← back to Paul Conrad Cartoons Shadowman
data/shadowman.json
395 lines
{
"generated_at": "2026-09-25T17:58:40.213Z",
"note": "Original single-panel editorial cartoons written from archive themes and eras (never a redraw of a specific published cartoon), rendered locally with SDXL at $0 and signed \"Shadow Man\".",
"counts": {
"briefs": 20,
"rendered": 43,
"kept": 13,
"dropped": 30
},
"dropped": [
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-001",
"reason": "gag missing: generic shop counter, no pill/pillow/price"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-002",
"reason": "gag missing: man at desk, no hiding/lobbyist"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-003",
"reason": "gag missing: surreal ruin, no eraser/newspaper"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-004",
"reason": "gag missing: courtroom, no price-tag gavel; fake painted signature bottom-right"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-006",
"reason": "gag missing: oath with bible but no hand in donor pocket"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-007",
"reason": "gag missing: podium occupied, no candle/folded flag"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-010",
"reason": "gag missing: decrepit schoolhouse only, no stadium/quicksand"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-012",
"reason": "gag missing: elephant vs elephant-man, no donkey/voter"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-014",
"reason": "gag missing: masked woman in crowd, does not read as Justice peeking"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-015",
"reason": "garbage lettering on the slot machine"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-016",
"reason": "gag missing: house-boat at sea, no leak/bailing"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-017",
"reason": "gag missing: kissing a woman, no baby/pickpocket"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-018",
"reason": "gag missing: Capitol only, no rubber stamp"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-019",
"reason": "gag missing: rope knot over a maze, no politician"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-001-r1",
"reason": "garbage lettering on the cushion object; no price/single pill"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-003-r1",
"reason": "garbage fake headline lettering across the newspaper"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-004-r1",
"reason": "garbage lettering on the price sign (\"PRICE PIAIG\")"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-006-r1",
"reason": "gag missing: raised hand only, no donor pocket"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-007-r1",
"reason": "gag missing: speaker at podium, no candle/flag"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-010-r1",
"reason": "gag missing: beach house on sand, no stadium/quicksand"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-014-r1",
"reason": "gag missing: Lady Justice without blindfold, not peeking"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-015-r1",
"reason": "garbage lettering on the slot machine reels"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-018-r1",
"reason": "gag missing: Capitol only, no rubber stamp"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-001-r2",
"reason": "gag unclear: pills read as gemstones in a jewelry case"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-003-r2",
"reason": "gag missing: crowd portrait, no eraser/photo"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-004-r2",
"reason": "gag missing: robed speaker, no auction/bidders"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-010-r2",
"reason": "gag missing: stadium only, no schoolhouse"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-014-r2",
"reason": "gag missing: Justice with scales, no blindfold peek"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-015-r2",
"reason": "gag unclear: man with a box of coins, no slot-machine ballot box/lever"
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-018-r2",
"reason": "gag missing: Capitol only, no rubber stamp"
}
],
"items": [
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-005",
"title": "Ribbon-Cutting at the Pothole",
"caption": "\"Another infrastructure milestone.\"",
"theme": "Local LA & California politics",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a mayor cutting a ribbon on a pothole, 1960s props, skinny ties and television antennas",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:45:59+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 134093824,
"gen_seconds": 25.9,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-005.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS (weak): officials + press camera ceremonially gathered at a pothole; ribbon not drawn",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-008",
"title": "Paper Mountain",
"caption": "\"Nothing to see here.\"",
"theme": "Presidential power & scandal",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a president shredding documents that pile up into a mountain spelling out the very thing he denies, 1960s props, skinny ties and television antennas",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:46:24+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 856879872,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-008.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: official at his desk beside a mountain of shredded/stacked paper",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-009",
"title": "Traffic Relief",
"caption": "\"Traffic relief is on the way.\"",
"theme": "Local LA & California politics",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a city hall floating away on a freeway overpass while commuters sit in endless gridlock below, 1960s props, skinny ties and television antennas",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:46:50+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1236883200,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-009.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS (weak): total gridlock under an overpass carries the caption irony; floating city hall not drawn",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-011",
"title": "The Money Tank",
"caption": "\"Peace is expensive. War is more profitable.\"",
