Neal Obermeyer
Encyclopedia
Neal Obermeyer is an editorial cartoonist
for the Lincoln Journal-Star, the San Diego Reader, and the Omaha Reader. He currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska, United States.
. He was raised on a farm around Auburn. During his time there he was very active in many extra-curricular activities, but most notably for Cross Country and Journalism. He graduated from Auburn High School as Valedictorian of the class of 1996.
It was during this time that he began his first cartoon serial, "The Adventures of Planarian Man," which was published in the Auburn Press-Tribune.
He later went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He continued some work with Planarian Man, but also became the editorial cartoonist for the Daily Nebraskan (the University of Nebraska's paper) and a disc jockey on KRNU (the University of Nebraska's radio station).
. After graduation he moved to San Diego and started cartooning for the San Diego Reader
in January 2002.
In the summer of 2004, he began to work on the Lincoln Journal-Star, alternating with Paul Fell. In March 2006, he started a bi-weekly stint as cartoonist of the Omaha City Weekly. Out of this came a new job working for the The Reader (newspaper) that started in October 2006 that continues today in addition to his jobs for the Lincoln Journal-Star and the San Diego Reader.
He also has contributed to HappyYoungPeople.com.
. His favorite Journal-Star and Omaha Reader cartoon targets are local politicians. Many of his cartoons are made of people who repeat Republican
or right-Wing jargon
thoughtlessly. He also likes to point out the hypocrisy of people of all leanings, sometimes using "Sneaky Donkey" to show the hypocrisy of the Republicans or "Stupid Donkey" to show the flaws of the Democrats
. Many of his Journal-Star and Omaha Reader cartoons deal with local issues, such as the flawed thinking of some officials as they try to build business in Omaha
, Lincoln
, and State of Nebraska
.
In the San Diego Reader, he tends to focus more on local government corruption and oddities.
Obermeyer also has a few trademarks:
" with the "Switch" section3 of the Lincoln Journal-Star, which was closely linked to "Ground Zero", published by the Journal Star. He also did a series called "The Bearded Odyssey" with the Daily Nebraskan.
He likes to work with music and video. His biggest contribution in this area was working at KRNU and created the show, "You are so Beautiful, Beautiful Robot". Most of this show is dedicated to electronic music or electronic elements in music. Neal hosts this show through a Mac
voice converter.
He has also made four documentaries with one in post-production. The subjects of these documentaries range from a man who lived in his van to Nebraska's version of bigfoot legends. Currently he is working on a documentary on real-life superheroes.
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 Lincoln Journal-Star, the San Diego Reader, and the Omaha Reader. He currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska, United States.
Early life
Obermeyer was born on March 12, 1978 in Auburn, NebraskaAuburn, Nebraska
Auburn is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nemaha County. The City of Auburn is actually an incorporation of two towns. Calvert and Sheridan combined to form Auburn in 1882, in part to have the voting power to...
. He was raised on a farm around Auburn. During his time there he was very active in many extra-curricular activities, but most notably for Cross Country and Journalism. He graduated from Auburn High School as Valedictorian of the class of 1996.
It was during this time that he began his first cartoon serial, "The Adventures of Planarian Man," which was published in the Auburn Press-Tribune.
He later went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He continued some work with Planarian Man, but also became the editorial cartoonist for the Daily Nebraskan (the University of Nebraska's paper) and a disc jockey on KRNU (the University of Nebraska's radio station).
Career
Obermeyer has been an editorial cartoonist since 1999.1 He started at the Daily NebraskanDaily Nebraskan
The Daily Nebraskan, established in 1871 as the Monthly Hesperian Student, is the student newspaper of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Although many journalism students work there, the Daily Nebraskan is independent of the University's College of Journalism and Mass Communications. The...
. After graduation he moved to San Diego and started cartooning for the San Diego Reader
San Diego Reader
The San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...
in January 2002.
In the summer of 2004, he began to work on the Lincoln Journal-Star, alternating with Paul Fell. In March 2006, he started a bi-weekly stint as cartoonist of the Omaha City Weekly. Out of this came a new job working for the The Reader (newspaper) that started in October 2006 that continues today in addition to his jobs for the Lincoln Journal-Star and the San Diego Reader.
He also has contributed to HappyYoungPeople.com.
Slant
Though raised in Nebraska, which leans extremely rightRight-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
. His favorite Journal-Star and Omaha Reader cartoon targets are local politicians. Many of his cartoons are made of people who repeat Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
or right-Wing jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
thoughtlessly. He also likes to point out the hypocrisy of people of all leanings, sometimes using "Sneaky Donkey" to show the hypocrisy of the Republicans or "Stupid Donkey" to show the flaws of the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Many of his Journal-Star and Omaha Reader cartoons deal with local issues, such as the flawed thinking of some officials as they try to build business in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, and State of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
In the San Diego Reader, he tends to focus more on local government corruption and oddities.
Obermeyer also has a few trademarks:
- Former Lincoln mayor Coleen SengColeen SengColeen Seng was the 50th mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska. She served as mayor from May 19, 2003 to May 19, 2007. She is best known for seeking payment for $32,000 worth of security expenses, incurred during the 2004 fundraising visit of Dick Cheney.- Political career :Seng was elected in 2003, beating...
is always in a flowered dress or a flowered top. - Former councilman Ken Svoboda is always pictured as Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
- The State Capital is always talking when representing the unicameral legislature's decision making.
Other interests
He also has dabbled in other projects. He has done editorial projects, such as "Neal Obermeyer Is All out of BubblegumThey Live
They Live is a 1988 science fiction/horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Frank Armitage ....
" with the "Switch" section3 of the Lincoln Journal-Star, which was closely linked to "Ground Zero", published by the Journal Star. He also did a series called "The Bearded Odyssey" with the Daily Nebraskan.
He likes to work with music and video. His biggest contribution in this area was working at KRNU and created the show, "You are so Beautiful, Beautiful Robot". Most of this show is dedicated to electronic music or electronic elements in music. Neal hosts this show through a Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
voice converter.
He has also made four documentaries with one in post-production. The subjects of these documentaries range from a man who lived in his van to Nebraska's version of bigfoot legends. Currently he is working on a documentary on real-life superheroes.