“My Sole Aim Is To Make People Laugh”: 35 New Sarcasm-Filled Comics By Steve Nelson

Bored Panda reached out to Steve again to delve deeper into his creative process. We discussed the evolution of his artistic style over the years, the challenges he's faced in his work, how current events shape his themes, and his aspirations for the future.

According to the artist, his art style was very different when he first started. "As with almost every artist, you have to keep refining your style for years before you get to where you want to be. My work was messier in the beginning and mostly black and white because I thought it made the cartoons funnier. But it went against my nature of liking things neat and colorful! Eventually, I compromised with myself and started to draw in a cleaner fashion while maintaining some of the rawness, which I think is how it looks now and I’m happy with it. There was no real 'aha' moment per se, but just a gradual leaning into this neater and more colorful form."

Creating comics and illustrations is often a journey filled with both triumphs and challenges. For every piece that flows effortlessly from the artist's mind to the page, there are those that present unexpected hurdles. When asked about the most challenging aspect of the creative process, Steve replied that the trickiest part of making cartoons and comics is idea generation. "Luckily, my background is in comedy, specifically joke writing, so that makes it a little easier, but it can still be a grind. The only time it can be challenging for me is if I have to work on topical stuff because I'm not really keen on doing it. I’ve had jobs in the past where that was required, and I got very little joy from it, haha. I prefer my work to be almost timeless in a way and not based on some fleeting fad or news story."

When Steve needs to make topical illustrations, he sticks to his regular writing routine and always manages to come up with something. "Sometimes, an idea will just hit you right away (my favorite kind!). However, what usually happens is I look at the news item, write down all the different things that come to mind instinctively, and then from all that, I try to find the funny angle. That can be a bit of a slog. However, I recently read an interesting tip: you should try not to do too much research on the topic you're writing a joke about and just see what your brain comes up with, which is interesting. It makes sense in a way because joke writing is not about finding the logic; it’s about distorting the truth. So if you understand the topic fully, then it's kind of harder to humorously misunderstand it."

Steve told us that he doesn’t try to incorporate current events or social trends into his cartoons or comics. "It's not a rule; it just tends to be that way. The only times it does happen is if I happen to see something and a funny idea hits me. You can't be chasing trends or current events nowadays - they come and go so quickly. I prefer to do silly cartoons about people being absurd in everyday life, and, you know, cats."

When asked about his aspirations for the future, Steve replied that he's still trying to get a cartoon in the New Yorker. "One of my big ambitions is to be a New Yorker cartoonist. I finally started trying last year and still no luck. But, I think I'm getting closer. They’re rejecting them a lot quicker now, which, weirdly, is a really good sign! Otherwise, the main goal is to get a book published. If I can just find time to finish the pitch document…

And lastly, I am very excited to be taking part in my first-ever exhibition this summer - I was invited by one of my favorite cartoonists who is curating it. But details are under wraps, for now, so more of that another time."