The winter issue of LMU Magazine was timed for the Dec. 19 DNC Presidential Debate. Our magazine, with its cover story casting a bipartisan troupe of Washington politicians as their Shakespearean counterparts, was penned by Loyola Marymount University theater professor and Shakespeare scholar Kevin Wetmore, and illustrated by renowned caricature artist Steve Brodner. Wetmore explored American politicians who bore close traits to classic Shakespearean figures, and Brodner drew each leader with classic, recognizable attributes in 17th century garb. At LMU Magazine, we don't shy away from controversial topics, but we'd never done anything like this before. Ultimately, the opportunity to have this magazine and its cover sitting on 3,000 seats at the sebate was too great to pass on. Under the careful direction to achieve gender and bipartisan balance, Brodner created a composite cover of eight figures, commemorating the historic LMU moment. We got fan mail only one really nasty letter. We believe that both indicate we did our job.
From the Judges
This submission, inspired by volatile subject matter, given the university’s hosting of a major political event, is sure to spur a range of strong feelings and feedback across audiences. Comparing current political figures with Shakespearean characters is, if not the most original of concepts, quite apt given the frequent use of political maneuvering across Shakespeare’s works. The technical ability and nicely exaggerated styling of the caricatures is remarkable, and the interior typographic choices play very well with the heightened detail of the caricatures.
