I spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday doing that Cintiq review, so today’s post is going to be an easy one. Here’s a short list of links to the blogs of some terrific caricature artists:
Jan Op de Beeck- Jan is a Belgian illustrator and one of the most highly respected caricaturists in the world. His blog is fairly new, just having started in August, and I hope we’ll see plenty of posts of his work there. Check out his video post where he’s adding gray tones to a live caricature.
Joe Bluhm- If you frequent caricature related blogs at all you are probably familiar with Joe, an immensely talented caricaturist and animator now in the NYC area. His video tutorials on digital painting are fantastic.
Paul Moyse- UK based caricaturist and illustrator. He’s doing some excellent painted caricature illustrations in both digital and traditional acrylics, and the most impressive thing about them is you can’t tell which is which. So many digital artists have “I did this on a computer” stamped all over their work. Not so Paul. Also, the man can DRAW.
Brooke Howell- She’ll probably be appalled I put her with this company, but she’s just modest. There are few caricaturists out there that can take their skills off the page and into three dimensions, and Brooke is one of the best at it. Her caricature sculptures are excellent.
Chris Wahl- Australian illustrator and comic book artist. Chris moves effortlessly between comic book style illustration, digital painting, realistic drawing and wildly exaggerated caricatures. He really knows his computer graphics programs as well.
Vin Altamore- Fellow NCN member who is a modern master of the soft crosshatch drawing technique. His caricature sketches blend this technique with great drawing skills for some amazing likenesses and caricatures.
There is such a wealth of talent on the internet that it boggles the mind. I could easily fill my blogroll with six feet of links, but by necessity (and sanity) have limited my links there to either personal or professional aquaintances and peers. My apologies to those who have in the past e-mailed me with a request for a link exchange that I have not reciprocated on.
The website has a nice slideshow of 17 covers from the last 60 years of MAD. The article itself is said to contain interviews with many classic MAD artists. I haven’t seen it yet but am on the lookout for a copy.
McNutty Cartoons Dept.
Over on my friend Cedric Hohnstadt‘s excellent blog I discovered that our mutual friends Michael Jantze (cartoonist of “The Norm” strip) and Kelly McNutt (Minnesotan cartoonist and animator) have posted some of their animated collaborations on YouTube:
There’s also a link on their YouTube page to an animation short they produced for Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman‘s “Zits“:
Three very different styles of animation and design, all very well done. Hopefully Michael and Kelly have more up their sleeves and we’ll see them soon. You can check out Michael’s YouTube page for updates and visit Kelly’s blog as well for upcoming news and projects.
Bad Monkey Dept.
The last issue of MAD, #489, caused a mini-fervor among hardcore MAD fans, as it was noted on several message boards that longtime MAD scribe Dick DeBartolo had no writing credit of any kind in the issue. That would mean an end to his consecutive issue streak of 386 issues (he’s had a writing credit in every issue since #103). However in a correction it is noted in issue #489 that Dick’s credit in the “Monkey-lini Pages” was omitted. From MAD 489:
Correction!
Due to gross incompetence, Dick “Stompy Ding Dong” Debartolo’s credit was omitted from the Friends of Monkey-lini listing in last month’s Monkey issue. As a result, editors T. Worthington Snoots, Goopy III and Baron von Whoopsie have all been severely reprimanded and had their tire swinging privileges revoked indefinitely.
No correction, however, for their dedication of the issue to the “late, great J. Fred Muggs” (the TV celebrity chimp who painted the cover of MAD #38 in March of 1958) despite the fact that J. Fred is retired and “still lives comfortably with guardians in his Citrus Park home of more than 30 years” at the age of 56. He may have a few years left in him. “Cheeta“, the chimpanzee actor who appeared in the early Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller and many other films, is76 years old and living in Palm Springs.
Incidentally, check out Mike Slaubaugh‘s MAD Lists website for other stats on the appearances of MAD contributors and such.
A smörgåsbord of cartoon, caricature and MAD related website, links, news articles and announcements!
