Omar

For this new issue of Letter from… column, we asked toonpool artist Omar Momani about his life and begged for some photographs of his working place and the city he lives in right now, Amman. And if you ever travel there and you see a man wearing a giraffe as a scarf, he would probably be Omar. Read the interview below to find out why.

01. Which movie/tv character you see yourself as and why?
Well, I see and also many friends see me as Harry Callahan from the Diry Harry movies, because I don’t give a damn about what it is no worth to me in the world.

02. What was your New Year’s resolution?
To finish my first short animated movie, this means that I must finish it this year.

03. What bores you the most?
Routines and phony compliments, I also add chemistry cos i’ve never understand it

04. Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?
I love cities that are on seashores (which is not Amman’s case)

05. What are you able to do that Superman can’t do?
For sure I can do a better disguise; it’s so obvious that Clark Kent is Superman!!!!

06. If you were sleep walking one night, where would you probably wake up the next day?
Probably I would wake up in the woods, next to an owl on a tree.

07. What would you wear to be kicked out from a black tie cocktail party?
I’ll just wear my underwear, and with a snickers

0

8. Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.
Once I told my friend that if he drinks water every day he would have the water pox, so person must 
drink a day and a day not, so my friend believed that, till he exposed that and everyone laughed on 
him, and sure he kicked my butt

.

09. How to ruin your vacation?
Sleeping all day and not doing anything, I really hate myself when I am in apathy.

10. If I gave you a giraffe, where would you hide it?
I will fold it and hide it in my closet as a new scarf.

11. What do you do when you see the glass half empty!
I will enjoy drinking the other half.

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for
talking with Omar Momani

Carolyn Hiler

Carolyn Hiler makes A Zillion Dollars Comics, and she has been a toonpool member since June 2011. Carolyn lives at 4400 feet in Mt Baldy, CA, a town of 300 people located in the Angeles National Forest, about an hour east of Los Angeles. When not cartooning, designing goofball products, or hiking with her two adorable mutts, she works in private practice as a psychotherapist and art therapist. A Zillion Dollars products are available at http://www.etsy.com/shop/AZillionDollars.

Which fictional character are you?
From the Wizard of Oz, I am the Wicked Witch of the West. I love monkeys, and the color black, and flying. I am also Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The vampires are the enemies of a creative life. I slay them all the time! When I’m feeling a little more pensive, I’m Kermit the Frog, always wondering about things like rainbows, and trying to write sweet memorable songs.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Leftovers from a big launch party I threw last weekend for these new tote bags I made. If you live within a 30 mile radius and are interested in some extra mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, romano cheese, tomatoes, peppers, basil, artichoke hearts, arugula, pizza dough from Trader Joes, tortilla chips, and other fixings for grilled pizzas, you should come on by with some tupperware.

What bores you the most?
The idea that life was better in the good old days. Anyone who has it all figured out. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

What do you do when you see the glass half empty!
I paint the words “half empty” on a drinking glass.

Today you might feel one way, tomorrow another

Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?
I love my place and I would also like to live somewhere else. Pros of living in Mt Baldy: Pristine mountain air, delicious tap water, creeks running by our house, view of the stars, total silence, and novelty snow. None of those things are available in nearby Los Angeles. Cons of living in Mt Baldy: No good restaurants, art stores, or easy access to my best pals. A significant amount of isolation. Pros of isolation: Extreme productivity. Cons of isolation: Insanity.

What are you able to do that Superman can’t do?
Couples therapy.

If you were sleep walking one night, where would you probably wake up the next day?
At the airport boarding a plane to New York, my city of origin, where I also live at this exact moment in a parallel universe.

What would you wear to be kicked out from a black tie cocktail party?
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Thinking up cartoons is hard work and takes time

Studio table with trusty pal

Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.
I seriously cannot think of any pranks I’ve ever done. I’m way too nice. I prefer to limit my mockery of other people to quiet,private endeavors such as cartooning.

How to ruin your vacation?
Bring along, an uptight, miserly, control freak. Or someone who thinks you are.

10. If I gave you a giraffe, where would you hide it?
First, I would talk to the giraffe and see if it really wanted to hide or if it wanted to be out in the open. We would go over the risks and benefits of hiding vs. exposure. I would talk about how vulnerable one feels when putting one’s giraffeness or one’s artwork out there every day, but how it’s actually worth it, because life is too short to spend too much time hiding or worrying about what other people think or trying to be something that you’re not, like not-a-giraffe. Then we would sing an inspirational song together about the freedom that comes from being oneself, and about how you can make fun of clichés and believe them at the same time. After that, the giraffe would probably prefer to embrace its giraffeness and risk going public. But because I’m such an incredibly accepting and respectful person, in case the giraffe still preferred to be hidden, I would stash it up on my roof, where the only creatures who would see it would be the mountain chickadees and the Search and Rescue workers in the helicopters flying overhead looking for lost hikers.

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for
talking with Carolyn Hiler

English version see below.

toonpool.com: Herr Diekmann, kürzlich hat das Bild „Der Schrei“ von Edvard Munch für knapp 120 Millionen Dollar den Besitzer gewechselt. Sie selbst haben Karikaturen-Originale von toonpool.com-Künstlern angekauft. Setzen Sie in Zeiten der Euro-Krise persönlich auf Sachwerte?

