“Food, Inc.” had intense painful scenes of factory farms and poor families forced to eat cheap crappy food. It showed the suffering of animals and workers, the dispossession and control of small farmers, the injustice and depravity of our food system, the cavalier poisoning of the population for profit. It made me cry, and it made me hate capitalism even more than I already did. It made me indulge in fantasies of mobs of furious people busting into the offices of CEOs and the politicians who help them, and dragging them out for some righteous punishment.

Like “Inconvenient Truth,” the film presented the problems in a strong, compelling way.

It’s unforgivable that, also like “Inconvenient Truth,” the ending completely ruins it.

“Food, Inc.,” started going bad in the last half hour or so. When the upbeat, happy-signifying music started during a scene of an altie-foods fair, my heart sank. I knew the film was doomed and that once again we would be served up a plate of bullshit instead of the truth about what we need to do.

The key turning point of the film was when the President/CEO of Stonyfield yogurt made the outrageous (and self-serving) declaration “Capitalism will not go away,” and explained that the way to stop evil corporate food production was to build even bigger (yet non-evil) corporations to produce America’s food. From that moment, the film became an advertisement for Stonyfield, and a celebration of the fact that Wal-Mart carries it. People demand good food, and Wal-Mart is giving the people what it wants! Yay, Wal-Mart and Stonyfield!

So to re-cap, the totally evil industrial food industry, which controls the vast majority of what we eat in this country, and as the film just made a compelling case for, is irredeemably corrupt, disgusting, Earth-destroying, rapacious, merciless, and inherently self-expanding, can be fought by:

1) Supporting different big businesses that offer healthier choices (Stonyfield is owned by Group Danone of France, which also owns Evian water — thanks for the plastic bottles).
2) Doing TEN SIMPLE THINGS (I am NOT kidding — look at their web site!) — aka making easy individual lifestyle changes — aka “voting with your dollars” — aka make “wise consumer choices.”
3) Signing petitions (yes! look at the website!) begging the very government that was just exposed in the film itself as being tightly intertwined (indeed indistinguishable from, indeed the SAME PEOPLE) with corporate agribusiness, to pass laws for healthier and safer food.

Once again, our power is reduced to that of consumer. Change is up to each of us as an individual. Change is NOT, heaven forbid, to come from organizing into a mass protest movement or guerrilla army or revolutionary party or network of saboteurs or any other political formation that actually has a prayer to force the industries to stop poisoning us and destroying the planet.

Another part of the movie’s web site lists its “NGO associates.” I’ve talked with activists from Haiti, Bangladesh and other oppressed nations who used to spit in contempt when they talked about NGOs, and insisted that they were a not just a non-neutral, but in fact a counter-revolutionary force. They’re groups designed to “help” people while siphoning off, buying off and interfering with revolutionary aspirations.

That’s how this film and others like “Inconvenient Truth” function. Everyone (everyone who’s sane and awake) knows we are in trouble with climate change. Everyone knows the Standard American Diet is killing us. To deny these truths after they become obvious to everyone would make the system lose credibility. People are grumbling already. So these spokespeople for the system decide to “educate” us about the problem, make a great important (widely publicized) statement about how dire it is, for the sole purpose of diverting our energy into ineffective activities that leave the system in place.

The people who run and benefit from this system know that they will never solve these problems. The problems are embedded in the mechanics of industrial capitalism and even civilization itself. The system functions by converting the natural world (including humans) into resources, and resources into cash — it’s very defining purpose is to turn life into dead, storable wealth. It can not be reformed. It must be destroyed. They know this. They try very very hard to hide this reality from the rest of us. They use very convincing propaganda that often SEEMS oppositional, to make sure that we never come to this conclusion.

Here are the final questions from Scott Nickel, who has a bunch of great interviews with cartoonists on his site already.

19. How important are awards?

Some editors like to know that the content they choose has been pre-validated. If their boss complains the cartoon sucks, they can say “But it won a Magnificent Humor Quality Award!” and thus avoid responsibility for making a bad decision.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

A while back, trying to make enough money to quit my job, I tried stock day trading and made $250 in only one year.

