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Tag: Comics

A series relationship

Three-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Curly-haired editor and bespectacled editor are sitting at a café bar. Curly-haired editor holds up her cell phone and says, “This new dating app matches people based on whether they’re for or against the Oxford comma.” Frame 2: Bespectacled editor looks at the phone. Frame 3: Bespectacled editor turns to curly-haired editor and says, “Can you filter out anyone who thinks having a militant stance on the Oxford comma is a personality trait?

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Author Iva CheungPosted on May 1, 2021May 1, 2021Format ImageCategories Editing, EditorsTags Comics, punctuation2 Comments on A series relationship

Minority Report

Nine-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Three bald characters float in a circular tank of water. One of them says, in a shaky voice, “Replace all.” Frame 2: Curly-haired editor says, “What do the precogs see?” Bespectacled editor is manipulating images on a curved screen. She says, “Corporate boardroom. Midtown.” On the screen is a picture of a woman leading a boardroom meeting. Frame 3: Bespectacled editor says, “The director’s asked Eddie here to update the company’s policies...” Frame 4: The bespectacled editor continues, “using gender-neutral language.” The image on the curved screen shows a man with glasses sitting with his laptop open. He says, “Easy. I can do that right now.” Frame 5: The image on the curved screen shows a “Find and replace” window open on the laptop, with the word “man” in the “Find What” field and the word “human” in the “Replace With” field. Curly-haired editor says “MY GOD.” Bespectacled editor says, “This’ll be a disaster if we don’t stop it.” Frame 6: Curly-haired editor says, “Time horizon: 6 minutes!” Bespectacled editor starts running. “I’ve gotta move!” Frame 7: Bespectacled editor bursts into the boardroom and crouches to jump. Frame 8: Bespectacled editor shoves Eddie’s chair away from his laptop, all the while saying “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Frame 9: Eddie is pushed across the room. Bespectacled editor peers up from under the table and says, “You’ll thank me later when you don’t have to fix a whole-ass section on ‘Huhuman Resourcesa Humanagement.’”

Click through to enlarge!

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Author Iva CheungPosted on April 1, 2021November 16, 2022Categories EditingTags ComicsLeave a comment on Minority Report

Post

Eight-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Bespectacled editor sits at her desk, looking at her computer, her hand on her mouse. Frame 2: She sees on her screen a post she has composed on “Social Media Platform,” which reads “[Relatable observation about a frustration common to editors]” She hits “send.” Frame 3: Her computer makes a noise, indicating someone has replied. Frame 4: The first reply reads, “Haha. So true.” Three dots indicate the same person is typing. Frame 4: The computer once again makes a noise and this time “Grammar Peeve” flies out of the screen and bonks the editor on the forehead. Frame 6: She rubs her head where she was struck as she looks more closely at the screen. Frame 7: The computer makes more noises, and more words fly out of the screen, including “Author bashing” and “usage peeve.” She shields her face with her hands. Frame 8: The editor cowers under her desk with her hands protecting her head, while “Grammar Peeve” and “Usage peeve” and “Style peeve” fly out of the screen. She yells “HELLLLLP” and curly-haired editor runs in, yelling, “Delete, delete, delete!!!”Dedicated to Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, James Harbeck, and Ellen Jovin—ambassadors for respectful engagement within the editorial community!

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Author Iva CheungPosted on March 1, 2021February 24, 2021Format ImageCategories EditingTags Comics, Grammar, Style, Usage3 Comments on Post

Pro bono

Two-frame cartoon. Panel 1: A grad student holds a manuscript and says to Bespectacled editor, "I need to get my dissertation proofread, but I don't have the budget to pay a professional." Panel 2: Bespectacled editor says, "Are you married to a Democrat who'll eventually be president? 'Cause internet random will proof it for free in just a few decades!&quit;(I know, I know. This cartoon is so December 2020. Turns out I’m still annoyed about this!)

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Author Iva CheungPosted on February 1, 2021January 30, 2021Format ImageCategories Editing, ProofreadingTags ComicsLeave a comment on Pro bono

Pandemic brain

Eight-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Bespectacled editor holds up a book with “2020” in the title and says, “Are you reading a book edited in 2020?” Frame 2: A close-up of the book shows the title reading, “2020 Anus Horribilis” and the caption says, “Do you notice more typos than you’d expect?” Frame 3: A confused reader is reading the book. The caption says, “Is the text less coherent and concise than it could be?” Frame 4: Bespectacled editor is hold her head, stressed. The caption says, “Like everyone else, editors suffered chronic stress from the pandemic and other crises.” Frame 5: We see the editor’s brain with stress arrows impinging on it. The caption says, “Chronic stress impairs attention and working memory, which are critical for eating well.” Frame 6: The editor is working at her desk. The caption says, “Some editing tasks we could do automatically, thanks to years of professional practice. Frame 7: The editor takes off her glasses and buries her head in her hand. The caption reads, “But no editing project can be done without cognitive effort, and, in 2020, our brains weren’t at their best.” Frame 8: Bespectacled editor has her hands together and says, “We hope you’ll be understanding and forgiving. Thanks for your patience.”Not an excuse—but maybe an explanation?

