Tom's Mad Blog
June 7th, 2012 | Posted in MAD Magazine
I’m still getting used to MAD‘s new approach to announcing what’s coming in the magazine. They used to be very adamant about not leaking what is coming in the next issue until it hits the stands. These days they have all sorts of exclusive previews and sneak peeks on the interwebs . . . of course these are all coming directly from them, so it’s not really a “leak”. The above is from their official blog, The Idiotical. I drew this one (the parody in the magazine, not this Photoshopped promo), and will post some art from it once the issue starts appearing in mailboxes,… READ MORE
June 6th, 2012 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Still super busy and not able to get to any fresh sketches for the SotW, so this will be another (and the last, I promise) small peek at that mystery project I have posted other peeks of the last month or so. Just to reiterate…these are not for a MAD spoof of The Avengers (although I am doing that one for them, still awaiting the script), nor anything else for MAD. It was for another client and was a really fun job . . . I’m looking forward to seeing the printed piece this fall sometime. READ MORE
June 5th, 2012 | Posted in On the Drawing Board
Plenty of jobs going right now: Book Illustrations– for a well-selling Simon and Schuster published series that cannot be named as yet, tight deadline. Penthouse– Series of 6 illustrations for ongoing feature. Very tasteful, I promise. MAD Movie Parody– Ordinarily I am not allowed to say what I am working on for MAD but as writer Dick DeBartolo already let the Hulk out of the bag, I guess I can go ahead and say it’s The Avengers. Animation Project– 10 more character designs for another RG Entertainment short. Jeff Dunham Art– Some stuff due tomorrow, in fact. Marlin Co. Workplace Poster– My usual monthly assignment… READ MORE
June 4th, 2012 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Long-time MAD scribe Dick DeBartolo is interviewed by Lary Wallace in The Paris Review. An excerpt: Dick DeBartolo’s first piece for Mad was published in 1962, when he was still in high school, and his work has appeared in every single issue since June 1966. He has written for sections throughout the magazine, but his greatest claim is as a satirist of movies and TV shows…that is, as a writer of the kind of elaborate pop-culture parodies that have, arguably, been the magazine’s signature brand of humor ever since they began running them regularly, about a dozen issues into their existence. Well worth a read.… READ MORE
June 3rd, 2012 | Posted in General
I could not let today go by without reposting this tribute to Bill from a few years ago: William M. “Bill” Gaines, March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992 Working for MAD is great. The people and staff there really respect the tradition and history of the magazine. However I will always feel that I missed out on something special in that I never met or knew Bill Gaines. I started for MAD about 8 years after Bill’s passing. While MAD has of course continued since his death a chapter of it’s history closed on June 3rd, 1992. In his time as publisher I’ve heard… READ MORE
June 3rd, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on artists’ representatives, whether or not you think one should find an agent, and the pros, cons and pitfalls associated with an arrangement like that. A: This week’s mailbag question comes from the excellent Canadian illustrator Patrick LaMontage! In the interest of full disclosure, some of the answer below is from an similar mailbag question from several years ag0. For those who might not be familiar, an artist’s representative (or “rep”) is like a cross between an actor’s talent agent and a business manager.¬¨‚Ć In the traditional sense, their job is to go out and seek work… READ MORE
June 1st, 2012 | Posted in News
For those in the Twin Cities area, I will be interviewed tonight on the Twin Cities Public Television show Almanac, 7:00 pm local time. It will eventually be posted on the interwebby, and I may link to it here . . . depending on how stupid I sound. UPDATE: Here’s a link to the interview. READ MORE
May 31st, 2012 | Posted in General
One of the highlights of the NCS Reueben Weekend was that advanced copies of the soon-to-be-released Team Cul de Sac book were floating about for all to see. For those who are not familiar, the TCDS book is a collection of illustrations from hundreds of cartoonists honoring the work of the great Richard Thompson and his brilliant comic strip Cul de Sac, and raising mony for Parkinson’s disease research. Richard has Parkinson’s, and is an inspiration not only for his incredible cartooning but for his perseverance and refusal to let the disease stop him. Team Cul de Sac is the brainchild of Chris Sparks, who… READ MORE
