CRAZY # 15

Marvel decided not to use the staffers of the other comics for this and recruited editor Paul Laikin (he uses the name Paul Lamont for this issue, maybe due to some other contractual obligation). Having edited Cracked and Sick and written for Mad before this, he wasn't able to afford A-list artists like he did there, as we shall soon see. Most likely he wrote most of the issues himself under various pseudonyms, since most of the articles credited to other writers are similar to the articles he wrote for other magazines and were sometimes names of relatives and anagrams of each other. Though Laikin's run is derided by many, some issues from this time are fairly valuable because of the paintings of celebrities on their covers, as we shall see in future posts.

Here are some excerpts from #15, the January 1976 issue.

They continued to use cover artist Nick Cardy.

The inside front cover had an “International Swindlers' Certificate”

There was some inventory left over from previous issues, since the first few issues of the "new" Crazy had a few articles by Marvel staffers, like this Jaws parody from Stu Schwartzberg and Marie Severin. Here's another example of the one-page "poster" fillers that were now a trademark of the magazine. Here's what was probably left over from the previous regime from Vance Rodewalt interspersed throughout. Note what looks like an editor's mark in one panel, an example of the sloppiness the magazine occasionally had because of its grueling monthly schedule needed to outdo the frequency of its competitors. Another article that was probably left over from previous editorships. Good News/Bad News was a page of jokes with clip-art written by “Frank Wail”, Most likely a Laikin pseudonym.

They continued to serialize excerpts from Will Eisner's books.

Then this. Another example of articles meant for previous issues.

The magazine now had marginal jokes similar to the one-liners on Laugh-In An artist from the earlier issues was longtime Warren editor Bill DuBay. Then the rest of Lee Marrs' Crazy Lady, and a new recurring feature of one-liners called Crazy News of the Month.

They needed to use the last of the recurring History of Moosekind The back cover had Crazy Record Labels, an example of the "fake-out" parodies they would do which you could paste over the real thing.

Next Monday: Excerpts from CRAZY #16.

CRAZY #13

Here are some excerpts from the October 1975 issue of Crazy.

Cover by Nick Cardy Inside front cover continued throughout the magazine. Parody of Tommy by Steve Skeates and Marie Severin Another excerpt from Gleeful Guide to Astrology. Daniel Azulay By Bruce Carlin and Lee Marrs Recurring (for two issues) parody of pulp magazines by Steve Skeates and Marie Severin. Another installment of Bob Foster's History of Moosekind If you recognize some of these names you can tell this was done in California. Next is a mostly-text piece called How To Hang Up on Your Hang-Ups by Steve Skeates, Steve Gerber, Martin Pasko, and Mary Skrenes.

Parody of the Chuck Wagon Dog Food commercials.

CRAZY #10

Here's another issue I have of Crazy from April 1975.

Cover by Nick Cardy Here's some of the Marvel staff. Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt parodying Death Wish The first page of Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith's running feature Just Plain Folks After this was another Consumer Confidential from Bob Foster and Willie Ito, credited to “Oona LaGorpe”.

For a few issues Lee Marrs did a regular feature. Then another excerpt from Will Eisner's Gleeful Guide to Astrology

Street Gang Illustrated by Michael Ricigliano Installment of Bob Foster's History of Moosekind Second parody they did of Westworld, opening parody of their first one here. Another installment of their original mascot, The Nebbish, by Marv Wolfman and Marie Severin. Two probably well-meaning, but nevertheless racist TV parodies of Good Times and Chico and the Man, which were both racist in their own right.

CRAZY #8

Another issue of Marvel's short-lived Mad competitor Crazy from December 1974.

Like the previous issues, it's not that funny but interesting because it represents a certain period of time. Cover by Nick Cardy More lampooning of Nixon by Tony Isabella and Dick Wright. Parody of Police Story by Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt. After this was The Crazy White Paper on Hamburgers

This parody of Casper by Marv Wolfman and Marie Severin used to creep me out as a kid and now it does for a different reason. It's ironic that Harvey comics are looked down on as formulaic and kids' stuff by a publication that is formulaic and kids' stuff. Marvel even published their own Harvey imitations at one time. This was reprinted several times and they tried to duplicate its “success” with a Richie Rich/SLA mashup.

Marvel was in the same building as National Lampoon and their staffers were constantly trying to pitch them stories. This was apparently one of them.

I don't always post things because I think they are funny, often it's because they're supposed to be. People who know me know I have a grim sense of humor, sometimes I even joke about how I've had to have an MRI immediately after waking up in a pool of my own blood (don't worry, it doesn't happen anymore). I don't find any subject off-limits. Someone made a YouTube video of the 9/11 footage juxtaposed with Yakkety Sax. It's completely tasteless, I couldn't watch it all the way through, anyone who would laugh at that is an asshole, but at least I can see what's supposed to be funny about it. This story nowhere near that level. Doesn't offend me much. However, I don't know exactly what the joke is here. Do they think wife-beating and infanticide are funny in and of themselves? Is it iconoclasm? Were they trying to do something a sixth-grader would like? What exactly is the joke here? After that is a story by Barry Hepp called If Human Interest Stories Were Written Like Crime Stories.

More History of Moosekind by Bob Foster

And keeping with the law and order theme, is Crazy's Prison Crazies by John Stevens.

Insipid Romances by Steve Gerber and Marie Severin parodies the many romance magazines that existed at the time. This was mocking the Saturday Morning cartoons of that year which I think was done by people that worked on those cartoons, hence what I think are mostly fake names. The writing is credited to “Lance Boyle”. The only name I recognize is William Stout.

They also parodied Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, These Are the Days, Partridge Family: 2200 A.D., Devlin, and Hong Kong Fooey There was Serpikette, a parody of Serpico in collage and fumetti form.

Then a collaboration by Marv Wolfman and Robert Graysmith

Parody of the Bounty Paper Towels campaign.