My Scrapbook "The Game is Afoot" by Tom Richmond This rogues gallery round-up of various cinematic Sherlocks displays definite MAD-like tendencies--but that's understandable, given that it was done by Tom Richmond, a proud member of the Usual Gang of Idiots. According to Tom, "Sherlock Holmes is one of literature’s greatest characters, and holds the … Continue reading My Scrapbook: “The Game is Afoot” by Tom Richmond
Tag: MAD Magazine
Kane Keen, Private Eye
Created by Harvey Kurtzman (script) and Jack Davis (art) A lot of people (and most of the internet) seem to think that KANE KEEN, the eponymous hero of MAD Magazine spoof "Kane Keen, Private Eye," which appeared in the June-July 1953 issue, was a roasting of the then-popular Martin Kane, Private Eye television show. But they'd be wrong. Because if the seven-page … Continue reading Kane Keen, Private Eye
Nick (The Case of the Murderer Who Killed)
Created by Dick de Bartolo (script) and Jack Davis (art) "Drop your guns! I’ve got you covered! You're all going to... er... that place with... er... bars on the window and guards and..." -- Nick cracks the case (sorta) Can a private detective tip the scales of justice if there’s no tipping allowed? In "The Case of … Continue reading Nick (The Case of the Murderer Who Killed)
Lance Parkertip
Created by Don Martin (1931-2000) Public notary, private eye? In one of the more surreal take-offs on the shamus game, MAD Magazine cartoonist Don Martin wrote several stories featuring noted notary public LANCE PARKERTIP. As notaries go, Lance was no babe magnet. With his squarer-than-square tweed jackets, flyaway hair and ever-present pipe, nobody was ever going … Continue reading Lance Parkertip
Fester Bestertester
Created by Don Martin (1931-2000) Billed as "MAD Magazine's Maddest Artist," Don Martin's long tenure there (thirty years!) was marked by his his outrageously surreal cartoons, featuring the humungous schnozzes, large hinged feet, sleepy eyes, unfortunate body hair and elastic and seemingly indestructible bodies of his oddly-named characters and the cacophony of bizarre sound effects that … Continue reading Fester Bestertester
Mike Monster
Created by Dick Briefer (1915-80) "I hate complicated cases. Dey gimme a migraine." We're way out of the woods with this one, folks. One-eyed, fedora-and-trenchcoat wearing MIKE MONSTER, billed as "the most monstrous shamus of all!" was concocted to satisfy the allegedly "red-blooded, ferocious" readers of ZANY (a would-be rival of MAD Magazine back in the … Continue reading Mike Monster
Hairbutt the Hippo
Created by Bodine Amerikah Art by Jase Paulos Mystery! Intrigue! Romance! Guns! Flatulence! From the pages of Australian edition of MAD Magazine and the decidedly-twisted good folks at Rat Race Comix comes the thundering saga of a Down Under private dick who does not go gently into that good night. You know him, you love him! … Continue reading Hairbutt the Hippo
My Scrapbook: Crime Illustrated
My Scrapbook Crime Illustrated Crime Illustrated was a short-lived magazine from 1955-56 which lived in a weird area somewhere between the pulps and comic books. It promised "Adult Suspense Stories" and boldly claimed to have invented "PICTO-FICTION: A New Form of Adult Entertainment." Uh-huh... It was printed on pulp paper, looked to be about pulp … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Crime Illustrated
Longsarge
Created by The Usual Gang of Idiots I'm not exactly sure who wrote this (I'm assuming the usual gang of idiots), but this MAD Magazine spoof of 1970s detective shows (and TV Guide itself) is pretty much spot-on. A long-haired, motorcycle-riding, deaf Trappist monk private eye? Why not? After all, this was the era of … Continue reading Longsarge
My Scrapbook: Original Artwork for “Peter Goon” by Jack Davis
My Scrapbook Original Artwork for "Peter Goon" by Jack Davis What? You thought MAD Magazine had a monopoly on snotty, adolescent parodies of television private eyes? Or that the work of the "usual gang of idiots" was exclusive to William M. Gaines' "What, Me Worry?" periodical? Nope. In its day, MAD had a slew of … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Original Artwork for “Peter Goon” by Jack Davis