Nader supporters, apathetic fatalists, Democrats who won't stand up for their beliefs and so on. The strips are often accompanied by annotations, which are mostly unnecessary but occasionally amusing. (July)
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Product Description

A full-color trouncing of the Bush dynasty from cult-favorite Village Voice cartoonist Ward Sutton, Sutton Impact brings together for the first time the artist's hilarious, irreverent social commentary and his vivid poster art. More than 200 pieces document the flights and folly of an era, from politics to popular music, excoriating the USA PATRIOT Act, John Ashcroft's evangelical songwriting, the Democrats' domestic blunders and much more.

Sutton is one of the country's most acclaimed political cartoonists, in a group with Tom Tomorrow, David Rees and Ted Rall. Sutton Impact includes a section of post-election cartoons from late 2004 and early 2005.

Ward Sutton is an illustrator whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Nation, George, Esquire, Time, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, The New Republic, Premiere and elsewhere. His weekly strip has run in the The Village Voice since 1998. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Sue.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158322677X
• ISBN-13: 978-1583226773
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ward's Cleaver, July 8, 2005

By	P. Wagner (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Back in the 80s and early 90s when I was the staff political cartoonist for City Pages (now owned by the Village Voice) in Minneapolis and saw Ward Sutton's early comics in the Twin Cities Reader, I was not impressed. I never even bothered to pick up the TCR to look at his work, only looked at it when I saw a copy laying open at the laundromat or coffeeshop... But today he has evolved into by far my favorite comic artist. The work he has been doing for the Village Voice for the past few years is the best political comic art in the country. I show his work in the cartooning course I teach at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design as exemplary. It isn't exactly "political cartooning" and I would rather the term "political comic" be used so as not to totally snuff out what little is left of the former art form. Whatever you want to call it, it is inspired, expressive and direct from the gut. (Frankly I'm amazed the Voice would use anything this good!) My hats off to him for finding a way to use comic art to make incisive political commentary in a time when the traditional one-panel political cartoon has all but croaked.

Above all, good move getting out of Minneapolis, Sutton!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How does he do it?, February 20, 2007

By	Nedzepelin "Ned" (Fort Collins CO) - See all my reviews

That is the question. How does Ward Sutton manage to continue to come up with good ideas for his weekly cartoons? And by good I mean fabulously funny and incisive cartoons, week after week, year after year. For those not familiar with Sutton, his politics are well to the left of center, which means he's as eager to skewer Democrats as well as Republicans. No one gets off easy within the borders of a Sutton cartoon.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the collected works!, July 6, 2005

By	S. Schieber (McMinnville, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Though not all-inclusive, this volume gives readers a chance to enjoy Ward Sutton's distinctive take on current events (and excellent artwork) all in one place.
Out on the Left Coast we don't get the Village Voice, but I've enjoyed his panel comics in The Funny Times and when I've run across them in major publications.
Sutton is a gifted cartoonist whose work I've been able to follow since he drew the weekly strips for our college newspaper.
Get this book, you won't be disappointed!
Um Ya Ya!