Satirical cartoons to describe aliens

[DragonAether]

Do you think it would be a good idea to use small satirical cartoons to describe alien's bodies and maybe cultural habits? Rather than to describe each thing with words, especially do you think it could work for something more deep than the exterior aspects, like cultural habits, dressing habits and way of thought.

 

[Harpo]

 

[Ihe]

What's the context? A children's book, a cover, in-book illustrations for documentary-style literature, SF/horror, going for humorous vibes? To be honest, that sounds like a lot to put into an image. If you can do it, it'd be pretty nice IMO. Also, why satirical cartoons? Why not just cartoons? Satire derives from previously-known issues. If the base issue being satirized is an unknown (most likely the case here, if we're talking about aliens), it won't really be satire.

 

[Susan Boulton]

What context do the cartoons play in your novel? Are they propaganda. i.e. aliens bad, the enemy, or a majority, or minority in your story. Take a look at some of the cartoons/posters produced during WWI and II on both sides with regards to, "aliens", (the enemy). This could give you an idea of how you want to either describe your cartoons, or produce them.

 

[DragonAether]

My "magazine" is something like a newspaper of the events of the galaxy I talk about, my idea was to use this cartoons to make people know the different races without the need to have a single description for each race in the magazine itself, also because the theoretical public for the magazine are aliens and not humans, to make clear, it would be silly if a newspaper make a description of humans, 2 eyes, 2 arms and so on.
They would mostly work as funny comics to explain some things, but maybe I would use some of them for propaganda or for pure satire.
Aliens are not the enemy (for humans) because in the world I'm trying to build humans does not have any direct role, there will be alliance, wars, racial problems between empires.
(As satire I also meant to joke on some races problems or aspect, one of them has butt and mouth swapped, there is an evolutionary excuse, yes)

Hope to have been clear. Thanks for replies.

I love that comic Harpo.

 

[tinkerdan]

Sounds as though your comics would be metaphors.
Something used to 'draw' upon to illustrate or highlight differences or similarities without describing the whole in one fell swoop.

 

[DragonAether]

Sounds as though your comics would be metaphors.
Something used to 'draw' upon to illustrate or highlight differences or similarities without describing the whole in one fell swoop.

That's should be the main point, maybe also to draw something funny to make the magazine a bit funnier.

 

[tinkerdan]

However as mentioned previously by someone: there needs to be some reference to derive the satire and that limits this to what the reader knows.

 

[DragonAether]

The proper satire is going to be related to news from the magazine itself, maybe from previous issues, as said I will mainly use comics to explain to people the different races.

 

[DragonAether]

I "recruited" one of my friends to help me with this, and today we came out with a couple of small cartoons that in my opinion are pretty cool and funny. They just decribe how the alien race is meant to be.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I like the idea. The trick is in the execution and selling it to a publisher. It made me think of District 9.

Good luck with it.

pH

 

[DragonAether]

The execution is not my problem, and they would be just small lines to add to my magazine, that would be free and hosted by me (I will have some issue to advertise my work, but one issue at a time)