The Joke

My sincere appeal to any viewer is to judge the final product—the joke, the concept, the visual absurdity—on its own merit.

By Satya Sagar

Dear Reader/Viewer,

For years, I carried a head full of cartoon ideas, dozens of witty scenarios for a RK Laxman-style panel, but there was one monumental obstacle  -- I simply couldn't draw to save my life. I’d try, of course—sketching out concepts, feeling the spark of a great caption, only to watch my handiwork mangle the visual punchline.

My figures looked stiff, my lines were clumsy, and every attempt at a decent style ended in frustration. I always had the ideas, but never the means to bring them to life.

Now, with the help of AI image generation (agree or disagree), that barrier has diminished (though, not entirely vanished). For the first time, I am able to translate the specific, strange visions in my head—like a cricket match played by skeletons—directly into visual form.

It's a revelation, a way to bypass the technical skill I lack and go straight to the creative core.

Is it perfect?

No. Certainly not.

It lacks the unique, irreplaceable human effort and distinctive style that defines a true cartoonist's work. Any good cartoon style, for example, is a product of decades of individual artistic development and hard, creative labour. I acknowledge that.

However, in the world of the single-panel cartoon, in my humble opinion, the idea is king. The visual serves the gag. I know the purists will object to the production method, and they have every right to protect the integrity of human art. But if a tool can finally liberate a good idea and share it with the world, perhaps that, too, has value.

My sincere appeal to any viewer is to judge the final product—the joke, the concept, the visual absurdity—on its own merit.

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Satya Sagar is a cartoonist, journalist and health activist based in Shantiniketan, Bolpur, West Bengal.