Michael Jackson, and obituary cartoons

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By Steve Greenberg | June 26th, 2009 | PERMALINK

Like most people, hearing the news about the death of Michael Jackson was a shock to me.

And like most editorial cartoonists, I thought, “I guess I should do an obituary cartoon on him.”

Obituary cartoons are usually drawn because either the cartoonist is very affected by the subject personally (whether or not the deceased was prominent), or — more commonly — because they were too prominent to ignore, and people will be talking about the deceased the next day. These obituary cartoons try to encapsulate what made the person notable, and throw in some praise (or in some rare cases, contempt) for what they did.

Even though I’d already worked on two cartoons that day, Michael Jackson was clearly too big to be ignored: I needed to draw something.

The first internal debate was what aspect of the man to focus on, and would the message be positive, negative or indeterminate. Jacko was a complicated case, very talented and deeply weird, with unproven allegations of child abuse and a freakish alien appearance in his later years.

But he was a HUGE pop star, influential and successful, with the biggest-selling album in history and legions of devoted fans worldwide… he was easily the biggest musical act since the Beatles, with nobody as big since. And since the preference is to speak well of the dead, I chose to focus on Michael the musical artist, not Michael the weirdo.

I came up with this image playing off his iconic “moonwalking” (taken to a literal level), representing his dancing as well as his isolation and sometimes other-worldliness, with a shooting star to acknowledge his short, glowing, troubled, brilliant and tragic life trajectory.

It’s an OK obit and looks decent, but it was rushed… and this is where obit cartoons can run into problems.

The problems are either doing a cliché — usually something involving St. Peter and the Pearly Gates, and there have been a zillion of these — or doing cartoons similar to what other cartoonists might be doing for the next day. In this case, several of the other cartoons I’ve seen in the early going also involve Michael Jackson doing moonwalk steps, and in the same outfit no less.

Why this happens can be explained by the cartoonist though process. Those trying to focus on Jacko’s success, as opposed to his weirdness, would hone in on his greatest days: the “Thriller” masterpiece album from 1983 and his groundbreaking music videos from that period, perhaps most notably on the song “Billie Jean.” Jackson wore the fedora, sequinned single glove, white socks and shirt, black dance shoes and a sparkly suit, and astonished viewers with his then-new moonwalk steps. He went on to have other signature looks (leather jackets, sunglasses and militaristic jackets with epaulets, medals, braids and other bling), but the “Billie Jean” look was from his best days, before his multiple plastic surgeries and slipping album sales.

Plus, every cartoonist was facing a deadline. There’s not really time to slowly play with a dozen ideas if you want to get the drawing out NOW. So, you go with a recognizable image and iconic symbols… and hope the rest of the editorial cartooning community doesn’t do the same thing for the next day.

Immediately after the 9-11 attack in 2001, a slew of cartoons involving weeping Statues of Liberty were drawn (including by me). Same thought process: “I need something dramatic, simple, bold… and RIGHT AWAY… something to personify a tragedy to New York City and to the U.S. — but what symbol could give a convey New York City and the U.S. at the same time, and ideally, be human enough to react emotionally to this tragedy? Hey— the Statue of Liberty!!” And so, that’s how similar cartoons arise.

Anyhow, I know my Michael Jackson tribute doesn’t convey the entire scope of the man…but with someone as complex and troubled as him, it would take several cartoons.

And doing a bunch of cartoons to commemorate one individual… would be no thriller.
——–
Be sure to see the huge archive of my work (organized by topic area) on my web site at http://www.greenberg-art.com

Comments: 19. ADD A COMMENT.
Tags: Death Michael Jackson, Jackson Obituary Cartoons, Michael Jackson

Comments

Comment from Donna Barstow
Time June 27, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Just linked to this: http://opedcartoons.com/2009/0.....a-cartoon/

PS to Daryl about captcha: the numbers and background are almost the SAME shade. That\’s the problem.
Okay, now will try it a 3rd time. UGH!!!

Comment from RTATE
Time July 2, 2009 at 5:25 am

HE’S NOT IN PAIN ANYMORE, MAY HE REST IN PEACE AMEN.

Comment from Brandie
Time July 2, 2009 at 5:30 am

As an artist I do have a lot of critiques about this piece in particular. I am one of the few that believe political cartooning is indeed a valid art form, but man oh man this piece lacks some serious depth. Too much time was spent on the detailing of the moon and not enough on figuring out the best way to position Jackson on the moon and how the shadow will affect it’s look. Right now it looks like an intuitive perspective version of him sitting on the moon. Perhaps instead of him being nearly smack dab in the middle of it, he could have been on top more silhouetted by the light behind him (could do some interesting things with the negative space on this, as well as how the light hits the sequins on his glove)

I understand the artist was on a deadline, but, the piece is overall very muddled. Also the shooting star is both cheesy and blech.

