Through the first two years (1999-2000), the cartoon had a publication run of a single copy. Produced manually on a brown lunch bag, distribution was limited to one Los Angeles-area Middle School (at lunch time).

In late 2000, two circumstances were to change that course. First, our long-standing distributor (hey, Al!) informed us that, although he still revered the product, it had become increasingly "uncool" to serve as its disseminator. (His mid-day gastronomic requirements had begun to outstrip the bag capacity, as well). Second, an informal supply chain had developed resulting in secondary markets for the publication across a broader geographic area and demographic. (In other words, parents, teachers and friends all wanted it .)

As a result, the electronic edition was launched (while distribution of the daily print version was transferred to the front of the refrigerator).

Two more interesting things happened in 2001:

First, a reporter covering the "lighter side" of the Bush-Gore election took a (passing) fancy to the publication. The enthusiasm this created among our Board of Directors ("...lets meet in the kitchen this time") led us to secure the means for email distribution.

Around the same point, a member of our Advisory Board (coincidentally, a close relative) arranged a meeting with the popular and incomparably liberal candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. Mr. Villaraigosa and his staff immediately got excited about the BAG. This led to a hybrid version of BAGnews, appropriately branded: "Antonio's View." These images ran on Mr. Villaraigosa's campaign website and were reproduced on posters, buttons and t-shirts. (Hopefully, his kids are still wearing the t-shirts.)

From 2001-2002, the BAGnews staff ("Hello? ...Speaking!") had to be fairly strategic about resource allocation. While supporters clamored for a greater marketing effort, we decided to put the focus on editorial development. It wasn't a sexy thing to do, but we felt our most important job was to build a better BAG. (Obviously, there are cartoons and then there are cartoons.)

That's not to say it was all quiet on the p.r. front. A bag with our "(left) trademark" Presidental logo ("Tough Questions, Easy Answers") was featured on ADBUSTERS Jam of the Day. (That created some web traffic!). We were also busy posting images on political discussion board sites, such as Mother Jones, NPR and Smirking Chimp. Proudest of all, we saw BAGnews used as an actual classroom aid to help teach current events and demonstrate the function of editorial cartoons.

In 2003, we can definitely say we have began to fill a market space. Our custom edition postcards were positively recieved at our first test site, the University of Chicago. The Iraq anti-war activity led to distribution of the cards at LA protest rallies, and links with anti-war website to download our protest images. We began to contribute articles to IndyMedia on a regular basis. And we began looking for "high value" content partners to feature and popularize the BAG. (In May, the popular left-wing site, Bartcop, became our first such partner.) We have also been soliciting more people to refer friends to BAGnews and subscribe . In that regard, our original distributor continues to develop new adherents in the secondary school market, with an eye toward the college arena in 2004.)

As BAGnews grows more popular, so does our sense of commitment and activism. By increasing the circulation of BAGnews images, we are part of a visual/intellectual conteroffensive battling the onslaught of highly-manipulated language and imagery flooding out of the White House and the conservative media on a daily basis. Our intentions are simple. We are dedicated to being a source of moral support, comic relief, protest messaging, and independent progressive news all rolled into one.

We are very grateful to all the people who have been encouraging of this whimsical, yet increasingly earnest endeavor. ( Certainly, the cause would be a lot harder if it wasn't also as fun.)

--Michael Shaw