Life Begins at Incorporation: Cartoons and Essays by Matt Bors

Life Begins at Incorporation: Cartoons and Essays Reviews

• 
  Kim Lockhart

  I am very very glad I bought this circa 2013 book by political cartoonist Matt Bors. There is a lot which applies yet today, ten years later.
  
  The satire bites hard, and I felt it acutely. The author is passionate about many subjects and he slices to the heart of each one.
  
  If you can find a copy (I bought mine used), this is truly a worthwhile read.
• 
  Stewart Tame

  Editorial cartoonists appear to be a dying breed. Matt Bors is aware of this fact, but is seemingly determined to go down with the ship. He pulls no punches, and appears to have an actual point of view. And he goes the extra mile to avoid the usual editorial cartoon cliches … unless, of course, he’s mercilessly skewering them. In short, he would appear to be one of the hardest working cartoonists in the business.
  
  The book is divided into themed sections, each starting with an essay giving the necessary background as well as Bors’ cogent thoughts on the topic. He writes at least as well as he draws (it's meant to be a compliment, Matt! Really!) The text is marred by the occasional spelling error--mostly homophones, “principal” when he means “principle” for example--but they don't detract too much from the book’s enjoyability. He makes some excellent points in both essay and cartoon form. I can't remember the last time I was so impressed with an editorial cartoonist’s work. Recommended!
• 
  Matt Blair

  A terrific introduction to a sharp and biting editorial cartoonist, whose greatest hits are accompanied here by insightful personal essays. Very happy to have stumbled onto this one; well worth a read.
• 
  Stephen

  Mr. Bors points to a handful of the modern thinky problems with the left (a few) and the right (a lot), and he does so from the perspective of someone who feels that his generation is underpaid and always will be. (Although it is interesting that Mr. Bors' generation demands a global outlook on most issues. Looking at it globally, Mr. Bors, YOU ARE the 1%. Have a brandy.) Any solutions presented here? Nope. Maybe I should qualify that - he thinks gun nuts shouldn't buy so many guns and the rich shouldn't have so much money. Problems solved, back to hipsterville for a latte.
  
  Think about what a failed opportunity this was -- this was his book, filled with an overview of his generation's views and opinions, put together by someone who is pretty much required to be aware of all the news issues out there, and the reader walks away with nothing but his bitching. Great way to show the boss you're worth more cash, Bors.
  
  Like everyone on facebook, Bors wants to talk about homosexuality in equality terms while NEVER discussing how anyone could have a reasonable aversion to poop chute butt sex (the thing that makes gays gay). He actually brings out that old chestnut that if you're against gays it's because your are really secretly gay yourself, something that is as ridiculous as the old idea that bad mothering caused homosexuality. Okay, so let's follow Bors' thoughts to their natural conclusion: The worst people, whom he despises, are the 'secret' gays. (I guess this is like the subculture of Star Wars fans who love Star Wars so much that they are forced to now hate Star Wars because of all of the mistakes and missteps Lucas has taken over the years and to prove that they love Star Wars more than the casual fan.) So, the people Bors really hates the most, to show he loves gays, are gay themselves. That's some fucked-up thinking, Bors. You need to get your head right.
  
  Economically speaking, I'm right there with the guy for most of his opinions. I hate the fact that we have increased the Constitutional rights of corporations but decreased those of citizens. I hate it that we almost elected a trust-fund baby who personally shipped American jobs overseas. But it would have been nice if Bors had done a few things with his life before wiggling his way into comics and inserting himself into public debates straight out of a college internship. Most of the earlier cartoonists he berates had military experience, careers in advertising, and had raised families - things that widen one's perspective. Essentially, they had something in their heads before they opened their mouths. Bors chose to go a different way.
  
  Apparently Bors' pet peeves are conformity, stereotypes, and clichés. Well, Mr. Bors, making fun of the West Borough Baptist Church was a cliché quite a number of years ago. Ever hear of low hangin' fruit? Shooting fish in a barrel? Taking candy away from a baby...now I'm doing the cliché thing, aren't I? See, just reading this thing of his rubs off on you in a bad way!
  
  His trip to Afghanistan? He really phoned that one in (sorry, last cliché, I promise). It reads like a school assignment requiring him to talk to two strangers on the street...and he did the minimally allowable work just to be able to turn something in. He really should have read the graphic novel 'Palestine' if he wanted to find out how to discover compelling stories overseas and bring them back home.
  
  The main problem with this books is that Bors' cartoons are NOT funny. And, yes, that IS a problem for an editorial cartoonist, even if he believes that his work was transcended the need for humor. The older editorial cartoonists I am familiar with, giants of the industry who had collected editions of their work published the 1970s and 80s, were topical, insightful, and they were indeed true craftsmen. Their work was decades after the animated swastika representing Germany era that Bors so dislikes. Maybe some people do think Bors' work is funny, but I do not think anyone would characterize Bors as a craftsmen based on this work.
  
  In sum, this book is all over the place and it's largely a collection of ineffective jabs. How did this thing get published before he was ready for a book? Well, kickstarter supporters can be swayed with a nice presentation pitch. The results are increasingly showing us that those well-meaning supporters are not much more discriminating than all those regrettable self-published authors clogging the bottom tiers of Amazon for the last ten years.
  