Kai Diekmann: Selbstverständlich! Ich investiere schon immer mit Vorliebe in Sachwerte. Im Ernst: Ich war im Zusammenhang mit der Affäre um Christian Wulff überrascht und beeindruckt von den vielen kreativen Ideen der Karikaturisten. Häufig haben die Künstler in ihren Zeichnungen die Situation noch besser und eindrücklicher erfasst als manche politische Journalisten in ihren Texten. Das morgendliche Zeitunglesen hat mich oft zum Lachen gebracht. Und so entstand die Idee, die Karikaturen im Original zu kaufen, die sich mit BILD und Christian Wulff befasst haben, insbesondere auch mit seinem Anruf auf meiner Mailbox. Und inzwischen habe ich eine private Sammlung von über 25 Karikaturen – als Erinnerung an diese aufregenden Wochen.

toonpool.com: Karikaturen können den Karikierten verletzen. Früher wurden Künstler deswegen von den abgebildeten Mächtigen verhaftet oder verklagt (z.B. von Franz-Josef Strauß), was in einigen Ländern auch heute noch vorkommen kann. Müssen Politikerinnen und Politiker demgegenüber heute nicht froh sein, wenn sie Gegenstand von – auch sehr spöttischen – Karikaturen sind, weil sie andernfalls an Präsenz und Wichtigkeit verlieren?

Kai Diekmann: Es ist sicherlich auch ein Zeichen von Bedeutsamkeit, wenn Politiker in Karikaturen dargestellt werden. Die Künstler beschäftigen sich ja in den Zeichnungen mit den Themen, über die die Menschen sprechen, die die Menschen im Land interessieren. Und Themensetzung ist für die Politik wichtig. Sicherlich werden manche Politiker mitunter auch nicht glücklich sein, wenn sie karikiert werden – manchmal kann es auch hart sein, der Wahrheit und Wirklichkeit, wie Karikaturisten sie sehen, zu begegnen. Mich in jedem Fall faszinieren Karikaturen: Als leidenschaftlicher Zeitungsleser erkenne ich häufig den Strich eines Karikaturisten – vor allen Dingen von den Künstlern, die ich schätze und von denen ich eine besondere, kreative Botschaft erwarte. Leider müssen aber in manchen Ländern Karikaturisten nicht nur Probleme fürchten, in einigen Ländern werden Karikaturisten regelrecht bedroht, wenn Sie beispielsweise an die berühmten Mohammed-Karikaturen von Kurt Westergaard denken. Er erlebte nicht nur eine theoretische Drohung, er ist tatsächlich nur knapp einem Mordanschlag entkommen. Daher fand ich es so wichtig, dass Kurt Westergaard vor zwei Jahren im Rahmen der Medienkonferenz M100 in Potsdam von der Bundeskanzlerin und Joachim Gauck, der damals noch nicht Bundespräsident war, mit dem M100 Medien Preis ausgezeichnet wurde. Das war ein sehr richtiges und mutiges Zeichen

toonpool.com: Als gezeichneter Kommentar steht die Karikatur oft plakativ als Eyecatcher und Seitenaufmacher auf einer Meinungsseite. Haben die Zeichnerinnen und Zeichner damit mehr direkten Einfluss auf das Publikum als die schreibenden Kollegen, zugleich aber daher auch eine höhere Verantwortung?

Kai Diekmann: Ich weiß nicht, ob die Verantwortung höher ist oder der Einfluss größer – Karikaturen haben aber auf jeden Fall eine schnellere Wirkung auf den Betrachter. Über ein Bild oder eine Zeichnung ist eine Botschaft einfacher zu übermitteln als das durch einen Text möglich ist. Meine Zeitung heißt ja aus gutem Grund nicht „Text“ oder „Schlagzeile“, sondern „Bild“ – weil sich der Erfinder, der Verleger Axel Springer, etwas dabei gedacht hat. „Bild“ sollte die gedruckte Antwort auf das Fernsehen sein, Informationen einfacher zugänglich machen und mehr Menschen zum Zeitunglesen animieren. Das menschliche Gehirn ist für Buchstaben weniger empfänglich als für Bilder, Fotos oder Zeichnungen. Eine gute Karikatur macht einfach Spaß, zaubert ein Lächeln ins Gesicht und pflanzt einen Gedanken in das Gehirn der Betrachter. Und eine gute Karikatur funktioniert im Zweifelsfall auch ohne Bildunterschrift. Getreu dem Motto „Ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Worte“ finde ich Karikaturen mitunter auch hintergründiger und noch mehr auf den Punkt als ein Text, weil natürlich auch ein emotionaler Aspekt hinzukommt.

toonpool.com: Bei Karikaturen und Cartoons ist der Übergang vom Journalismus zur unterhaltenden und ernsthaften Kunst fließend, zugleich verändert sich die Medienwelt rasant. Sind Karikaturen ein klassisches Old School-Element des Print-Bereichs, oder haben sie auch in anderen Medien eine fortlaufende Zukunft als wichtige Zeitdokumente?