* * *

And now I’m off to the movies with my mom. We’re going to see “Food, Inc.”

Woo-hoo! I’m done with the six-week coloring marathon! I was up until 2 a.m. last night — I was NOT going to wake up this morning and still have to color. The last few pages were endless, because of all the animals.

Here’s a page from the final battle scene:

Now back to the interview:

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

The absolute best thing, and the reason I do this, is when readers tell me I’ve helped clarify issues for them, or have bolstered their strength to resist the system. I love drawing cartoons, but if I could better assist resistance by writing, I’d write. If I could better assist resistance by washing windows, I’d wash windows.

The second best thing is to be in charge of my own work. I hated having a job and being told what to do. I’m highly motivated and work hard, but if someone with authority over me tells me what to do, I automatically don’t want to do it. I’ve always been contrary that way.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I’ve met cartoonists and others in the arts whose work I very much admire. I go to conventions and discuss things with a group of lefty political cartoonists called “Cartoonists With Attitude” (cartoonistswithattitude.org), and I feel lucky to count them as friends. Their work inspires me, some for many years.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

If you want to make a living at it, be prepared for a hard road. You must be driven, determined, and love to write and draw. You should be willing to learn business and marketing skills, and be flexible enough to adapt to a constantly shifting media landscape. If you can be persistent, it’s incredibly rewarding to look back on a body of work that you can be proud of.

Most importantly, make cartoons that give voice to what you most care about. The world needs more art of all kinds created by people who are passionate about their issues, and less meaningless crap created to target the latest trendy marketing niche.

* * *

Next and last:

19. How important are awards?

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

The first draft of the screenplay is done! I heard my mom laughing a lot as she read it, which is a good sign. It’s been sent off to the Film Industry Professional whom Derrick knows.

I have 2-3 days more of coloring “As the World Burns” until that’s done as well. 15 more pages out of 220. This week I also want to get at least two weeks ahead in Minimum Security, and draw 4-5 comics for a new project I’ll talk about later (if it works). Then… on to Seattle for the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Convention. I can’t wait to see my cartoonist friends.

Here’s more for the interview:

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

I won’t say all of these are absolute favorites, but ones I love and can think of right now.

Books:
Derrick Jensen’s “Endgame,” “A Language Older Than Words” and “Culture of Make-Believe.”
“How the Steel Was Tempered,” Nikolai Ostrovosky
“Mother,” Maxim Gorky

TV shows:
“Everybody Loves Raymond” — (no, I’m totally kidding, that belongs at the top of my “most despised” list)
“Family Guy”
“The Sopranos”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Songs:
“Paris Match,” The Style Council
“Nothing Can Stop Us Now,” St. Etienne
“Steppin’ Out,” Kaskade
“One More Time,” Daft Punk
“Simply Beautiful,” Queen Latifah and Al Green

Films:
“Fun with Dick and Jane”
“Asoka”
“Lal Salaam”

15. What are your tools of the trade?

I draw on smooth Bristol board, starting with a non-photo blue pencil. I use a cut-out paper template to draw the strip’s outline. The size is 9.5 x 3, so I can fit two on a sheet of 9×12 board (I draw kind of small so I can take my materials anywhere without a lot of hassle). I use a varying combination of pens that include Gelly Roll (medium for lettering and drawing), Micron (05 for boxes, 005 for details), Faber-Castell brush (for filling in black), and random ones like Le Pen. I’ve tried so many kinds and they are all flawed. For example, the tips of Microns bend too much, brush pens only look good if you draw huge, and Gelly Rolls skip over pencil. I’m never satisfied with pens.

* * *
Next:
16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?
17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

More interview questions:

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

I think about where I want the story to go, break it down into small steps, and then write jokes around each step. I work on them in batches of five. Sometimes I have to lie down and take a nap for the ideas to develop — it’s easiest when I’m about to fall asleep or when I just wake up. Taking a walk sometimes helps too. I write out detailed scripts and then edit them down as short as possible. Usually a few days later I draw the whole batch at once.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

I’m not worried about running out of topics and stories — those are infinite — but I do often have trouble coming up with ways to make them funny. Jokes don’t come easy for me. Sometimes it’s just impossible and I have to take a break and come back another day.

