MADness #70: 30 Rock!

Live from New York, it’s Monday! Yes, I know this isn’t from “Saturday Night Live”, but it’s close enough. This week’s MADness is a look at MAD‘s parody of the TV show “30 Rock”, written by Arnie Kogen and first appearing in MAD #490, June 2008.

So, what’s with the odd looking monkey I added in the lower center of the splash on the final? Well, if you remember a few issues ago was the “All Monkey Issue”, and I did the art on a piece showing the MAD staff as monkeys. After the issue came out, the folks at MAD decided they should have added former art director Nadina Simon in that group. So they asked me to draw her in the 30 Crock splash. As a monkey.

There wasn’t much about this job that stuck out for me. I remember someone suggestion I draw Rachel Dratch making random background cameos throughout the parody, as she apparently didn’t have a regular role in the show but was constantly appearing in different places in episodes.

I wasn’t too familiar with this show, so I needed someone to show me what the “face cringe” expression Arnie referenced in the gag in the center row of page 4 was supposed to look like. It was obviously something very specific to Tina Fey‘s character, but I wasn’t sure if I’d seen it in the episodes I had watched.

That’s it for this week’s episode! Toon in next week when we try to make fun of “corporate colleges”. yes, really.