I’ve proofread this cartoon several times, but I’m sure there’s a glaringly obvious typo somewhere and I just can’t see it.

In all seriousness, I’d like to send my thoughts to anyone who’s had to endure loss of this year. I fervently hope 2021 will be better for everyone.

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Author Iva CheungPosted on January 1, 2021December 31, 2020Format ImageCategories EditingTags Comics6 Comments on Pandemic brain

Sage advice

Four-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Bespectacled editor approaches a hermit sage on a mountaintop. She says, "I have travelled a long distance to seek your advice!" The sage says, "Bethesda, Maryland." Frame 2: Bespectacled editor says, "Uh... I'm sorry?" The sage says, "Reference 62 in your manuscript. Publisher's location: Bethesda, Maryland." Frame 3: The editor stares ahead, bewildered. Frame 4: The editor says, "But I..." The sage says, "You're WELCOME."

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Author Iva CheungPosted on December 1, 2020November 21, 2020Format ImageCategories EditingTags ComicsLeave a comment on Sage advice

Paywall

Six-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Bespectacled editor peers around a wall of a fortified building and sees guards with medieval Roman helmets and spears. Frame 2: She throws a grappling hook up to a ledge of the building. Frame 3: She hugs the wall of the building along a high ledge toward a window. Frame 4: She peers into the window, labelled, "Google Books." Frame 5: The window slams shut, with the words "No preview available for this page." The impact knocks Bespectacled editor off the ledge. Frame 6: She is on the ground, surrounded by the medieval Roman guards, who are now pointing their spears at her. She says, "I'm just trying to confirm a quote!"

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Author Iva CheungPosted on November 1, 2020November 1, 2020Format ImageCategories EditingTags Comics, Fact checking1 Comment on Paywall

Misconceptions

Six-frame cartoon. Frame 1 shows bespectacled editor at a café, wearing a T-shirt that says, "Plain language, please!" Frame 2: A man comes up to her and says, "Right on! I love it when people use plain language. Tellin' it like it is, y'know?" Frame 3: He continues, "Not worrying about that woke PC bullshit just 'cause you might hurt a few feelings." Frame 4: He continues, "Saying exactly what's on your mind, no filter!" Frame 5: Bespectacled editor stares back at him. Frame 6: She says, "Plain language doesn't mean "asshole," dude.

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Author Iva CheungPosted on October 1, 2020May 26, 2021Format ImageCategories Editing, Plain languageTags Comics2 Comments on Misconceptions

Empathy

Three-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Bespectacled editor is at a table, taping a box. Curly-haired editor says, "Sending a parcel?" Bespectacled editor says, "Yep. Chocolates!" Frame 2: Curly-haired editor says, "Are they for your author?" Bespectacled editor replies, "For the editor of my author's previous book." Curly-haired editor says, "Oh!" Frame 3: Curly-haired editor understands the implication and says, "OH." Bespectacled editor says, "Yeah…" as she writes the address on the box.

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Author Iva CheungPosted on September 1, 2020August 30, 2020Format ImageCategories Editing, FreelancingTags Comics1 Comment on Empathy

Aims and scope

Eight-frame cartoon. Frame 1: Several people sit around a boardroom table. The person at the head of the table, presumably the editor-in-chief, says, "What should we do to set our journal apart?" Frame 2: One person raises their hand and says, "Commit to publishing only the highest-quality scholarship?" Editor-in-chief says, "Too generic. All journals are going to make that claim." Frame 3: Someone else says, "Offer expedited peer review?" Editor-in-chief says, "We don’t want to come off as predatory." Frame 3: Someone else says, "Give authors marketing support to more widely disseminate their findings?" Editor-in-chief says, "Let’s be realistic. We don’t have that kind of capacity!" Frame 5: Someone says, "Make up our own unique citation style?" Frame 6: Editor-in-chief is silent but reaches for his glasses. Frame 7: He takes his glasses off pensively, then says, "Goddamn BRILLIANT." Frame 8: He says, "Nakamura, make sure it has as much idiosyncratic punctuation as possible! McNally, allocate 40% of the copyediting budget to enforcing it!"

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Author Iva CheungPosted on August 1, 2020Format ImageCategories Academic publishing, EditingTags Citation, Comics, Style1 Comment on Aims and scope

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