You Know What They Say About Guys With Big Heads Dept.-
A hilarious video demonstrating why caricaturists perhaps should not be police sketch artists… except in certain cases.
Put your Funny Where your Mouth Is Dept.-
The Pittsburgh area Toonseum is having it’s first public fund raiser in May… a worthy cause. Here are the details:
COMIC, CARTOON AND ANIMATION FANS UNITE!
You and your friends are invited to KA-BLAM! A party to benefit the ToonSeum
Your Host: Rob Rogers
When: Saturday, May 3rd, 7:30 – 11:30 pm
Where: ToonSeum, at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
10 Children’s Way Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Tickets: $35.00 in advance (ordering details to come)
The evening will feature:
Live music, DJ and dancing, caricature artists
Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art Salon, demonstration by cartoonists, a silent auction
door prizes, food and drink by Pittsburgh favorites, and more!
Contact Info:
Joe Wos
Executive Director
ToonSeum
“A Museum With Character”
412-325-1060
joe@toonseum.com
www.toonseum.org
The mission of The ToonSeum is to celebrate the art of cartooning. Our goal is to promote a deeper appreciation of cartoonists and their work through hands-on workshops, community outreach,
cartoon-oriented educational programming and exhibitions of original cartoon art.
Let Friedman Ring Dept.-
MAD artist extraordinare Drew Friedman as an exhibit of his superb art opening this Thursday, March 27th at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle. Drew will appear for a book signing and the opening of the exhibition of his original artwork on the 27th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Visit here for all the details.
To PC is Human, to Mac… Divine Dept.-
Here’s an interesting link to a forum thread discussing the latest “Monkey theme” issue of MAD, issue #488… in a Mac computer forum of all places.
I’ve found that readers either loved or hated that issue. Seems these folks liked it. The most telling of the posts on the thread, however, is post #3 by “Abstract”:
They still make MAD?
Sigh….
While on the subject of MAD #488, it is exactly one year from right now when MAD #500 hits the stands. I started in #399, and #400 was a big deal at the time, so I hope they’ve got some fun stuff planned for #500.
As a kid in the 1970′s there were a few things I collected as much and as often as I could get my hands on them: Anything Star Wars but especially the bubble gum trading cards, Batman comics, Micronauts toys… but one thing I couldn’t get enough of was Wacky Packages stickers from Topps. My friends and I thought these parodies of popular products were hilarious. They are often associated with MAD Magazine, although they did not have any connection other than MAD artist Tom Bunk did some art for them recently. Other MAD artists may have contributed as well, but Tom’s the only regular one I am sure of.
This May a coffee table book about the Wacky Packages phenomenon will be releases which includes an interview with Art Spiegelman, the original artist and conceiver of the first series of Wacky packages. The book will feature images of all 232 stickers from series 1-7, circa 1973-74. Check out the official Wacky Packages website, from where you can preorder the book.
This Saturday’s “Surf’s Up Dept.” is very MAD video-centric, with a few other stories tossed in.
Revenge of the Mommy Dept.
Des Moines mom Jane Hambleton proclaimed herself the “Meanest Mom on the Planet” when she sold her son’s car through the want ads of the Des Moines Register after finding alcohol under the seat of the vehicle. The ad read:
OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don’t love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.
Hambleton was then undulated with calls and e-mails from people supporting and applauding her for being tough on her kid and following through on her rules. Hambleton said she had only two rules with the car, which she bought for her 19 year old son around Thanksgiving: “Keep it locked, and no alcohol.” After finding the booze, she made her son face the consequences.
I also applaud this lady for following through on her rules and the punishment of their being broken. Too many parents today won’t do that because they either don’t want to be inconvenienced by actually having to raise their children, or they are too busy wanting to be their kid’s “friend” and can’t handle the confrontation. You can’t be a “friend” and a “parent” at the same time. Be strong with your kids and teach them right from wrong, and they’ll thank you for it later in life. Then you can get your revenge for all the “I hate you’s” and slamming doors by spoiling your grandkids rotten and then leaving the discipline for their parents!
