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.

CRAZY #5

Here we go with another issue of Crazy, this time from July 1974

I believe this cover is by Kelly Freas Parody of the Bayer aspirin campaign by Roy and Jean Thomas. All aspects of daytime television of the time in this article by Marv Wolfman and Dick Wright Next up is a photo-caption article about streaking by Stan Lee. He was a “big name” in the second issue, but seems to have been demoted. Another installment was here of their old radio spoof

I guess because they had a parody of Westworld, Roy & Jean Thomas and Vance Rodewalt decided to also do an article about what would happen if Richard Nixon had an amusement park.

The editorial introduces Rodewalt thusly: Vance, a voodoo priest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti freelances art in between cutting off chicken heads for use in secret ceremonies and reciting dark prayers to the Great God of Chickens—Perduemballa. In his off hours, Vance drives a cab and shows tourists the hot spots of Newark, New Jersey. Born in Lake Michigan, Vance is also an accomplished singer, and performs under his stage name of Barbara Streisand. And another chapter of Bob Foster's Mooses Through History.

The first few issues had Poli-Tickles from Tony Isabella and Dick Wright. This was from something they did called The Realistic Toy Catalog, Corruptive Playthings by Steve Gerber, Bruce Garlin and Alan Goffstein and illustrated by Marie Severin and Ralph Reese Then there was Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith's Just Plain Folks

Gerber and Graysmith continue with one-page movie parodies, starting with their version of The Way We Were. Then Ozzie's Girls. Billy Jack The Starlost Don't feel bad. I've never heard of some of these shows either.

I have seen Westworld, which is basically an earlier version of Jurassic Park in a different setting.

In the editorial they had this to say about Bob McLeod:

Another new arist this issue is BOB McLEOD, who drew our Worstworld parody. Bob is also a fashion designer for Roto Rooter Sewer Services and Cesspool Cleaners of Yonkers, New York, where he creates a dainty look for the men who slodge around greasy underground pipelines. When Bob first saw CRAZY Magazine he begged to work for us. In fact, he said he didn't have to be paid for any work he did. Since there was no money in the CRAZY budget to pay Bob, things worked out just fine. The back cover parodies the Crest Toothpaste commercials.

CRAZY #3, 4 of 5

CRAZY #3, 2 of 5

This was meant as a daily strip and never saw the light of day until this. Another clue this was done many years earlier is that MAD contributors weren't allowed to also work for the competition...
...so they got someone to draw just like Mort Drucker for the new material.