Kai Diekmann: Ganz bestimmt haben Karikaturen eine Zukunft. Ihr erfolgreiches Portal zeigt ja, dass auch in der digitalen Welt der Bedarf nicht geringer, sondern größer wird. Am Ende interessieren sich die Leser für Inhalte und nicht für den Vertriebsweg. Ich sage meinen Kollegen immer: Wir sind keine Papierhändler, wir sind Journalisten, wir erstellen Inhalte. Auf welchem Weg wir unsere Konsumenten erreichen – ob auf gedrucktem Papier, im Internet oder auf dem Handy – ist letztlich zweitrangig. Bilder sind kompatibel für jedes Medium. Gerade in Zeiten des Informationsüberflusses spielen Bilder eine große Rolle – egal ob Fotos, Comics oder Karikaturen und unabhängig ob in der Zeitung oder Online. Viele Bilder wirken auf einer digitalen Oberfläche anders als auf gedrucktem Papier und darin bieten sich für die Zeichner große neue Chancen. Online oder auf dem Tablet und dem Smart-Phone kann ich die Karikatur, das Bild vergrößern und weitere Details entdecken. Ich liebe allerdings auch Papier. Eine Karikatur mit einem besonderen Strich auf Karton gescribbelt hat etwas Wunderschönes – deshalb habe ich die Originale ja auch erstanden.

toonpool.com: Es gibt Karikaturen, die sind inhaltlich sehr schnell verbrannt, nach wenigen Wochen weiß kaum noch jemand, worum es ging. Es gibt aber auch Zeichnungen, die stehen für den Zeitgeist einer Ära, sie werden zu Zeitdokumenten…

Kai Diekmann: Natürlich! Ich glaube, alle Karikaturen, die Sie hier vor sich sehen, sind Zeitdokumente – unabhängig davon, ob sie digitaler Herkunft oder direkt gezeichnet sind. Karikaturen behandeln ja per Definition ein Sujet, das – zumindest für den Moment – im kollektiven Gedächtnis ist. Und der Rücktritt eines Bundespräsidenten, vor allem mit den Ereignissen und Diskussionen im Vorfeld, bleibt sicherlich vielen Menschen noch lange im Gedächtnis.

toonpool.com: Und das liegt natürlich auch an der Wichtigkeit der Person…

Kai Diekmann: …und an der Wichtigkeit des Ereignisses, bei Karikaturen sind das meist politische Ereignisse. Mich wundert manchmal, dass sich die Karikatur in ihrer Mehrzahl fast ausschließlich mit Politik beschäftigt. Dabei gibt es doch so viele andere Bereiche und Personen, die eine Rolle spielen. Ich könnte mir beispielsweise auch Karikaturen zu Show-Größen wie Thomas Gottschalk oder Dieter Bohlen vorstellen. Aber die findet man – wenn überhaupt – nur ganz, ganz selten.

toonpool.com: Haben Sie selbst schon einmal eine Karikatur gezeichnet oder es versucht?

Kai Diekmann: Ja, als Schüler. Das ist grauenhaft in die Hose gegangen. Ich habe ein großes Faible für Kunst in allen Darstellungsformen: Malerei, Skulpturen, Fotografie – oder eben auch gute Karikaturen. Ich habe früher leidenschaftlich gern selbst fotografiert und als Schüler auch Fotowettbewerbe gewonnen. Und das Entwickeln von Filmen und Abzügen in Schwarzweiß hat mir riesigen Spaß gemacht. Aber was das Zeichnen angeht, bin ich – leider – völlig unbegabt. Wahrscheinlich kommt daher auch meine Bewunderung für die Kunst anderer.

toonpool.com: Von welchen Politikern haben Sie die Einschätzung, dass sie besonders viel Humor (und auch die Fähigkeit zur Selbstironie) haben?

Kai Diekmann: Da gibt es viele, parteiübergreifend: Angela Merkel, Gregor Gysi, Gerhard Schröder, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg fallen mir ganz spontan ein. Sie können wunderbar über sich selbst lachen. Mit seinem Humor könnte Rainer Brüderle – wenn er mal aufhört, Politik zu machen – eine eigene Talk-Show ins Leben rufen oder als Kabarettist auftreten. Unsere Politiker haben durchaus Humor, das haben sie oft bewiesen. Denken Sie nur an den Orden wider den tierischen Ernst oder den unzähligen Faschings- und Karnevalsveranstaltungen, in denen eben genau die Politiker, die im Publikum applaudieren, durch den Kakao gezogen werden. Ich bin der Meinung: Ein gutes Maß an Selbstironie ist wichtig – nicht nur für Politiker. Das ist das Schöne an Karikaturen: Karikaturen machen Spaß und transportieren dennoch Kritik – auf eine feine, künstlerische Art und Weise.

Bernd Pohlenz (toonpool.com) und Kai Diekmann

Mehr Wulff-Cartoons hier

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Interview with Kai Diekmann, editor in chief of „BILD“,
Germany’s No.1 newspaper in circulation and reach,
who has purchased original cartoons by artists
of toonpool.com…

(Diekmann and his mobile phone played key roles in the affair surrounding Christian Wulff, Federal President of Germany, who finally had to resign in February 2012. As an encroachment on press freedom, Wulff had tried to prevent the coverage concerning charges of nepotism).

toonpool.com: Mr. Diekmann, the painting ‚The Scream’ by Edvard Munch was recently auctioned for almost 120 million dollars. You yourself purchased original cartoons by artists of toonpool.com. Do you personally rely on material assets in times of the Euro crisis?

