Tom's Mad Blog
November 30th, 2022 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Dat’s the name of dat tune! We continue our series of classic TV detectives with Robert Blake (and “Fred”). The 1970’s TV cop drama “Baretta” followed the adventures of undercover detective Anthony “Tony” Baretta played Blake. The series was actually a sort of continuation of a 1973-74 TV show called “Toma”, which was based on real-life detective Dave Toma. Toma was a loner and maverick Newark, New Jersey detective who used disguises and often ignored conventional police procedure but gained national fame for his success as a cop. The show was cancelled after one season because the main star left. It was recasted and retooled somewhat… READ MORE
November 28th, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
It’s another MAD Monday, which means it’s also time for another step on our long and excruciating wander through my work at MAD Magazine! This week we look at another TV parody, this time of the Emmy winning comedy “Modern Family”, written by Arnie Kogen and first appearing in MAD #509, June 2011. My very first job in published work was in 1990 for a comic book company called NOW Comics doing pencils for a title called “Married… with Children”, which was based on the popular FOX TV show. I did about 600 pages of that title and it’s related comic book specials, so I… READ MORE
November 24th, 2022 | Posted in General
Happy Thanksgiving for all those who celebrate it! It’s time for my annual posting of this turkey of a sketch, although I happened to find the original drawing in an old sketchbook recently so this is a fresh, higher-res scan. May your day be filled with friends, family, fun, laughs, and turkey… but not this guy. READ MORE
November 16th, 2022 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Author Mickey Spillane‘s private eye character “Mike Hammer” debuted in the late 1940’s and became, along with Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, the epitome of the literary tough guy detective. The character brought fame and fortune to Spillane, selling over 200 million books and being featured in several radio programs and many films and TV shows. A lot of actors have portrayed Hammer over the years (including Spillane himself), but the most famous depiction might be that of Stacy Keach. Keach played Hammer in three different TV series and several TV movies in the 1980’s and 90’s. His version of Hammer was set in the 1980’s, although… READ MORE
November 14th, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Break out the bourbon and light up your smokes, it’s time for another look back at the work I did for MAD magazine! This week we revisit one of my all time favorite parodies I ever did for the magazine, a spoof of the TV series “Mad Men”, written by Arnie Kogen and first appearing in MAD #508, April 2011. Why is this one of my favorites? First off, I loved the show so it was not a chore watching episodes and getting to know the characters, which helps a lot of both the caricatures and coming up with insider gags. Second, the show was… READ MORE
November 11th, 2022 | Posted in General
Happy Veterans Day to all those who serve or have served our country in the military. Thank you for your service. I never served but have several family members who have, including my grandfather who was a World War II army veteran who was stationed in the south pacific during the war. I also had the privilege of meeting and getting to know many service men and women on all those cartoonists USO trips I went on. Today is the official day to recognize and thank them all, but really that should be every day. READ MORE
November 9th, 2022 | Posted in General
No series of depictions of classic TV detectives would be complete without the most famous mustache in private investigation… Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I.! I remember this show and watched it regularly in the 1980’s. Selleck was perfectly cast as the charming, laid back, but tough as nails P.I. living the good life as a kind of “resident security chief” on the luxury property of a rich but absent author in Hawaii. The exotic location, the awesome Ferrari he got to drive, and the main character made for a very fun and entertaining show. Selleck very famously was cast as Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost… READ MORE
November 7th, 2022 | Posted in General
It’s the return of my in-person caricature workshops! I’m going to do a handful of them next year (locations TBD) and I have been reworking some of my teaching methods and approach, so I thought I’d try sneaking a “getting back into it” workshop in on short notice. This one will take place in Las Vegas the weekend of Dec 10-11th. As with the ones I did for a few years pre-pandemic, the class size is limited to twelve students, so there is lots of time for personal instruction. I’ll be trying a few new things I’ve been thinking about with this workshop, but much… READ MORE
