Launch
December 2001
Concept
The "War on Terrorism" is scary for reasons beyond terrorists. War
always presents an opportunity for our government to suspend civil liberties,
and the present conflict is no exception. This one's been rattling in my brain
for several months, and the latest news about military tribunals told me that
it was time to put pen to paper.
Original Sketch
This one started on the back of a scrap of
paper...
...and led to the Internet to make some sketches of Ashcroft...
...but I should have spent more time on the cartoony version of Ashcroft, since it didn't wind up looking much like him.
Layout
The layout was pretty straightforward, but I decided having Bush's hand and
scissors in the air would be a little more dramatic. I have no idea whether
the man is left handed (although his father is). I had also wanted the Constitution
to be a little more obviously a piece of paper--for some reason it just doesn't
look right to me. I'm also unhappy with how Ashcroft looks generally. Not only
is the cartoon-look not right, but I wanted him to be a little more hidden (and
hunchback-like) behind Bush. It also occurs to me that the image would be more
striking if Ashcroft were pulling the start rope instead of just holding the
chainsaw. Don't get me started about how stupid the chainsaw looks.
Lettering
The word "Constitution" was originally written in script, but
I found it difficult to read in the upside down position, so I wrote it more
legibly on some white sticker paper and covered up the old script.
Overall
I'm not sure if the joke is clear. It seems very simple
and straightforward, but I'm concerned that it isn't. Or maybe I'm just worried
that the 1st Amendment is no longer in effect.