As a creator, Sheldon Mayer achieved the most recognition for his funny animal strips (Dizzy Dog, Bo Bunny, The Three Mousketeers) and his funny human strips (Scribbly, Sugar & Spike). It is indeed a treat to see him combine both genres in this Scribbly story from All-American Comics #59 (July 1944). Should we call this Red Tornado Ma Henkel?
Crazy Magazine #94 (Apr. 1983) was the last issue of Marvel's answer to Mad, and believe me, it's cancellation was a shocking blow to a ten year old. Crazy had undergone many editorial changes in it's history. I liked the last permutation best, with features like "Teen Hulk," "Fantasy/Reality," and "Retread Funnies," which featured recaptioned versions of Marvel's superhero comics. Also, it was pretty clear that in a mascot fight, Obnoxio The Clown would have mopped the floor with Alfred E. Newman and Sylvester P. Smythe.
The series was so successful it spawned some lampoons as well. The one that immediately comes to mind is The Beatles' song "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," but that was just a parody of the title. The book itself was spoofed with the 1965 release of Happiness Is A Dry Martini, by none other than Johnny Carson (presumably with at least some help from his stable of writers). That's not what I want to show you either, although you can view excerpts from it here and here (thanks to Mike Lynch for the link!).
Carson followed up the book two years later with the decidedly more pessimistic Misery Is a Blind Date. What I have to share today are excerpts from that book that were reformatted for a comic called Groovy published by Marvel (or Atlas Magazines, Inc., to be specific.) So, without further ado, heeerrrreee's the wit and wisdom of Johnny (and his writing staff), along with some "groovy" illustrations by Whitney Darrow, Jr., whose cartoons appeared in The New Yorker for many many years.
From Groovy #1 (March 1968, Marvel)
A Silver Age DC comic simply would not be complete without a Henry Boltinoff filler. Here are ten examples of one of his most venerable creations, Super Turtle, culled from various DCs from 1964-1966. Warning: these gags seemed corny then. More here.
Building on the success of his creation Atomic Mouse, Al Fago duplicated the formula with Atomic Rabbit, the main difference being that Atomic Mouse got his powers from popping U-235 pills while Atomic Rabbit got his by munching on U-235 carrots. Either way, Fago's art is a marvel to behold. His characters have a unique angular design and the backgrounds at times resemble a Fisher-Price version of a Dali painting. Enjoy this disorienting tale from Atomic Rabbit #7 (June 1957, Charlton).