Better Safer than Sorry Dept.
Here’s a video of a late 1980′s interview by Morely Safer on 60 Minutes with MAD Magazine idiots BIll Gaines, Nick Meglin, John Ficarra and Dick DeBartolo. It’s long but worth watching
It’s interesting that Safer right away questions MAD‘s ability to keep up it’s subversive, shocking reputation in the face of what he says is “more outrageous stuff than you guys are” that is available to young people. That was in the late 1980′s. Today we have the likes of the Farley Brothers and Judd Apatow setting the tone for comedic films and media. Is it any wonder that MAD has become much more riske and racy in these days, with the tone set by the Borat‘s of the world?
It’s also ironic to hear Gaines talk about how he feels about advertising and merchandising, as these are the very arguments MAD purists make against advertising in the magazine. “You can’t make fun of Pepsi Cola and take money from Coca Cola”, says Gaines. That may have been true back in the days of real corporate sponsorship, when advertisers would literally dictate the content of the shows and publications they were in or else yank their ad dollars. Today advertisers only care about circulation numbers and demographics… they WANT MAD to keep doing what they do so their target audience is reached. That’s why MAD can run ads of video games in an issue where the lead article is “The 50 Wost Things about Video Games” (MAD #457). Even the hypocrisy of that situation is ripe for MAD to make fun of, which they regularly do. MAD‘s self-depreciating humor is not just for show.
MAD BAD TV Dept.
I have to admit, I have never watched a single episode of MAD TV.
The funny thing is, MAD TV might be more exposed than MAD itself these days. It used to be every time I drew a kid at the theme park with big ears and a grin, I got a lot of “that looks like the kid from MAD” from the onlookers. Nowadays I hear “that looks like the kid from MAD TV” more and more. In fact, some kids I talked to had no idea there was a magazine that the show was named after. That just goes to show that kids spend a lot more time in front of the boob tube than they do reading publications.
The other day I saw this first MAD TV clip posted on an Apple fan website. It makes fun of the “Fiest” iPod Nano ad, and really hits the nail on the head with the frustrating nature of Apple’s product releases.
I also ran into a few other MAD TV clips that I thought were pretty funny.
Charles Schulz‘s widow and my friend Jeannie Schulzwrites some public comments about the David Michaelis book. Jeannie is one smart lady, and her comments demonstrate that quite clearly. No one would blame her if she just took a few reactionary public shots at Michaelis over his portrayal of her late husband. Instead she shows that she is actually very familiar with the book’s content and calmly and intelligently explains why a number of Michaelis’s conclusions are poorly conceived or are outright erroneous. After reading these comments and talking with her, I believe Michaelis was bent on painting Schulz as the tortured artist, and conveniently ignored both facts and whatever opinions and stories about Schulz did not support that portrayal. -From the Canadian Sans Everything Blog.
Trailer Park Parenting for Dummies Dept.
Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson Inc. was preparing to release a new book on parenting on Mothers Day, 2008. The Author: Lynne Spears, mother of those fine, upstanding role models Britney and Jamie Lynne Spears. Spear’s book, “Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World” was to be all about “raising” (term used loosely) young Britney through her rise to fame.
The publisher has decided to shelve the book’s release. That decision came, I am sure purely by coincidence, shortly after it was reported that 16 year old Jamie Lynne was pregnant via her high school boyfriend. How long will publication be put off? “Indefinitely is the word we are using,” a source from the publisher told the NY Post.
“We don’t know how this happened,” Jamie Lynne has reportedly said… Apparently there is no chapter in Spear’s book concerning the “birds and the bees”.
Meanwhile plans for other rumored books by the publisher proceed including “Tips for a Successful Marriage” by Elizabeth Taylor, “Fair Play: Honor in Baseball” by Barry Bonds and the posthumous “Ethical Business Practices” by Kenneth Lay.
Ink Slip Dept.
