The Trail

Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: A&E

Worried about your career after you graduate from the University of Puget Sound? Concerned that whatever useless subject you majored in will have no relevance in the outside world?

Well, you are probably right. No one will employ an art history major.

But hey, it is still possible that skills you learned outside of the classroom may prove useful in getting a job that you like and enjoy.

Take Scott Bateman, for example. This class of '86 graduate freely admits that he does not really use his psychology degree.
His work, on the school newspaper did lead to the eventual publication of his new book of cartoons, titled "Scott Bateman's Sketchbook of Secrets and Shame."

"At UPS, I drew editorial cartoons for The Trail for three semesters. In 1992, I started syndicating my editorial cartoons to newspapers. In 1997, King Features Syndicate started syndicating my political cartoons nationwide. My political cartoons ran in the New York Times, USA Today, and the Washington Post," he said.

The cartoons in "Scott Bateman's Sketchbook of Secrets and Shame" are not political but amusing single panel observations on pop culture.

A good example reads, "I don't do anything without first consulting Belle and Sebastian's 'If You're Feeling Sinister' album." (On the other hand, I am sure several of my fellow A&E writers might actually do that.)

The cartoons reference everything from musicians to movies to drugs to politicians.

There are a couple subjects that surface several times throughout "Bateman's Sketchbook": how to get Maggie Gyllenhaal "in the sack" (using everything from telekinesis to an extensive knowledge of the Dewey decimal system) and the character of Crack Panda, who is a seriously disheveled panda bear addicted to crack cocaine. Interspersed throughout the cartoons are short essays by a bizarre array of individuals, each commenting on Bateman's talent.

"I somehow convinced some really cool people to write short essays for the book about my work, like Wil Wheaton (Star Trek), Mary Jo Pehl (Mystery Science Theater), John Kovalic (Dork Tower), Zoe Trope (Please Don't Kill The Freshman) and more," Bateman explained.

In addition to the previously mentioned nerd legends, one of the short essays is by UPS English professor Hans Ostrom.
Bateman also does animation. His recently completed, "Bateman365," project offers one animated short for every day of the year, featuring music from the likes of Deerhoof, Ted Leo and Yo La Tengo.

Currently, he is working on an animated television show for the PlumTV network, which will then hopefully be able to move to basic cable.

So, if you want to have a brief interlude of humorous oddity in-between your futile attempts to make your four years of college actually count for something, pick up "Scott Bateman's Sketchbook of Secrets and Shame," available in the UPS bookstore.

•David Lev is an English major and will be living in a box after graduation.

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