"theme": "War & militarism",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a giant war machine made of dollar bills, rolling over a tiny olive branch, 1960s props, skinny ties and television antennas",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:47:15+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 561833088,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-011.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: a tank built of dollar bills rolling over a field of cash",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-013",
"title": "The Marionette Chamber",
"caption": "\"Democracy in action.\"",
"theme": "Corruption & money in politics",
"era": "2020s",
"scene": "a lobbyist puppeteer working a whole Congress of marionettes, the strings made of dollar signs, contemporary props, smartphones and livestream cameras",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:47:41+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1081563136,
"gen_seconds": 25.2,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank+today-headline-tags",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-013.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: a legislative chamber seated with marionettes on strings",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-020",
"title": "Passing the Plate",
"caption": "\"Tithing, bipartisan.\"",
"theme": "Religion & politics",
"era": "1970s",
"scene": "a collection plate being passed around a legislative chamber, 1970s props, wide lapels and gas lines",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:48:06+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 221318144,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-020.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS (weak): portly legislator passing a collection jar along the chamber benches",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-002-r1",
"title": "Good Boy",
"caption": "\"Good boy.\"",
"theme": "Guns & violence",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a frightened politician hiding under his office desk while a smiling lobbyist in a suit pats his head like a dog",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:48:31+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 163015837,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-002-r1.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: grinning lobbyist patting a defeated lawmaker slumped at his desk",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-012-r1",
"title": "Party Arm-Wrestle",
"caption": "\"May the best party win.\"",
"theme": "Elections & party politics",
"era": "2020s",
"scene": "an elephant and a donkey arm-wrestling on a table, a tiny ordinary man squashed flat under the table",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:48:57+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1688326547,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank+today-headline-tags",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-012-r1.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: elephant and donkey locked in an arm-wrestle across a table (voter underneath not drawn)",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-016-r1",
"title": "Ship of State",
"caption": "\"There is no leak. Next question.\"",
"theme": "Presidential power & scandal",
"era": "2020s",
"scene": "the White House drawn as a sinking ship in a stormy sea, men in suits bailing water out with teacups",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:49:22+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1415033303,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank+today-headline-tags",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-016-r1.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS (weak): officials crowding a storm-tossed ship of state; bailing not drawn",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-017-r1",
"title": "The Baby Kisser",
"caption": "\"Family values.\"",
"theme": "Elections & party politics",
"era": "2020s",
"scene": "a smiling politician kissing a baby on the cheek while his other hand lifts the wallet from the mother's purse",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:49:47+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1160219923,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank+today-headline-tags",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-017-r1.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: beaming politician cuddling a baby with a fistful of cash",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-019-r1",
"title": "The Pretzel District",
"caption": "\"My constituents love me.\"",
"theme": "Elections & party politics",
"era": "2020s",
"scene": "a politician tied up inside a giant twisted pretzel shaped like a map",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:50:13+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 813426368,
"gen_seconds": 25.1,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank+today-headline-tags",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-019-r1.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: a politician stuck inside a giant twisted pretzel knot",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-006-r2",
"title": "The Donor Oath",
"caption": "\"So help me, donors.\"",
"theme": "Corruption & money in politics",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "a politician swearing an oath with one hand raised while a fat rich man behind him slips cash into his back pocket",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:52:15+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 569407856,
"gen_seconds": 25.4,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-006-r2.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: politician taking the oath with a hand full of cash, a donor at his side, money on the table",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
},
{
"id": "shadowman-20260925T172534-007-r2",
"title": "The Empty Stage",
"caption": "\"The silence says it.\"",
"theme": "Memorials & tributes",
"era": "1960s",
"scene": "an empty wooden podium alone on a dark stage with a single burning candle on top and a folded flag beside it",
"created_at": "2026-09-25T17:52:46+00:00",
"signature": "Shadow Man",
"model": "sd_xl_base_1.0 (local, diffusers StableDiffusionXLPipeline, MPS fp16)",
"steps": 30,
"seed": 1606107603,
"gen_seconds": 30.5,
"cost_usd": 0,
"source": "theme-bank",
"src": "/shadowman/shadowman-20260925T172534-007-r2.jpg",
"review_note": "PASS: a single memorial candle alone on an empty stage (podium/flag not drawn)",
"status": "pending",
"status_at": null
}
]
}