| Jeremy Nell | |
|---|---|
Jeremy Nell, at the Don't Joke book launch, during December 2009 |
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| Born | Jeremy Talfer Nell March 16, 1979 Cape Town, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist, blogger, satirist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Jerm |
| Notable works | The Biggish Five, political cartoons for The New Age |
| Official website | |
Jeremy Talfer Nell (born March 16, 1979), often referred to by his pen name Jerm, is an award-winning South African cartoonist, social commentator, and blogger.[1] He is the editorial cartoonist for The New Age [2] and is the creator of a nationally syndicated daily comic strip, The Biggish Five[3] .[4]
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Nell was born and currently resides, with his wife,[5] in Cape Town, 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.[1][6]
Nell's first nationally syndicated comic strip, Urban Trash (first published November 2005), ended 27 June 2008.[7][8][9]
In 2007, coinciding with the newspaper's launch, Nell became the front page (and soon thereafter, political) cartoonist for The Times.[10]
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.[11]
Playing on the phrase "the Big Five", The Biggish Five (first published 30 June 2008)[7] is a South African daily comic strip written and drawn by Nell, syndicated throughout South Africa in English and Afrikaans.
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.
The strip's anchor characters consist of Africa's Big Five game: 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.
The strip predominantly explores and satirizes popular culture, but frequently breaks the fourth wall (to criticize Nell's drawing and writing abilities, for example).
Themes explored and satirized include:
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.[12][13]
At the 2008 South African Comedy Awards, Nell was nominated for Outstanding Humorous Cartoonist.[14]
Nell won a regional and national award for his cartoon "Africa 2.0", in the 2011 Vodacom Journalist of the Year.[15][16]