Since the public launch of Open Salon, we've had tens of thousands of bloggers join the site -- to write, photoblog and make videos about everything from politics to entertainment, from their gender-reassignment surgery to their experiences serving in Iraq. We've also surprised and thrilled to have a number of accomplished and very talented cartoonists blogging in our midst.  Some have made frequent appearances on the Open Salon (and Salon) cover, while others have been flying under the radar.

And beginning today, we’ll start spotlighting them regularly with Cartoon Saturday on the cover of Open Salon this time each week. Here’s our first selection (with the most recent first):

• Yesterday, Alaskan diarist Vac's romantic misadventures continued

• This week, New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnellly drew her goodbyes to the summer beach season – and its biggest pests

• Bob Eckstein, veteran magazine and newspaper cartoonist, showed us his stash of cartoons that nobody was ever going to see

• Famed New Yorker cartoonist Mick Stevens told the story of Zipper, the little weather system with big dreams

• Evan Forsch unearthed the star-studded straight-to-DVD clunkers that didn’t get the attention they deserved

• Skip Williamson, former Playboy art director, blogged about the birth of Underground Comix, a movement in which he played a pivotal role

• Williamson on hanging out – and doing drugs – with famous children’s author Shel Silverstein

• In the wake of the financial collapse, Liza Donnelly captured the ominous atmosphere on Wall Street

• Wordsmith James Gang defined (and illustrated) that feeling you get when cops get under your skin

• Last November, Eckstein gave us his long and varied romantic history in handy resume form

• During the election, Newsflash paid a visit to the 2008 Campaign Statuary Park