Tom's Mad Blog
May 19th, 2009 | Posted in News
The National Doodle Day auctions are winding down and my doodle for Gillian Anderson‘s cause fighting neurofibromatosis ended up selling for $266.50! That is very cool and thanks to any readers that bid on the sketch. I’ve donated or done original art for auctions before where the art gets sold for next to nothing and that is always depressing. This time it got the charity at least a little bit of coin. National Doodle Day is an annual event where dozens of doodles are auctioned off to raise funds to benefit NF, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing support to individuals and families affected by… READ MORE
May 18th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
The art for the cover of the next issue of Stay Tooned! Magazine. Click image for a closer look… I have been singing the praises of John Read‘s fantastic publication Stay Tooned! for some time now, and was delighted when John asked me to illustrate the cover of the upcoming issue number four AKA the “MAD” issue. The issue won’t be in print until at least next month, but John gave me permission the other day to preview the art I did for the cover. The issue contains profiles of some of the Usual Gang of Idiots: Sergio Aragon?¬©s, Paul Coker Jr., Jack Davis, Don… READ MORE
May 17th, 2009 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Do you ever think color MAD cartoons would’ve been funnier in B&W? A: No, I do not think that the color art in MAD would be funnier in black and white. Color is incidental technique and has little impact on the effectiveness of a cartoon. A cartoon is either funny or it is not. Most of that has to do with the concept/writing of the cartoon and in art terms with the drawing/communication. Funny drawings are funny drawings. The work of MAD artists like Jack Davis, Don Martin and Sergio Aragon?¬©s is visually funny. If they were to take their art from the black… READ MORE
May 16th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Back in March I posted a bit of news about longtime MAD Magazine editor Al Feldstein having health difficulties and needing heart surgery. My friend Mark Evanier posted an update on his excellent News from ME blog about Al’s progress. Mark writes: Also getting better is the legendary Al Feldstein, who was the writer-editor of Tales from the Crypt and other classic EC Comics, and the editor of MAD magazine for 29 years. Al underwent double-bypass aortic valve replacement (i.e., heart surgery) on April 17 at the world famous Mayo Clinic. He’s home now and recovering, and we’re happy about that, too. Turns out Al… READ MORE
May 15th, 2009 | Posted in General
I see trouble… and in my road. READ MORE
May 14th, 2009 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Neil Cuadra is getting more press for his latest CD effort than Axl Rose got for “Chinese Democracy”… but then again that’s not saying much. Cuadra is a huge MAD fan from Los Angelses, CA who fulfilled “a dream” by getting a letter published in MAD‘s “Letters and Tomatoes Dept.” by sending in his portrait of Alfred E. Neuman created by nothing but AOL junk mail CDs. Inspired by a MAD parody chastising AOL for all the junk diskettes they used to send out (since changed to CDs), Cuadra collected the shiny junk disks from AOL and other companies for over ten years until he… READ MORE
May 13th, 2009 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I am extremely busy right now and the “sketch o’the week” posts for the next few weeks may be well short of ambitious. This week’s subject is actor Ben Affleck, a quick and loose study from a very old entertainment magazine I came across in the studio. READ MORE
May 12th, 2009 | Posted in News
Pittsburgh’s ToonSeum is having it’s annual fundraiser early next month. From Toonseum: Friday June 5th: KA-BLAM! A party to benefit the ToonSeum. Join us Friday June 5th from 7pm-11pm, at Verno Studios on the Southside to support the ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s Museum of Cartoon Art. Featuring live music by the Whips, DJ Raw-Z, Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, live cartooning, the opportunity to bid on one of a kind cartoon art and unique experiences, free comics and much more! Tickets are just 35 dollars online at brownpapertickets.com Entertainment and Activities Live music by The Whips! Performance by burlesque entertainer Paige Turner Music and dancing with DJ Raw-Z… READ MORE