12. What’s Ted Rall really like?

Ted is one of the best people I know, and I’m honored to call him a friend. He has integrity, and has sacrificed personal gain for his principles many times. He doesn’t just care about art or writing for its own sake, but strives to make a difference in the world. He cares about, and constantly finds ways to assist, cartooning as an art form and cartoonists as individuals. He’s a brilliant editor, as everyone he’s worked with in that capacity would attest. He works incredibly hard — I have no idea how he finds time for everything he does. He has an extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge of history and current affairs. And he loves a good argument, which may not be a huge surprise to many who’ve come in contact with him!

13. The web provides instant feedback from readers. Do comments influence the
direction of the strip or the subjects you write about?

Once in a while a reader will send me a great idea that I use. I always give credit when that happens. Some people hate the politics of the strip and send criticism that is not constructive, and I just ignore and delete that. Occasionally someone will make a point that makes sense, and I might think about it and take it into account, but I prefer to receive critical feedback from people I know, when I ask for it. I respond best (as most everyone does) to encouragement. My favorite comments come from people who tell me that they’ve been strengthened by my work. That inspires me to make it sharper.

* * *

Next:

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

15. What are your tools of the trade?

Appearing in a comic strip next month, Super Kranti:

More for the interview:

8. Tell us about your graphic novel, “As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial.”

I worked with the amazing writer Derrick Jensen. He wrote the bulk of it, using the characters from “Minimum Security,” and I illustrated it and wrote a few of the sections.

It’s a response to the lie that individual lifestyle changes are the solution to ecocide. For example, Al Gore’s movie “Inconvenient Truth” lays out the problem very well, but at the end is the usual tired “what you can do” list that everyone pushes because they don’t impinge too much on our “non-negotiable way of life.” These lists always include things like taking shorter showers and changing light bulbs to more energy-efficient ones, and never include things like stopping industrial production and overthrowing the system that puts profit ahead of a living world.

In spite of its serious subject matter, “As the World Burns” is very funny and involves space aliens who arrive to eat the planet and bunnies rounded up and locked in detention centers.

9. Name five of your favorite cartoonists or comics.

Five that immediately come to mind (there are many more that I love also):

All of my Cartoonists With Attitude comrades, Matt Groening, Rene Engstrom (Anders Loves Maria), Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland), Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For), Steven Cloud (Boy on a Stick and Slither), Jim Meddick (Monty), and Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant).

Oh, is that more than five? Oops.

* * *

Next:

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Ted Rall has a new hee-larious animated cartoon! Here’s a still from it. Notice the product placement — a Bunnista t-shirt! Thanks Ted!!

* * *

Back to the interview for Scott Nickel’s blog, which already has a bunch of great interviews with cartoonists and is worth checking out.

7. What’s the future of comics? The Internet? iTunes? The Kindle?

It could be any or all of these (and definitely cell phones), except that we’re in the process of not only an economic collapse, but also a catastrophic ecological collapse — which means human civilization is going down too. In the future, when electronics are nothing more than heaping mounds of toxic junk, the few survivors will draw cartoons on the crumbling walls of abandoned houses.

In the meantime, though, people want to read comics online and on their phones and ipods and everywhere they read everything else. People have a primal need for jokes and stories. Of course, as a cartoonist I would like a mechanism to develop that would make it a paying profession for more than a few people, no matter what the venue. Otherwise, as we see with the decline of journalism, we’ll end up with an endless cycle of young hopefuls who struggle to squeeze a bit of coin from the vague promise of “exposure” (or do it for love after earning money elsewhere), before giving up in frustration and the next wave of young hopefuls takes their place.

There are good and bad things about that cycle, which is already in play. We gain an endless variety of comics blessed with freshness and enthusiasm, but must sift through a lot of crap to find the good ones. The art form has become more accessible and democratic, but we’re losing some of the pros who have spent years honing their craft. Some of the pros had become lazy and deserve to fail; others will be missed.

