National Screw, part 2

In the porn world, it was said that Hustler was a slick rip-off of what Screw was doing with its mixture of pornography with satire. Fighting fire with fire, Screw for a while published a national, slick color version of what was essentially a local newspaper. These selections are from 1975 or 1976. I previously published some highlights here and here.

Every issue had a variation of this gag cartoon with a different caption. They used Wally Wood and many of his assistants. This was by Paul Kirchner. Screw publisher Al Goldstein was good friends with Mad's William Gaines, often appearing in each others' magazines. I have no idea who did this spoof of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman but it looks like the work of Tom Hachtman (apologies if I'm wrong). A. L. Sirois' parody of Vaughn Bode's Deadbone Erotica. Another strip probably by Paul Kirchner.

CRACKED #27

Here's the cover to the 27th issue from November 1962 by John Severin. Only four artists are credited in the contents, two are pseudonyms. There's a “LePoer” on the masthead, French for Severin's middle name of “Powers”. Four writers are listed, one of them is “John Powers”. The inside front cover has a spoof ad for Log Cabin maple syrup, then The Numbers Game is drawn by John Severin, Severin also drew Dear John Letters Throughout History.

Here's John Severin again. If You're Cracked, You're Happy says Severin was the “glue” that held Cracked together. His widow said he was paid a flat salary for working for them. This was by Bill Ward a/k/a “McCartney”. In If You're Cracked, You're Happy again:

”Bill Ward did not sign his work as 'Ward' for a number of years, preferring to use the name “McCartney”. It is not known whether this change was made because of Ward’s previous 'blacklisting' from comic books as one of the casualties of the Comic Code Authority. Whatever the reason, Don Orehek explains where the name McCartney came from: 'His wife. He was married to a British gal. He used to use her maiden name. I don’t know if it was McCartney. I never met him. I knew that one of the names he used was his wife’s maiden name.'”

Back to Severin, who drew Custom-Made Towels and then this: And Ward Awards For Unsung Students was drawn by Severin, as well as If Madison Avenue Advertised The Twist: New Designs For Business Cards is all-text and not credited to anyone:

Eventually Don Martin was a regular at Cracked but 25 years earlier they wanted readers to think it was him when (I think) they had John Severin draw this blatant imitation under a pseudonym. Bill Ward There was a bit about Typical Graduates, then Sensationalized Reference Books. There was the Horror House ad, then a parody of Lucky Strike cigarettes

. Severin also did this subscription ad using their loose back-to-school theme. The back cover is a fake subpeona and parking ticket.

We're MAD about machine vision

This is the 2002 stockholders report for the Cognex Corporation.

Thanks to Michael Sullivan for a copy of this. Don Martinhadn't worked for the magazine for fifteen years when this report was released, but I guess he was closely associated with the magazine enough to be included. It would be also easier than having to explain his omission to stockholders who hadn't read an issue in years. They weren't as “out of it” as they would seem to parody John Caldwell. The rest of this report is a straightforward stock report and company roster until it gets to the inside back cover. While we're on the subject of Mad homages, here's the magazine-themed front page of my high-school yearbook in 1985. Next Wednesday: The Norwegian edition of Mad.

Deutsch MAD VI

Here's another issue of The Most Reasonable Magazine In the World

This time it's #239, sometime around 1989, the cover story is animal testing. Their Almanac, which is in color and always on the first page, always has The Mad Culture Test in the lower left corner. The answer here is Bloodhounds of Broadway, a film made in 1952, but here they're probably referring to the 1989 remake. Small but Insightful Features, Where You Realize That You Want To Get Rid of Your Parents This Spy vs. Spy doesn't seem to be in any of the collections, and I can't tell who did it because there's no signature. How Nice That the World Is So Helpful appears to be trying to imitate the style of Paul Coker, Jr. The staff of Mad has said that nobody else can do a Fold-In except Al Jaffee, but that hasn't stopped anyone from trying. I can't tell if this is actually Don Martin or not. It is original for this version but more closer than other attempts at imitating American artists. The last of the German Mads next Wednesday.

Svenka Mad II

Here are the highlights of the fifth issue of 1983.

Thanks again to Simon Gardenfors

I think the people here are government leaders. Note the similarity to Paul Coker, Jr. parody of Tootsie from Mad #240, September 1983. Translation engines say this is Mad's Textbook on Catheters but that doesn't seem right. I would think it's a word similar to “food”

This is much like the primers Mad would run in the 70's. Translation of Don Martin's Atomic Holocaust Survival Manual from Mad #238, April 1983 The text for the Fold-Ins would have to be rewritten by a staffer abroad in order to have it also match up when folded.