Tom's Mad Blog
October 16th, 2006 | Posted in General
I guess I lied about not blogging while on vacation… but layovers and long flights need to be good for something, right? A few weeks ago I had, and wrote about a major hard drive meltdown on my Dell Precision Workstation PC in the midst of several imminent deadlines. This incident forced me to run out to the local Apple store and buy a Mac Pro. Having used a PC almost exclusively since the days of the 286 Tandy, I was a little apprehensive about switching to a Mac. Not because I did not believe they were good computers, but just because the PC was… READ MORE
October 15th, 2006 | Posted in Mailbag
Q: What do you do if you have no questions to answer for the Sunday Mailbag? A: Exactly what I am doing right now. Nothing! For the first time since I started the blog back in June, I have run out of e-mailed questions. So… no mailbag! If anybody has any questions about freelance illustration, cartooning, caricature, MAD or how to make a kick ass chocolate martini, e-mail them to me and I will endeavor to answer them. READ MORE
October 14th, 2006 | Posted in General
I’m leaving today with Anna and my four kids for our annual trip to Disney World. About ten years ago I did a bizarre but good paying job for a CD-ROM game company called Parody Interactive, and with 4 young kids Anna and I decided to invest the money I earned on the job into a timeshare in Orlando. We’ve been every year since. We have a picture of our kids standing in front of Cinderella’s fountain in the Magic Kingdom every year for a decade… an annual tradition. The fountain looks the same in every picture, but my youngest was 6 months old in… READ MORE
October 13th, 2006 | Posted in MAD Magazine
I haven’t posted one of these in a while. I’ve been busy with computer crashes, conventions, chapter meetings and such, but that doesn’t stop the deadlines and jobs coming and going. Here’s what I’ve been working on lately: Nader Museum Job– Yep, still working on that but it is horribly late now. I was hoping to have it inked and colored by tomorrow but it looks like inked is all it will be. I may have to color it while in Orlando next week. I’ll post the finished job when done, but I have to tell you it will be hard to recognize it as… READ MORE
October 12th, 2006 | Posted in General
Ah’d ratha be golfin’ Any conversation about the greatest and most influential cartoonists of the last half century must, at some point, include the name Jack Davis. From the notorious E.C. horror comics of the 1950’s to MAD Magazine to TIME and TV Guide covers, record covers, movie posters, advertising, animation design and even US postage stamps, Davis’s art has entertained, amazed and inspired generations. On Oct. 21st the Comic Art Professional Society will be honoring the legendary master cartoonist with a special award for lifetime achievement. I would be hard pressed to think of a more worthy recipient. John Burton “Jack” Davis Jr. was… READ MORE
October 11th, 2006 | Posted in General
On Sept. 23rd I wrote this post about the passing one year earlier of my friend and mentor, caricaturist and illustrator Gary Fasen. A few weeks ago a fellow caricaturist and former Gary disciple Paul Roustan contacted me about a documentary he was putting together about Gary’s life and work. He had me tape some comments on Gary and send them to him for inclusion. Paul did a really outstanding job on the video, which features many of the artists Gary influenced personally and professionally. The documentary turned out great and he has uploaded it to YouTube. It’s 30 minutes, but will give anyone interested… READ MORE
October 11th, 2006 | Posted in General
The last of this year’s NCS North Central Chapter meeting took place at a chapter brunch at my house. We had several members still in town over, and Dave Phipps did his radio show live from my studio. As usual my wife Anna went all out and made enough food to feed three times the people who attended. It was all delicious, of course. Michael Jantze hangs out in the foyer Michael and I in the Studio Iowa cartoonist Bucky Jones and St. Cloud’s Dave Phipps Dave prepares for his radio show In addition to being a full time freelance cartoonist, Dave does a one… READ MORE
October 10th, 2006 | Posted in General
It was a full day of events for the North Central Chapter on Saturday. We started by attending the FallCon comic book convention, organized by the Midwest Comic Book Association. The MCBA crew were enthusiastic about our appearance there, and set aside a lot of table space for chapter attendees. They were very hospitable and we were welcomed with open arms and a free taco bar. Dave Phipps and Michael Jantze man the tables at FallCon Michael signs a book for a fan Cedric Hohnstadt does a sketch for another fan I’m thinking about the free taco bar while Dave thinks I am listening to… READ MORE
