Spy vs. Spy: Antonio Prohias et al.

If one were fortunate enough to obtain an original "layout for a published project" (so we are told) illustrated by Mad's Antonio Prohias of an agitated White Spy sitting in a movie theater, should one have other artists and luminaries of the magazine also sign—and draw on—the page? Perhaps not, but it's hard to argue that a "jam page" fitting this description didn't turn out extremely well. Sergio Aragonés put his contribution (including a sketch of Alfred E. Neuman) on the projected screen. Kelly Freas, Marie Severin, and Peter Kuper added other faces: respectively, of Freas himself, of William M. Gaines, and of one of the spies. That's quite a coup: having spies drawn by both Prohias and Kuper, his successor, on the same page. As a bonus, there are signatures by Jack Davis, Will Elder, Mort Drucker, Kyle Baker, Al Feldstein, Angelo Torres, Annie M. Gaines, Al Jaffee, and Paul Peter Porges. Is it any wonder the eBay seller is asking $1,600 for this? 

The usual gang of idiots
eBay listing accessed July 1, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225043365202?hash=item3465a13d52:g:ezIAAOSw-YZip6TU

The usual gang of idiots
eBay item description

Note:  I'd love to hear from anyone who can identify the published source of this Spy vs. Spy layout drawing.

04004

John Colquhoun's Copy of The Art in Cartooning

Cartoonist and illustrator John Colquhoun has come through for us with photographs of his own copy of The Art in Cartooning (1975).

The Closed Mind
Charles Saxon
The Art in Cartooning:  Seventy-five Years of American Magazine Cartoons
The Cartoonists Guild, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975

This book was personalized for him by eight top cartoonists at a New York City Barnes & Noble signing, he recollects. Six of these cartoonists we've already seen draw in at least one other copy of this book; they are George Booth, Sam Gross, Paul Peter Porges, Gahan Wilson, Bill Woodman, and Jack Ziegler.The other two cartoonists, Lou Myers and Mike Witte, we have not previously seen draw in copies of this or indeed of any cartoon book. In fact, it seems this New York signing event is new to us, one we haven't encountered with the previous four copies of this book to be noted on the blog, a signing apparently without cartoonists Dana Fradon and Marvin Tannenberg, and without editors Ed Fisher, Mort Gerberg, and Ron Wolin.

Paul Peter Porges and Sam Gross
Lou Myers and Bill Wooodman

Four cartoonists draw on the front free endpaper. Porges and Woodman play with other meanings of John's name, Gross plays a cat and mouse game, while Myers plays at sketching, one would guess, the book's recipient.

Then three cartoonists—Witte, Ziegler, and Booth—pick up the theme of corners. John does not remember who started it, but he knows it was not his own suggestion.

Mike Witte

Jack Ziegler and George Booth

Finally, Wilson embellishes the book with a footloose self-portrait, perhaps, popping a soccer ball. All this for just $14.95! Then as now, you have to know where to go.

"Oops!"
"All best to John
Gahan Wilson"

Note:  My thanks to John Colquhoun for sharing his wonderful copy of this book. 

This is the fifth copy of The Art in Cartooning we have seen signed, inscribed, and sketched in by multiple cartoonists. It is the first evidence we have of a second book signing, one held in New York.

Additional personalized copies of this book are avidly sought here for potential inclusion in future blog posts.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

The Art in Cartooning
George Booth

(Ed Fisher)

(Dana Fradon)

(Mort Gerberg)

Sam Gross

Lou Myers

Charles Saxon (Cover Artist)

(Marvin Tannenberg)

Gahan Wilson

Michael Witte

(Ron Wolin)

Bill Woodman 

Jack Ziegler

Signed Books with Original Drawings

Attempted Bloggery's Footloose and Fancy-Free Index

03358

Sight Unseen: Virginia's Copy of The Art in Cartooning

Should one pay good money for a rare book, sight unseen? Well, it depends. If the book is a signed copy of The Art in Cartooning (1975) with six original drawings by the likes of Marvin Tannenberg, Gahan Wilson, George Booth, Bill Woodman, Sam Gross, and Paul Peter Porges, and if the price is not too unreasonable, I might take a chance on it. And indeed I did...

