No, not from the MAD show on Cartoon Network this time. These are some YouTube gems.

These are a collection of animated commercials based on the work of the great Jack Davis:

Here’s the adaptation of Wally Wood’s classic Batboy and Rubin from MAD #8, as seen on the CN’s The Brave and the Bold:

Over at The Idiotical, the Official Blog of MAD Magazine (this is a very UNofficial blog), they have posted the story behind the cover of MAD #411, otherwise known as the 9-11 cover. The tell the tale of how this:

replaced this:

at the very last minute, following the events of September 11th, 2001. MAD very correctly decided that, despite the innocent marathon scene, having a cover depicting a crowd of people running through the streets of New York with Alfred jumping a dead body would probably be taken in a different way after September 11th. I won’t recount the entire tale here, you can read about it on The Idiotical.

I did learn two new things from MAD‘s post. First, I didn’t know that associate art director Nadina Simon came up with and did that cover image. That is awesome, and so is Nadina. Second, that it was the printer that first questioned if they really wanted to go with that cover.

One thing they did not talk about in the post, was that after #411 came out I found untrimmed and unbound prints of that original cover, presumably taken from the printer by some unscrupulous employee before they were destroyed, showing up on eBay. I alerted the MAD folks and they and the printer dealt with it. I’m not sure how but I think they might have sent Sergio over to the seller’s house to go marginal on him.

The gang at MAD just released a new book, INSANELY AWESOME MAD, that is geared toward the viewership of the animated MAD show on the Cartoon Network. There is an interesting selection of work inside, and it makes you get a better idea of what kind of viewers they are getting, or are aiming at appealing to, with the CN show. There are no movie or TV show parodies. You will find several examples of Sergio‘s “A MAD Look at…”, a bunch of Spy Vs. Spys (all classic Antonio Prohias ones, but nicely colored), several Don Martin classics (also colored) as well as many other assorted features from a variety of UGOI (that’s Usual Gang of Idiots for those of you who do not speak MAD). There is also a selection of work from “The Strip Club”, which here has been renamed the bit more kid-friendly “The Comic Club”. Definitely kid-safe, skewed very much in the same vein as MAD KIDS used to be.

Published by their own imprint, MAD Books, it’s 128 pages, in full color with a softcover. The paper stock used is a nice, glossy stock and the art and colors really pop on it. I hope MAD does more books in this format, as it really makes the artwork look great. It’s not any funnier, but it looks great. It’s only $12.99 (cheap), but you can get it at Amazon for only $9.77 (even cheaper).

I have one piece in this book” “MAD‘s Proposed Rule Changes for the Upcoming NASCAR Season”, originally published in MAD #427, Mar 2003, and written by Desmond Devlin. See sample of part of that piece below.

Looks like a good collection of MADness for the younger set.

Click for a closer look…

As promised, a look at the art for “Parks and Regurgitation” in MAD #511.

Click for a closer look…

Pencil Roughs- Click for a closer look…

I have to say that Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson in the show, might be my favorite person to caricature ever for MAD… and that is saying a lot.

On news stands tomorrow and in comic book shops today:

MAD # 511 (October 2011)

• Cover (Charles Akins)
• The Fundalini Pages (Matt Lassem, Hermann Mejia, John Caldwell, Kenny Keil, Kit Lively, Marc Hempel, Glen LeLievre, Pater Bagge, Ward Sutton, Scott Nickel, Sam Viviano, Garth Gerhart)
• Parks and Regurgitation (Arnie Kogen, Tom Richmond)
• Dictators Next to be Overthrown (Jeff Kruse, Tom Bunk)
• 12 Good Things about Y0ur Smoking Addiction (Teresa Burns Parkhurst)
• Spy vs. Spy 50th Anniversary Poster (Various)
• Overheard at the Kardashian Wedding (Jacob Lambert and Jeff Kruse, Rick Tulka, Colors: Tom Luth)
• Planet TAD!!!!! (Tim Carvell, Brian Durniak)
• A MAD Look At Lady Gaga (Sergio Aragonés, Colors: Tom Luth)
• Satellite TV Listings (Writer: Jeff Kruse)
• MAD Presents… Still More Facts that Sound for a Second Like They Might Be True… But Aren’t (Justin Heimberg, Kevin Pope)
• The Strip Club (Vic Black, Box Brown, Christopher Baldwin, Jason Coates, Jason Yungbluth, Jacob Lambert, Douglas Paszkiewicz)
• Spy vs Spy (Peter Kuper)
• Disturbing Facts about the Incoming Freshman Class of 2015 (Writer: Scott Maiko)
• MAD Fold-In (Al Jaffee)
• Drawn Out Dramas (Sergio Aragonés)

My work in this issue was the art for a six page parody of the TV show Parks and Recreation, written by Arnie Kogen. I will post a sneak peek of that tomorrow.

