Tom's Mad Blog
November 20th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
So far 2009 hasn’t been the best of years for MAD magazine. The announcement back in February that as of issue #500 MAD was going to start publishing quarterly instead of monthly was cited by some as the death knell of the publication. I get asked about the reduction in publication all the time, and what I think the future holds for MAD. I think the rumors of MAD‘s death have been greatly exaggerated. There are a number of things in the works right now that bode well for MAD and not only it’s continued publication but a resurgence in it’s visibility and maybe a… READ MORE
November 19th, 2009 | Posted in General
I learned a lot of stuff about Australia while visiting Sydney and the Hunter Valley this past week for the 25th annual ACA Stanley Awards. Here are some highlights: Koalas may look cuddly but they have big F%$#% claws and will scalp you if you bother them. What in the U.S. is the turn signal lever in the steering column of cars is instead the windshield wiper control in Australia. Cars driving down the road on a dry, sunny day with their windshield wipers going are being driven by American/European tourists. Australia is brimming with fantastic caricature artists. I was honored to be the presenter… READ MORE
November 18th, 2009 | Posted in General
Its amazing how quickly the cynics come out when something like what happened with the “Bobble Rep” app last week takes place. While the vast majority of people I have heard and read comments from are supportive of the app and our trouble with Apple, a few have come out of the woodwork to malign and cast stones at myself and app developer Ray Griggs. Most of these people are woefully uniformed and guilty of the usual crime of the internet serial commenter… that being not bothering to read the entire story but casting judgment based on a headline. So, here are some of the… READ MORE
November 17th, 2009 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This week’s sketch is in honor of our trip to Australia… I did this little gag drawing in a number of sketchbooks when at the Stanleys. Marker/pen on sketch paper. READ MORE
November 16th, 2009 | Posted in News
I was honored and privileged to be invited to beautiful Sydney, Australia to be a guest speaker at the Australian Cartoonists Association‘s 25th annual Stanley Awards this past weekend. The ACA is the Aussie equivalent of the National Cartoonists Society in the U.S., and in fact is an even older organization having grown from the original Australian Black and White Artist’s Club formed back in 1924. Australia is brimming with fantastic talent in the cartooning field… so much of the work I saw there was absolutely top notch. I was humbled to be asked to be a speaker at their event this year. The Stanley… READ MORE
November 15th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: With your recent “Bo Confidential” project, and in light of the new MAD Magazine business model, have you considered personal pet projects for development under the MAD umbrella? A: Yes I have. While things have changed (and are still changing) at MAD there is an unspoken rule that any regular contributor to the magazine can approach the powers-that-be and pitch ideas for things like books and they would be given due consideration. Likewise the publishers that have handled publication of other MAD books like Watson-Guphill will give a good look at any book project from a MAD artist or writer. Of course, that doesn’t… READ MORE
November 14th, 2009 | Posted in News
Bobble Rep, the iPhone app conceived and produced by Ray Griggs and featuring my caricatures of all 540 members of the 111th U.S. Congress was APPROVED by Apple late last night and is now available on iTunes for the low, low price of 99 cents (cheap). This after my innocent little blog post of a few days ago caught fire and was picked up by major news outlets and high traffic tech blogs. Apple came to its senses yesterday and approved the app. You have to wonder how much of the decision was based on the press covered and image hit Apple had taken, and… READ MORE
November 14th, 2009 | Posted in General
I’m currently in Sydney, Australia for the 2009 Stanley Awards for the Australian Cartoonists Association. Just got back from the awards ceremony itself. Australia has a rich history of cartooning and has some incredible talent. The ACA is a terrific organization and the people here have made us feel very welcome. I did a presentation and a caricature workshop on Saturday, and attended several other panels and presentations as well. Very nicely organized and some great speakers. The main speaker of the weekend was Pat Oliphant, the influential and brilliant political cartoonist who was born and raised in Australia but had lived and worked in… READ MORE
