5 months ago
Good morning. It’s been 1 of those years wherever nan news rhythm felt almost excessively surreal to caricature. From Jeff Bezos commandeering Venice for his lavish wedding astatine a clip of a increasing backlash complete inequality, to nan spectacle of Donald Trump returning to agency for a 2nd term, nan worldly was endless for cartoonists, though often difficult to navigate.
The little surreal included unit against Palestinians successful Gaza by Israel, nan entrenchment of nan Russia-Ukraine war, nan threat AI posed to quality productivity and nan return of nan acold correct crossed Europe and nan US.
Political cartoonists person nan unenviable occupation of trying to seizure nan absurdity, brutality and resonance of these moments. They besides person to make consciousness of nan news cycle: prioritising nan astir outstanding infinitesimal of each day, and choosing really to represent it.
So for today’s newsletter, we said to award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Ben Jennings, asking him to take immoderate of his favourite cartoons of nan past year. We besides discussed nan situation of drafting a world already bordering connected nan absurd. That’s aft nan headlines.
In depth: A gift and a curse
Cartoons person agelong been a staple of satire for British newspapers and nan Guardian is nary exception. This contented of eviscerating leaders – from kings to premier ministers – goes backmost to nan 18th-century caricaturist James Gillray, who exposed nan grotesque underbelly of nan Enlightenment. Veteran cartoonist Martin Rowson’s exploration of that history is basal reading.
Centuries later, Ben Jennings tells america that nan appetite, and nan necessity, for specified satire remains conscionable arsenic strong.
“We had nan return of Donald Trump 2.0h-no to support cartoonists engaged successful 2025,” Jennings says. “Despite being somewhat of a gift to cartoonists, it’s a double-edged beard insofar that his presidency has been truthful utterly farcical that it tin beryllium a situation to satirise. In a way, it feels for illustration his beingness is successful and of itself a satire of America and nan turbulent times of late-stage capitalism.”
We’ve compiled a database of nan year’s 12 astir powerful cartoons. The action includes Ben Jennings’s 7 individual favourites, on pinch his commentary connected nan inspiration down his sketches. We chose nan remaining cartoons for nan list.
Starting pinch Rowson’s January 2025 illustration was apt, because it encapsulated a decade of attacks connected free speech: from nan 2015 violent onslaught astatine nan satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo to nan unsettling acquisition of nan Washington Post by nan exertion mogul Jeff Bezos.
1 January: Martin Rowson connected a little 10-year history of cartooning
2 February: Ella Baron connected nan 3rd day of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine
3 March: Ben Jennings connected Elon Musk and nan backlash against Tesla
“Donald’s troubled bromance pinch Elon Musk, which was ever destined to implode fixed that 2 egos of specified magnitude couldn’t perchance coexist, besides provided overmuch fodder for cartoonists, arsenic did Musk’s continued drift to nan utmost right,” Jennings says.
4 April: Ben Jennings connected Donald Trump’s domination of nan news headlines
“Just keeping up pinch nan spectacle of nan headline-hogging Trump show – wherever 1 unprecedented ungraded is soon forgotten and superseded by nan adjacent – has been exhausting. I did this animation astir this phenomenon,” Jennings says.
5 May: Ben Jennings connected nan 80th day of VE Day
We asked Ben to prime 1 animation that champion encapsulated nan governmental temper of nan year. He chose nan 1 he did for nan 80th day of VE Day. He says: “It juxtaposes nan remembrance of erstwhile wars pinch nan worrying escalating conflicts happening today. Surely a large portion of remembering is to effort to debar thing for illustration that happening again, but unluckily it tin now consciousness for illustration history is opening to repetition itself successful galore ways and humanity ne'er learns.”
6 June: Ben Jennings connected Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Venice wedding
“Where immoderate whitethorn take to rent a backstage room successful a pub for their wedding statement aliases possibly moreover a barn conversion, Jeff Bezos rented Venice,” Jennings says. “It was rather nosy to screen that pinch this animation which besides touches connected nan utmost wealthiness of billionaires that has been a basking taxable of speech successful 2025 arsenic location has been an progressively vocal request that specified abundance should beryllium taxed much efficaciously alternatively than hoarded by a fistful of tech bros cosplaying arsenic astronauts.”
7 July: Ben Jennings connected starvation successful Gaza
“Despite nan ridiculousness of immoderate of nan supra being easy pickings for cartoonists, what has been harder is uncovering caller ways to attack and visualise immoderate of nan conflicts we’ve seen complete nan past twelvemonth specified arsenic nan recurring horrors successful Gaza,” Jennings says.
8 August: Madeline Horwath connected life nether our caller AI overlords
9 September: Pete Songi connected nan UK recognising Palestine arsenic an independent state
10 October: Ben Jennings connected Keir Starmer’s anxieties complete Nigel Farage
“Closer to home, Labour’s rocky first twelvemonth successful authorities has provided overmuch inspiration for cartoons arsenic good arsenic nan nationalist obsession pinch flags,” Jennings says.
11 November: Ella Baron connected Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral victory
12 December: Ben Jennings connected Australia’s societal media prohibition for under-16s
Before Jennings headed disconnected for nan holidays, we inquire him what laic ahead. “I’m presently putting together a book of my cartoons from nan past 10 years that will beryllium retired towards nan extremity of adjacent year,” he says. “Within that clip play location person been immoderate momentous events that we person lived done – from nan pandemic to Brexit – that we person past rather quickly moved connected from.” As for what 2026 will bring to his drafting board? “We’ll person to spot what happens!”
If you are reference this connected nan app, the headlines and athletics will not look complete nan Christmas period. To get nan afloat First Edition acquisition successful your inbox each greeting please sign up here.