Kai Diekmann: Of course I do! I have always taken great delight in investing in material assets. No kidding: I was surprised at the cartoonists’ copious amounts of creative ideas regarding the affair surrounding Christian Wulff. Quite often I noticed that some cartoonist conveyed the situation more precisely and better with his drawings than some political journalist with his/her op-ed article. Reading the paper each morning often made me laugh. And that’s when the idea occurred to me to purchase the original cartoons dealing with BILD and Christian Wulff and especially his phone call on my voicemail. And by now, I have acquired a private collection of more than 25 cartoons – in memory of these exciting weeks.

toonpool.com: Cartoons can insult the person that is caricatured. In the past, artists were arrested or sued for this very reason by some of the depicted powerful people. And even today things like that still happen in some countries. However, shouldn’t politicians be glad and flattered when they are chosen as the subject of a cartoon– even if it’s very scornful – because otherwise they would lose presence and significance?

Kai Diekmann: It’s certainly a sign of importance when politicians are depicted in cartoons. In their drawings the artists clearly are working to portray the subjects people are talking about and are interested in nationwide. And determination of subjects is important to politics. Some politicians might dislike it when they become the subject of a cartoon – at times it even can be hard to face the truth and reality interpreted by cartoonists. I for one am truly fascinated by cartoons: as an avid reader of newspapers, I often recognize the drawing technique of a cartoonist – especially if it is an artist I really appreciate, someone I expect a special and creative message from. Unfortunately, cartoonists in some countries are not only faced with problems, but are downright threatened – think about Kurt Westergaard (Danish cartoonist/editor’s note) and his caricatures of Muhammad. What happened to Kurt Westergaard was not just a theoretical threat on his life – in reality, he just narrowly escaped an assassination. That’s why I was positively impressed and deemed it right that, two years ago, German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel honored Kurt Westergaard with the M100 Media Award at the M100 Media Conference in Potsdam, in attendance of Joachim Gauck (current Federal President of Germany and successor of Christian Wulff). An example had been set – a right and brave one.

toonpool.com: As a visual comment, a cartoon is often placed conspicuously as an eye catcher in the op-ed section of a paper. Does this mean that the artists have more direct impact (and therefore also more responsibility) on the audience compared to their writing colleagues?

Kai Diekmann: I don’t know whether the responsibility is higher or the influence larger – but it is certain that cartoons have a faster impact on the viewers. It’s easier to convey a message by using an image or a drawing than by using a text. My paper is called ‚BILD’ (image) and not ‚Text’ or ‚Headline’ for a very good reason – because its founder, publisher Axel Springer, had a precise idea concerning this. ‚Bild’ was intended to be the printed response to television, making information more accessible and enticing more people to read newspapers. The human brain is less receptive to letters than to pictures, photos or drawings. A good cartoon is simply fun, it leaves a smile on one’s face and plants an idea in the viewer’s mind. And a good cartoon even works without a caption. True to the motto ‚A picture is worth a thousand words’, I think cartoons are at times more profound and to the point than a text and of course joined by an emotional aspect.

toonpool.com: With caricatures and cartoons, the transition from journalism to entertaining and serious art is fluent, at the same time media world changes rapidly. Are cartoons a classic old-school element of print media, or do they also have a future in other media sections as important contemporary documents?

Kai Diekmann: Cartoons will most certainly have a future. Your successful internet portal is indeed demonstrating that even in the digital world demand is not going down but increasing. At the end of the day, readers are interested in contents and not in channels of distribution. I keep telling my staff: we are not paper merchants, we are journalists, we create contents. The way to capture our consumers – might it be on printed paper, in the internet or on mobile phone – is remaining secondary in the end. Images are compatible for every medium. Images are playing a central role, even more so in times of information overload – wether photos, comics or cartoons are concerned and regardless if on paper or online. Many images appear different on a digital display compared to printed paper – a fact which is providing great new opportunities for the artists. Online or on the tablet PC and on smart phone, I can enlarge a cartoon and discover more details. However, I love paper, too. A cartoon scribbled on paper with a unique drawing technique is really wonderful – that’s exactly why I acquired the originals.

toonpool.com: Some cartoons are quickly exhausted contentwise after a few weeks have elapsed, no one seems to remember what they were all about. But yet there are drawings that reflect the spirit of an era – they become contemporary documents…

Kai Diekmann: Positively! I believe all caricatures we see here are contemporary documents – regardless of whether they are of digital origin or directly hand-drawn. According to the definition, cartoons are covering a subject, which is – at least for a moment – remaining in collective memory. And the resignation of a Federal President is certain to be remembered for a long time by many people, especially with regard to the events and discussions leading to this decision.

toonpool.com: And that of course is also owing to the importance of a person…

Kai Diekmann: …and because of the significance of the event – taking into account that cartoons are most often dealing with political events. Sometimes I am surprised that the majority of cartoons almost exclusively deals with political subjects. On the other hand, there are so many other ambits and personalities which play a central role. For instance, I could well imagine caricatures about show legends like Thomas Gottschalk or Dieter Bohlen (German TV entertainers/editor’s note). But these kind of caricatures are very, very scarce.

toonpool.com: Did you ever draw or try to draw a cartoon yourself?

Kai Diekmann: Yes, in my school days but it went awfully bad. I have a huge passion for all kinds of art in all forms of expression: paintings, sculptures, photography – or good cartoons as well. I used to be a passionate photographer myself and even have won photography contests in my school days. And I really enjoyed developing black and white pictures. But speaking of drawing, I am – unfortunately – completely talentless. That’s also probably the reason why I admire the art of others.

toonpool.com: Which politicians do you think have a good sense of humor (and ability of self-irony)?