What are you waiting for, clod?!? Go out and buy a fershlugginer copy already!

MAD posted the cover art for upcoming issue number 511 on their official Blog, The Idiotical, yesterday. I guess it’s now safe to say that I did the artwork for the parody of Parks and Recreation, although I will hold off on posting any images until the issue actually comes out. I will say that I had a lot of fun doing that one… no boring faces, that’s for sure!

The issue is scheduled for news stands on Aug 23rd, so they will likely be showing up in mailboxes and comic book shops next week.

Comic-Con is over and I’m on my way back to Minnesota. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Number one son Tom mans the booth…

Drawing a caricature of some kids

The Big MAD Panel: From L to R: Host Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragonés,
editor John Ficarra, art director Sam Viviano, Dick Debartolo,
Peter Kuper, myself, Keith Knight.

Me answering a question

Not sure how this picture got mixed up in here…

They put me up on the video board just like the real artists
when I signed at the DC Comics booth.

Doing a drawing for a MAD fan

It was fun, and exhausting. Sitting at my drawing board in my studio getting caught up with work will seem like a vacation.

For those who need a MAD fix before the next issue comes out in August, here’s something to tide you over—a special issue collecting just about all the mockery and ridicule MAD lavished on the Harry Potter books and film franchise over the years. It’s 80 pages of spell-binding “Humorous Stupidous”, including the parodies of all eight movies:

• “Harry Plodder and the Sorry-Ass Story” (artist: Mort Drucker), MAD #412
• “Harry Plodder and the Lamest of Sequels” (artist: Tom Richmond), MAD #424
• “Harry Plodder and the Pre-Teen Nerds are Actin’ Bad” (artist: Hermann Mejia), MAD #443
• “Harry Plodder Has Got to Retire” (artist: Hermann Mejia), MAD #460
• “Harry Plodder and the Torture of the Fan Base” (artist: Tom Richmond), MAD #480
• “Harry Plodder is a Hot-Blooded Putz” (artist: Hermann Mejia), MAD #501
• “Harry Plodder and It’s Dreadful What Follows” (artist: Tom Richmond), MAD #507
• “Harry Plodder is Definitely Halted- Adieu!” (artist: Hermann Mejia)

All eight parodies were written by Desmond Devlin.

That last one is not reprinted from an earlier issue, but is an all-new, never-seen-before spoof of the latest (and last… at least until they do a “reboot” in about 10 years) Harry Potter film with seven pages of Hermann’s incomparable art. I did the art on three of the eight… I personally can see a real progression in my artistic development from “Harry Plodder and the Lamest of Sequels” done in 2002 and “Harry Plodder and It’s Dreadful What Follows” done in 2010.

There is also quite a bit of additonal spoofery including riffs on the books themselves, an Al Jaffee “Harry Potter” fold-in, Sergio Aragonés‘ “A MAD Look at Harry Potter”, and other fun stuff. It’s in comic book shops now and on news stands July 19th.

So what are you waiting for, clod? Go out and buy a furshlugginer copy, already!

When the gang at MAD decided to start an official blog called The Idiotical, they weren’t fooling around.

Since it’s launch last month, the blog has consistently been updated with daily (and often multiple daily) bits of bloggy goodness including plenty of original material as well as some classic MAD stuff that has some sudden relevance (like the MAD parody of Columbo after the passing of Peter Falk), and other surprises. They’ve creatively illustrated new humor content with some existing MAD art, done a bunch of all-new stuff, sprinkled in some looks at interesting things like the Spy vs. Spy 50th Anniversary art and custom figurines, and are even posting some preliminary art and pencil sketches of current and upcoming features in the magazine. In short, they are making it into a place to visit daily for a couple of laughs.

If you haven’t visited it yet, check out The Idiotical.

Many sources are reporting that director Ron Howard (Splash!, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, etc.) has been signed to direct a live action film based on the long-running MAD Magazine feature Spy Vs. Spy. “Live action” of course means with actors and not using animation. An interesting approach. How much of Spy vs. Spy’s appeal is because of the art style and character design of the late Antonio Prohias? I guess we’ll be finding out.