Farewell, Mort Drucker

Among the latest all-time greats who have passed (with singer-songwriter John Prine and recording producer Hal Willner) is someone whose work many of us grew up on, the genius caricaturist Mort Drucker.



The news of Drucker's passing at 91 broke on comics artist Mark Evanier's News From Me website.



In a followup post, More About Mort, Mr. Evanier included a link to a wonderful tribute written by illustrator Tom Richmond.



It would be quite the understatement to suggest that the gang here at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog are enthusiastic fans of Mort's astonishing and witty prowess as a caricaturist.





Here's Mort, interviewed along with fellow Mad magazine-meisters Nick Meglin and Dick DeBartolo on the exceptionally good and highly entertaining talk show hosted by comedian Robert Klein.



This blogger grew up on the 1960's Mad magazines, packed with Mort Drucker illustrations.



In addition to the hilarious caricatures by Mort Drucker, we love much about Mad Magazine.



For starters, Mad Fold-ins, Dave Berg, Stan Hart, Larry Siegel, Frank Jacobs, Dick DeBartolo, Antonio "Spy Vs. Spy" Prohias, Arnie Kogen, Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, Don Martin, Paul Coker, Jr. and Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions by Al Jaffee.



For more Mort, check out the following books and Mad collections:



Mad About the Movies: Special Warner Brothers Edition (with the above Mort Drucker cover)

Mad's Greatest Artists: Mort Drucker - Five Decades of His Finest Works

Mad About the Sixties: The Best of the Decade

Mad About TV



David Douglas Duncan's wonderful book Familiar Faces: The Art of Mort Drucker has been out of print for awhile but remains very highly recommended.

MAD on a Friday

This week's not unexpected news is that Mad magazine will be bowing out of the print publication business. As Peter Green sang, Oh Well.



There will be many more articles in an "end of an era" vein (if not a jugular vein) and no doubt Mark Evanier's superb News From Me blog will offer thoughtful and well-researched pieces on the comics and humor institution heading for the last roundup - or maybe merely for a temporary hiatus.



This blogger grew up on the 1960's Mad magazines, edited by Al Feldstein. These were loaded with the genius of Mad Fold-ins and "Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions" by Al Jaffee, hilarious movie parodies featuring dead-on caricatures by Mort Drucker, and devastatingly funny continuing features by Dave Berg, Stan Hart, Larry Siegel, Frank Jacobs, Dick DeBartolo, Antonio "Spy Vs. Spy" Prohias, Arnie Kogen, Jack Davis, Paul Coker, Jr. and especially the brilliant Sergio Aragones and the incredibly cartoony Don Martin.



Along with the TV shows of Dick Van Dyke and Ernie Kovacs, the music of The Beatles and movies starring The Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields, the magazine made the awkward young life of many go a lot easier. "Different" and non-conforming kids felt just a little less isolated, just a little bit better about letting our freak flags fly after spending quality time with all of the above - and the satiric sensibility of Mad was right in our wheelhouse.



Later was introduced to the earlier and darker Mad EC comics by Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder and Wally Wood.



These early issues stuck to spoofs of the comics, and, as such, are less given to social commentary/satire of current events than the subsequent Mad Magazine, but do feature outstanding, dynamic artwork as do the EC horror and action comics (drawn by Kurtzman, Wood, Johnny Craig, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingles, Harry Harrison, Jack Kamen, and Jack Davis).



These early Mad comic books became, as wonderful as the aforementioned artists are, my favorite issues in the 60+ years of "The Usual Gang of Idiots."



In an era in which current events have gotten so bizarre and ridiculous that it is actually no longer possible to make up ANYTHING that's crazier and more unfathomable than real life, is there a need for Mad Magazine. This comic art fan answers that question with a resounding YES!



The hope is that "The Usual Gang of Idiots" shall regroup and continue as an online magazine or perhaps as an annual, with new material alongside "best of" stories. If any readers of this blog happen to be in San Diego next week, there will no doubt be appearances by Mad magazine stalwarts at the Comic-Con.