  I do not see myself buying another work by this person.
• 
  Josh Brett

  The title of Matt Bors' first collection of cartoons says much about his style of humor. "Life Begins at Incorporation," both as a punchline and a book, does not so much induce guffaws and knee-slapping, but bitter, rueful chuckles at how accurately Bors has distilled the inanity of our politics into comic strip form. But for fans of the blurred line between comedy and tragedy, there is much bittersweet enjoyment to be had in these pages. While Matt Bors is an all-around leftist crusader, he is especially interested in skewering the growing oligarchy, rampant misogyny, and endless war of 21st century America. Bors is one of the youngest editorial cartoonists working today, and it is easy to see the anger at Barack Obama that can only come from a disappointed believer. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Matt Bors recently, and his criticism extends to what he sees as the moribund medium of editorial cartooning itself (as he put it, "When I joined the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, I was the youngest person in the room. Eight years later, I still am). Some of the wittiest cartoons are those critiquing the laziness of stock scenario editorial cartoons like families watching television or scared at Halloween of kids dressed as ebola, terrorists, "Obamanomics" or whatever the threat of the day is (and who else would be bold enough to draw a biting obituary critique of Steve Jobs reincarnated as a teenage Foxconn worker!) Bors' blunt messaging works better in graphic than essay form, and I found his writings to be mostly superfluous. That aside, take a look at Matt Bors, you may not laugh, but you will cry. The editorial cartoon may yet live.
• 
  Brian Parker

  The book collects some of young political cartoonist Matt Bors' work, interspersing political cartoons with short essays in themed chapters. The Kickstarter-funded collection was published before his recent "Gen Y" themed cartoons in outlets like CNN gained him more widespread national attention.
  
  Bors' sympathies are moderate to left, and he's as willing to eviscerate many of Obama's failings as he is the religious right's. There's a good deal of overlap in our beliefs, but I thought he made good cases even when I disagreed with him. Some cartoons were better than others, but they never outright failed. Given his age, I expect this to stand as a document of an expert cartoonist sharpening the rough edges of his craft.
  
  Bors takes his work seriously enough to travel to Afghanistan (in the company of colleague Ted Rall) and some of the cartoons from this trip are included. It's hard to place a value on this; reports "from the ground" have a veritas lacking in armchair commentary, and it makes a good argument to me for cartooning as journalism.
  
  I almost gave four stars because of some of the weaker cartoons, but on reflection, the book educated me, entertained me, and made me think about important issues. What else could you ask for?
• 
  Gina

  Something that stood out to me while reading Life Begins at Incorporation was a trip that Bors took to Afghanistan. I'm always drawn to travel anyway, but thinking about the danger and discomfort involved struck me more.
  
  It occurred to me that going was representative of his commitment, and that's really the important thing about him. A lot of political cartooning is watered down, or it's completely wrongheaded in it's reactions. Not with him. Matt Bors is committed to his art, and he is committed to his education, in that he will review and study and travel to out of the way places if necessary.
  
  It's not that I always agree with him, it would be weird if I did, but I can always respect his point of view, and he's right a lot.
  
  There is plenty of humor and interest in the book. There is also some unpleasantness. Of course there is; it covers modern politics and war. However, these things need to be known. They need to be looked at. And a pair of brave clear eyes commenting on the scene can do a lot of good.
• 
  Janet

  I love Matt Bors' cartoons, so I supported his Kickstarter to do this book. I was delighted to find that his essays were very good, too. Well informed, insightful, with dagger-sharp wit.
  
  The book is beautifully done. It so nice to see comics rendered big enough to appreciate the detail, in full color, on good paper.
• 
  Patrick

  For a "Liberal" this makes a lot of good points. I found the section on the hypocrisy of Arianna Huffington to be pretty interesting. A lot of the publishing industry is fueled by essentially free labor working for "exposure," as if you can put a roof over your head with exposure. The Fox "News" crowd probably wouldn't like this book as a lot of it rags on them.
  
  That is all.
• 
  Tony Laplume

  So as to not get into political talk, I will simply remark that this collection of editorial cartoons of the kind you'd find in your local free alternative news weekly features funnier stuff than I had in the one I read while living in Colorado Springs, but somewhat oddly features more essay material than editorial cartoons. Or it certainly feels like it.
• 
  Matt

  Great collection of short essays and political comics that capture some of the absurdities of life in the 2010s. Will be interesting in 10 years to see how much hasn't changed (yep my latte is half full these days). I'd love to see some full length graphic piece on one of the many topics ala Joe Sacco.
• 
  Megan

  Hilarious and refreshing, this book made me realize Brooklyn is not quite this sister city it thinks it is, and I've been away from Portland too long.
  
  Excited to get Bors companion book.
• 
  Adrienne

  This book is amazing! I read it all in one sitting. It was refreshing and enjoyable even though I had read many of the comics before. Everyone should buy a copy.
• 
  Steven

  Superb, Pulitzer-nominated set of political cartoons by Matt Bors lampooning the hypocrisies of American society from the position of an outsider.
• 
  John

  Who knew godless leftists could be so funny?
• 
  Peggy

  with a forward by Jack Ohman  Sometimes politics is funny--sometimes it’s really not. 
  Shared it with a couple of my "political" friends.
• 
  Mike

  A political cartoonist shares his opinions on current topics like drones and religious extremists.
• 
  Allysworld

  awesome book