Tom's Mad Blog
April 3rd, 2012 | Posted in MAD Magazine
As promised, on Sunday DC Entertainment and MAD Magazine released the MAD iPad app (which I am unofficially calling iMad, so no lawsuits, Apple!) Here’s a hands-on tour of the new app: Getting Started First off, while it is an “app”, it downloads into the Apple “Newsstand” area, not directly on to the iPad pages, which makes sense. On the Newsstand! Looks lonely… I may have to subscribe to other magazines. Do they still make Tigerbeat? Once you open the app, you are asked if you want push notifications when a new issue is available (I said yes), and then you are taken to a… READ MORE
April 2nd, 2012 | Posted in News
Self-published books rarely get reviewed by more prominent review sources, but my book recently was reviewed in two such venues. Lary Wallace of The Faster Times! posted a lengthy and very cool review on their website. It’s tough for a book that caters to a specific type of artform and artist to appeal to the “layman”, but Lary both enjoyed the book and opens the review with an experience he had with a retail caricaturist in his local mall. Not an uncommon experience, sadly. I don’t know who the live caricaturist is he talked with, but it sounds like one of those “I’m an arteeeeest,… READ MORE
April 1st, 2012 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: It seems to me that a freelancer needs to be a jack-of-all-trades these days, doing many different kinds of work. You do magazine illustration, advertising, and lately character design for animation. Have you ever done any other kinds of graphic design work? A: Your observation that a freelancer has to wear many different hats is quite accurate, insofar as the more you are able to do the wider your range of potential clients and jobs, and the more opportunities you have. That said, this is more of a case of finding different applications for the same type of artwork as opposed to doing totally… READ MORE
March 30th, 2012 | Posted in News
The announcement on the upcoming MAD iPad App (which I am calling “iMad” until the cease and desist letter comes from Apple later today), is getting a lot of press already today: The Unofficial Apple Weblog– Where the first “MAD is still being published, who knew?” comment will be coming soon from an unoriginal internet user near you. CNET– A hands-on review of the app itself. Newsarama– expanded interviews with MAD editor John Ficarra and Hank Kanalz, DC’s SVP of digital (whatever that is). The Daily Cartoonist– Where other cartoonists are sure to weigh in. I’ll update with other links as they come in. READ MORE
March 30th, 2012 | Posted in News
A couple of months ago I mentioned that MAD was now requiring me to do all my artwork for the magazine sans word boxes, but I couldn’t tell you why just yet. Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Today DC Entertainment and MAD Magazine announced the planned release of a new MAD Magazine iPad app complete with interactive features and exclusive content. The app is scheduled to be released on April Fool’s Day (Alfred E. Neuman’s birthday, no less), and will be free to download through the iTunes App Store. The MAD app will include a mixture of free and paid content, including a… READ MORE
March 29th, 2012 | Posted in MAD Magazine
The National Cartoonists Society Reubens Awards are taking place in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. The awards themselves are only part of the festivities… NCS members are going to be treated to some great speakers in Ray Billingsley (Curtis), Jim Davis (Garfield), Stan Goldberg (Archie, recipient of the NCS Gold Key Award), Butch Hartmann (The Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy), Mark Simon (Animatics and Storyboards, Inc.) discussion publicity and promotion and a panel of cartoonists talking about making a living in cartooning in the 21st Century including Michael Jantze (The Norm), Dave Kellett (Sheldon, Drive) and John Lotshaw (Accidental Centaurs). Plus, the… READ MORE
March 28th, 2012 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I¬¨‚Ćwas inspired in my selection of this week’s SotW subject when I saw this caricature done by artist Rodney Pike on Facebook today. Rodney is a master of photo-manipulation caricature, something he is able to pull off when many people who attempt to do the same thing can’t reconcile the photo elements and the painted elements to create a cohesive whole. I posted the following comment on Rodney’s Faceboook page: “Pope Benie is a very scary-looking man, even without the help of a caricaturist. He looks a lot like my late grandmother, and I used to cry instantly whenever she looked at me… and that’s… READ MORE
March 27th, 2012 | Posted in News
The Cartoon Art Museum has posted some more specific information about the upcoming MAD art show I mentioned a few days ago: What, Me Worry? 60 Years of MAD April 21 – September 16, 2012 Programming to be announced ¬¨‚ĆSan Francisco, CA: In 1952, editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines launched MAD, one of the most influential and imitated humor publications in the world. ¬¨‚ĆOriginally created to parody popular TV shows, movies and, inevitably, comic books, MAD soon expanded into a wide-ranging satire of modern American culture. Features like the MAD Fold-In, “Spy vs. Spy,” the wacky sound effects of “MAD’s Maddest Artist” Don… READ MORE
