What comics did you buy today?

[Adam Eterno]

Is it my imagination or do you have a thing for Number Ones Adam?

Ha! Yep, I collect British #1s. Mainly from the 60s and 70s but I've been dabbling in the 50s recently and love some of my purchases. I've built lists of every British published comic of the 60s and 70s I can find but haven't started researching the 50s yet. I think it would massively open up my market....and my wallet, if I added the 50s to my collectiing! The 80s ones are just Marvel comics.....so far.

[Adam Eterno]

Mad Magazine No. 541.

I bought Mad a few times way way back and used to like it. I must admit, I still prefer it to Viz.

I'd agree with you on that. I loved it back in the 70s but never really got into Viz.

[SID]

MAD Magazine No. 541.

I bought MAD a few times way way back and used to like it. I must admit, I still prefer it to Viz.

I'd agree with you on that. I loved it back in the 70s but never really got into Viz.

*nodding* I read MAD in the late 70s or early 80s (I can't remember when exactly) and loved the American TV parody strips. No offense to Viz and its readers but I always found it a little crude for my tastes.

[suebutcher]

I've bought a couple of 1965 TV Comics with episodes of the Dr Who Planet Go-Ray story. A little expensive, but I've been after these for ages. Can animals really have wheels instead of legs? Whatever, Bill Mevin goes for it.

[philcom55]

...I wonder if that's where Philip Pullman got the idea for his Mulefa in The Amber Spyglass?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Mad Magazine No. 541.

I bought Mad a few times way way back and used to like it. I must admit, I still prefer it to Viz.

I'd agree with you on that. I loved it back in the 70s but never really got into Viz.

MAD is THE greatest satirical publication ever, anywhere, in my view: totally radical for it to originate from such an overtly consumer society [the USA in general]

VIZ is really good as a UK satire publication ----the dense detail in most cases is appreciated by me------I think it's just the lack of funding [ the avoiding of shelling out for good quality printing/ colour, for example] that makes VIZ look like an obviously lower-rent UK companion to MAD.

[SID]

MAD is THE greatest satirical publication ever, anywhere, in my view: totally radical for it to originate from such an overtly consumer society [the USA in general]

VIZ is really good as a UK satire publication ----the dense detail in most cases is appreciated by me------I think it's just the lack of funding [ the avoiding of shelling out for good quality printing/ colour, for example] that makes VIZ look like an obviously lower-rent UK companion to MAD.

I can't argue with you, ISPY. MAD's humour & style does appeal to me more than Viz unfortunately.

In fact, I'm actually thinking about taking out a regular subscription.

[koollectablz]

...I wonder if that's where Philip Pullman got the idea for his Mulefa in The Amber Spyglass?

I was thinking the same thing, but then didn't Pullman's evolve to take advantage of big nuts that they used as wheels with their adaptation being the arms/spokes?

Such a great series of books!

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Mad Magazine No. 541.

I bought Mad a few times way way back and used to like it. I must admit, I still prefer it to Viz.

I'd agree with you on that. I loved it back in the 70s but never really got into Viz.

MAD is THE greatest satirical publication ever, anywhere, in my view: totally radical for it to originate from such an overtly consumer society [the USA in general]

VIZ is really good as a UK satire publication ----the dense detail in most cases is appreciated by me------I think it's just the lack of funding [ the avoiding of shelling out for good quality printing/ colour, for example] that makes VIZ look like an obviously lower-rent UK companion to MAD.

It's a bit unfair to compare MAD and Viz...

MAD is generally an all-ages publication, dealing almost exclusively in satire, whilst Viz is strictly "adult only" and there's a mix of satire and the kind of filthy humour you'd generally only get in pubs. I love both MAD and Viz, and both of them have slipped far from what they once were. I only buy MAD nowadays for Tom Bunk's big spread pages, and I keep telling myself not to buy Viz anymore but something always compels me (mainly because it's the only "adult" comic left on the shelves nowadays).

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I think the standard of artwork and gags in usually pretty high in MAD, Two Headed Boy: the caricatures and covers were often stunning and ingenious. I agree with you that it's not quite as good as it was in earlier decades, the Peter Kuper Spy vs Spy is not as good as the Prohias original, for example.


