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 #11

Let's open up another 70s time capsule in the form of Crazy #11 from June 1975

Cover by Kelly Freas by Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith

Parody ofTowering Inferno by Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt Recurring feature for five issues by Gerry Conway and Vic Martin. Innuendo later used by National Lampoon After another Consumer Confidential credited to “Petunia Begonia” and Disaster Crazies, there's this. The last installment of their first mascot The Nebbish fromMarv Wolfman and Marie Severin After that is an ad for ForSale Distension University, a parody of the back-to-school ads that were familiar to comics readers, then another excerpt from Will Eisner's Gleeful Guide to Living with Astrology, then a parody of the very kinds of mens' adventure magazines their parent company published. Second installment of Lee Marrs' feature. A moose killing a bull reminds me of how every kid wonders how Pluto and Goofy can both be dogs. From Bob Foster's History of Moosekind After this is a fumetti called In a Little Shanty Town by Marv Wolfman about black liberation where I can't tell what's supposed to be the joke, and something called Poetry Corner which used the same illustration every issue.

Subscription ad on inside back cover. Parody of Nine Lives 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 #9

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

This was sort the transition of editors. Though not credited, Steve Gerber takes over, adding more text pieces. In this issue, there are almost no credits.

Cover by Kelly Freas Parody of the Charles Atlas ads from practically every comic book up to the late seventies. Parody of Chinatown illustrated by Vance Rodewalt Daniel Azulay For a few issues they reprinted excerpts from the Gleeful Guide books Will Eisner had been doing. I think this is drawn by Robert Graysmith

One-time Cracked editor Michael Ricigliano After this was another installment of History of Moosekind by Bob Foster

And then a new reccuring feature called Underground Almanac.

In the Gerber-edited issues, they would do stories of their mascot The Nebbish written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Marie Severin They probably thought they were putting one past the censors crediting authorship to “Hugh Jardonn”, or maybe it went over the editor's head. The art is by Willie Ito. After Consumer Confidential were Ramblings of a Crazyman, Medical Crazies and more Will Eisner with his Gleeful Guide to Astrology

The inside back cover subscription ad which doesn't seem to list the price. Parody of the American Express commercials with Karl Malden.