CRAZY #16

Another of the Paul Laikin issues of Crazy. He must not have been very proud of his run since he barely mentioned them in a video interview he did.

This was the March, 1976 issue.

Last of the covers by Nick Cardy. The inside covers were usually “posters”, like this one of Gerald Ford by Jack Sparling. Their second parody of Good Times by Len Herman and Marie Severin, possibly inventory. Article illustrated by Murad Gumen. The last installment of History of Moosekind Here was Crazy Guide to Body Language illustrated by Michael Ricigliano This ad was the inside back cover. Next Monday, Crazy #17.

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 #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.

You're Hired!

Will Eisner has always left me cold. Sacrilege, I know. He's always one of the first to be mentioned in the canon of comics, and it's certainly well deserved, but his work has never done much for me. It's, as Johnny Ryan calls it, the broccoli of comics. Actually, he's never said it specifically about Eisner, but it's his term. The theory is basically that as a cartoonist or fan, there are things you are supposed to like and accept under any terms. Actually, I shouldn't say I dislike Eisner. I do like the Spirit comics of the 40s and 50s, but after that, I don't care much for it.

In between the time he did the Spirit and his comeback in the 70s, he did all sorts of instructional pamphlets. Or authorized them at least. There is much contempt for cartoonists having a shop or using assistants, but anyone prolific enough does it, and I consider it their work if the finished product bears their stamp. Think of them as auteurs.

Here is one such instructional pamphlet from 1969, reissued in 1973.