07 August 1998. This cartoon reflected the general attitude among reasonable people regarding the Special Prosecutor's zealous efforts to use Ms Lewinsky to topple a President who remained popular despite his personal problems. The media seized upon the lurid details so it was 24/7 Monica talk with very little else that mattered despite urgent business that concerned the general welfare of the country and the world. It was Hype and Hubris at its zenith.
20 August 1998. Color was added digitally in Photoshop because I thought I could get better texture in the dress. There’s a bit of satire – though not too cruel – of fitting Ms Lewinsky into a gown such as Marilyn wore. The publication of the cartoon was for President Clinton's birthday.
Black and white line drawing before color applied.
The dress Marilyn Monroe wore for JFK's birthday bash.
04 March 1999. You had to see it to believe it.
A close-up of the illustration. I really had no idea what color her eyes were because at the time I hadn’t any photos that were good enough. Remember, those were the days before googleimages were available.
10 August 1998. I sent this off to The New Yorker but it was returned without comment. Later they did their own version of Monica as Mona on the cover but without the scripts and checks.
When Monica Lewinsky burst upon the national scene she reminded me of a large muffin, not the easiest person in the world to capture in a likeness without seeing more of her photographed in unguarded moments. This first attempt was to show her manipulated by Special Prosecutor Ken Starr as he huffed and puffed to inflate her importance. This is a pencil drawing on stationery-quality bond paper to which I've added digital color herewith.
This is my first cartoon of this series published on the Web on 30 July 1998. It was just after the news that Linda had taped her private telephone conversations with Monica Lewinsky.
