A couple of years ago I signed up for a service which would send me a New Yorker cartoon every few days. Each cartoon would be accompanied by advertising, of course, but still, I love New Yorker cartoons, and was willing to put up with that in exchange for ones showing up serendipitously in my in-box.

Here’s the cartoon which was waiting for me when I woke this morning:

Which is one reason I try not to write about writers.

Who wants to appear as pathetic as that guy?

After I accepted a recent offer from The New Yorker to be e-mailed a new cartoon each day, I was also sent this personalized cartoon by Leo Cullum as a bonus.

I have no idea what the original caption said before it was altered, but its current sentiment seems to make a whole lot of sense. Don’t you agree?

Well, it does to me, anyway!

Once you’ve completed the homework I handed out a few days ago of designing the cover to a new edition of J. G. Ballard’s Crash, it will be time to turn your hand to re-envisioning Eustace Tilley, the monocled character who has been The New Yorker‘s iconic mascot since 1925.

Those unfamiliar with this cover boy can find an essay laying out the history of Eustace Tilley here.

Contest rules, plus some of the more unusual versions already done of the character, can be found here.

The most bizarre? This unsettling riff by Charles Burns, whose work I first became familiar with in magazines such as Raw and Heavy Metal. Back then, I’d never have dreamed that he’d be allowed in the pages of The New Yorker. But the same can be said of Robert Crumb, Chris Ware, and Art Spiegelman, all of whom share their takes on Tilley.

As the entries pour in, you’ll be able to check in on your competition here.

I’m counting on you!