All of the independent cartoonists I know, whether they focus on the web or on print, talk and strategize endlessly about how to make a living. It takes iron discipline and a lot of slogging hard work. They must develop good business skills and configure multiple revenue streams. On the web, it’s advertising and merchandise (including books). In print, it’s cultivating clients, and doing illustration work or graphic novels on the side. Usually (certainly in my case) it’s a blend of everything, whatever works. In either realm, making a living usually means that we have to spend more of our time marketing and selling than actually creating comics.

A lot of us didn’t realize this when we decided to become cartoonists. In our daydreams, we sit at our desks, left alone in peace to create soaring works of genius while cash magically appears. Sadly, it’s easier to win the lottery than to achieve that glorious condition.

Comics as an art form is in transition, and flowering. There’s so much great work everywhere, and so much stupid crap as well. People will try everything, display comics in a million places. I don’t know what will end up working and what won’t — the evolution of media is rapid and unpredictable. With persistence, luck, and a determination to hone business skills whether we like them or not, those who draw good comics will find their audiences.

* * *

Coming next:

8. Tell us about your graphic novel, As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do
to Stay in Denial.

9. Name five of your favorite cartoonists or comics.

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

I’m writing cartoons far in advance now, into August, to have extras done before I start traveling again in a couple of weeks. I’m starting at the convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists in Seattle, and then going to California and other places for several more weeks.

When I get stuck writing, often it helps me to take a nap. Before and after sleeping, that period of drifting is when ideas come. I have to keep paper and pen with me to catch them all.

Coming in July and August: Kranti wanders the city, lost. She gets jacked up by feral unemployed CEOs, then is terrified by an evil place. Finally Bunnista joins her and they come across a zoo. I’m sure you know what they’ll do when they see all the incarcerated animals…

Back to the interview:

4. MINIMUM SECURITY is syndicated on United Media’s website. How did you hook up with them?

Over the years I received many form rejection letters from all the major syndicates. When Ted Rall became Editor of Acquisitions at United, with the mission of bringing a new generation of cartoonists onto the comics pages, he told me “Minimum Security” was on his short list. I was thrilled, of course. It started running on comics.com, and I increased the pace to five days a week. It was in line to be syndicated in print when the economy fell into decline, and newspapers began dropping more features than they were buying.

5. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

Squarely on both sides. I want my cartoons to be everywhere.

I’m not going to reject methods of making a living from my work — I try it all. I’ve sold artwork on eBay. I have a website with advertising and stuff for sale, and I’m striving to increase the income from that, learning as much as I can from successful webcartoonists. At the same time, print might be dying or it might not, but as long as it’s still around, I want my cartoons to be there. My comics appear in several print publications, including a daily paper. I’m also negotiating right now with another daily paper to run a regular editorial cartoon. I draw original cartoons for magazines, and sell reprints. Presently I’m working on coloring the pages for a French edition of my graphic novel. After that I have another graphic novel in the pipeline, and illustrations for two other books.

I think the “print vs. web” comics debate is ridiculous, frankly. Some people obviously make money in each realm. Most don’t. It’s the work that’s important — why would anyone want to limit where it appears?

6. The web affords a great deal of creative freedom. Would you be interested in doing a traditional newspaper strip?

I’ve been drawing “Minimum Security” in the visual style and form of a traditional strip for more than two years, so absolutely yes. In spite of the condition of newspapers, I still have the goal of getting it onto the comics pages. I’m stubborn.

* * *

Next:

7. What’s the future of comics? The Internet? iTunes? The Kindle?

8. Tell us about your graphic novel, “As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial.”

I hardly slept at all last night, and when I did my dreams were horrible. Ugh. OF course this was the day I had an early morning meeting.

I’ll start with the interview questions again tomorrow. Today’s task list:

– Go to the post office (DONE!)
– Take a nap and think of jokes for editorial cartoons while dreaming.
– Exercise.
– Get a new mouse (again) because this (new) one broke when it fell on the floor a few minutes ago.
– Catch up on emails — I’m days behind.
– Draw 3 sample editorial cartoons for a newspaper interested in running my work.
– Color six pages of “As the World Burns.”

If I manage all that, then:

– Draw the next five Minimum Security comics.
– Finish cleaning the huge piles of paper off my desk.
– Set up wifi and new computer for my mom.

Okay. Time to start.