About Chip Bok
Arthur “Chip” Bok
Through Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate, Chip Bok’s cartoons appear worldwide in publications including The Times of London, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and Newsweek. He is a member of the steering committee for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Virginia.
Awards & Recognition
Time Magazine: Top 10 Political Cartoons of 2008
The Week Magazine Opinion Awards, Editorial Cartoonist of the Year, 2007
Best Editorial Cartoonist, National Cartoonist Society, 1995, 1999
Best Editorial Cartoonist, Associated Press Society of Ohio, 1992,1996,1999, 2000
Berryman Editorial Cartooning Award (National Press Foundation), 1993
H.L. Mencken Award (Free Press Association), 1993
John Fischetti Award (Columbia College Chicago), 1988
Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1997.
Bok is author of two cartoon history books: Bok! the 9.11 Crisis in Political Cartoons (University of Akron Press, 2002), A Recent History of the United States in Political Cartoons: A Look Bok! (University of Akron Press, 2005).
Chip came from Miami to the Akron Beacon Journal as staff editorial cartoonist in 1987. “Bok” was the title of a weekly cartoon on off beat South Florida issues such as snakes, bugs and strangler figs drawn for the Miami Herald’s Sunday magazine, Tropic, in 1985 and 86. He illustrated Dave Barry’s column for the same publication 1982-84. At the time, he also was a graphic designer for Viewtron, Knight Ridder’s early entry in the online business from 1983-86. As a graphic designer there he gained experience with very low speed computer animation. Prior to Viewtron he was staff editorial cartoonist for the Clearwater, Florida Sun (1981-1982).
In 1991 Bok’s editorial cartoons appeared in animated form on PBS stations in Cleveland, Dayton, Atlanta, and West Palm Beach. He was the 2000 Silha Lecturer at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Bok is a graduate of the University of Dayton. He lives in Akron, Ohio, with his wife, Deborah. They have four children.
Mr. Bok,
More often than not I enjoy your political cartoons but this latest example of your work befuddled me completely. I forwarded it to 26 friends with the message you see below. 19 have responded to date, all experiencing much the same confusion as I. If it makes any difference, that group is pretty closely divided blue and red on the political spectrum today.
John Burns
john1512burns@gmail.com
Friends:
Good political cartoons by their very nature do not require study or extended thought. Perhaps this one simply is not good since I can’t figure it out after considerable study…and now I am asking for outside assistance!
What I see is the overweight dude rudely sitting on top a student desk. I assume he represents a labor union goon. The teacher introduces him as Luca, who will be visiting the class periodically now since her teacher union dues are no longer collected by the state. The state is Wisconsin but unless the procedure in that state is incredibly unique, her teacher union dues were never collected by the state but were deducted monthly from her paycheck and paid to the union…so is the presence of Luca supposedly to frighten her into paying him her monthly union dues to him?
Walker’s re-election last Tuesday undoubtedly seriously injured…if not outright killed…the teacher’s union in addition to all unions…so what is the message behind this cartoon?
John
Mr. Burns (and friends),
Wisconsin membership in AFSCME dropped from 62,818 in March 2011 to 28,745 in Feb 2012. For the AFT it was 17,000 to 6,000 over the same time period.
The point of the cartoon was that the huge decline in public service union membership, due to the Walker reform ending collection of dues, was the real source of anger for union bosses.
I expect AFSCME dues were collected by the state. In the case of the teachers union I suppose you’re right that the actual dues collector would have been whatever controlling legal authority wrote the paychecks – which sounds even less pithy than saying “the state”.
Mr. Bok,
I really like your work. Your artistic talent is fantastic. Enough butt kissing. I have no artistic talent at all. But I have an idea. See if your artistic talents can do something with this idea, if it hasn’t already been done.
Just think of Holder as the Cowardly Lion, Biden as the scarecrow with no brain, Reid as the tin man with no heart and Pelosi as Dorothy holding Obama as Toto as they dance down the golden road singing “We’re off to steal from the people, the working people of America”.
FYI,on caglecartoons.com, they mistakenly publish your website as bokbuster.com, rather than bokbLuster.com.