I would say PRIVATE EYE magazine is the closest to MAD in these shores: the EYE is poor in comparison for me although many Brit satire buffs love it. Not me, though-------a lot of the cartoons they print there today are of the postage-stamp scale---not for me, personally.

I think VIZ is great value, though: lots of detailed panels in general, which harks back to pre-80s BEANO, which I like a lot.


VIZ is also very good at sharp satire at times---I loved that detailed 'Map of the Sh****h Isles' they put out a few years back: that one was on par with MAD for me.

MAD have the best production values I think though: a lot of their recent covers, using digital colouring, are stunning by any standards.




CENSORED VERSION, altered by your vigilant Mr Smith:

[TwoHeadedBoy]

There's no denying Simon Thorp's ridiculously (scarily even!) talented, but even that Sh***ish Islands map was nearly twenty years ago! There was another one a few years after that, a map of "C*ntinental Europe"... The art's still good in Viz, but the writing's took a massive nose dive over the last year or two, it really has become that cliche of "Not as funny as it used to be" (first spoke in 1986 by Mark E. Smith of The Fall, fact fans). It remains a nice comic to look at, but it's only the stuff by Davey Jones that gets a chuckle out of me these days.

The problem with MAD now is a lot of the stuff that they spoof is stuff that's only relevant to Americans (fair game obviously, it's an American magazine). Last time I bought it last month (Trump on the cover), around 80% of the references were lost on me.

Private Eye - I stopped buying it a few months ago, not sure why, but it's always managed to get a few laughs out of me (most recently with the New Coalition Academy newsletters), never thought of it as a British version of MAD though - an interesting notion, certainly. Always thought the closest anything here came to MAD was Krazy, not much in the way of satire there but still a similar kind of humour/structure.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I find American satire to be less pretentious than usually seen in the UK, and more freewheeling and that is why I prefer material like MAD: to me, British satire in printed form is much more restrained and reserved. Satire here often looks more understated: the Americans seem to prefer more overtly visual ideas.

The Brits can 'do' outrageous visual satire: but it's more effective in other media, like the Spitting Image TV series, I reckon. There are good satirist-cartoonists here like Steve Bell though, who put out some really savage stuff I enjoyed.


However a lot of really ground-breaking cartooning originated from the USA: the FAR SIDE especially had a huge impact on cartooning in general, I still think Gary Larson was one of the most innovative cartoonists ever, although the impact of his material has been diluted by endless carbon-copying of his approach, which still continues today, decades after he retired!


Regarding VIZ: I am expecting a fair batch of this material later this week, and I look forwards to seeing some of the very early issues especially, which will be new territory for me.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Early Viz is fantastic, you're going to have a great time - I got "The Sausage Sandwich" and "The Dog's Bo**ocks" from a car boot sale when I was far too young, and our auntie used to read us Spoilt Bas*ard (changing the swear words though, he became "Spoilt Brat"), so it's sort of "been there" through most of my life.

I agree with Gary Larson's stuff not being as talked about as it should, that was another thing that not-yet-ten-year-old-me was obsessed with, although he doesn't go for satire all that often - most of it's just happily surreal

[Adam Eterno]

Dick Tracy - Streamline - 1953 - #1-10
Charlie Chan - Streamline - 1950 - #1 (and only)
Blue Beetle - Streamline - 1950 - #1
Starlord Summer Special - 1978 - to complete the set
ROM - Marvel All Colour - 1979 - #1
Action Picture Library - IPC - 1969 - #1, 2, 3, 4 + 1 other
Western Classics - T&P - 1972 - #1 (and only)

First four Stephen King - The Dark Tower Graphic Novels. Not comics or UK issues but really looking forward to receiving them anyway!

[SID]

It's a bit unfair to compare MAD and Viz...

MAD is generally an all-ages publication, dealing almost exclusively in satire, whilst Viz is strictly "adult only" and there's a mix of satire and the kind of filthy humour you'd generally only get in pubs.

Then you may have just explained why I prefer MAD to Viz, TwoHeadedBoy. I am not knocking Viz and long may it continue, but I like my adult humour to be a little more subtle.