This Cartoonist Makes Single-Panel Comics That Are Both Absurd And Relatable (66 Pics)
If you’ve ever walked away from a family gathering thinking “Well, that felt… weird,” or sat through a polite conversation that somehow felt like a small-scale hostage situation, David Sipress’ cartoons will feel uncomfortably familiar.
Sipress highlights the absurdity, contradictions, and discomfort that we all experience in our lives by amplifying the absurdity of everyday situations to the maximum—little social misfires, forced smiles, and the kind of blunt honesty that slips out right after someone says, “So anyway…” His work is visually simple, but the socio-cultural and political discussions underlying the punchlines are far from that.
A dinner table becomes a diplomatic crisis. A routine checkup turns into a moment of clarity nobody asked for. Couples negotiate the unspoken rules of long relationships, coworkers stumble through office etiquette, and holiday traditions unravel in real time. Even when the setup is absurd, the emotional logic is painfully real, which is why the punch lands.
A big part of the appeal is that even when the jokes are painfully obvious, they invite a level of contextual knowledge of the world and current events for one to be able to fully grasp the implications. This makes sense when you realize Sipress has been honing this observational style for decades, including a long run at The New Yorker, where his cartoons have become a go-to snapshot of everyday social and political friction.
And if you’re curious how a mind like this gets built, Sipress’ memoir What’s So Funny? offers some context without spoiling the magic. But the cartoons are the main event. They’re the kind of funny that makes you laugh first, then wince a second later, because you’ve absolutely been there.
You can learn more about Sipress on his website and check out more of his cartoons on his Instagram page.
More info: Instagram | davidsipress.com | Facebook | x.com
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I got onboard Twitter early in the game. Even attempted to stick with it after that disgusting nitwit took it over since I really enjoyed many of the posts. But that was then and this is now, and I can't visit that site any longer.
That one night the BBC had nothing to report so played music instead
"No, I'm just going to relax and enjoy myself the entire vacation - AND after I get *back* from vacation!"
Ayep. Plenty of red meat and whole fat milk. I'm 100% onboard with removing processed and ultra-processed foods from our diets, but flipping the food pyramid is beyond ridiculous - it's dangerous. Same age as that dingbat RFK jr. but I don't look like a used saddle bag that's been left out in the sun.
A few of my cats would watch me clean the litter boxes, then promptly use them. Their unique way of showing appreciation.
Something just seems so ... wrong ... about a pack of wolves singing *barbershop*.
My brother in law's phone bingled a news alert last week, my sister in law and I simultaneously said "oh god what's he done now"
Just another whacko predicting climate change and the death of the planet. /s
Pre-Thanksgiving, everyone in the building was chatting about celebrating the holiday. But since this was my attitude, I stayed home and enjoyed my delicious meal in peace.
Yeah, well, Beelzebub ain't exactly bragging about knowing YOU, Donnie!
IMAGE: artist's impression of what wooly mammoths may have looked like
I hadn't scroll far enough to see the script, so my immediate thought - it's about a mother and her spawn in public.