It’s a little thing, but you may wish to correct it.
Thanks for the wonderful perspective, insight, humor, and fine artwork, that appear in each and every political cartoon you publish. The American public needs to have the very high standards that you contribute to the political discourse day in and day out.
Peace & blessings,
Ken Mooney
Flying Squirrel cartoon is in real bad taste. You are writing about a 16 year old who is on top to the world and you associate her with a cartoon character.
Drawing is not becoming at all. This is a time of celebration for her and team.
I think your latest “cartoon” is unbelievably insensitive.
I just have to ask, which one?
miss you since you left abj.i will follow you on internet since I found you.
Enjoy your cartoons, they are right on!
I have an idea for a cartoon if you take suggestions. Anti-administration non libel content.
Mr. Bok,
I enjoyed your cartoons in the ABJ when I lived there. It was like an oasis in the desert.
I watched something on CSpan the other day featuring editorial cartoonists, and thought about you. Searched in Google, and here I am!
Currently living in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, but, sadly, your cartoons are nowhere to be found; certainly not in the Tampa Bay Times, nor in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
I’ll be a follower on the site going forward.
Thanks.
Mr. Bob
Your cartoons in The Press Enterprise are priceless. It is the first thing we look at and always enjoy. Question: Do you accept ideas for your cartoons. Inspired sometimes we would like to pass on ideas. For example, picture Obama sitting on a classroom chair with little students at his feet and he has a big book in his hands that he is reading from. It is titled Fairy Tales and he reads: “And the King proclaimed to all his subjects – you will have affordable health care, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your health plan and there will be peace in all the land and everyone will live happily ever after”. Along side the Pres. is a book shelf with a collection of other Fairy Tale books to read to the children: IRS Scandal, Bengazi, Global Warming, NSA Fiction, etc.
Keep up the good work.
Alice & Dave
Thanks, Alice and Dave. You got that right – Grim fairy tales indeed. Can’t draw it with little children at his feet because the emperor has no clothes. – Chip
I am interested in using your image as found at https://bokbluster.com/2014/02/23/settled-science/ in a book I am writing. As the book is unlikely to result in large sales, I cannot afford to pay for its use. Would you be willing to give me permission to use it? It captures part of the theme of my book (climate skepticism) very well.
I saw Mr. Bok’s cartoon “Prolonging Life”. What Mr. Wood got in his “botched” execution he deserved. I wonder if Mr. Bok considered a “cartoon” of the “unbotched” execution of his ex girlfriend and her father that he was convicted of. Probably not. Peace on you.
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Chip, great stuff. Do you accept ideas for topical material from a frustrated attorney who wants to make a political statement via cartoons but can’t draw???
ie. cartoon of Obama speaking to the Iranian people via his TV address selling his deal to Iranians: “Trust me, If you like your enriched plutonium, you can keep your plutonium”
Just a note to the wise. I like your cartoons, however being the Patriot that I am whenever you put flags on Soldiers the stars always go to the front. It is an insult to those that wear the Uniform to show them as Cowards running from battle.
I would like to suggest a panel. It would be Donald Trump standing there looking bored with his arm fully extended with his hand flat on Rubio’s head. Rubio is a spoiled rich kid who is swinging over and over at Donald to no avail. Thanks.
Mr. Bok,
Your Pelosi/Waters cartoon of today 19-MAY-17 is absolutely spot on. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair.
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I’m writing about the Chip Bok cartoon (August, 2021) in which a COVID cell is labeled, “MADE IN CHINA” and the person in the cartoon says, “The problem is this stuff doesn’t break as soon as you take it home.” I am VERY offended by this cartoon. I think it is blatantly racist, and I’m disappointed you made it. And, that it was distributed. Shame on you, Chip Bok!
What’s racist about it?
I’m also a bit befuddled the you prop up the Pence angle on the 2020 election, showing Trump as unjustly irate. Pence could have demanded an investigation and the cheating would have been exposed right then. You’re other editorial cartoons are true to the conservative side. Pence should be shown as weak, caving in. I’m considering dropping you from my Favorites.
a link to a good Biden cheat page is attached