Former Catfish Bend Casino employee David Stewartfound himself unemployed after tacking up this “Dilbert” comic strip on an office bulletin board:
Apparently casino management was not amused by the strip, and it’s referral to company decision makers as “drunken lemurs”.
“I find that very offensive,” and unidentified management source exclaimed. “We are not lemurs.” No comment on the “drunken” part….
Casino management reviewed security tapes to discover who posted the cartoon, and then fired Stewart saying he was not a “team player”. They cited the posting of the cartoon during a hearing over Stewart’s unemployment compensation, which they were trying to oppose. The judge sided with Stewart, saying that posting the cartoon was not done with malicious intent.
“However, had he posted a “Cathy” cartoon, he would have had his unemployment yanked in a heartbeat,” the judge reportedly added. -from The Daily Cartoonist
The Year in Askew Dept.
Finally, web humor site JibJab has once again posted their annual “Year in Review” video. Not quite as funny as last year but still worth look and a laugh:
Disclaimer- Certain additions to the “news stories” above were added for satirical and humorous purposes, including fictitious quotes, facts and other nonsense. Treat the “reporting” above with the same amount of gravitas as you would Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update”, except not as funny…. and no Amy Poehler.
A study conducted at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom has determined that caricatures drawn of crooks were twice as easy to identify with their targets than traditional photofits. According to the article from The Guardian UK:
In tests, volunteers were asked to identify people from the standard photofit of their face and from their caricature.
On average, a photofit face was correctly identified 20% of the time, compared with 40% for the caricature, according to a report in this month’s Visual Cognition journal.
I can see it now…
“Attention all units, be on the lookout for suspect in your area. Identified as a white male, 30 to 35 years old, 16 pound 18 inch nose, head the size of a beach ball, tiny marble-like eyes, has name written in bubble letter floating over left shoulder. May be seen roller skating. Approach with caution…”
(Thanks to Hutch for the link!)
Tough on Chime Dept.-
Niagara Falls court judge Robert Restaino was presiding over a domestic abuse case when someone’s cell phone rang in the court. Restaino demanded the offending cell phone be handed over. When the owner did not step forward, Restraino went beserk and sent everyone in the courtroom to jail. According to the story from C/Net News:
“Everyone is going to jail; every single person is going to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now,” he went on. “If anybody believes I’m kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going.”
46 people were searched and jailed in crowded cells. Fourteen who could not post bail were shackled and sent by bus to a different jail… I can only hope one of those was the Verizon “Can you hear me now?” guy. After his time in stir, his new slogan is: “Can you hear me now, bitch?”
A Drucker by Any Other Name Dept.-
A reporter at Park City, Utah public radio station KPCW-FM, recently flipped through the latest Park City Record newspaper and noticed that an editorial cartoon published in that paper contained a caricature that looked suspiciously like one drawn decades ago by MAD Magazine legend Mort Drucker. Reporter Rick Broughdug up the original published Drucker drawing and faxed it to the Park Record.
The editorial cartoon in question was done by longtime Park City Record cartoonist John Kilbourne. The result was his resignation from the paper amid the stated disappointment of his editor and publisher.
No word yet whether the incident has caused the dozens of cartoonists who make a living copying the work of Drucker and Jack Davis scurrying for cover.
A butcher in Fairmont, Minnesota was processing chickens when he came across a shiny object in a chicken gizzard. It was an identity bracelet with a name, address and phone number on it. After some amateur detective work, meat cutter Mark Olson tracked down original owner Aaron Giles through his father, who now lives in Arizona. Giles, now living in Massachusetts, was surprised to see his bracelet as he lost it 25 years ago as a young boy while playing in a barn in Fairmont.
Giles said the bracelet was in perfect condition… except it smelled like chicken gizzard.
Giles also said that he expects the bracelet to “remain in his family for years to come”… I hope by that he means in a drawer or jewelry box and not in a family member’s internal organs.
…The chicken did not return phone calls for comment.
