The Influence of MAD Magazine's Maddest Artists

When I was 11, I remember fumbling through my older cousin's stacks of magazines, eventually uncovering a trove of MAD Magazines.  I sat in the middle of his room reading them for hours, until I had to be physically removed.  The parodies made me a NY cynic far in advance of my first experiences in Manhattan...and the art, well the art made me want to draw, create and entertain.  I've had a lifelong fascination with the magazine and it's illustrators.  It's an 'obsession' that has shaped my life and career. 

In my late 20's I started collecting original art from the magazine, initially buying and trading on Ebay.  As I matured and could afford a few better pieces, I started shopping Heritage's auctions, looking for opportunities to upgrade my collection.  That would eventually lead to a management role with the auction house and would change my career entirely.  

My fandom led me to track down 'Fold-in' creator Al Jaffee in NY and enjoy a few minutes with he and his wife at his studio & home.  Al was such a mensch, he inked this piece for me after our meeting and sent it to me at my home...a trophy gag!

One of my favorite MAD artists is Mort Drucker, a sympatico with pen & ink, is credited with illustrating parodies of the most iconic American movies, ranging from the Godfather to Yentl.  Mort and his wife Barbara hosted me for an afternoon in their New York home, and I left with a few pieces, including the art for one of the last covers that Mort had illustrated for MAD. 

My first influence was Don Martin, who drew single-page gags for MAD and Cracked magazines.  I learned to draw cartoon faces by tracing his renderings onto notebook paper.  Don's are probably the most difficult to find of MAD artist's original works, but I've managed to snag a few.  Don passed away in Florida in '99 after parting ways with MAD after 40+ years with the magazine.  I never had a chance to meet him, but a few MAD writers (especially Dick Debartolo) have shared a few stories of the quiet but amusing cartoonist. 

In the field of cartooning, Sergio Aragones is considered the world's fastest artist, he pens his works in a matter of minutes.  If you've ever squinted trying to see his 1-3 panel gags littering the margins of MAD Magazine, you'll understand the brilliance of his brevity in humor.  He is also the nicest and most-beloved artist I have ever met. 

I enjoyed coffee with artist Angelo Torres in his Brooklyn flat 2 years ago and reminisced about the early days of MAD while rummaging through some of his more recent art.  Angelo and Drucker were always the featurists, illustrating the longer satires and parodies in the magazine.  Angelo is a great illustrator and such a pleasant man.      

In 2006 I was asked by DC Comics (a Time-Warner Company), to auction the remaining MAD artwork, then stored in the offices of Nick Meglin, former editor of MAD.  The $1m+ collection of original MAD art was only the beginning. What followed was an offering of the best art from MAD, collected by MAD's creator, Bill Gaines, himself.  In 2008, DC called me back to enlist my help and that of Heritage Auctions in selling the remaining 36 pieces, considered to be the holy grail of MAD Magazine.  We realized $750k for the 36 pieces, a newsworthy event, so noted NBC.  For that, MAD writer Dick Debartolo let me sit on his lap, next to former MAD editor, Nick Meglin (in the middle).

Some days are Madder than others, but I thank the writers and artists of MAD for all the madness they've given me.