Cartoonists capture mood

Photo: The Canadian Press

A Halifax-based cartoonist says he was simply trying to bring a bit of positivity to a horrible situation when he illustrated an image that has since garnered national attention for it's depiction of the recent tragedies in Toronto and Humboldt, Sask.

Halifax cartoonist Michael de Adder says he was simply trying to find a small bit of positivity with an image that has garnered national attention for its depiction of recent tragedies in Toronto and Humboldt, Sask.

The cartoon, published in the aftermath of Monday's van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people and injured 14, shows two boys in hockey sweaters sitting on a bench, sticks by their sides.

The boys, one wearing a green and yellow Humboldt Broncos jersey and the other wearing a blue and white Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, have their arms around one another, supportive in crisis.

"The reality is, I'm just happy to perhaps in a small way add a little bit of positivity in a very negative situation, so that's all I'm trying to accomplish with that cartoon," de Adder said in an interview.

De Adder, an award-winning national freelancer, is one of two Halifax cartoonists regularly garnering attention for works that appear to capture the national mood.

Both Halifax cartoonists downplay the attention for work emanating from a smaller market like Halifax.

They also say they have known each other for years, and share a friendship rather than an outright rivalry.