Judge, 1929-05-04 · page 11 of 36
Judge — May 4, 1929 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Millennium Is Near" - Judge Magazine Cartoon This page satirizes early aviation anxiety through two complementary cartoons about early aircraft travel (circa 1910s-1920s). **Top cartoon:** A nervous passenger lectures a pilot about flying dangers—zeppelins, air pockets, mechanical failures, speed limits, and weather. The satire targets the absurdity of applying automobile-era caution to a fundamentally new, dangerous technology. The passenger's constant backseat nagging reflects public fear of aviation as reckless and uncontrollable. **Bottom cartoon:** An artist and companion observe the chaotic wreckage of a crashed plane with debris scattered about. The artist's casual "Well, how do you like it, dear?" suggests dark humor about aviation's frequent, spectacular failures. Together, the page mocks both the overly-anxious passenger and the actual dangers of early flight—implying that the "millennium" (future age) of safe aviation remains distant. The Zeppelin reference suggests wartime era (WWI period), when aircraft were new, unreliable, and genuinely dangerous.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Near-sigutep Guest- The Millennium Is Near “Be careful, John, you almost hit that Zeppelin! You did. You did so! You didn’t miss him more than six inches. There's some hody behind who wants to pass us, you'd better pull over. Oh, very well—if you think you can beat him. John, that looks like an air-pocket ahead, Don't you you'd better shift? Oh, 1 can’t remember whether eked the kitchen door, I'm 1 we'd bette ack, You're jewelry’s i Goodness, you seared me, 1 didn’t think you saw that red light.” “John, are you sure our wheels were all right when we took off? I've got a feeling that the left one has dropped off. I'll take a look. Yes, it has—no—yes—no, it’s all right. You'd better slow up over this town. They're terribly strict. Don't you think you're flying just aM bit low? John, look at that adorable ficld of buttercups. Couldn't we stop? Are you sure we have gas enough . John, it’s raining. Yes, it is; I felt a few drops. We'll have to put the your place. Oh, dear, No. Tt was Do be careful of the next one; you never can tell iho may be inside one. Eeceee! Oh, my’ goodness. I thought you were ing to skid right into top up. only a cloud. him! ohn, stop speeding! Stop, I say, there's a cop behind. us. You don't care! There, what did I tell you? He's pinched us. Now you keep quiet and let me do the talking.” Parke Comins Autist—Well, how do you like it, dear? comicbooks.com