Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year #1984

The 1984 edition of *Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year*, edited by Charles Brooks with a foreword by Karl Hubenthal, captures a sharp moment in Cold War-era political cartooning. The cover features a Jeff MacNelly piece from the *Chicago Tribune* — a deadpan "Official Soviet Enemy Aircraft Silhouette Chart" that relabels a KAL airliner as a U-2 Spyplane, a stork as a B-1 Bomber, Santa's sleigh as a Stealth Bomber, and a hot-air balloon as a U.S. Navy F-14, among other absurdist misidentifications. It's a witty preview of the pointed humor collected inside, showcasing exactly why editorial cartooning remained one of the most powerful forms of commentary in 1984.