Jeremy Nell
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Talfer Nell often referred to by his pen name Jerm, is an award-winning South African cartoonist, social commentator, and blogger. He is the editorial cartoonist
for The New Age and is the creator of a nationally syndicated daily comic strip, The Biggish Five
.
, South Africa
.
With no completed formal training, Nell became a cartoonist in November 2005, immediately following his departure from the mobile media and entertainment industry.
Nell's first nationally syndicated comic strip, Urban Trash (first published November 2005), ended 27 June 2008.
In 2007, coinciding with the newspaper's launch, Nell became the front page (and soon thereafter, political) cartoonist for The Times.
Following the 2009 South African national election results, IEC commissioner Terry Tselane read out one of Nell's political cartoons, from The Times, on national television and cited it as inspiration for a nationwide toast.
.
The strip features Africa's Big Five game
as anthropomorphic toddlers living in a fantastical game park somewhere in Africa
. Other characters, such as two Russian crows and a worm, appear regularly.
: a rhino (Rhino), an elephant (Ellie), a lion (Lion), a leopard (Leopard), and a buffalo (Buffie).
Other frequently featured characters include a pair of Russian crows (Bonnie and Clyde) whose lives revolve around eating a particular worm (whose name is unknown, but referred to by the crows as either "Comrade Vurm" or "Komrade Vurm").
Less frequently featured characters include a third Russian crow known as Boris; a camp shark; a whale; an atheist praying mantis; and a fear mongering bass living atop a snow-capped mountain.
, but frequently breaks the fourth wall
(to criticize Nell's drawing and writing abilities, for example).
Themes explored and satirized include:
At the 2008 South African Comedy Awards, Nell was nominated for Outstanding Humorous Cartoonist.
Nell won a regional and national award for his cartoon "Africa 2.0", in the 2011 Vodacom Journalist of the Year.
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
for The New Age and is the creator of a nationally syndicated daily comic strip, The Biggish Five
.
Personal Life And Career
Nell was born and currently resides, with his wife, in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
With no completed formal training, Nell became a cartoonist in November 2005, immediately following his departure from the mobile media and entertainment industry.
Nell's first nationally syndicated comic strip, Urban Trash (first published November 2005), ended 27 June 2008.
In 2007, coinciding with the newspaper's launch, Nell became the front page (and soon thereafter, political) cartoonist for The Times.
Following the 2009 South African national election results, IEC commissioner Terry Tselane read out one of Nell's political cartoons, from The Times, on national television and cited it as inspiration for a nationwide toast.
The Biggish Five
Playing on the phrase "the Big Five", The Biggish Five (first published 30 June 2008) is a South African daily comic strip written and drawn by Nell, syndicated throughout South Africa in English and AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
The strip features Africa's Big Five game
Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
as anthropomorphic toddlers living in a fantastical game park somewhere in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Other characters, such as two Russian crows and a worm, appear regularly.
Characters
The strip's anchor characters consist of Africa's Big Five gameBig Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
: a rhino (Rhino), an elephant (Ellie), a lion (Lion), a leopard (Leopard), and a buffalo (Buffie).
Other frequently featured characters include a pair of Russian crows (Bonnie and Clyde) whose lives revolve around eating a particular worm (whose name is unknown, but referred to by the crows as either "Comrade Vurm" or "Komrade Vurm").
Less frequently featured characters include a third Russian crow known as Boris; a camp shark; a whale; an atheist praying mantis; and a fear mongering bass living atop a snow-capped mountain.
Themes
The strip predominantly explores and satirizes popular culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, but frequently breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
(to criticize Nell's drawing and writing abilities, for example).
Themes explored and satirized include:
- celebrities
- political and non-political figures
- films and television shows
- real-life situations and irritations
- other comic strips
- religion and beliefs
- romance, love, and sexuality
- homophobia and "gay" stereotyping
- intelligence versus ignorance
- technology, internet, and social media
- censorship
- global warming
Publishing And Awards
Nell has no published books of his own. However, some of his work features in (and on the front cover of) the 2009 edition of the South African political cartooning annual Don’t Joke: A Year in Cartoons, as well as in the 2010 edition, Just For Kicks.At the 2008 South African Comedy Awards, Nell was nominated for Outstanding Humorous Cartoonist.
Nell won a regional and national award for his cartoon "Africa 2.0", in the 2011 Vodacom Journalist of the Year.