One of my favorite kinds of cartoons to do is one where it circles back on itself. For example, I once did a cartoon where an angry person is yelling at another: “I'm being redundant?! I'm be redundant?!” I used a similar technique here.

I was brainstorming what a person might be training for on a computer — sales, management, technology — when 'technology' suggested computer repair to me. After that it was a fairly short walk to the trainee working on the computer that was also instructing him. The first few drafts included disassembling the monitor and/or computer, but after consulting a repair book I decided the most elegant solution would be that first step of unplugging the computer and showing the plug in the guy's hand.

You wouldn't think it would take this much effort for a simple drawing and caption, but when you only have a few seconds to establish setting, introduce the cast and tell a joke, no detail is too small.

>>Check out more cartoons on the Mindflash blog.

Cartoonist Mark Anderson lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their children, two cats, a dog and several dust bunnies. Publications that use his cartoons include Reader’s Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Barrons, Woman’s World, Harvard Business Review, Saturday Evening Post, American Legion Magazine, Funny Times and many more.