Jenn Rafael

Setting the bar

By Jenn Rafael on January 3, 2013 Broadside moments

I used to be a pole vaulter for Blevins Junior High School. The minimum height to even compete in a meet was seven and a half feet. I never cleared it. Not once. Not even in practice. Tragically, the next year they actually made me the pole vaulter player-coach so I could teach the others how to vault (we didn’t do too well that season). The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t pole vault. The problem was that the bar was too high. Lower the bar and I could have cleared it with no problem. Which brings me to New Year’s…

Greenside of the Week – Jan 2, 2013

By Jenn Rafael on January 2, 2013 Greenside cartoons

Visit the Greenside Archives! (click here)

Year in Pictures

By Jenn Rafael on January 1, 2013 Stories

David, a retired Marine and buddy of mine, sent me this link. It is a beautiful collection of photos of our military in action in 2012. At the dawn of a new year, this is a great way to reflect on the cost of freedom. (Click on the picture.) (USAF photo)

25th anniversary contest: Caption this!

By Jenn Rafael on March 22, 2011 Stories

After 25 years of entertaining Navy Times readers with Broadside, Jeff Bacon wants you to do his job for once. The creator of the winning caption for the above “Good Idea Fairy” cartoon will gain immortality as a “Broadside”-style caricature. The Bacon-rendered portrait of the lucky author will appear in a future issue of Navy Times, along with the winning caption. To enter, leave a comment. Please include your full name, rate, rating or rank, e-mail address and phone number. Enter by 5 p.m. Eastern on March 28. Good luck, and be funny.

Bacon’s 25 favorite Broadsides

By Jenn Rafael on March 21, 2011 Stories

In honor of the 25th anniversary of “Broadside” in Navy Times, artist Jeff Bacon shared his 25 top toons, starting with the first, a panel that appeared in the March 31, 1986, issue (without the series’ now-famous title). To read an interview with Bacon and find out what he said about each of his favorite panels, pick up this week’s copy of Navy Times, or log in for subscriber access to our digital edition here. What cartoon is your top pick? Click on a thumbnail or click “Show as slideshow” to see them all. Click on the link to see…

Author Jenn Rafael