Kai Diekmann: There are so many, regardless of their parties: Angela Merkel (Federal Chancellor of Germany), Gregor Gysi (politician of left-wing party „Die Linke“), Gerhard Schröder (former German Federal Chancellor), Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (former German Secretary of Defense) come to my mind spontaneously. They can easily laugh at themselves. Because of his good sense of humor, Rainer Brüderle (parliamentary party leader of party FDP) could create his own talk show or establish himself as a cabaret artist in case he will ever decide to quit his political career. Our politicians do have a sense of humor and have often proved so. For example take the countless carnival festivities where the applauding politicians in the audience are mocked. I am of the opinion: a healthy dose of self-irony is important – not only for politicians. That’s the beautiful thing about cartoons: cartoons are fun and yet, they convey criticism – in a fine and artistic way.

Das Interview führte: Bernd Pohlenz (toonpool.com)
Fotos: ©Christian Spreitz

The 5-star community
By Max Pohlenz / translated to English by mariposa

‚Rating’ is an ugly word. It almost sounds as though it describes the activity of one of the most hated, unloved, pestilential creature on this planet: the rat. Ever since 2008, the year of the financial crisis, the word has been on everyone’s lips and ears.

The keyword analysis site ‚Google Trends’ rates the search term ‚rating’ as following: the Search Volume Index decreased rapidly since 2004 from almost 1.50 to approximately 0.80, whereas the News Reference Volume continuously increased since the beginning of 2007, only to reach its short-lived climax on August 8 last year, when rumor had it that the USA was having difficulties in regaining the AAA rating level. To put it in a nutshell: the term ‚rating’ was less and less searched by google users, it turned out to be one of the most hated and unpopular words; and yet it had become irreversibly established in the news.

The rating system of toonpool.com was also hated, but indispensable for an online community like this. And while other portals equipped their users with new possibilities to participate in community life or adapted their rating system, time seemed to hang suspended in this department on toonpool.com – and time flies by dangerously fast on the internet. YouTube simplified its rating options by replacing the five star scale with ‚like’ and ‚dislike’ buttons, the nerdy artist community deviant-art seem to be free of any form of rating because of the invisible brotherhood band around its users, and many facebook users have started a cult in their blue and white cyber world by using the world-famous four-letter word: ‚Like’. Thumbs-up stickers posted all over the walls and doors of metropolitan IN-districts.

What is remarkable is that many facebook users have expressed their longing for a ‚dislike’ button. The most simple rating system is still too unperfect for some users. The biggest dislike group on facebook already has more than three million members, a number coming close to the population of Berlin. No matter what you call it – dislike, diss, bully, downgrade – giving negative ratings can release happiness hormones just like bitching and gossiping does. Since the beginning of my web existence in 1996, I witnessed the Seven Sins going online. All the evil comments and downgrades on the internet are revelations of Ira, the wrath and Invidia, the envy – all of this happening under the cloak of anonymity and by creating multiple identities or accounts, as though the internet and toonpool.com were teeming with schizophrenic stalkers diagnosed with bipolar disorder, who nowadays don’t seek attention by hooting and tailgating during evening rush hour, but arm themselves with mouse and keyboard. Web anonymity and rating agency – never before were these two subjects more present than in the last three years until today.

toonpool.com’s users have (as befits a community of artists) a much more creative approach to this topic. The toonpool forum lists eight threads about rating. As early as March 2008 – toonpool.com wasn’t even 6 months old – a (former) user suggested changes and another one vented his displeasure. Suggestions ranked from mathematic to sociological concerns and even included an expression of outrage, an ‚international scandal in the world of cartoons’, which was aimed at a cartoon competition in cooperation with stern.de. On stern.de, visitors were asked to vote for cartoons of Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier and owing to technical difficulties, the rating system seemed to have a manipulative property/character/touch.

In general, the cartoonist is a special type of the main category of artists: often sensitive, vulnerable, susceptible to criticism, and yet, unlike other creative beings, the cartoonist has the most powerful and dangerous instrument to fight back: the cartoon. The collection ‚the mysterious one-star-rater’ consists of a treasure of beautiful artworks about the mysterious legendary character peculiar to toonpool – the universally hated ‚one-star-rater’. At times he/it sits, as depicted by Dirk Berrens, in his quiet chamber like the phantom of the Opera in front of his gigantic screen, performing his evil doings

By Dirk Berrens

at times he kicks one and receives many stars due to the pain

By Oguz Gurel

or he kneels in front of a star-pooping donkey which is laughing at him (as pictured by Pascal Kirchmair).

By Pascal Kirchmair

These works express the general spirit of toonpool.com: it’s a wonderful and creative community, at times stubborn, at times odd and strange, but always artistic and genuine.  One subject will suffice, whether it be annoying or pleasant, local, global, analog or dialog: and voilá, there will be a response in the form of a cartoon.

Now the rating system is a relic of the past, instead we introduce a plain and simple heart. The new icon/symbol is an ancient/old message to the world. Make Love, not Stars. Or something along these lines. The Internet has become the most important rating instrument, you can give everything and everyone a grade: my house, my car, my wife. The victory of the Internet is also a victory of statistics, charts and databases. A little less of it will do us good, let’s hand out hearts instead.

