Tom's Mad Blog
June 11th, 2007 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Two years ago there were some rumors about an HBO biopic in the works about the life of MAD and EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines. There was even the following blurb via Reuters: LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Betty Thomas is attached to direct an original HBO film about William M. Gaines, the eccentric founder of Mad Magazine. Based on the book “Mad World of William M. Gaines” by Frank Jacobs, the project is in the early stages of development at the cable channel. Thomas (“I Spy”) worked with HBO on the 1996 film “The Late Shift.” Reuters/Hollywood Reporter ??á©Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved Like… READ MORE
June 10th, 2007 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: Has any celebrity you’ve drawn ever gotten angry over their caricature? A: I haven’t directly heard from anyone who was upset with the way I drew them, but indirectly I’ve been told twice about such a reaction. The first had nothing to do with MAD. Back in 1994 the Superbowl was held in Atlanta, GA., and the media was crawling all over the city. The Tonight Show did several live remotes with an on-the-spot reporter during the week of the game. One day they did their remote from Underground Atlanta, where I have a retail caricature operation. They set up right next to our… READ MORE
June 9th, 2007 | Posted in General
This month a local magazine did a story on me and my family for their summer issue. It seems odd that a small, suburban town like Burnsville, MN would have it’s own (and extremely professional) glossy magazine. It turns out many suburban towns have similar publications… the publisher that produces Burnsville Magazine does other magazines for several other Twin Citie’s suburbs like Woodbury and Eden Prairie. They are very well done, but likley too small a budget to be a potential client for a freelance illustrator. The story is several pages and describes my work, my background and my family, including a little about my… READ MORE
June 8th, 2007 | Posted in MAD Magazine
MAD is always offering premiums (i.e. toys or other collectibles) to entice new subscribers. In the past that’s meant Alfred keycahins, MAD decks of cards, pins and other goodies. Right now they are offering a unique and pretty cool premium with a new subscription… a mint copy of MAD # 166, the cover of which is shown above. This issue has a sorted and lurid history. According to Franks Jacob‘s book MAD: Cover to Cover: “What started as an in-house joke, the premise for this cover was determined “usable”. The tag line for this “finger cover” originally read: “MAD- Always Number One in Good Taste!”… READ MORE
June 7th, 2007 | Posted in General
Three of the TV shows I watch regularly… okay the only TV shows I watch regularly… have or are wrapping up for the season. I was so busy in the week leading up to my Orlando trip I was unable to watch the season finales of “Heroes” or “Lost” until well after the airdates, but I did get to see them eventually. “The Sopranos” is having it’s grand series finale on Sunday. Here are some thoughts on the shows: SPOILERS AHEAD!! Heroes- I have to say I was a little disappointed in the finale. I thought it was all building up to a knock down-drag… READ MORE
June 6th, 2007 | Posted in MAD Magazine
In comic book shops today and on newsstands on Tuesday, June 12th: MAD # 479 (July 2007) Cover (Mark Frederickson) The Fundalini Pages (Charles Akins, Matthew A. Cohen, Russ Cooper, Dick DeBartolo, Desmond Devlin, Garth Gerhart, Jeff Kruse, Scott Maiko, Noel Rappin, Kiernan P. Schmitt, Sam Sisco, Ty Templeton, Rick Tulka) Things Overheard at the Premiere of “Pirates of the Caribbean 3” (Jacob Lambert, Hermann Mejia) Rejected Army Recruitment Posters (Jacob Lambert, Irving Schild) Startling Similarities Between Modern Celebrities and Ancient Artifacts (Chari Pere) Planet TAD!!!!! (Tim Carvell, Brian Durniak) MAD’s Touchy-Feely Wrestlemania Outtakes (Uncredited) A MAD Look at Global Warming (Sergio Aragon?¬©s) iMus- A… READ MORE
June 5th, 2007 | Posted in General
Every once and a while you come across something in the news that makes you shake your head and wonder “is society is really that bad off?”. I was checking the news at CNN.com the other day and one of the ‘quick link’ main news items was a blurb about a new record in a hot dog eating contest. Yes, a hot dog eating contest. The link was to this ‘news’ (and I use the term loosely) story on Sports Illustrated‘s website detailing the triumph of Joey “Jaws” Chestnut at the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, AZ,… READ MORE
June 4th, 2007 | Posted in General
Frame from one of three Apple iPhone ads Apple released ads this weekend with the official release date of the iPhone: June 29th. You can see all three ads online here. It’s been unofficially said that most AT&T store will have only 40 or less iPhones on the first day. Jobs was quoted as saying not to come to an Apple store to buy one, as it will be chaos. Apple has not lost it’s touch with designing intuitive, innovative and elegant hardware. It’s too bad the initial roll out will make it so hard for anyone to actually get one, and that it’s price… READ MORE
