This cartoon from a couple of weeks ago has taken on new significance in light of the Trump–Musk blowup this week. Interestingly, I first came up with the idea about three months ago, but I was waiting for the right moment to post it. In hindsight, it probably would have landed even better had I waited just a little longer and timed it with the conflict itself.
The concept originally came to me while I was fixating—perhaps a bit obsessively—on the unique (and, in my opinion, rather ugly) shape of the Cybertruck. My brain tends to work differently than most because I’m constantly scanning for visual connections that might spark cartoon ideas.
In this case, I noticed that the Cybertruck’s strange geometric form seemed like it could easily fit together with others to form a larger object, like, say, a wall. Voilà! The idea clicked. To test it, I imported a photo of the Cybertruck into Procreate on my iPad to see if they would stack the way I imagined.
It worked! But the timing wasn’t quite right, so I left it as an unfinished draft. I finally completed it a couple of weeks ago. With the growing wave of criticism surrounding the Cybertruck, and some early signs of tension between Trump and Musk, I figured it was the right time to go for it. It took longer to finish than most cartoons, but I felt the uniqueness of the visual concept made it worth the extra effort.
That said, it would have hit even harder this week. One thing I’ve learned is that a cartoon really takes off when it’s the right image at exactly the right moment. If you can capture the zeitgeist, it resonates—and spreads—fast. I’m still happy with how this one turned out. With so many cartoonists and meme-makers constantly at work, it can be tough to land on something that truly feels original. So when it happens, even close to the perfect moment, that’s a win.
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