Maybe the painting ‚The Scream’ by Edvard Munch is worth 120.000.000 $. The German translation for rating (‚Bewertung’) contains the word ‚value’ (‚wert’), so rating must involve a number – whether it be US dollars or toon-stars. Maybe the Norwegian masterpiece would have received one single star on toonpool.com. What is certain though is, that there won’t appear any cloaked people at an exhibition who stick yellow and white stars below the artist’s artworks. On the other hand there’s always plenty of applause at gallery openings – hence the applause button.

Epilog
During my communication design studies, I received a rating for one of my magazine layouts that initially shocked me, yet I learned to appreciate the view of the teacher: ‚That sucks.’ But communication design is no art either.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Deutsche Version (German version)

Die 5-Sterne-Community
Von Max Pohlenz

“Rating” ist ein häßliches Wort. Fast klingt es, als beschreibe es die Tätigkeit eines der verhaßtesten, ungeliebtesten, pestbringenden Wesen auf dieser Erde: der Ratte. Spätestens seit 2008, dem Jahr der Finanzkrise, ist das Wort in aller Munde und Ohren.

Die Keyword-Analyseseite “Google Trends” bewertet, also “rated” den Suchbegriff “rating” wie folgt: der Search Volume Index sank seit 2004 rapide von fast 1,50 auf ungefähr 0,80, während die News Reference Volume seit Anfang 2007 stetig anstieg und einen kurzen Gipfel am 8. August letzten Jahres erfuhr, als bekannt wurde, daß die USA Schwierigkeiten damit haben, ihr Rating AAA wiederzuerlangen. Bedeutet: der Begriff “rating” wurde seltener von google-Usern gesucht, er wurde immer verhaßter und unbeliebter; gleichzeitig war er jedoch nicht mehr aus den Nachrichten wegzudenken.

Auch das Rating-System von toonpool.com war verhaßt, aber bei einer Online-Community nicht wegzudenken. Doch während andere Portale ihren Benutzern neue Möglichkeiten zur Beteiligung am Community-Leben zur Verfügung stellten oder ihr Rating-System anpaßten, blieb die Zeit bei toonpool.com in dieser Hinsicht ein bißchen stehen – und die Zeit im Internet dreht sich gefährlich schnell. YouTube vereinfachte die Bewertung von fünf Sternen auf ein großes “Mag ich” und ein kleines “Mag ich nicht”, in der nerdigen Künstlergemeinde deviant-art untersagt eine Art unsichtbares Bruderschaftsband die böse Abwertung, und viele facebook-User haben die vier weltberühmten Buchstaben zur Bewertung innerhalb ihrer blau-weißen Online-Welt zum Kult erklärt: “Like”. Längst kleben in allen Szenevierteln der Metropolen an Wänden und Türen selbsterstellte erhobene Daumen aus Papier.

Dabei werden immer wieder Stimmen aus den facebook-Untiefen laut, die nach dem “Dislike”-Knopf rufen. Das simpelste Bewertungssystem ist noch zu unperfekt für den einen oder anderen Benutzer. Die größte Dislike-Gruppe auf facebook zählt immerhin über drei Millionen Mitglieder. Wie man es auch nennt – disliken, dissen, mobben, downraten – das negative Bewerten kann wie das Lästern Glückshormone freisetzen. Seit dem Beginn meines Online-Seins 1996 sah ich neben allen großen Veränderungen auch dem Online-Gehen der Sieben Todsünden zu. In allen bösen Kommentaren und Downratings im Web zeigen uns Ira, der Zorn, und Invidia, der Neid, ihre Gesichter – dies alles unter dem Deckmantel der Namenlosigkeit und unter Zuhilfenahme von multiplen Identitäten und Accounts, als ob das Internet und auch toonpool.com nur so wimmle von schizophrenen Stalkern mit bipolaren Störungen, die sich heutzutage nicht mehr hupend und dicht auffahrend im Feierabendverkehr aufmerksam machen, sondern sich mit Mouse und Tastatur bewaffnen. Auf der anderen Seite kämpft die sehr erfolgreiche, erst sechs Jahre alte Piratenpartei in Deutschland um die Anonymität im Web – zurecht, denn trotz der Shitstorms auf etablierte Politiker, trotz Stalkern und Mobbing-Angriffen brauchen die Minderheiten ein Sprachrohr, eine Plattform, in der sie sich namenlos austauschen können, so wie es seit Beginn des modernen Internets möglich ist. Netz-Anonymität und Rating-Agentur – noch nie waren diese zwei Themen aktueller als in den letzten drei Jahren bis jetzt.

Die toonpool.com-Benutzer gehen, wie es sich für eine Künstler-Community gehört, oftmals deutlich kreativer mit dem Sachverhalt um. Im toonpool-Forum dreht sich in acht Threads alles um das Rating, schon im März 2008 – toonpool.com war nicht einmal ein halbes Jahr alt – schlug ein ehemaliger User Änderungen vor und ein anderer drückte seinen Unmut aus. Die Vorschläge waren manchmal mathematischer, manchmal soziologischer Natur und reichten bis zum Ausruf eines “Internationalen Skandals in der Cartoonwelt“, wobei letzeres sich auf einen Cartoonwettbewerb auf stern.de in Kooperation mit toonpool.com bezog. Besucher konnten dort für Cartoons über Angela Merkel und Frank-Walter Steinmeier stimmen, aufgrund technischer Pannen erhielt das Bewertungssystem einen manipulativen Charakter.