Hitting the Street Artists Dept.-
I came across this video on YouTube. I think this guy might have applied to work for me once…
Rather than post the Dreaded Deadline Demon today since I am swamped with Monday deadlines, I’m posting a suitably lame list of links to MAD related articles, sites and other general wastes of time and drains on American productivity. Fa fa fa.
Han Shot First Dept.-
There is a nice feature about the MAD parodies of the Star Wars films over on starwars.com, including an article with Mort Drucker and a Q&A with writer Dick Debartolo. Mort was the artist on all the film parodies except the original Star Wars (Harry North did that one, but Mort later did the “musical version”) and the last one (which was illustrated by Hermann Mejia… no musical version but I did begin rhythmically snoring about 1/3 of the way through the film). Dick wrote all of the parodies. I guess George Lucas has a pretty good sense of humor… a lot better than his sense of film direction, anyway. Thanks to Jason Chalker for the heads up.
One Smoggy Day in L.A. Dept.-
A recent article in Los Angeles Citybeat magazine praises MAD for it’s continuing fearlessness in political humor. The writer makes a good point that, while it’s hardly courageous today to bash the Bush administration with their approval ratings somewhere around the “freezing point of gin”, MAD had the guts to point out absurdities and stupidity by the government even shortly after 9/11… when any criticism of the government was labeled “traitor talk”, “anti-American” and Dixie Chick CDs were being burned despite the fact that the first amendment is possibly the very definition of American freedom. He fails to mention MAD‘s emergency replacement of the cover of the very next issue to this:
…which was done at great cost to the magazine and it’s publishers, nor the very serious letter to readers within. However his point is taken.
On a similar note, MAD is often being accused these days of being a liberal, lefty rag. When asked in an interview if the magazine is ever accused of political bias, then editor Nick Meglin answered “Always… by both sides.” Editor John Ficarra is quoted on the subject in the very article linked above:
“Since its inception during the Eisenhower administration, MAD‘s policy has always been to mock the man in office. We begin each new administration with a clean slate and we wait for them to do something really stupid. (Usually that happens around day two.)”
Meglinomania Dept.-
Since I mentioned it above. Here’s that Nick Meglin interview from a few years back in Pop Cult Magazine. Nick is retired now enjoying life and writing musical comedies for the stage. He is very much missed around MAD, let me tell you. He always took me somewhere fancy for lunch when I visited the MAD offices. Beyond that… good riddance. I really miss the lunches, though. Sam Viviano‘s idea of splurging on the expense account is to let me “supersize” my value meal.
Hold the Onion Dept.-
This is an oldie but a goodie. The folks behind the humor newspaper The Onion have long been known as old MAD fans. A few years ago they did this article paying homage to the magazine in their own, unique way. MAD reciprocated later with a parody of their newspaper in an issue.
One Man’s Trash is another Man’s Magazine Dept.-
These next few links are permanently in my “MAD Links” section on the blogroll but as many readers get so fantastically bored with this blog they seldom get to that part, and because they are especially interesting or excellent resources, I will plug them here again:
The Official MAD site- The red headed stepchild of the DC universe is begrudgingly given a tiny corner of their massive web presence. Links to official message boards, current issue sneak peeks, free downloads (no porn, that you have to pay for), submission guidelines, ads to buy stuff and more. (Note to DC- Please make my check payable to “Tom Richmond”, and this one better not bounce)
Doug Gilford’s MAD Cover Site- A true monument to those with waaaaay too much time on their hands, Doug has painstakingly scanned every cover of every issue of MAD and organized it on his website. You can browse by year, alphabetically by TV or movie parody, search by keyword, look up current price value by issue number and condition… or you could call a girl and go out on a date. All kidding aside a great resource.
Mad Mumblings- The best MAD fan message boards on the internet! Of course that’s not saying much as they are the ONLY MAD fan message boards on the internet. Still, it is filled with people who would much rather search the far corners of Doug’s cover site than go on a date, so you have to respect that!
Mike Slaubaugh’s MAD Lists- Painstakingly researched and updated lists by Mike on such vital MAD statistics as yearly circulation numbers, consecutive issue streaks by contributors, total number of covers by… individual………. art……ists………………………………
……….sorry, I dozed off there for a second.
