Tom's Mad Blog
March 23rd, 2022 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
This week’s subject is Carl Switzer AKA “Alfalfa” from the classic Hal Roach “Our Gang” (later known as “The Little Rascals”) shorts. While the series stretched from the early 1920’s to the mid 1940’s, with the kid actors obviously aging out and being replaced constantly, the era most people are familiar with was the late 1930’s, when Alfalfa, Spanky, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky were prominent characters. These shorts were syndicated on TV when I was a kid in in the 70’s, and I watched them often after school. Switzer’s Alfalfa was probably the most popular of the characters to come out of the series, although several actors… READ MORE
March 21st, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
It’s Monday, and that means another trip to solitary confinement as we continue serving time on our sentence of having to look back at my twenty years of criminally contemptible work for MAD Magazine. This week we look at a one page feature called “Things Shouted out to Paris Hilton as She Left Prison”, which first appeared in MAD #481, Sept 2007. Everyone remembers when super-talented international superstar Paris Hilton was incarcerated in 2007 on trumped up charges by a corrupt and jealous L.A. Police Department, right? No? That’s okay, no one else does either. Nor cares. Actually Paris was arrested for a DUI and… READ MORE
March 17th, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Thank’s the miracle of modern DNA genetic testing I found out a few years ago that I am, in fact, 4% Irish! So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I did the above illustration for the “Warner Bros Consumer Products” division a number of years ago, back when they actually produced MAD related products. I did several pieces of art that ended up as T-shirts or whatever. I still have the shirt this was printed on, and I wear it one day a year. You can guess which. Here are some of the pencil designs I sent them before we went with the final seen above: READ MORE
March 16th, 2022 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
Good morning Captain! This week’s sketch subject is Bob Keeshan better known as Captain Kangaroo! When I was a little kid in the late 60’s/early 70’s there were four kids TV programs I never missed. Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and Captain Kangaroo. Of that batch, Captain Kangaroo had a certain unpredictability and oddball charm the others didn’t have. It wasn’t as structured as the others, was a bit more “slapstick”, and had a tendency to make me laugh more. Anyway the Captain has a special place in my heart, as he does for many people of a certain age. Those of you who understand… READ MORE
March 14th, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Hot Dog! It’s time for another lukewarm serving of the overly processed meat byproduct that was my work for MAD Magazine! This week we look at a very odd side project… a six page advertising insert for “Ball Park Franks” that appeared in MAD #480, Aug 2007 and a lot of other DC comic books that same month. Ball Park Franks started a bizarre ad campaign in the summer of 2007 called “My Hunger”. This campaign was to feature TV and magazine ads with people who, upon seeing a Ball Park Frank hotdog, sprout a hairy and muscular arm from their stomachs which in turn… READ MORE
March 13th, 2022 | Posted in General
Happy Birthday to two real MAD men! Today is the birthday of both Al Jaffee and Sam Viviano. The seemingly immortal Al turns 101, while Sam (or, as Al calls him, “that young whippersnapper”) is a mere 69. The picture above is from a MAD event at the Savannah College of Art and Design circa 2011, and of course the gentleman between them is the great Jack Davis. Happy birthday, guys!! READ MORE
March 9th, 2022 | Posted in Sketch O'The Week
I debated which era of Tommy Lee Jones I should draw him from and I chose a little older version, from about the later “Men in Black” and “No Country for Old Men” film period. His face developed a lot of character when it was older, and the sort of dour, weary expression is what I wanted to play with. He’s a bit of a caricature “gimme” since he has so much to work with. READ MORE
March 7th, 2022 | Posted in MAD Magazine
Wingagium Levigrossa! It’s Monday and that means another spellbinding look at my magically mediocre work for MAD Magazine. This week you are truly cursed with a gaze at MAD‘s spoof of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, written by my CLAPTRAP collaborator Desmond Devlin and first appearing in MAD #480, August 2007. There were a total of eight “Harry Potter” films. Only the first seven were spoofed in MAD Magazine proper, although the last film was parodied and published in a special collector’s issue. I did the art for three of the eight movies, this being my second one. Mort Drucker did the… READ MORE