Der Cartoonist im gemeinen ist eine besondere Gattung der Oberkategorie Künstler: oftmals sensibel, verletzlich, leicht durch Kritik beeinflussbar, kann er jedoch im Gegensatz zu den übrigen schaffenden Kreaturen mit seiner gefährlichsten Waffe zurückschlagen: dem Cartoon. Die Collection “the mysterious one-star-rater“ birgt ein Dutzend wunderbarer Kunstwerke, die sich mit der mysteriösen, toonpool-eigenen Sagenfigur befassen, dem allseits verhaßten “One-Star-Rater”. Mal sitzt er, wie von Dirk Berrens dargestellt, dem Phantom der Oper gleich im stillen Kämmerlein vor dem Riesen-Screen und führt sein schmutziges Werk aus, mal tritt er gegen den einen und erhält vor Schmerzen viele Sterne oder kniet wie bei Pascal Kirchmair vor einem sternekackenden Esel, der ihn auslacht.

tl;dr

Nun ist das Rating-System Vergangenheit, an seiner Stelle prangt ein schlichtes Herz. Das neue Symbol ist eine alte Nachricht an die Welt. Make Love, not Stars. Oder so ähnlich.
Das Web selbst ist das größte Bewertungsinstrument geworden, man kann für alles und jeden eine Note erteilen: mein Haus, mein Auto, meine Frau. Der Sieg des Internets ist auch ein Sieg der Statistik, der Tabellen und Datenbanken. Ein bißchen weniger davon tut gut, verteilen wir stattdessen Herzen.

Vielleicht ist das Gemälde “Der Schrei” von Edvard Munch 120.000.000 $ wert. Die deutsche Entsprechung für Rating, “Bewertung”, enthält das Wort “wert”, Bewertung muß also zwangsläufig über eine Ziffer erfolgen – egal, ob die Einheit US-Dollar oder toon-Sterne heißt. Auf toonpool.com hätte das norwegische Meisterwerk vielleicht einen Stern erhalten. Mit Gewißheit kann man jedoch sagen, daß auf der Vernissage eines Künstlers keine vermummten Gestalten auftauchen, die gelbe und weiße Sterne unter seine Arbeiten kleben. Applaus gibt es allerdings oft auf Galerieeröffnungen – daher der Applause Button.

Epilog
Während meiner Ausbildung zum Kommunikationsdesigner erfuhr ich für einen meiner Magazin-Entwürfe eine Bewertung von meinem Dozenten, die mich zunächst schockierte, für die ich später aber dankbar war: “Das ist Scheiße”. Aber Kommunikationsdesign ist auch keine Kunst.

Image used for the preview by Medi Belortaja

Please click on the images to enlarge.
The interview you find below the picture gallery.

01. Which movie/TV character you see yourself as and why?

Well, I never identified myself with those heroes-superheroes-antiheroes and their daring lives fraught with danger and emotions, too much stress…Who on earth lives like that in the real world?

Of course I would appreciate it if I slightly resembled the great Totoro or Ponyo or one of those Forest Spirits appearing in the movies by the great Miyazaki. I like that kind of character which is aloof from human morality, where nothing is good or bad in itself, where everything is small and big at the same time; they exist just like mother nature. They are little pagans who incarnate the rebirth of the savage „rewild“ and many other sentiments which the human being forgot about a long time ago, one last opportunity for humanity.

They are the primary harbingers of a new manner of understanding the relation between man and the planet, and with regard to this huge task, I like the idea that I have to put in my little grain of sand,too.

02. What are your New Year’s resolutions?

To keep on trying…which it not little. Trying not to lose ilusion and hope in this black future we’re bound to experience. Paraphrasing the great Robert Crumb: Keep on Trucking!

03. What bores you the most?

I’m bored with the discinlination to progress, the passivity of the society in view of the injustice and inequality. The arrogance and malice inherent to power make me despair.

And I’m terrified to live on a planet ruled by ignorance and the egoism of the Great System which is devouring us little by little without any prospect of us being able to or rather wanting to do something in order to avoid this process.

04. Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?

You are in many respects a reflection or product of the place where you live, with all its defects and virtues. Like a huge tree, firmly fixed to the soil with its roots to nurture it. No one can know himself without knowing his soil, no one can love himself without loving his soil and no one can hate himself without hating his soil.

If I had been born somewhere else, I wouldn’t be me. Therefore I’ve learned to cherish and enjoy this place. The landscape, the silence, the sunsets, the flatness and the holm oaks are the great gifts of La Mancha which I wouldn’t change for anything in this world.

05. What are you able to do that Superman can’t do?

I can eat Kriptonyte, join an anti-system group, dine with my family on Sundays, crap on the flag of the United States, I suppose a  lot of things, huh?

06. If you were sleep walking one night, where would you probably wake up the next day?

I would probably not go very far, I remember that one time as a child I woke up totally disoriented under the living room table and I was quite frightened, I much rather travel dreaming, that’s safer.

07. What would you wear to be kicked out from a black tie cocktail party?

A white tie? I prefer to avoid parties where I’m not well received, a penguin party would probably be a good example.

08. Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.

The biggest prank I did on a friend was convincing him of precisely translating all of my cartoons and comics to English – I have a slight problem in the language department-, I hope the effort and inconveniences will someday come to fruition and compensate for the work.

