As The Coronavirus Rages On, Cartoonists Lash Out With Irony, Quiet And Candor

February 10, 2020 by Jason Li

A muscular half person, half snake has wrapped a bunch of doctors and journalists in its arms and is gesturing for them to be silent. — Created by 撒旦君 Sadan via Weibo.

Despite dramatic measures taken to stem the tide, the coronavirus is still spreading across China and the rest of the world. Confined to their homes, independent cartoonists in China continue expressing their views around the epidemic through their works. Some creators have reached a state of detached irony, while others are quietly critical. Most however are in the thick of it in (one way or another) and are pining for a better tomorrow.

An Ironic Approach

撒旦君 Sadan has created two mythical creatures (above and below) that act as fantastical metaphors of what has gone wrong in the handling of epidemic – the latest in his longrunning 华夏异事录 series documenting societal ills through the guise of mystic beings. The illustration above shows a half person, half snake with an ancient official’s hat silencing a doctor and journalist while holding them in a deadly grip. Below, a ghost haunts and prevents a journalist from writing or speaking.

A ghost clamps down on the mouth of a struggling journalist at his office. A microphone and pen lie on the table, unused. — Created by 撒旦君 Sadan via Weibo.

Meanwhile, 赤顔犬和乖蜂 has taken a lighter approach with this slapstick gag:

A dog and two cats huddle around the corner as they see a virus-shaped shadow approach, only to realize it's their friend. — Dialogue says, “Everything okay?” By 赤顔犬和乖蜂 via Weibo.

Quiet Acts of Protest

golo 高佬 silently commemorates the life and death of Dr. Li Wenliang, a doctor who tried to raise the alarm around the virus early and was censured for it.

Three panels showing Dr. Li discovering something, being reprimanded, in bed sick with his phone, and then an almost empty panel with just a surgical mask on a table. — By golo 高佬 via Weibo.

方块阿兽 posted her illustration, appropriately without a caption, that shows mobile phone messages peeling and falling off spontaneously in what we can only assume is a statement about how the online censors in China are hard at work once again harmonizing public opinion around the virus.

Two hands try to tap on a smartphone but the messages are peeling off the screen haphazardly. — By 方块阿兽 via Weibo.

A Candid Confession

Lastly, IsThatWei teamed up with 鲸鱼海里游233 to express their heartfelt feelings around what it’s been like to be back in their hometown of Wuhan for the winter holiday (which we’ve translated below):