As a mediocre-to-average cartoonist, there is nothing so unnerving than to read cartoons that are funnier than mine.
I first met Peggy Clancy a few years ago when I was still in the Navy, after her husband (one of the smartest and nicest people I ever worked with – another unnerving topic for different day) introduced her as someone who wanted me to take a look at her artwork. Amused, I allowed him to hand me a pile of cartoons. I pasted a fake smile on my face to mask my disdain for yet another doodler with little talent and poor timing. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.
Peggy Clancy
As I flipped through the collection the fake smile came in handy, mostly because it masked my shock. Her stuff was great. With a style reminiscent of cartooning giants like Gary Larson and Steve Moore, her humor – aimed like a scalpel at the heart of the medical profession – was hysterical. It was so good I even forgot to be jealous (until later).
I just found the website for her cartoon panel, called “Cerebral Vortex.” I don’t even know what that is, but I will guarantee her target audience does. Since she is a nurse, she knows all the inside humor, the stuff that can only be appreciated by those who know that world.
Except she messed up.
Because even those of us who don’t know a stethoscope from a defibrillator get the jokes. Why her cartoon panel isn’t in every newspaper in the country is beyond me – it really is that good. But don’t take my word for it – you can judge for yourself. Just click on the cartoon and you’ll go right to her website.
