Here is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #515 for March 28, 2016. The drawing is by Tom Cheney.
April 4, 2016 Update: The Finalists
In the comments section, gboris notes the similarity with a caption finalist from Contest #455:
April 18, 2016 Update: Winning Caption
June 19, 2016 Update: The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest winner Mark Freed and his prize, a print of the winning caption signed by Tom Cheney! This is one of the very last prints offered as a prize. The contest now has been opened up to everyone worldwide and the prize has been eliminated. Congratulations, Mark!
Note: Last week Liam Francis Walsh was a rocking horse winner. My caption failed to quote D. H. Lawrence. Rock and roll with the outcome of Contest #514.
All aboard for my collected Tom Cheney posts! Then stand clear of the closing doors.
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| "See? The brakes work no better on this line." |
April 4, 2016 Update: The Finalists
In the comments section, gboris notes the similarity with a caption finalist from Contest #455:
April 18, 2016 Update: Winning Caption
June 19, 2016 Update: The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest winner Mark Freed and his prize, a print of the winning caption signed by Tom Cheney! This is one of the very last prints offered as a prize. The contest now has been opened up to everyone worldwide and the prize has been eliminated. Congratulations, Mark!
Note: Last week Liam Francis Walsh was a rocking horse winner. My caption failed to quote D. H. Lawrence. Rock and roll with the outcome of Contest #514.
All aboard for my collected Tom Cheney posts! Then stand clear of the closing doors.
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This one was very strange because of how specific it is. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a therapist and patient because one guy is writing and the other is lying down. Add to that, a train is coming, but they've already been injured somehow. I thought I came up with a pretty good one that incorporates all of those elements: "We're retraining your brain." Some other entries had jokes around exposure therapy, which also works. But a lot of entries were like yours and didn't use the therapy angle. Should be interesting to see what they pick.
ReplyDeleteYes, I didn't know how to incorporate the psychotherapy element. I also found the presence of the helmets a little tricky. These guys know they're putting themselves at risk after they've already been injured. Someone out there must have figured out the right angle here.
ReplyDeleteThis is annoying. "I see our time is almost up." is nearly identical to a finalist in a previous cartoon about a year ago that had a therapist in jeopardy (#455, "Sorry, my time is up"). And two of the three make no reference to the fact that they've already been injured.
ReplyDeleteUltimately the details of this cartoon proved too much of a straightjacket. As you point out, none of the finalists were able to bring in the elements of both psychotherapy and the previous injury. Neither was I. The captions are funny, but the outcome of this contest is ultimately unsatisfying. Maybe Tom Cheney has the solution.
DeletePerhaps if the words "again" or "once again" had been added to the first two captions, that might have squared better with the previous injuries. Still, the contest is skewed towards very short captions.
DeleteI humbly disagree. The previous injuries are already evident and that there are more to come with the same incident (history will repeat itself here). The deductible mention can be used in the same context whether it's the therapist office or not. That said, high deductibles strike a nerve in our times.
DeleteNo need for you to be humble, Mark. You came up with the best caption in a very tricky contest and congratulations are in order. As the winner, did you receive a print with your caption or was the prize eliminated by then?
DeleteHave not received it yet. The New Yorker said the artist will send it to me directly and it would take 2 months. So I just made it before the official change, which I think took place last week. Enjoying your blog...
Deleteupdate - Received signed print, signed by the artist. It will proudly hang in the guest bathroom.:)
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ReplyDeleteCould you possibly send along a photo of the print for me to include in this post?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou can email a photo to docnad (at) aol (dot) com
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