Kevin Tobin’s cartoon anthology Fly on the Wall provides a history lesson to anyone who wonders what issues affected Newfoundland- Labrador over the past 40 years. The book gives a brief biography of the artist and his career trajectory as he has cartooned for the St. John’s paper, The Telegram, for 40 years. The introduction, written by Mark Critch is a lively and very personal piece. He, himself had been cartooned by Kevin, and expresses relief that his caricature only had 3 flies — not bad by Kevin’s standards. (Trump has a lot more)
“Kevin’s caricatures are subtle, his lines energetic, using cross-hatching alone to create various tones in the images”
The cartoons are not chronological, but gathered into categories, each one conveying the zeitgeist of that time. The end of the book contains some footnotes, which are helpful to readers who are not familiar with the issues facing Newfoundland. I found myself looking up Muskrat Falls and the Beothuk peoples. Art is a great way to pique interest, and that it did.
Kevin’s caricatures are subtle, his lines energetic, using cross-hatching alone to create various tones in the images. Even his signature is artistic! Faces are the most difficult thing to draw (human eyes can pick up the most subtle anomaly), and Kevin has mastered the craft, with Trudeau and Danielle Smith standing out as particularly memorable.
One image that stood out to me was his depiction of a First Nations youth holding a gas nozzle to his head, a reminder of the heartbreaking situation Labrador’s Indigenous youth in the early 2000s. One of the funniest (and this book has a lot of humour) is Pierre Trudeau, congratulating his son (looking like Rocky) for retiring. It’s literally laugh-out-loud funny.
The book is a trip through time, touching on new stories like the Mount Cashel orphanage, disappearing cod (and the related seal hunt issue), the global pandemic, and Muskrat falls power project. The book is a good reminder of the importance of scribes in society. Local news seems to be dwindling at the moment, but communities should have their stories told and recorded, so that we don’t make the same mistakes over and over. Kevin’s cartoons have gone from daily to three times per week — very sad that this art form isn’t valued as it should be. A collection like this one could be used in history class! I think young people would find this type of history book quite enjoyable.
This book is a must-have for Newfoundland-Labradorians, and for mainlanders as well! It is an impressive array of work and like a quilt, the collection being more than the sum of its parts. No flies on Kevin!
About the Author
Kevin Tobin (KT) has been an editorial cartoonist for the St. John's daily newspaper, The Telegram for 40 years. Since the mid-1980’s he has used his cartoons to comment on local politics, provincial issues, and national events--from premiers, prime ministers, and colourful characters to the Cod Moratorium, Muskrat Falls, the recent pandemic, and everything in between. He has published 10 books of his editorial cartoons up to 2010, and has illustrated two books with the band Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. Since 2020, KT has illustrated three children’s books, the "Bizzie Tizzie" series, with his daughter Jessica, a graphic designer. A self-employed artist, KT has been painting caricatures over the past decade and really enjoys the creative freedom that cartooning, painting, and illustration bring.
About the Reviewer
Dawn Mockler is a multimedia artist best known for her cartoons drawn under the nom de plume, dawnymock. She was awarded the art award from Bathurst High School in 1984. She is a member of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists and CartoonStock.com. Her art has been included in Herné Bay Cartoon Fest, 1001 Visages in Val-David, Quebec, in Aislin’s book of favourite Covid cartoons, Vancouver Science World and in the Globe & Mail. She has donated many drawings and paintings to local charities and school fundraisers. Her work is available on CartoonStock (Dawn Moc) and Twitter (@dawnymock). She lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Book Details
Publisher : Breakwater Books
Publication date : July 8 2025
Language : English
Print length : 160 pages
ISBN-10 : 1778530494
ISBN-13 : 978-1778530494
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