Operating as a form of visual news discourse, editorial cartoons hold a unique commentary position within the news agenda. Utilising artistic and rhetorical devices, cartoon illustrators provide supplementary (and sometimes alternate) viewpoints on current news events; their visuals becoming frames for organising social knowledge in addition to capturing the essence of issues or events. By doing so, audiences are presented with “a number of different condensing symbols that suggest the core frame of any issue portrayed” (Gamson and Stuart, 1992, pg. 60). This thesis reflects upon the evolution of editorial cartoons as a genre of socio-political commentary. Scrutinising a corpus of images taken from the 2010 British General Election, the study outlines the aesthetic, communicative and rhetorical features which enhance the form’s position within visual imagery; highlighting their capability in adapting to societal, political or aesthetic change. Drawing upon the works of Lakoff and Johnson (1980), Herrmann (2013) and Ritchie (2013), the thesis also illustrates how a conceptual approach towards editorial cartoon metaphors can amplify the forms’ convergence/divergence with the news agenda of its host publication. Lastly, a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses within a unified case study framework will highlight the capacity of editorial cartoonists to provide autonomous perspectives on evolving news events