The Origin, 2000-01
In November of 2000, I was working at PennWell Publishing as an illustrator. We produced a LOT of magazine titles, but the flagship was the weekly, Oil & Gas Journal(OGJ). I was 24 and ready to make some noise as an illustrator. However, my days were composed of recreating charts, maps, graphs, and the occasional illustration of a pumpjack. I looked at the illustration annuals and realized the work I was doing at PennWell was not going to scratch that itch I had to tell the world exactly what I thought of it.
That same month, George W. Bush was elected president, kinda... sorta... maybe. If you’re old enough to remember, it was a fiasco... a goat rope.
The election was highly contested, the results coming down to how Florida voted. There were hand recounts and we all learned to hate the name Chad. In the end, Bush was ushered into the White House and I created my first - what I’m going to call - political cartoon.
Oooof…. that needs some work
Yup. That’s supposed to be Dubya. Once I was done, I realized the concept was there (W as Forest Gump) but the execution was absolutely not going to work. And I put strong editorial, and especially political, illustration aspirations on the shelf.
BUT, later in 2001, the Enron Scandal happened and I was assigned the OGJ cover for that week.
I never really understood the whole situation, just that one of the most successful energy companies in the US had been cooking the books, was imploding, and the bosses were scrambling to try to stay out of jail. This wasn’t new oil disoveries in Brazil, or the launching of a new drill ship to beat all others. This was real, big news. And I had the cover. I don’t think I still have the original sketch, but it was basically this.
Not exactly scathing, but I took a beatin’ for it.
Not too controversial, right? If the editor in Houston could have jammed himself into the handset of his phone, and emerge in my cublicle in Tulsa, just to chew on me in person, he would have. The point he made was crystal clear... the Oil & Gas Journal is read and supported by oil & gas executives and we would do nothing to paint them as criminals. I don’t even remember what the cover image wound up being, and I think that was exactly the point.
So then, my mindset switched. If OGJ was going to take a benign stance on Enron, then I was not really involved in journalism or actual editorial content, and I should stop thinking in those terms.
So I did. For nearly 20 years.
Until LaFayette Square.
