![Political cartoon showing a caricature of Vladimir Putin wearing a large crown made of weaponry](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8a007bc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1080x1920+0+0/resize/2000x3556!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb4%2Fd0%2F25fc2a8f40a5b5f68eccbbe8e1cc%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-1-opener.jpg)
![Political cartoon illustration of boys fighting. Text: "Gets his start as a schoolboy"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/573c1e6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2F05%2Fbd3b0e314b0a8f82c81eaa0a22c8%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-2-hooligans.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a man sitting on top of another. Text: "Handpicked by a failing Boris Yeltsin to be president of Russia"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5659a94/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3f%2F71%2F76827e2c454e9d948b69185bb20e%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-3-yeltsin.jpg)
![Political cartoon of Vladimir Putin in a fighter jet. Text: "Pulverizes Chechnya on the way to election no 1"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec892b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2F51%2F0725dce948dbb401efecab8bbfbd%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-4-chechnya.jpg)
![Cartoon of Putin in front of a mission accomplished banner. Text: "Invades independent Georgia next, by land, sea and air"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5b98c36/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc6%2F4b%2F4fc5763040bca933eed0b4292ede%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-5-mission.jpg)
![Cartoon of Putin with a cake. Text: "Accepts his 54th birthday present - the assassination of journalist Anna Politskovskaya"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d3c5e20/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F21%2Ff7%2F518e38b24f39be878f726fcb4d76%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-6-birthday.jpg)
![Putin at a table with Crimea and Donbas on dinner plates. Text: "Takes his first bite out of Ukraine, 2014"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b1650cf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd6%2F13%2Fc739a25243e5b92775dbcd7b16e0%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-7-first-bite.jpg)
![Caricature of Putin hugging a tall man. Text: "Launches airstrikes on the wrong side of the Syrian Civil War"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c71ad9f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F22%2F99%2Fefecb25747089bf738376fdfb41c%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-8-assad.jpg)
![Cartoon of Putin in military gear and Hillary Clinton being bombed. Text: "Attacks the 2016 US presidential election"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/65187b3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb8%2Fc97168f44d28bae529d3bda9a783%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-9-2016.jpg)
![Cartoon of Putin with money stuffed in his coat. Text: "Greases the oligarchy, reaps an epic personal fortune $200 billion"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e9d96c5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2d%2F11%2F370c338d48d8883f97a0895abb41%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-10-oligarchy.jpg)
![Political cartoon of Putin wielding a bloody ax. Text: "Add 'thug,' 'war criminal,' and 'butcher of Ukraine'"](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6026e27/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x1250+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F2f%2F72e325b048f18aae71e3a842241a%2Foe-brodner-ptg-slide-11-butcher.jpg)
Steve Brodner is a contributing artist to Opinion. He blogs daily at https://stevebrodner.substack.com/.
More to Read
A cure for the common opinion
Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.