Signe Wilkinson invites local pols to cartoon in her place

Philadelphia Daily News political cartoonist Signe Wilkinson is off work for the holidays, and she has unlikely authors filling in for her. She says the idea just came to her one day–to ask some of the people she’d been poking fun at to submit a substitute cartoon.
“I asked them to go after me, to go after the paper, and to go after whatever they wanted,” said Wilkinson. “Cartooning is an attack medium.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, State Representative Dwight Evans, City Council member Marian Tasco and acting Sheriff Barbara Deeley accepted her challenge, but with tepid results. “These cartoons are pretty gentle,” said Wilkinson. Nutter drew his himself–a handful of stick figures sweeping a city street. “You will note, he is the tallest man in the cartoon,” Wilkinson said. “He drew himself statuesquely, and he’s got his signature beard. So that’s how you know it’s him.” The mayor jokingly called his cartoon a “retrospective of art at its earliest stages.” “Over time, this piece will end up at the Philadelphia Museum of Art,” he said, “shown to be a new style of art in the early 21st century.” For now, though, Nutter says it’s lining his dog’s cage. Wilkinson is holding out hope that City Council member Darrell Clarke’s efforts, to be published on Monday, will fare a little better. If not, well, there’s always next year.

“I’m sure in 365 days they can come up with one good idea,” she said.