Tom's Mad Blog
February 8th, 2018 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Mental Floss has a great article about time MAD printed a phony $3 bill as part of an article and got in some trouble with the FBI and the U.S. Treasury Dept. The article in question appeared in MAD #115 (the same issue that Mort Drucker and Dick De Bartolo‘s famous parody of Star Trek, “Star Blecch” appeared). It was entitled “MAD Mintlies” and featured phony coins poking fun at obsessed coin collectors. It also featured the fore mentioned fake $3 bill. Art by Bob Clarke, BTW. Despite the fact that it was cheaply printed in black and white, featured none of the engraving or… READ MORE
February 7th, 2018 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Are we getting bored with the Bat-Villains series yet? Here’s the fabulous Julie Newmar as Catwoman. READ MORE
February 6th, 2018 | Posted in News
Submissions for the NCS Divisional awards also known as the “Silver Reubens” are due TOMORROW!!! Each division has specific sets of eligibility criteria, but the following are universal: Must be professionally published between Dec 1, 2016 and Dec 31, 2017 Creator need not be an NCS member, but must be eligible for NCS membership (i.e. a professional cartoonist) The NCS has specific requirements for different divisions, so please read the guidelines carefully. Submissions are due on Feb 7th. Here’s the details: The National Cartoonists Society has begun its annual call for entries for consideration for the NCS Divisional Reuben Awards recognizing excellence in professional cartooning.… READ MORE
February 5th, 2018 | Posted in Monday MADness
Wrapping up my foray into the Harry Potter parody world, here’s a look at MAD‘s spoof of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”: “Harry Plodder and the Torture of the Fanbase” written by Desmond Devlin and appearing in MAD #480, Aug 2007. Below are my pencil roughs, followed by the final art for the rest of the 7 pages (clicky the spreads to embiggen): READ MORE
February 4th, 2018 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I assume you knew from a pretty young age you wanted to pursue a career in art. Were your parents/family pretty supportive or did they try to steer you into a more traditional (i.e. “stable”) direction (“You can always fall back on teaching”)? A: I was fascinated with drawing and comics as long as I can remember, and was saying I wanted to be an artist since probably age 4. My parents were tremendously supportive of my creative career goals. In fact I cannot ever remember a time where either of them expressed any reservations about if I could make a living in art,… READ MORE
February 2nd, 2018 | Posted in News
Artwork by Luke McGarry From the National Cartoonists Society Foundation: Are you a college cartoonist? Don’t delay, the deadline for the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship is right around the corner. All entries must be postmarked by FEBRUARY 7, 2018. You could win $5000 for your education and a trip to the annual National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards Convention in May. Please visit http://cartoonistfoundation.org/. The annual Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship, in memory of the late King Features editor, was funded by an initial $100,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation/King Features Syndicate and additional generous donations from Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Patrick McDonnell and many other prominent… READ MORE
February 2nd, 2018 | Posted in General
Class illustration from one of my first workshops here in MN back in 2016 Just an update on where we are with available workshops right now. Dallas is back to being sold out, but I still have a couple of spots available in Chicago in April and Long Island City in May. I also just added workshops in Las Vegas in September and another here in Minnesota in October: Los Angeles, CA: January 19-21st, 2018- Complete! Atlanta, GA: Feb 16-18th, 2018- Sold Out! Get added to the waitlist! Dallas, TX: March 9-11th, 2018- Sold Out! Get added to the waitlist! Chicago, IL: April 20-22nd, 2018-ONLY… READ MORE
February 1st, 2018 | Posted in Stuff from my Studio
Fans of the 1960’s Batman show will recognize this beauty- a functioning prop replica of the Shakespeare bust that contained the hidden button to access the Batcave from Wayne Manor: When I say “functioning” I sadly do not mean when I open it and flip the switch my bookcase does not roll open to reveal “Access to Batcave via Batpoles”. The plaster cast bust does open and contains a switch and light: But its activation turns on my lightable: The bust is cast plaster with a bronze paint and antiquing effects, with a separate hinged head. It has a plug and extension cord coming out… READ MORE
