More Behind the Scenes at CRACKED

Here's a look at another page of original art that appeared in CRACKED magazine #363. As you can tell my original art was manipulated slightly to accommodate the gag. I wasn't crazy about having an ad smack dab in the middle of my page as this in my opinion was a big no no. The art should stand on its own unless it's a letters page or something similar to MAD's Fundalini pages or CRACKED's Backwash pages. I know of at least one prominent cartoonist that left the magazine due to this new direction the owner took.

American Humor Magazines book

I stumbled across this book while putting a search for humor magazines and was quite surprised that such a periodical existed. After tracking down the book's author David Sloane (a professor if I'm not mistaken, who has written other books) we exchanged lists of humor magazine titles.

I was able to order it from my local library who had to get it from elsewhere in the country. The book was published in '85 and at 683 pages has an immense listing of literally 100's of different humor magazines, from The Harvard Lampoon to MAD and everything in between. There is a detailed introduction and then in depth essays on the 100 most influential titles with shorter chapters dedicated to many others. The appendix also includes a complete listing. I feel the book is highly detailed and in depth from a researchable point of view and would therefore be a welcomed addition to most University libraries. I personally would have felt the entire book and its content would have been majorly enhanced if it had some visuals of different magazine covers, mascots, interior pages, anything really just to break up the text.

Still I would recommend it to the die hard humor magazine fan. I looked into purchasing it but it is very rare and has a $200 price tag last time I checked Amazon. Try your library.

My Action Figure Collection

I remember getting my first Action Man (UK's cousin of GI Joe) back in 1970. Over the next 6 or so years I was enthralled with them and although I never had that many, playing with them certainly helped stimulate my imagination until I discovered MAD magazine which helped further warp my mind.

Over the last 10 years I have rekindled that love of Action figures, specifically Action Man and GI Joe (I have been involved with JOElanta, helped start The Great Atlanta Toy Show and helped out at various National GI Joe Conventions around the country) and more recently Johnny West and Marx Action figures. Strangely enough I had never even seen Johnny West as a child but after seeing so many of these great figures at various shows I was tempted beyond the breaking point to start collecting them.

Here then is my collection which includes various JOElanta exclusives. Check out www.joelanta.com and come to our 10th anniversary show next year on March 27th & 28th. We are in the process of putting together next years exclusive set. Pretty exciting!

Also check out http://www.circlexranch.com/ to see the latest from MARX TOYS, including many great head sculpts.

Sergio Aragones flier

Here is one of the fliers that were strewn around UGA and Athens Ga for Sergio Aragones's lecture. See earlier posts.

Friends of THWAK - CFAAPA

There are collectors for every genre you can think of including those who love to acquire original art drawn by their favorite comic book and magazine artists and painters. There is one such group based here in the Atlanta area and their publication Comic and Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association (CFAAPA) a very limited/exclusive membership is truly amazing. Each issue is dedicated to a different genre of art and its members (from around the country) each contribute their own entries which are then edited and compiled here locally. The publication only comes out 3 times a year and provides serious fans and collectors the opportunity to discuss topics, ideas and opinions relative to the comic and fantasy original art history and marketplace. This group also sets up and displays many original works every year at Dragon Con, many a fan has been blown away while looking at an original Frazetta, Wood or Davis piece. I know I have!

Issue #63 from July 2004 was dedicated to my favorite genre "Humor Magazines" and starts off with a huge BANG! a wonderful Don Martin penciled, Jack Bender inked and Dave Newton colored illustration. This particular image originally appeared as the front man in a 1975 poster for the band FREE FARE in Concert. Incidentally I am fortunate enough to have this original poster as well as another one entitled FREEDOM JAM also from this time period.

Dave Newton (THWAK/CRACKED/JOKESTER) does a great job of a introducing the issue with a History of Satire Magazines. What follows is a fantastic assortment of articles and images of various humor magazine art, prelims, including material from Kelly Freas, Jack Davis, Spumco art, EC inspired dungeon scene by XNO, Will Elder, Sergio Aragones, Harvy Kurtzman, Antonio Prohias, Bruce Bolinger, John Severin, Wally Wood, Russ Heath and culminating in an excellent interview with Jack Bender who inked Don Martin's NUTHEADS panels and various other posters and paperback covers as well a a few CRACKED pages.

For more on this great zine check out
http://cfa-apa.blogspot.com/2007/09/cfa-apa-70-alex-toth.html

WHY? - JOKESTER magazine 2 pager

This is one of my favorite pieces that I ever did. Mike Arnold (my JOKESTER co-publisher) wrote and laid it out and I illustrated it. I adapted my style slightly to just sketch it out once ala Sergio Aragones or Art Bouthillier, so the initial feel was not lost by overworking it.

Incidentally I still have a few JOKESTERs, Southern Fried Comics and THWAK magazines as well as some Gosar/Jallad era CRACKED magazines for sale. Just contact me for a list.

Unused THWAK cover concept art

Artist Marty Hirchak (Pop Art Funnies publisher) came up with this crazy "Be kind to Animals" cover idea back in 2002. I really like all the little animals trying to get in on the action, especially the turtle to the left. The whole concept is a little reminiscent of an Al Jaffee type piece. Had the run not ended with #5 this would have been the cover to #7. See earlier post that has this idea rendered as a full blown painting.