My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #970

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #970 from the issue of December 1, 2025, the setting is a library (or maybe a bookstore). A librarian with a cart is talking to a woman in the Psychology section while they look at the Grim Reaper browsing nearby in the Self-Help section. The librarian speaks. My entry appears below. The drawing is by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell.

"I'll start wheezing and lead him to the travel section."

These captions needed to be shelved:

"Why shouldn't he want to work more efficiently?"
"He'll never find anything to replace chess."
"I wouldn't mind some new life goals."
"He should be working on his people skills."

December 20, 2025 Update:  The Finalists

December 22, 2025 Update:  I voted for the caption from Burlington.

January 10, 2026 Update:  The Winner

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My Copy of At Wit's End: Cartoonists of The New Yorker by Alen MacWeeney and Michael Maslin

On November 21 at the Rizzoli Bookstore on Broadway, At Wit's End: Cartoonists of The New Yorker received its official launch. The book includes Alen MacWeeney's striking photographs of more than fifty New Yorker cartoonists past and present with accompanying profiles by Michael Maslin and a select sampling of cartoons. This is the first book celebrating the centennial of cartoonists at The New Yorker. One hopes there will be more. 

Seen on the panel at the event, left to right, are moderator Charles Traub, MacWeeney, and Maslin. Justin Sheen's photograph from the book is up on the screen behind them.

The half title page of my copy is signed by the two principals, Maslin and MacWeeney.

Many New Yorker cartoonists included in the book were present at the event. Should I have asked those cartoonists to add their signatures to that half title page? Maybe, but the cartoonists I approached all gravitated toward signing their own pages on the first (of two) spreads without any coaching. Here then are their pages alphabetically as signed, sometimes with a drawing, starting with that of David Borchart:

Note:  As you see, at the event I got fourteen people in total to sign my copy of At Wit's End. Although other cartoonists were also present at Rizzoli, I missed out on obtaining the signatures of Ellie Black, Akeem Roberts, Justin Sheen, and Victor Varnado. I suppose I have no one to blame but myself. If anyone did obtain signed pages from these cartoonists at the launch event or elsewhere and wishes to share them here, I'd be happy to append photos or scans of the relevant pages to this post.

As of this writing, Rizzoli still has books signed by the authors available on its website here.

Cartoonist Michael Maslin posted an extensive account of the book launch event on his Ink Spill blog here.

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MoCCA Fest 2022: Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

It was an unannounced appearance at MoCCA Fest this year. Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell showed up with copies of her new Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession. She signed it and drew me a picture too. Want to see?

Purchase of the book entitled me to two "Law & Order" stickers and two buttons. Did I choose well?

HFC's awesome tote bag says it all:

I also splurged and picked up a promotional Murder Book notebook. I'm told it's rather uncommon.

So now I'm ready to solve any and all murders that might come up. Of course, that might require a second blog...

Note:  Others who brought home cool stuff from MoCCA Fest 2022 are welcome to submit photos to the blog.

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