downtown news comic comedy
Looking for information on Downtown LA?
Angelenic is the essential news resource for those living, working and visiting Downtown Los Angeles. Check out our is running a comic illustration by Doug Davis that takes a couple less-than-subtle swipes at us Downtown bloggers. Though the strip has a footnote disclaimer stating that "Any resemblance to any real Downtown bloggers is purely coincidental,” the artist’s intended targets are pretty obvious.
Local bloggers do a pretty damn good job of covering neighborhood-level happenings Downtown, and we do it in our free time for the love of our neighborhoods, careers and other interests. So it was a little insulting to check out the latest issue and find that bloggers were the target of a sarcastic comic strip.
But I’m sure it was all good-natured fun, right?
It’s in that vein that we decided to move forward with our own profile of everyone’s favorite local news rag*, by talented illustrator Devin Fountain.
*Any resemblance to said rag is purely intentional.
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11 comments
how about adding a little note for their computer (much like on their cartoon) that says “checks downtown blogs every 47 seconds for a new story to
stealbe inspired by”.since we’re adding the disclaimer, how about “any resemblance of the downtown news reporter to an actual journalist is purely coincidental”.
and since we’re attacking stereotypes, on the cubicle wall there should be a “community college journalism degree”, a bottle of vodka in a file drawer labeled “story ideas”, a red phone on the desk labeled “developer hotline” and a sign on the door that says “editorial desk / advertising sales”.
but hey, in case anyone from the downtown new is reading this, i want to make sure this is clear - that my comments are in jest, just like their cartoon.
hahahahaha! Frackin hilarious! = ]
“story to be inspired by” Ha, ha, good one celia.
Yeah, the attitude of the DN towards local bloggers is puzzling. I’ve always been struck by how standoff-ish the DN is to the community in general. It seems to me the bloggers are a very important part of downtown. I’m not sure what’s the point of the cartoon. It simply seems to be poor editorial judgement. Heck, the comic is not even funny.
Granted, the DT New’s swipe at local bloggers may have been a bit low, but I think its equally tasteless to create a comic taking a swipe at the newspaper in response. It comes across as incrediby juvenile and somewhat lowers my opinion of the bloggers.
I don’t think anyone in the community really questions the value of the information local blogs provide, I know I certainly don’t! If the DT News wants to be take underhanded pot shots, that’s their problem, the bloggers know what service they provide to the community and should be proud of that without feeling the need to throw it back at them in such an immature fashion. Why not just laugh it off, not take ourselves too seriously, and continue providing great information about the happenings in downtown?
The comics (from both sides) are all done in jest. No one has any real malicious intentions. We’re all laughing here!
Yes, we can take it as well as dish it out. Thanks for all the attention. Our cartoonist, Doug Davis, who creates his cartoons with his own point of view, will be especially thrilled. You’ll note that he has a specific series going, one he adds to from time to time, called “Downtown Snapshots,” of which this is one. The intent is to be gently humorous, not a deep needle. Just a cartoonist’s vision of what various Downtown “types” are. He has satirized me in some of his work, too, but usually in the cartoon strip in the Calendar section, not the political cartoon. He saves the deep needles for politicians, I find. The point is that I, too, have experienced the cringe. Not so bad. Kind of fun. Kind of not. But a cartoonist needs to be given his freedom, so onward we go.
I love your cartoon of the Downtown News building. Thanks for doing that, too. We had determined that as a good angle as well, and if the art department ever has time to get to it, we’re going to have a holiday card from that angle, but it will be a take off of a photograph we have, not this nicely done cartoon.
A new sign for the building is being constructed, unfortunately IMHO nowhere near as glaring as the one depicted in your cartoon. It will be tasteful instead of obvious. I wanted it to be obvious instead because I’m tired of explaining to everyone that “we are at the other end of the block from Shakespeare Festival L.A.”
Hey, for the record, we do print material provided by bloggers from time to time. Ask Eric Richardson. We’ve printed 800-word pieces by him. And when we get our new web site up and operating, we plan to link to all the Downtown bloggers.
Cheers and happy holidays to all.
LOL! The irony that Sue’s looking at the blog…I can’t help but giggle.
Sue Laris claims that Davis is “gently humorous” by
sharing his “vision of what various Downtown ‘types’
are.” In other words, he is stereotyping and that
makes him guilty of some shallow, adolescent-level
humor.
It’s obvious that the guy did no homework by
really spending time studying the blogs and then
proceeding with an intelligent, insightful satire. He
took broad strokes (dogs as fashion accessories) and
attempted to pass off it all off as a vision, a
“downtown snapshot.”
Laris’ response, on the other hand, is masterful. She
is at once defensive, apologetic and offensive.
Perhaps she has a possible future career as a
“typical” politician. She should head in that
direction. She definitely is not doing a great job at
running her newspaper.
She definitely is not doing a great job at
running her newspaper.
What a jerky thing to say. I don’t know the woman, but you do?
Making such a snap judgment of people outside your immediate surroundings is about as jerk-offish as my saying that due to your skanky lifestyle, you got stuck with (as acknowledged on your blog) HIV. Actually, there may be some truth to that, but it still comes off as a snotty statement.
why do bloggers have such thin skin? it seems that there is a considerable revervoir of anger underneath that surfaces rather quickly whenever a comment is less than a rave.
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