63° and Mist
(Editor’s note: If you enjoy Frank Mariani’s work, you can get it regularly at frankmarianidesign.substack.com. You can also donate to him there.)
Aug 20, 2025
Season 3 of Saturday Night Live in 1978 gave us “Nerds: Nerd Prom”, a brilliantly cringey skit. The connection between the skit and this cartoon lies in the unseen fifth character, the late Mr. Loopner.
L to R: Buck Henry ( as Randall DiLaMuca), Gilda Radner (as Lisa Loopner), Bill Murray (as Todd DiLaMuca), and Jane Curtin (as Edith Loopner).
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The spineless Mr. Loopner is an allegorical manifestation of the 119th United States Congress. The difference is that every congressional member was born with a spine. Maybe these elected representatives have disc and posture issues, but take it from a guy who has undergone major spinal fusion and is the proud owner of 4 embedded titanium rods and 18 screws: there’s a good chance that something can be done to straighten you up to do your job.
I know a brilliant surgeon. Take a number.
How I made this cartoon
Another “Making of” time-lapse video? One minute of confusion you can never get back. Why not? People appear to be interested in the process and learn that we cartoonists don’t have a magic wand. It’s a bumpy road. I make mistakes along the way, and it’s the corrections that make things interesting.
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