Mayor Rudy sits behind his desk. “Fran, are there any messages?” he shouts to his erstwhile deputy, who’s out of view.

“Bob Herbert from the Times is here,” she yells back.

“Do I have to see him?” the mayor wonders, plaintively.

“Yeah,” she replies.

Herbert descends from the sky, touching down in front of the mayor. “Harassment and brutality seem to be a central component of police work,” he says. “The gulf between law enforcement and residents is growing wider.”

“But crime is down,” Rudy whines. “You’ve got me all befuddled.”

“I wish you could see this from another perspective,” Herbert replies.

No, it’s not City Hall. These characters are papier m