Australia’s Hugh Jackman is a star of stage and screen. He can sing and dance as well as act. He has muscles, too! One of his most famous movie roles is that of the Wolverine in the X-Men movies.
Jackman has made this role his own playing the troubled character Logan, who is a mutant* loner* who becomes the Wolverine when he gets angry.
Controlling his anger appears to be an issue for Logan. When he becomes the Wolverine he has super strength, the ability to heal himself from injuries and bullet wounds and he grows long claws from his fists, which are very handy in disagreements* with bad guys.
The Wolverine character couldn’t be further in personality from Jackman, who is one of the most admired and liked men in Hollywood. I guess that’s why he’s such a good actor!
So when I heard that Jackman had been awarded an Order of Australia* medal for his services to stage and screen as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, I thought it was something to draw a cartoon about.
The awards are handed out at Government House in Canberra by the Governor-General of Australia*, David Hurley. It is an occasion of pomp* and ceremony, as we honour Australia’s high achievers from all parts of life.
I saw pictures of Jackman standing in the GG*’s residence* dressed in his suit and his achievements being read out and then bowing before his excellency* as the medal was placed around his neck.
Then they turned and smiled warmly for the cameras. All good.
Mark Knight’s Wolverine cartoon. Right-click and open image in new tab to see image full screen.
But the cartoonist in me thought what if the award wasn’t given to Jackman but to one of the characters he plays in his movies? What if the Wolverine was receiving the award? Wouldn’t that be fun to draw!
And so I started to sketch how the Wolverine might act if he received an OAM* from the Governor-General.
As you can imagine, there was no bow or curtsy from him!
GLOSSARY
- mutant: monster
- loner: someone who chooses to spend a lot of time alone
- disagreements: fights
- Order of Australia: award that recognises Australians for outstanding service or exceptional achievement
- Governor-General of Australia: person who represents the Queen in Australia. Their jobs include giving royal assent to laws passed by parliament and handing out Australian honours
- pomp: formal and splendid display
- residence: place where you live
- excellency: title for a high official
- GG: Governor-General
- OAM: Order of Australia medal
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QUICK QUIZ
- What skills does Hugh Jackman have as an entertainer?
- What honour was awarded to Hugh Jackman?
- Who presented it to him?
- Name the person the Governor-General represents.
- Where was the ceremony held?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Draw another character
Hugh Jackman has played many famous roles in his movie and stage career such as PT Barnum in The Greatest Showman and Blackbeard in Pan.
Choose another of Jackman’s characters and redraw Mark Knight’s cartoon with that character in place of Wolverine.
Think about what clothes and props Jackman should be holding.
Does the current caption still work or do you need to think of a new one to match your character?
Time: allow 30 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Humanities, Visual Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Look through the most recent stories on Kids News and choose one to draw a cartoon about.
Use Mark’s three-step process to get started:
- What is my subject?
- What do I want to say about this issue?
- How do I say it? Do I use visual metaphors (an image that the viewer is meant to understand as a symbol for something else.), multiple panels or symbolism (when one idea, feeling or emotion is represented by something else such as a: picture, character, colour or object)?
Time: allow at least 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum links: English, Humanities, Visual Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
After reading the article, with a partner, highlight as many pieces of punctuation as you can find in green. Discuss how these are being used, where and how often. What level of the punctuation pyramid is the journalist using in this article?
HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you like most about Mark Knight’s Wolverine cartoon?
No one-word answers. Use full sentences to explain your thinking. No comments will show until approved by editors.
