#82: Make your escape

Hello pundits,

By the time you read this, the US election will be over and, hopefully, decided. I hope your person got the votes they needed. But this email, well this email was written on a Sunday and scheduled to go live today, meaning everything is still up in the air. EVERYTHING.

This week we see two citizens taking bold steps toward a possible escape, and watch as a train a metaphor collide.

On the edge of my seat,
Chris

Like what you see? Follow me on Instagram (@chrisshorten), or talk a friend into following me on Instagram. Or, buy some prints from my website.

Caption: “This baby will do 5000 miles on a single tank, should you need to get far away from this country in a hurry.”

Do you have an escape plan?

This is perhaps one of the most important US elections of our time, and it’s hard not to feel it flooding every aspect of our lives. It’s certainly flooded mine, and I live very far away from the US. And, maybe, you want to be very far away too?

Just remember: every vote matters.

A little artist’s note: I know, I know, it’s all politics of late. But it’s the smoke that keeps filling the room, and no-one can avoid it, especially not cartoonists. I really hope this scenario doesn’t play out, but with the polls as close as they are (at the time of writing, as in, on Sunday), who really knows?

Visually, this one is fairly straightforward, although drawing a plane turned out to be its own challenges. Because, you know, planes are really complicated floating cylinders with all sorts of quirks. Everywhere. And then you have to ask yourself: Well how many of those quirks do you, the audience, actually need to see to think it’s a plane? The truth is, probably not many.

Also, this plane is kind of a combination of a lot of different planes as I’m not sure a small private plane would have jet engines right there, but, well, these are strange times.

Caption: “The train has left the station. I repeat, the train has left the station. This is both a fact and a deeply troubling metaphor for our times.”

And where the train is going, nobody knows.

I know, I know, this is a bit dark but, well, there’s a lot going on right now. I swear I’ll go back to lighter things next week. Hopefully.

Good luck with whatever train fits your metaphor.

A little artist’s note: I must have revised this one like 6 times, and each time it’s got sadder. But, with the US election and the rhetoric it has encouraged, with war now a constant, and with climate change becoming a harsh reality, it’s hard not to feel like the train really has left the station. Metaphorically speaking.

And, as you would guess, all of these world events sometimes break through the cartoon brainstorming process to the point where these are the only ideas that breakthrough. But, I swear, I’ll go back to fun cartoons about mosquitos soon. Or, uh, soonish.

Thanks for reading MiddleSquiggle!

Follow me on Instagram @chrisshorten for new cartoons every Tuesday and Thursday. Or subscribe below for a weekly email every Thursday.