One-panel funnies by Emily Flake for The New Yorker

I’m always slightly concerned about the dwindling amount of observational cartoons and “funnies” in the newspapers, but whenever you think the niche, historic skill is waning you come across another gem in a corner of a broadsheet. Places like The New Yorker are still very much championing this craft, and have recently been commissioning New York cartoonist Emily Flake to make dry comments on her city for their magazine.

For someone who has such a seemingly cute life (lives in Brooklyn with husband, daughter and cat) Emily’s got a dark, dry sense of humour that takes the piss out of New York in an endearing, jovial way, and rather than churning out op-eds, tweets and vocal rants about her city, Emily channels her wry, urban observations into charming one-panel cartoons. Perhaps something we should all try our hand at when we feel a tirade coming on…