- Search Cartoons
- Comic Archive
-
Payne
Store
Henry Payne RSS
Henry Payne Blog
Cartoon: Iran No Nukes
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Mustang accelerates Ford’s global icon strategy. Here’s how
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Ford
Ford announced this week that the Mustang Dark Horse SC makes a staggering 795 horsepower — eclipsing its predecessor, the 2023 Mustang Shelby GT500, by 35 ponies.
But horsepower isn’t the only thing rising in Mustang’s lineup.
At $108,485, the supercharged V-8 Dark Horse SC is well above the $81K ($94K inflation-adjusted) Shelby GT500 when it retired in 2022, much less the entry-level, turbo-4-cylinder, $34K Ecoboost model. And the Dark Horse SC is well shy of the range-topping, estimated-$328,000 Mustang GTD supercar that boasts 815 horsepower.
The massive expansion of the Mustang lineup for its seventh-generation pony car is driven by Ford’s icon strategy, which prioritizes passion products including Mustang, F-series pickups and Bronco SUVs. Indeed, the ‘Stang production lineup’s $300,000-plus price spread dwarfs that of luxury German performance automakers like BMW, with a sedan lineup that ranges from the $43,550 2-series sedan to the $126,850 M5 track beast. That’s a mere $83K price spread.
Cartoon: Virginia New Districts
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Payne: Stick-shift Acura Integra is two-wheels shy of perfect
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Built on the same bones as the terrific, manual-only Honda Civic Si, Integra is the rare vehicle that offers a manual shifter these days. Honda-Acura are brands built on performance: Honda Formula One drivetrains, Acura IMSA Weathertech Sportscar prototypes, Honda Civic Type R IMSA World Challenge.
If the manual is ever retired, Honda-Acura models will surely be some of the last bulls put out to pasture.
The Integra’s manual fits like a glove. Intuitive console placement. Precise shifts. Short throws. It’s the best thing this side of a Porsche 911. Complemented by a standard rev match no matter what mode you’re in — SPORT, NORMAL, COMFORT — it begs to be rowed. Even on M-31 which — unlike my favorite, west side M-32 and Hell, Michigan, roads — is as flat as a board with few twists and turns.
Cartoon: Democrats Against Churchill Genocide
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 22, 2026
Cartoon: Cook Replaced Apple AI
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 21, 2026
EV winners and losers: Tesla and Chevy gain, VW and startups retreat
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 21, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After a turbulent 2025, U.S. electric-vehicle market share stabilized in the first three months of 2026 at 5.8% — consistent with Q4 2025, the first quarter without government incentives ended by Congress and President Donald Trump. EV sales swings from the United States to Norway to China have consistently tracked government support, industry analysts say.
Even before the U.S. government pulled the plug on the $7,500 sales subsidy late last year — causing a brief, Q3 run to 10.5% market share — EV sales, as The Detroit News reported, had stabilized at about 8% of the market. Without the Damocles Sword of 2026 government EV mandates overhead, manufacturers are reassessing the EV market — or leaving it altogether.
Absent the threat of billions in state-and-federal fines, brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Ram, and Ford have dropped planned electrics. Meanwhile, mega-brands and luxury makers like Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have stayed the course on parallel ICE/EV lines.
Perhaps a leading indicator of the electric market’s plateau is U.S. EV market leader Tesla, which while still dominating the segment, has canceled its iconic S/X models to focus on robots — whether robotaxi or humanoid.
Cartoon: F1 Mario Kart
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 17, 2026
Cartoon: Trump Water Iran Tanker
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 17, 2026
Auto titans share Pope Francis podium to help the homeless
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 17, 2026
Carlos Osorio, Special To The Detroit News
Detroit — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss are ferocious competitors on auto development, dealer showrooms and race tracks. But on Thursday night they came together at Ford Field to affirm their shared passion for Detroit.
And for its favorite adopted son, Roger Penske.
Before 1,000 attendees at the 2026 Building Bridges Gala hosted by the Pope Francis Center, the Big Three of Detroit motorsports — Penske, Reuss, Farley — talked about their commitment to helping the Motor City’s neediest and honored Penske for his decades of community service.
Cartoon: Iran Hormuz Oil Cut Off
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 16, 2026
Payne: Rivian R1T Quad is a tank turnin’, electron burnin’, cargo storin’ hoot
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 16, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Holly — When I was a kid, I’d spin toy tanks in my sandbox, slinging sand while mimicking real tank turns. WHEEE! As I’ve grown older, my sandboxes have gotten bigger.
At Holly Oaks ORV Park, I stopped my 2026 Rivian R1T Quad pickup in the dirt and selected ALL-TERRAIN mode in the 15.6-inch console screen. I selected the KICK TURN icon and swiped PREPARE TO TURN. A Sasquatch-like cartoon character named Gear Guard Gary popped up and performed a break dance. Tank-turn time.
Holding the steering wheel straight, I pushed the RIGHT buttons on each steering spoke simultaneously, engaged the throttle and spun the pickup clockwise — slinging sand like a tank. WHEEE! Stop. Engage the LEFT buttons and spin counterclockwise. WHEEE!
Rivian Quad is a toy for big kids with big piggy banks.
Cartoon: Tiger Woods New Golf Bag
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 15, 2026
Cartoon: Friedman NYT Iran War Winners
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 14, 2026
Cartoon: Nuns New York Regulation
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 13, 2026
Cartoon: USA Versus Iran March Madness
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 10, 2026
Cartoon: Iran Bombing Spring Break
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 9, 2026
Cartoon: Artemis Space Distance Record
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 9, 2026
Payne: Corolla FX Hatch brings affordable Toyota X-citement
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 9, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Oakland County — After a couple of somnolent performance decades while it nerded out on hybrid hegemony, Toyota has awakened from its slumber. Formula One partnership with Haas, GR86 sportscar, GR Corolla hot hatch. Huzzah.
The latest espresso shot is the 2026 Corolla Hatchback FX Editon burning a hole in my driveway.
You can see it from space. Orange paint, white wheels, giant aerofoil hanging off the rear hatchback. The FX Edition hatch follows on the limited-edition FX sedan introduced last year and is a more direct homage to the 1986-88 Corolla FX16 hot hatch from a hot decade of ‘80s culture: Top Gun, DeLorean DMC-12, ZZ Top, Audi Quattro, Pac-Man, Ferrari F40. But whereas FX16 was a sleeper hellion to take on the Volkswagen Golf GTI, FX Edition flips the script with its gym bod, and … standard 169-horse Corolla 2-liter under the muscle shirt.
Cartoon: Dark Side of the Moon Artemis
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 7, 2026
