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12:00

Steve Breen - Hi, there. This is Steve Breen and I am ready to chat about anything. Cartooning. Newspapers. Pop hits of the 80s. You name it.

12:03

[Comment From Carson]
Are there any other editorial cartoonists with 2 or more pulitzers?

12:05

Steve Breen - Hi, Carson. Believe it or not there are 17 guys with multiple cartooning Pulitzers since they started handing them out in the thirties I believe. 4 or 5 of them have 3!

Steve

12:05

SignOnLiveChatModerator - If anyone would like to see Steve's winning portfolio, please visit: http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2009-Editorial-Cartooning

12:07

[Comment From Nathan]
Your Grand Avenue comic seems too cutesy for the more powerful editorial cartoons you produce. Do you have plans for something edgier?

12:08

SignOnLiveChatModerator - I'd like to post Steve's two favorite cartoons out of his winning portfolio.

12:09

Steve Breen - I know what you mean. I work on the GA strip with Mike Thompson, another editorial cartoonist in Detroit. I would like to pursue something edgier as a side project. Stay tuned.

12:09

12:11

[Comment From Nathan]
Since you are fan of comics, how did the retirements of Gary Larson, Bill Watterson, and Berkely Breathed (twice now) affect you, if at all.

12:13

12:15

Steve Breen - The three you mentioned are my faves (along with Schulz) As a reader I was very sorry to see them go. As a cartoonist it was good I suppose...my work sitting next to their work on the comics page would look incredibly lame! I do own all their collections and they were all inspirations to me. In fact, you can see some Peanuts, C&H and BC flavor in early Grand Avenue

12:17

SignOnLiveChatModerator - Steve, you told me the above two cartoons were your favorites from the portfolio that was submitted to the Pulitzer Prize Board. Why did you choose those two as your favorites?

12:24

Steve Breen - I like the oil cartoon for it's simplicity. The 7 Deadly Sins came together nicely, I thought. It worked out that the 7 sins corresponded to the human behaviors which contributed to the giant mess. In fact, I submitted that cartoon for consideration for a Nobel Prize in Economics.

Ok, not really.

12:29

SignOnLiveChatModerator - Steve, how much independence do you get when deciding what cartoons to draw and their subject matter? Do you follow the opinions and decisions of the Union-Tribune editorial board, or do you draw your cartoons based more on your personal views and convictions?

12:34

Steve Breen - I do have a lot of independence here, which is nice for a cartoonist. The board and I agree on most issues. I would say roughly 80% of the time. There are things like abortion and stem cells we do not agree on. I am very pro-life, as many readers know.
The cartoons I create are always my own viewpoints. I welcome TOPIC suggestions from my editors, but never OPINION suggestions. I have my own brain. It's not very big, but at least the opinions are my own.

12:40

SignOnLiveChatModerator - Steve, a recent cartoon you did about Mexico and the swine flu has created some controversy. Would you like to elaborate on that?

12:40

SignOnLiveChatModerator - The cartoon I'm thinking of is below.

12:40

12:46

Steve Breen - I have received some voice mails on this one. A local radio station mentioned the cartoon and accused me of being disrespectful towards Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. I think this is just grievance hunting. The cartoon was just meant to comment on how swine flu is the dominant story now in Mexico.

I always use flags in my work. They're iconic and really communicate...especially when the cartoon is in color. I can't tell you how many times I've drawn the California Bear doing different, funny things.

12:50

SignOnLiveChatModerator - Steve, it is an editorial cartoonist's job to provoke discussion and give people a different view of the day's topic. Have you ever lost friends over the positions you've taken in your work?

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