No filter, no regrets: Cartoonist Steve Bonello hangs up his pen after 34 years

Bonello's biting satire will be missed by many. Here are some of his greatest hits

After 34 years of contributing to Times of Malta with his incisive ‘Islanders’ cartoons, artist Steve Bonello has hung up his pens. He shares his thoughts on politics, life and his favourite cartoons over the years with Matthew Bonanno.

On beginnings

I started drawing when I was 16. I’m mostly self-taught. I attended art school for a bit, but I didn’t enjoy it. My work only became satirical around 1984, during the church schools’ issue.

In 1991, I organised my second exhibition. At the time, Daphne Caruana Galizia had started writing, anonymously at first. She liked my work and wrote an excellent blurb in the exhibition brochure.

A few months later, she asked me to do the illustrations for her column in The Times, and that turned into 34 years of contributions.

July 28, 1991 - The 'good' old days of public transport.

On his inspirations

While working at Air Malta I used to go to London regularly on what we called the ‘Lm2 flights’. One year I went to an exhibition at South Bank by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated Hunter S. Thompson’s work. His style is very savage. It was like being repeatedly punched in the face.

I’m also a big fan of Edvard Munch, whose work floored me when I first saw it, and Steve Bell, formerly of The Guardian.

November 8, 1998 - “This was a cartoon about when oil was supposedly discovered off Gozo. The PN took us for a ride with that one.”

On what motivates him

The biggest compliment is not when someone asks to buy the original of a cartoon, but when they tell you it made them laugh over and over again each time they saw it or thought of it.

Some of my clients speak to me as if they’re confessing to a priest. They open their hearts to me. I’ve heard stories of kindness you wouldn’t believe.

October 4, 2015 - “I used to love drawing [former Transport Minister] Joe Mizzi.”

On politics and politicians

Right now, there is a dearth of politicians who possess any moral fiber.

I was naive enough to think that once we joined the EU we would mature, politically, which obviously didn’t happen. If anything, things got worse. I believe one of the reasons for this was because Joseph Muscat read Maltese people very well and appealed to the lowest common denominator.

November 3, 2019 - A reference to the 2019 film The Joker featuring Joseph Muscat

On Maltese society

We are a selfish, self-centered nation. Someone will build a multi-storey block that ruins a beautiful old streetscape, but they won’t care. Our ideology of individualism is scary.

I love Malta - it’s just a shame about the people.

July 3, 1994 - Many of the targets of Bonello's cartoons have remained unchanged over the years.

On his favourite people to draw

I used to love drawing Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. He was so cartoonish. Adrian Delia was also very good material. I’ve never drawn Bernard Grech except as a plain white appliance.

It’s always satisfying when you draw someone in a way that isn’t immediately obvious that it’s them. I recently drew a meme featuring a skull with a Cheshire Cat grin and people knew straight away it was Robert Abela.

Bonello's take on a popular meme.

On his iconic ‘bum people’

I was recently looking for some old work and found an old cartoon that was an unintentional precursor to them. They weren’t meant to be funny at first.

Some people can’t stand them. They hate to see a bum on a page.

About two weeks before the last European Parliament election, I made a bum people cartoon making fun of the PN’s strategy team. Someone from the party said I was plotting to damage PN’s chances. For f**k’s sake.

When people don’t like my cartoons, I think I take the criticism quite well. It tends to be ridiculous anyway. There aren’t any I regret doing.

June 2021 - An example of Bonello's signature 'Bum People'.

On (not) caring

I don’t really give a damn anymore. It bugs me that we have an incredibly corrupt government, but when I look at the Opposition, I don’t see anything promising either. I want change, but the change has to be for the better.

October 9, 2011 - Two parties, same flavour.

On his process

I believe there’s a cartoon for every situation. I think of a cartoon as an invisible fruit hanging from an invisible tree. You can’t see it, but you know it’s there. It’s my job to reach out and pluck it.

September 16, 2001 - “I tried to capture the obvious antipathy that existed between Eddie Fenech Adami and Alfred Sant.”

On nature walks

I often post photos of my walks in nature on Facebook to encourage people to go out and see for themselves parts of Malta that are still beautiful. I recently went to Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs with my wife for our anniversary. It’s an explosion of colour right now, before nature goes to sleep for the summer.

November 15, 2020 - “I have it on good authority that Angelo Gafà hates this cartoon."

On the future of cartoons

I hope they have one, but social media, memes and AI renderings are invariably eating away at the cartoon's relevance these days. Political cartooning is still alive but has become less of an important feature in newspapers.

4 April, 2021 - "This is my favourite cartoon I’ve drawn of Robert Abela.”

On what his future holds

My aim is to live a more unhurried life than I am currently. I don’t have any particular ambitions, except to walk more.

More of Steve's favourites

June 18, 2000 - A reference to a law that allowed hunting from secondary roads

September 16, 2001 - “I tried to capture the obvious antipathy that existed between Eddie Fenech Adami and Alfred Sant.”

August 18, 2002 - "It was refreshing when the bishops wrote a pastoral letter about protecting animals rather than the usual stuff about sin and damnation."

August 3, 2003 - "Bonello's take on a 2003 study about the population's happiness levels.

January 18, 2004 - As a nature lover, Bonello often had hunting in his sights.

August 28, 2005 - The 'LOVE monument' was highly controversial when it was first installed.

April 30, 2006 - Construction is another recurring theme in Bonello's work.

September 23, 2007 - "The Maltese being the laziest people in Europe is one of those topics that you constantly have to come up with fresh jokes for. Corruption is another such issue.”

February 3, 2008 - A cartoon from the 2008 election campaign featuring former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

October 5, 2008 - "Even back then we thought Malta was overpopulated, let alone now!"

January 5, 2009 - "This is one of my favourite cartoons of all time."

June 27, 2010 - Free WiFi is introduced to public squares.

February 20, 2011 - Former minister Tonio Fenech carves up Air Malta

May 8, 2016 - Bonello's view of the Maltese public is often unflattering.

November 12, 2017 - Facadism as a metaphor for a deteriorating democracy.

November 26, 2017- "Joseph Muscat read Maltese people very well and appealed to the lowest common denominator."

June 24, 2018 - Never-ending traffic provided constant fodder

July 1, 2018 - Migrants depicted as billard balls at the mercy of political players.