Comment from Glen
Time July 2, 2009 at 5:41 am

Michael Jackson was certainly unique. His influence and music will go on for generations. In some respects, he may seem to be something almost eternal. At the same time, he seems to have passed quite some time ago. His best work was done a couple decades ago.

Comment from Deborah
Time July 2, 2009 at 6:49 am

I came from the generation that MJ was born as always in awe of his singing and dancing. Saddened me to see him “morph” into this strange looking human. We’ll never know why later he made the choices he did unless we walk in his shoes. I’m not judging him for the worse, I prefer to look at his accomplishments and be sad that there will never be more to come.

Comment from Laura R
Time July 2, 2009 at 6:51 am

I think Michael is one of the biggest hypes out there. True, he was original and did good in the early 80’s but he didn’t continue to hold that place in stardom. The only reasons he was still talked about was his plastic surgery and the sick things he was accused of, along with holding that baby over the balcony with a cover on his face. His days were over a long time ago… along with other bands of those days, such as Dire Straits and The Cars. He hadn’t come up with anything new in decades. He was no Elvis and as far as I’m concerned shouldn’t share the same title of King of anything. He turned into a complete freak that belonged in a sideshow. I feel for his family but the man himself.. not much. He went too far with his plastic surgery and didn’t look good at all in the end. Someone commented on another blog that Michael had to wear make-up to make his face all one color. If so.. I don’t have a prob with that.. but why so white it made him look like a friggin ghost? Brown people have brown make-up for sale out there. He somehow lost the class he had in the 80’s. No sense of style or what looks good.. especially on his face. A true freak that should not be idolized as some God. It’s shame he ended up the freak he was in his life. He had such potential to be more than what he was and he screwed it all up.

When he was starting out my boyfriend at the time said if he stayed in show bizz he’d be big someday. How he knew that I had no idea. It happened… and how it ended was a sorry life.

Comment from Ron An American Veteran
Time July 2, 2009 at 6:55 am

Steve,
At least you were not angry at the world and jealous of other’s successes as are those types such as fairrington, or a mccoy type, etc. who drew angry and insulting cartoons.
As for the 9/11 ‘toons, a fittingly correct one would have been of cheney clapping, dancing and laughing in joy that his idea came to happen.

I enjoyed your MJ ‘toon.
I believe he was sad, lonely, confused, angry and had his life stolen from him by a father who was a greedy, evil bastard and his own feelings of insecurity.

Comment from scott
Time July 2, 2009 at 7:45 am

I wouldn’t worry too much about a cartoon about Michael. It is time to remember what was good about him and move on. His album sales are up again and he is news again for a while.
We have huge things going on right now that deserve our focus.

Comment from PennyE
Time July 2, 2009 at 8:14 am

Wow, for me you captured it!! Makes me kinda sad that Michael is now moonwalking for real. Makes me very sad about his tragic real life.

Comment from Teri
Time July 2, 2009 at 9:42 am

One of your references was the clothing M was wearing in the video for “Billy Jean.” Actually, he wore a black suit and pink shirt in the video. He wore the other outfit at a live performance of the song.

Comment from Escritor de Tejas
Time July 2, 2009 at 12:14 pm

What the…why the…how the; is this sudden mass exodus a sign that the ‘end times’ are near? Nooo, sad stuff happens and it will happen to us all in time. Coming in threes and fours means nothing. Like Voltaire opined, “A witty saying means nothing.” Nor does a strange, close grouping of human death.

About the gagfest surrounding Michael Jackson, I am so SICK of seeing/hearing this icon of overindulgence and probable pedophilia revered by media sycophants, and compared, as I heard on TV, as one who stands shoulder to shoulder with icons like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Wagner; and the jaw-dropping claim by one fawning, tear-brimmed reporter who referred to him as the ‘most creative genius of the 20th and 21st centuries.’ This comment was, IMO, singularly the greatest hyperbolic faux homage ever uttered using the English language.

PUHLEEZE…I’m sensitive to the loss of any human life, particularly when they are taken early, and that is certainly the case now, as it is with the addition of Billy Mays; but let’s step back from this gilded wake-a-thon for Michael Jackson and try a liberal dose of objectivity here…MJ had allowed himself to be physically maimed into a ghoulish ‘Thriller’ zombie-look-alike…and with the able assistance of a team of self-serving enablers, was clearly doped-up with continued impunity and had been for years with God-knows-what uppers and downers. Now he has sadl y followed the pitiable drug-death march of Anna Nicole Smith, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and legions of other victims of early fame and arrested adolescence. Unfettered indulgence with impunity from apparent consequence destroys absolutely, and with certainty in its own cruel time.