I check his “Contributor Appearances” list every month to see if I have finally passed that punk Scott Bricher in “total number of issues appeared in” yet…. Nope.
Check out individual “Usual Gang of Idiots” links also over to the right in the blogroll, as well as a few other permanent MAD links. Have fun, kids… and stay out of my yard.
Here’s another collection of the weird, somewhat interesting and downright horrific from around cyberspace:
The Blubberfull World of Disney Dept.
According to this article, Disneyland in California will be closing down their “It’s a Small World” ride for some refurbishment. Not because the characters are looking tattered or the endless looping song needs updating… nope, it’s because the boats are bottoming out and getting stuck. Disney won’t come out and say it, but the reason?… riders are too fat.
Yes, it has come to this. Disneyland has to do reconstruction on a 41 year old ride because Americans have become so fat they are literally sinking the boats.
According to stories about the web, “Small World” boats have bottomed out and actually become stuck, forcing the occupants to exit and walk… or apparently in many cases waddle… out an emergency exit. Americans are now an average of almost 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960, men going from an average of 166 lbs to 191, and women from 140 to 164. That’s a lot of Big Macs. You hear a lot of hype about the obesity problem in this country but sometimes it takes something like this to really drive it home.
I understand that some people’s weight problems are a result of very real disease and factors not within their control. However that cannot explain the epidemic we are seeing. American’s largely eat like pigs and get very little exercise, and that is the root of the problem.
Of course society is as much to blame as those who refuse to take their own health seriously. Take Disney, for example. According to the linked article above, when those fat folks sink the “Small World” boats and are escorted off the ride Disney makes sure they aren’t disappointed…
…they hand them a free food ticket!
Here Dumbs the Bride Dept.
A distraught bride in New York City is suing her florist for breach of contract, restitution and damages because the flowers that were delivered to her wedding were not the dark rust she ordered but pastel pink. Worse yet, they were wilted and brown and in dusty vases with not enough water. So, she’s suing for $400,000… the cost of the flowers was almost $27,500.
The florist claims they tried to match the colors to a picture given to them by the bride, but told her the color “might not match”.
I’m not sure what the worst crime committed here is… the bad job by the florist or the fact that somebody paid over $27,000 for FLOWERS for a wedding, let alone without actually picking them out in person? It’s a toss up.
Go Ahead… Make my Bed Dept.
A Montgomery, Alabama couple returned home from a week long trip to catch a thief red-handed after he had just ransacked their home, emptying drawers and throwing cabinets and piles of trash everywhere. Homeowner Adrian McKinnon caught the man walking through his home while inspecting the damage and held him at gunpoint while waiting for police to arrive.
As long as they were waiting, McKinnon forced the thief at gunpoint to clean up his house.
Police arrived to find a loudly complaining suspect, who felt he was being cruelly treated to be forced to straighten up the mess in the McKinnon household. No word on whether he flatly refused to do the windows.
Lake House-Be-Gone Dept.
Only in Minnesota.
According to an AP story, local ice fisherman Brian Young of Bowlus, MN, discovered friday that his fish house was missing. For you warm climate readers, that is not a house for fish, but rather a small shack that is hauled out onto a frozen lake, placed over bored holes in the ice and where grown men sit and stare at a bobber floating on the icy water trying to catch a fish, but mostly get really drunk.
Apparently some pranksters had placed a “FREE” sign on it without Young’s knowledge and unsuspecting persons had helped themselves to the fish house. It had been sitting near the intersection of County Road 13 and state Highway 287 about 26 miles from St. Cloud, MN. The cops don’t consider it stolen, but are just asking for it’s return. Local walleye are rejoicing. Local liquor stores are despondent.
… I should try that with my neighbor’s lawnmower he fires up at 6 am.
Urine Trouble Now Dept.
Lastly, this is an old video but I recently ran across it again on YouTube and it always gets a laugh.
