Sheneman

And beyond that, professionally, what's next for Sheneman?

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

"The way I feel now is that it's time to start the reinvention process, for better or worse," Sheneman tells Comic Riffs.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

And in that freelance-based economy, what advice might Sheneman have for the next generation of satirists hoping to make it as a political cartoonist?

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

"I was at the Ledger for about 12 1/2 years," says Sheneman, who at 23 became the nation's youngest full-time staff political cartoonist, after winning top collegiate cartooning awards.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

Sheneman believes the editorial cartoon, be it animated or static, will continue to be a vital and valid form of satire and commentary -- but he says choosing that field comes with a caveat.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

Then Sheneman quickly adds, with his signature wit: "Ask me again in a year when the buyout money is gone and I'm waterproofing my parent's basement looking for the perfect spot to put my Xbox."

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

Sheneman notes that the decision was entirely his.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

Sheneman will continue to draw for the Star-Ledger, on a limited freelance basis.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

Although he had been at the paper for more than 12 years, Sheneman is 35 and, like Fiore, needed to smartly survey what his best options were for longer-term professional prosperity.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010

"The hardest part was making the choice to pull the trigger and start the clock ticking toward unemployment," Sheneman says.

Exit Interview: Buyout in hand, Star-Ledger cartoonist DREW SHENEMAN plans a career 'reinvention' Michael Cavna 2010