What I find terribly disappointing about this media freakshow is the fact that well-deserved and honorable due has not been given to the passing of Farrah Fawcett (a lovely and gracious University of Texas alum) or Ed McMahon, America’s loveable ‘2nd banana’ for 30 years, and Billy Mays, like him or not, one of the great product pitchmen of our time; and now Karl Malden, an actor of the highest order with more than 70 years a stellar star of film, stage and TV — each an entertainment icon of the first order. How sad that their lives, accomplishments and careers, when ended, had to be swept under a freakish circus sideshow rug and hidden behind the tainted shadow of Michael Jackson, a macabre, disfigured, lonely, overindulgent child of 50. Their obits can be found on page 37-D while King Ghoul is moonwalked all over Page One for weeks.

How truly, truly sad. Moreover, it’s a clear travesty which could have been predicted in this present environment of aberration adoration.

Comment from John
Time July 2, 2009 at 5:04 pm

Just an observation– Michael is shown with on the moon where you would not be able to see him from the earth in the cartoon. That puts him on the “Dark side of the moon”. Whats the point here?

Comment from Pierre ML
Time July 2, 2009 at 6:30 pm

Well, Steve, your cartoom re MJ is one of my favourites on the topic.

It tactfully ignored the, uh, “eccentric” he became, and the only part I had not understood was the comet, or shooting star. But it had one of his many costumes (and thankfully not one of his weirder ones), it had Earth, and it alluded to the moonwalk dance. It all fit for me immediately, except as I noted the comet… But when you explained it, well, POW, it made PERFECT sense. I guess maybe I’m one of the slow ones who always asks himself, why did they put that in the “picture”…

Now please do us all a favor and draw a nice one for Farrah (the “angel” we all lost - I’m 53 and had a boy crush on all 3 of the girls), and a nice one For Karl Malden (who was a real classy act) and a nice one for Billy Mays (who at least, his commercials were humorous and in good taste) if you have not yet done so.

As for Michael, well, ar least he is no longer in pain. In between his father, family, friends, and dire eccentricities, he suffered enough… and perhaps he made a few others suffer, too… while giving others some respite from their sufferings.

Comment from Escritor de Tejas
Time July 3, 2009 at 12:16 pm

Hey, John…good point about ‘the dark side of the moon’…too bad cartoons can’t morph into reality and clueless earthlings could give a nice ‘bye, bye’ wave and initiate the bidness of GETTING ON WITH THEIR LIVES…

Comment from ARIAKNA
Time July 3, 2009 at 2:09 pm

PARA MI TU CARICATURA …EXPRESA QUE EL RECUERDO DE MICHAEL J. SEGUIRÁ BRILLANDO PARA EL MUNDO ENTERO….
NO VEO QUE MICHAEL J. ESTE AL LADO OSCURO…..CREO QUE GIRA CON LA LUNA…

Comment from Steve Greenberg
Time July 3, 2009 at 11:13 pm

There wasn’t any message re the “dark side of the moon”… it was just my trying to get him on the moon in a classic pose and place the earth nearby to confirm his location (and it was all done pretty quickly).

Comment from Melvin
Time July 6, 2009 at 11:31 am

I’m only somewhat over a year younger than Michael Jackson. I remember growing up as he was belting out “Ben” and others. His success with his brothers and alone was awesome in the late 60s and early 70s. He was great through the years. Unfortunately, he had some strange actions.
Early on the rumors of his Dad beating him and the eventual plastic surgeries marred the Jackson Family’s wholesome image. Hopefully, the trials, the pet monkey, and his debt won’t be as persistent as the wonderful music that MJ produced. Thanks Michael for a great time.

Comment from alejandro
Time October 3, 2009 at 5:30 pm

hi i think you think good about politics i saw your paint about the mexican flag and the exit door to usa i think it was good im mexican you should do another one about mexican politicians stealing money from mexicans citizens i think thats the reason we come to usa because mexican politicians steal our money and ask for more to us and never resolve anything and lazy bastards well i hope you make a draw dissin the mexican politicians i will thank you if you do so

Comment from alejandro
Time October 3, 2009 at 5:32 pm

oww your paints are awesome feelings gettin altogether and makin good art i love the michael jackson paint you did a great job there

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