Rico — Drawing a Nation’s Psyche: Madam and Eve Cartoon Books as a Country’s Diary

On this episode of Watts Involved, we delve into the world of satirical cartoons with the legendary cartoonist himself! We start by discussing his latest collection of cartoons, which serves as a diary of the events that have taken place from September 2020 to August 2021. He shares how the collection is part of a trilogy relating to COVID and how the cheerful and unmasked cover was intentionally designed to relieve the gloominess of things at the time. We then discuss his experience with a viral chest infection and how he compared the feeling to that of a small pony sitting on his chest. The conversation then shifts to the process of creating cartoons and the unique traits and personalities that the characters develop. He shares how he draws inspiration from newspapers and other comics, including the American political comic strip Doonesbury. The discussion then turns to using humour in cartoons and the conscious effort to avoid being in bad taste or disrespectful to victims of violence or HIV. We explore some of the errors that have been made in the past and the gentle humour tone that is used to wrap the satire in silliness. Finally, we explore the subject's journey as a cartoonist, from an early interest in doodling to studying graphic design and architecture before eventually becoming a full-time cartoonist. We also discuss the evolution of the Madam and Eve cartoon strip and the introduction of new characters, conflicts, and gaps between characters that give rise to the humour in the strip. This episode is a fascinating look into the world of cartoons and the creative process behind them.