Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 1990

With the 20th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon, the 20th anniversary of Woodstock, and the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, 1989 was a year that celebrated history-shaping events. It was a year of discovery as Voyager II surveyed Neptune, and a year of tragedies as the Middle East conflict and airline crashes were continuously in the news.

In 1989, the U.S. declared war on drug lords, and Columbian drug lords declared war on their government. Milestones were reached in the Eastern bloc as Poland's Communist party took a backseat to Solidarity, and Mikhail Gorbachev faced independence rallies in Soviet republics. Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran took his last breath just months after he ordered the unconditional execution of best-selling author Salman Rushdie. The abortion controversy challenged the Supreme Court, while the savings and loan crisis and environmental protection occupied the Bush administration. And finally, while congressional ethics were regarded by some to be at an all-time low, Batman paraphernalia was at an all-time high. In short, editorial cartoonists had a wealth of subjects from which to choose.

Long considered the most definitive collection of editorial cartoons, Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year: 1990 Edition is a must for the political minded, the history buff, the humorist, and the artist. It includes more than 340 cartoons, representing the best works of 160 outstanding cartoonists from the U.S., Canada, and other nations.

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Editor Charles Brooks is past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and for thirty-eight years was a cartoonist for the Birmingham News. He has been the recipient of thirteen Freedom Foundation Awards, a national VFW Award, two Vigilante Patriot Awards, and a Sigma Delta Chi Award for editorial cartooning.

Brooks' cartoons appear in more than eighty books, including textbooks on political science, economics, and history, as well as encyclopedias and yearbooks. His original cartoons are on display in many libraries' archives.

CHARLES BROOKS, a former president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, has edited this series since its inception in 1972. Brooks served for 38 years as editorial cartoonist for the Birmingham News, where his work won numerous national awards.