SUMMERSIDE – It may be more than a touch of craziness that's kept Wayne Wright going for 33 years.
That's why the Journal Pioneer editorial cartoonist's new book is so aptly named.
"Still Crazy After All These Years" will chronicle Wright's P.E.I.-inspired doodles over his three-decade career.
"I'm more of a crazy cartoonist that's interested in every aspect of Island life, from earwigs to eels to the price of ice cream - those things interest me as much as hard headed politics," Wright said.
"Although politics are certainly about one-third of my stock and trade."
The possibility for the book cropped up when UPEI commissioned Wright to draw cartoons for a recent environmental conference.
The university's Institute of Island Studies thought all of the Summerside native's editorial cartoons could be a worthy reservoir for a humour collection.
Wright said he gave UPEI a selection of 500 to 600 of his cartoons to choose from.
"They (UPEI) picked their favourites, then I told them they were completely wrong and I picked my favourites," he joked. "What we have here is a few hundred fairly good cartoons, and we'll hope they're funny."
Wright's career as a cartoonist began in 1979 when he was commissioned by then-premier Angus MacLean to do some sketches.
That job didn't come to pass, however, so Wright took his cartoons to the Charlottetown Guardian. He began drawing for the Journal Pioneer's editorial page the following year.
Being a local cartoonist, and drawing various characters from the community, does have its drawbacks. You occasionally run into those people on the street, and they're not always pleased with how they're portrayed.
One of Wright's most notorious cartoons, which won't be described in detail here, depicted Mayor Basil Stewart in an unflattering light.
Wright recalled one angry letter-writer calling for him to be "whipped" for creating such a sketch.
"I never did (hear from the mayor)," Wright said. "His worship is a good sport, and he's one of the funniest men I've ever met . . . He always has one-liners or two-liners to tell you."
Ultimately, he said, the cartoons are about having fun with the peculiarities of everyday life.
"As my father once said, 'It all depends on whose ox is being gored.' If it's your ox, it's not a funny cartoon, but if it's someone else's then it's a good laugh," he said.
Wright's book will be available in stores and can be found at the Three Oaks Christmas Craft Fair, which runs today and tomorrow.
sbrun@journalpioneer.com
