2012, The Year The World Didn't End

A new year, significant to us human types, but the universe at large does not, I would suspect, give a damn that we're calling the next one 2013. For the comedians in the universe who work in topical material, it can be a sad time. A time to say goodbye to some best bits as they become material from last year. And with that in mind, here are some of my own personal favorite topical jokes, comics, and photo-quotes that I put out into the universe in 2012. Note that any graphic can be enlarged by clicking on it. Dig.

Obama-care would require all employer supplied insurance plans to cover contraception. Some hollered that this was impeding their religious freedoms. Here is how I saw it:

Scott Walker survived his recall in Wisconsin. I wasn't prepared for that.

Gay marriage continues to steadily win over the heterosexual members of the populace as they realize it really doesn't affect them, and hell maybe it even helps...

The robo-calls were in full swing this election year. I got one asking me to vote for Mitt Romney. I wasn't rude. I just said, "Listen robot, I'm not gonna vote for that guy, I don't like him, but I totally appreciate you wanting to support your own kind."

We on the left prepared to fight like hell to keep Obama in the Whitehouse, so that we could get back to complaining about him...
Johnny Taylor was the guest writer of the Baby Killer comic if you missed that.

The GOP found someone to run against him who made it pretty damn easy to mobilize behind the less than perfect choice...

The best part of this joke was the response from Star Wars nerds arguing over who really blew up Alderaan.

The "Conservatives" got a bit radical as they saw the country slipping away, with secession petitions getting more news coverage than they deserved around the country...

Weed and Gay Marriage made great strides seemingly everywhere BUT in my home state. What the hell? We're California dammit! Weed and Gay is what we're known for! Texas Governor Rick Perry said that Texans who like weed and gay (aka Austin) should move to California! California not Iowa! Freakin' Iowa! How does Iowa beat US at Gay?!

When the GOP chose it's Chairmen, I think they thought chair was the Latin word for white. They sure got the men part right though...

Disney bought Star Wars, and I wrote a joke that 4 people got. Those 4 people really liked it a-lot.

Oh, and the world ended also. That was cool. Turns out the afterlife is a-lot like life. Big ups to the universe on continuity, this shit was seamless. I published this on 12/20 as people in the US got excited that crocodile people were still around.

The year closed out with an awful tragedy. The NRA took a week before responding in any way to the horrible school shooting in Connecticut. I don't know what they did during that week, but I'm guessing miniature golf or something other than thoughtfully crafting their response.

Another tragedy involving a child, guns, and the desire for an education took place earlier this year in Pakistan. This one had a happier ending though as Malala is alive, and still hitting the books! 

The best joke of 2012 certainly wasn't mine. That award goes to Newsweek. Not for the cover below, depicting a bat-shit crazy Michelle Bachmann, but rather for their response when criticized for using such an unflattering, hell unsettling, photo. They just published the whole photo shoot and said "Which one would you have used?" Well done Newsweek!

I hope you have enjoyed this quick peak back at a year that was pretty damn crazy. Here's to a progressive and productive 2013! If you'd like to see my comics and graphics when their fresh, and to catch the non-political ones as well, find me on twitter /keithlowell and Facebook, just search Keith Lowell Jensen, I have a personal and a fan page.Oh, and also check out The Beer Party on Facebook, they run my stuff frequently amidst lots of other liberal info-graphics.