At Wit’s End

Like the New Yorker cartoons of its subjects, At Wit’s End: Cartoonists of the New Yorker is perfectly positioned at the intersection of funny and smart. This bible of modern cartooning comes in honor of the New Yorker’s 100th birthday, and features profiles by longtime contributor Michael Maslin, portraits by photographer Alen MacWeeney and, of course, a selection of single-panel cartoons from the 50-plus artists profiled. There have been cartoons in the New Yorker since it was founded, back when it was billed as a “comic weekly” in 1925, and so it’s unsurprising that the cartoons are the book’s strongest elements. A few are downright hilarious: In a Jason Adam Katzenstein drawing, a man says, “Let me interrupt your expertise with my confidence” to a woman across the table. Another highlight is Maslin’s own cartoon cowboy calling to his horse, who is perched in the branches of a tree, to “giddydown.” The photograph on the book’s cover shows Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist Barry Blitt, whose numerous New Yorker covers are legendary—the fist-bumping Obamas from 2008 is among the most memorable magazine covers of the 21st century. Blitt stands underneath a broken umbrella with a look of “What now?” annoyance that beautifully portrays MacWeeney’s skill at capturing humor in still images. This book is recommended for fans of the New Yorker, of course, but also fans of comedy and cartoons, and anyone interested in the ways that media evolves over time.