it's a World, World, World, World MAD

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

yes, my title of this thread was indeed lifted from a MAD paperback I never forgot from the 70s [or at least, that's when I first saw it], Phil! It is of course yet another satirical departure from the 60s film-title It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world which is a heavy slapstick-affair, aptly....


Thanks for your always-welcome additions Mr Russell---they are always very interesting! That's a very accomplished layout from Aargones above---I am just beginning to sift through MAD properly after a few decades of intending to do so---more MAD related fare soon on here, readers.....

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philcom55
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by philcom55 »

ISPYSHHHGUY wrote:That's a very accomplished layout from Aargones above....
Here's the back cover to that Graphic novel. As you can see it shows just a few of the supporting characters who've just realized that they're trapped in a book with Groo!

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- Phil R. :)

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stevezodiac
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by stevezodiac »

I've never read Groo so did it have any word balloons as Aragones was famous for his "silent" strips. I don't think i've seen an Aragones piece with a word balloon. Here's some of his House of Mystery work:

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Peter Gray
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by Peter Gray »

I love his work...I hope he will get his own Mad large book..
I like his Mad look at life series as well...
how on earth does he think up so many ideas and not repeat himself or run out of ideas...what an amazing body of work..

He is my favourite Mad artist..
I love busy poster pages...he has done this as well..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caHVIE6v ... re=related

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I simply have to agree, guys: Arargones is just a 'naturally funny' cartoonist, and his layouts are always ambitious, he never seems to go for the 'easy option' of close-ups as some other artists do.

matrix
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by matrix »

Here he is, word balloon as well!
Attachments
Groo.000.jpg

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philcom55
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by philcom55 »

I love Groo! I've always thought of Aragones as the American Leo Baxendale due to his love of insanely detailed crowd scenes. As a Mexican he was never very confident about providing his own scripts so his early work mostly consisted of silent gags like the 'Mad Marginals' and his 'Cain's Game Room' pages (though he also provided some brilliant plots for titles such as Bat Lash, Angel & Ape and Inferior Five). The major breakthrough occurred in 1972 when he was asked to draw a 7-page, humorous strip called 'The Poster Plague' for House of Mystery, scripted by Steve Skeates. This proved so popular that DC quickly launched the comicbook Plop! for which Sergio supplied many more stories in the same style. Then came Groo - and the rest is history!

Sergio's main collaborator since then has been Mark Evanier who regularly supplies the words to comics that are otherwise wholly written and drawn by the prolific Mr. Aragones - though Matt Groening's Bongo line have recently begun publishing Sergio Aragones' Funnies in which the mustachioed maestro provides his own scripts at last.

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...The annoying thing is he makes it all seem so very, very easy! :?

- Phil Rushton

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Thanks for joining in, ladies and gentlemen!

Here's the master Aragones at work:

[I think there may be a MAD compendium on his work, Peter, it does ring a bell:]

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It has to be said that Aragones' celebrated 'margin drawings' that feature so prominently within MAD do not fare too well when transferred to the c-d rom version, and as some fans have pointed out, should have been featured in a seperate cyber-section, in blown-up glory to do them the justice they deserve.

In the meantime, here's an example of Aragones' impeccable 'margins cartoons' that are very much an instantly-recognizable facet of MAD's manic identity:


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Peter Gray
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by Peter Gray »

Well those made me laugh...loved the painter and the gap.. :lol:

also Noah's ark...fur coat...
how on earth does he think them up..
I thought up 100 ideas on Billy Bird than got stuck...its so hard to be original and funny..
:notworthy: 8)

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philcom55
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by philcom55 »

Although he's had to slow down for health reasons over the last year I think Sergio's secret is that he simply can't remember a time when he didn't draw as naturally as most people breathe. Here's an illuminating extract from one of his autobiographical strips in Sergio Aragones' Funnies where he describes his early apprenticeship as a commercial artist.

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- Phil Rushton

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stevezodiac
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by stevezodiac »

He could eaily have worked for IPC in the 70s - his style fits. Speaking of the title Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is one of my favourite films - me and my mates went to see it when it was released around 1964 and liked it so much we stayed in the cinema and watched most of it again.

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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by felneymike »

Hmm, there was some issues of Groo on a market stall in Cambridge a while back... should I be annoyed I didn't get them?

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philcom55
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by philcom55 »

They probably aren't worth much, but most of them are great fun to read. Even Mark Evanier's letter columns can be hilarious (as long as you don't have a particular aversion to the subject of mulching!).

- Phil R. :)

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Aw, I was just starting to get into the 'kid drawing' story!

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: it's a World, World, World, World MAD

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

for MAD enthusiasts, here's an in-depth Sergio Aragones interview from the 1989 Comics Journal archives, with the man himself:

http://www.tcj.com/doodle-king-an-inter ... ones-1989/

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