Always been fascinated by the old fart, Uncle Sam, ever since i got turned onto cartooning as a young teen. The only time I drew him, though, was when the below image came to me totally realized in a deep, fitfull dream a couple of nights after 9/11. I had been working on my book The Mighty Big Book of Optical Illusions so the dream wasn’t a TOTAL surprise though I think it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done (and because it “came” to me I feel I can’t take complete credit for it). The first-in-my-life patrotism I felt WAS a big surprise, though (mostly since disapated).

I had been scheduled to speak at a conference at the World Trade Center at the exact time the planes hit. But the engagement was canceled a few weeks before because the economy, under that idiot Clinton, was already shitty and people’s travel and conference budgets were being slashed.

The horror of the whole deal is STILL pretty fresh in my mind and all the fireworks this weekend will make me a little nervous. Plus, I try not to think about it, but the good old U.S.A.’s big-ass problems and now current idiot-President Bush and the Republicans and the war really depress me and make me mad. I still really dig Uncle Sam and this drawing I did of him, though. So I’m fucked up. Happy July 4th!

(rollover to view illusion, please be patient and wait for animation to load)