OnPoint by Keith Ng

PA Presents: Newtown Ghetto Anger!

I'm pleased to announce that one of my favourite local cartoons, Newtown Ghetto Anger, is going to be a regular feature here at Public Address. It's appeared in two publications that I've been involved with in the past - first in Lucid five years ago, then in Salient last year.

In some ways, I think NGA embodies the spirit of our generation.

No, really.

The blank, emotionless faces; the senseless violence; the irreverent nihilism; and of course, my personal favourite, the self-referential post-modernism.

Seriously though, NGA has mastered our generation's second-greatest comic invention - the extremely pregnant pause.

(I think that our generation's greatest comic invention would have to be the pop-culture reference yoink - stealing a pop-culture reference and recontextualising it for comic effect - which is itself a pop-culture reference yoink. We're also good at making meta-neologisms. And for making up words in general.)

NGA is also good for some incisive political commentary, wading his way into last year's Wellington Central campaign from the beginning through to the end. He's got stuff to please the left and the right. A little something for everyone, from font-geeks to pirates.

I'll just link to my favourite NGA of all time, and without further ado, Public Address is proud to bring to you: Newtown Ghetto Anger!

[Hmm. Cartoon strip across column isn't really going to work, is it? Click here for better viewing.]