Commissions - Kid Flash and Alfred E. Neuman!

 

You may not recognize the lady in this first image. It's Lilith, an old Teen Titans member, from back in the 70's! Ha! You thought it was Jean Grey, didn't you? I actually drew this one twice. The first version looked like this--

In my initial sketch, I had shown Lilith's face, but as I drew it, it seemed funnier to cover it. The person receiving the art said he missed her face. So-- light-table and new inks to the rescue! He didn't ask me to redo it, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

This next piece involves Alfred E. Neuman and Sylvester P. Symthe, mascot of MAD and Cracked magazines, respectfully. (Hmm, maybe I should say "disrespectfully.) 

Alfred has always been missing a tooth, so he took Sylvester's! They also switched clothes. Who knows why. They're MAD, CRACKED in the head, I tells ya!

The Origin of SPIDERY-MAN!

I was lucky enough to create original content for MAD Magazine until they went to mostly reprints the last year or so. I enjoyed all of it, but one of my favorite pieces was this 3-page parody I wrote and drew of Spider-Man's origin.

Batman is often shown as a bat-shape in the comics, The first panel of my story is supposed to be "Spidery-Man" in a spider-shape. Not sure if it's obvious or not.

I didn't try to create an exact copy of Steve Ditko's art style. Instead, I drew in my own style as if it was heavily influenced by Ditko.

I thought it was a bit ironic that Marvel was known for their monster stories in the early 60's, but the radiated spider in Spider-Man's origin didn't turn into anything horrible.

Originally, I had a different last page written. Uncle "Ken" was at the wrestling ring where Spidery-Man fought. Uncle Ken lost all his money, betting on the wrong guy, and had a heart attack and died. "P. P. Poker" takes the money he won and skipped town to avoid all responsibility. It was fine, but this new one occurred to me and I like it much better.

Oh! The issue (MAD #3, 2018) also had a "cover" to this story.

A Joke NOT in MAD #7

As I developed ideas for "Shazam Funnies" (which appears in MAD #7), I actually had two ideas for a Calvin and Hobbes parody. Here's the one you didn't see--

I typically supply a script and descriptions of my concepts. My other "Billy and Tawny" idea is the one that got chosen. It is more MAD-like. (If you've ever read my Halo and Sprocket stories, you know that sometimes I get a little sweet, as compared to always going for a joke-only punchline.) Here's the finish "Shazam Funnies" that appeared in MAD.

However, my other idea stuck in my mind, so I went ahead and drew it just for kicks!

Here is another piece of my art that appears in MAD #7-- the Batman/Superman gag on the cover of the Potrzebie comic section. I've seen a cropped, square version of this shared around the internet, but honestly I like the bigger, vertical image more.

Anyhoo, MAD #7 is no sale NOW. You should go buy it. I think that cover's pretty funny! :)

Aquaman Funnies from MAD #6

I think I've written before that as I grew up in the boonies of Arkansas (where the school didn't have art classes) the only artwork I saw was that in comic books, Sunday comic strips, and MAD. Well, this month, all three come crashing together in MAD #6 with Aquaman Funnies! I had SO MUCH fun creating this--

It just occurred to me that I also enjoyed artwork on board games and product packaging as a kid. Hmmm, maybe someday I should find a way to parody those too. Hmmm.

Btw, I don't usually share the entirety of my current MAD strips, but it can already be found over at SCREEN RANT.

Be sure to pick up MAD #6! Look for this snazzy cover--!

Batman!!!

MAD #5 is on sale now! I have one piece included this month and thought it would be fun to share the uncropped image. Here's how my art appears in the issue--

And below is it my uncluttered art. (Well, I re-cluttered it a bit. I wanted to insure MAD is still represented.) The building color in the background has been changed. It probably blended in too much with the banner below.

I enjoyed drawing this particular Batman parody. Every time I've drawn him previously, it has been a riff on a specific era or established style. This is the first time I've created my interpretation of him. That was fun!

The Origin of Spidery-Man!

I've been silly busy this summer, but I wanted to post a peek (above) at a 3 page story I have in the current MAD magazine. I was fortunate enough to also do the main art for the "cover" of the Potrzebie Comics section--

I had a blast drawing these pages! I'm a huge Steve Ditko fan. This work was finished, and off to the printer, before the sad passing of Mr. Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man (along with Stan Lee). I have nothing but respect for both men.

To read more of Spidery-Man, the next time you're anywhere magazines are displayed, look for MAD #3--!

New "Super Antics"...

...in MAD magazine #1! If you didn't already know, MAD has been somewhat revamped. I've got a few pages in it! I can't shared them all here, but I can give you the first few panels--

I'm pretty excited about this. I grew up in the boonies of Arkansas, and the only "culture" I saw was that in comic books, Sunday comic strips, and MAD. I honestly think elements from each of these influences show up in everything I do. When I was bored as a young kid, I would fold paper in half, staple it, and draw my own "Mad magazines". I think I might be able to find them. If so, I'll probably post a few here.

Until then, go buy a MAD #1. ON SALE NOW!