09. How to ruin your vacation?

The vacation is irretrievably ruined the moment someone begins to work.

10. If I gave you a giraffe, where would you hide it?

It would definitely be far away from man, and quite possibly in company with many other giraffes.

11. What do you do when you see the glass half empty!

Finish it and serve me another one.

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for talking with Mortimer

Around 40 cartoons were uploaded within the 70 hours, mostly new artworks in very different styles, mostly caricatures or portraits, but also funny cartoons and collages.
Juror Günther Emig, director of the Kleist Archives Sembdner in Heilbronn was very busy searching for his favorites and appreciated how many artists tried to “visualize” this one man, Heinrich von Kleist, the one who occupies Mr. Emig for years.

He couldn’t decide for 3 Kleist cartoons, so here are 6 picks with his comments (in random order):

"One of my favorites. Big eyes, the hair combed into the face, historical outfit. And a distinct style – even if I didn't recognize Heinrich at once."

"Very nice artwork. Unfortunately in those times, mail coaches were convertibles, and when they went uphill, you had to leave the coach or even push it. Heinrich would have liked it this way."

"One of my favorite illustrations, even if maybe arisen from a 1900's youth book. Yes, superb!"

"I like it. Heinrich with a folder under his arm – no, it's a book – on his way to school. Brave guy."

"Lovely. I'd like to hug him."

"Wow! Well, it is an advantage if one worked on a Kleist before. Totally great! Gratulations!"

Please check all submissions in this collection:
http://www.toonpool.com/collection?page=gallery&cid=1431

Klicken Sie bitte auf ein Motiv um die Vorlage (PDF) herunterzuladen.

In memory of the September 11 attacks 2001 we would soon like to feature some related cartoons on toonpool. com . Also, we would like to make a selection of 15 cartoons to be shown on germans online magazine stern.de next week. Please upload your work if you are interested in participating.

It would be helpful to give your work a “September11″ tag and add the cartoon to the 9/11 collection.

Thank you very much.
Cartoon used for the blog preview by artist ombaddi

The circles portraits, the Pencil vs. Camera series or his strong expressed views on the world communicated trough art – all are part of Ben’s artistic universe and really make you wonder about the man behind this.

Le Petit Julien’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis) clothes are a perfect inspiration for what to wear to a black tie cocktail party ! Read more fun stuff on the following letter.

01. Which movie/tv character you see yourself as and why?

Maybe The Joker, because he is the opposite of what he pretends to be.

02. What are your New Year’s resolutions?

I have the bad habit to not follow my New Year’s resolution… So I don’t take any…

03. What bores you the most?

I hate doing administrative stuff, you know… I’m very bad at it and never understand why it’s important.

04. Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?

I’d love to move away, very far. But maybe if I was living somewhere else, I’d want to come back…

05. What are you able to do that Superman can’t do?

Die, sadly.

06. If you were sleep walking one night, where would you probably wake up the next day?

50 km away, in the countryside… where the air is fresh.

07. What would you wear to be kicked out from a black tie cocktail party

I’d come naked 

08. Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.

I’d better not reveal it… Too dangerous.

09. How to ruin your vacation?

No sun, no girls…

10. If I gave you a giraffe, where would you hide it?

I’d cut it in pieces and eat it, lol.

11. What do you do when you see the glass half empty!

I’m usually somebody optimistic, so I’d be cool and happy until the glass is totally empty.

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for talking with Ben Heine

1.Which movie/TV character you see yourself as and why?

I guess Buster Keaton. I don’t smile a lot myself, you know.

2. Next plans or ideas?

An animated short story about the meaning of life. I hope to release it before the end of the year

3. Your food today?

Risotto with a glass of prosecco.

Carlotto, Piero's favorite bar

The street Piero lives on

Favorite neighbour. Gino, the rabbit

4. Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?

I currently live in Milan, but someday I’d like to move back to Sardinia, where I grew up.

5. What was the huge mistake in your life you (unfortunately) never did?

Getting a real job!

6. What are you able to do that Superman can’t do?

I can draw him, but he can’t draw me!

7. If I gave you a giraffe, where would you hide it?

In one of my cartoons, of course.

8. Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.

Sleeping with his girlfriend? Seriously, sometimes I enjoy drawing them in an unflattering way.

9. How to ruin your vacation?

Wake me up early and I’ll kill you.

View out of the window, in Valdagno

The work table in the middle of an idea storm

10. In 1977 NASA has sent orbiters Voyager 1 and 2 into space which will never stop to fly through the universe by gravity. They contain the Voyager Golden Records with many testimonials of the whole mankind, greetings in 55 languages introduced by US president Jimmy Carter (“This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings….”). The Golden Records with a lifespan of 500 million years at least are including drawings of a naked man and woman, detailed genitalia, many scientific graphics, sounds of planet earth and music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart – and Chuck Berry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3haYAbqKjA

Maybe aliens out there will be shocked in some million years! But in case such a NASA mission will be replayed: which (1) of your artworks should join it?

Well, I did a bunch of cartoons about aliens, people from other worlds may enjoy them.

11. Please give us an answer to a question we didn’t ask!

Would you like to add something?
Sure! Thank you Toonpool and ciao from Italy to all my fellow cartoonists!

Almost smiling

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for talking with Piero Tonin