Opinion
Opinion

What was Mike Luckovich thinking?

Mike Luckovich's sketch for his Willie Mays tribute cartoon.

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Mike Luckovich's sketch for his Willie Mays tribute cartoon.
By
June 22, 2024
The result.

Credit: Mike Luckovich

icon to expand image

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Normally, when someone dies, I draw them at the Pearly Gates. However, when Willie Mays died this week, I remembered that back in April, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record, I had drawn Ruth and Aaron together at the gates, so I wanted to do something different for Mays. I was clueless about what to do, and then this idea hit me.

The Hank Aaron meets Babe Ruth cartoon that ran in April.

Credit: Mike Luckovich

icon to expand image

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Related
Placeholder Image

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Atlanta water crisis: What was Mike Luckovich thinking?
Placeholder Image

Credit: Mike Luckovich

Jimmy Carter, Donald Trump: What was Mike Luckovich thinking?

About the Author

Mike Luckovich is the award-winning editorial cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has twice been recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, in 1995 and 2006. He was a Pulitzer finalist in 1986. Mike joined The Atlanta Constitution staff in 1989, and he rarely cleans his office.

Follow Mike Luckovich on facebookFollow Mike Luckovich on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Fans, watch a Hank Aaron Memorial during the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Credit: AP

MLB honors Hank Aaron with recreation of record 715th homer during All-Star Game

Hank Aaron tribute will be Atlanta All-Star Game’s enduring moment

How a New Yorker became the official artist for Atlanta’s MLB All-Star Game

Since 2003, Charles Fazzino has been selected by the MLB to commemorate the All-Star Game. He noted that Atlanta has “a lot to draw,” which helped form his creative vision.

The Latest

A military band plays in front of a large British flag shown on an electronic display on the second day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Alberto Pezzali/AP)

Credit: AP

New American-British trade deal benefits cities from London to Atlanta

OPINION

Mike Luckovich: Vicious gang

OPINION

Being a dad isn’t hard. It’s the other stuff around you that becomes harder

Featured

“Our members cannot be bought off,” General President Sean O’Brien said in a social media statement, calling UPS' offers “illegal and haphazard.” (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2023)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

UPS offers unprecedented buyouts for drivers

The Teamsters union, which represents about 340,000 UPS employees, is urging its full-time members to reject the offers.

Longtime south Atlanta flea market set for massive mixed-use makeover

The developer is planning one of the largest projects in Atlanta’s Southside, a more than $500 million project near Greenbriar Mall.

MARTA chief Collie Greenwood retiring early

MARTA CEO and General Manager Collie Greenwood is leaving “because of immigration and personal matters” and has elected early retirement.