First off, here's the listing:

The Closed Mind
Charles Saxon
The Art in Cartooning:  Seventy-five Years of American Magazine Cartoons
The Cartoonists Guild, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975

The Art in Cartooning
AbeBooks Listing Accessed July 9, 2020

https://www.abebooks.com/ART-CARTOONING-SEVENTY-FIVE-YEARS-AMERICAN-MAGAZINE/30690993679/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

Now let's see whether my gamble paid off. Four of the cartoonists drew animals, as Sam Gross has his frog point out, while two others drew self-portraits. Two of the animals are roasted pigs; Bill Woodman's may be echoing the drawing of Gahan Wilson, or perhaps vice versa. George Booth gives us his classic English Bull Terrier. Here's how they all look together on the endpapers:

Drawings by Marvin Tannenberg, Gahan Wilson, George Booth, Bill Woodman, and Sam Gross

Paul Peter Porges has the title page to himself:

Drawing by Paul Peter Porges inscribed "Hi, Virgin[i?]a"

Of note, in the AbeBooks sales listing, David Hallinan, Bookseller, of Columbus, MO, is a bit mystified by Sam Gross's drawing of "a frog atop some wheeled vehicle," but we know what this is, don't we? It's a reference, of course, to his most celebrated cartoon ever, the notorious frogs' legs cartoon published in 1970 in National Lampoon and reproduced on page 179 of The Art in Cartooning.

https://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/sam-gross-frog-legs-original-cartoon.html

Note:  This is now the third copy of The Art in Cartooning both signed and sketched upon by cartoonists to appear on this blog. (The other two copies of the book also had sketches by Dana Fradon, editor Mort Gerberg, and Jack Ziegler, but not by Porges.) I would still like to hear from anyone with information about the March 1976 book signing at which it's possible this copy was signed as well. I'd also love to provide a showcase here for other uniquely signed and inscribed copies of this book, one of several landmark cartoon books published in 1975.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Sight Unseen

The Art in Cartooning

George Booth

Ed Fisher (editor)

(Dana Fradon)

Mort Gerberg (editor)

Sam Gross

Charles Saxon

Marvin Tannenberg

Gahan Wilson

Bill Woodman 

(Jack Ziegler)

Signed Books with Original Drawings

Attempted Bloggery's Index with Legs

03347

Paul H. Elliott-Smith's Copy of A Golden Trashery of MAD

Under what circumstances were Paul H. R. M. Elliott-Smith's copy of A Golden Trashery of MAD (1960) signed in 1981 by publisher William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, Nick Meglin, and a clutch of "the usual gang of idiots?" Was this hard-to-find book brought to a signing event or simply to the New York offices of MAD? Elliott-Smith (1919-1999) was a marketing and economics consultant, according to the sales listings below. He would have been around 62 in 1981, certainly not the typical age for a MAD fanboy. But at that age he could well have been retiring from whatever sort of consulting he did for EC, and the drawing by Paul Peter Porges on the lower right has a "Good-By'" that suggests this may have been the case. In this context, the book might have been a presentation copy prepared in advance and given to Elliott-Smith, which would explain why Gaines wrote "Free Sample!" The unique book is being offered for $1,000 on AbeBooks, or you can have it for just $900 on eBay. Hey, it's your money.

A Golden Trashery of MAD
New York: Crown, 1960
Cover by Norman Mingo

Twelve signatures, eight sketches

George Woodbridge

Jack Rickard takes the real estate under the dust jacket flap and makes the most elaborate drawing.

Inscribed "Free Sample!
Bill Gaines"

Jack Davis, Al Jaffee, Al Feldstein

Lou Silverstone, Dick DeBartolo, Paul Peter Porges

Sergio Aragonés

Bob Clarke, Nick Meglin

Introduction by Sid Caesar

A Golden Trashery of MAD
eBay Listing Retrieved October 16, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/A-GOLDEN-TRASHERY-OF-MAD-signed-with-sketches-autographs-by-12-MAD-Men-1st-dj/372443318384

A Golden Trashery of MAD
AbeBooks Listing Retrieved October 16, 2018

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22895479821&searchurl=bi%3D0%26ds%3D20%26bx%3Doff%26sortby%3D1%26kn%3DSergio%2BAragones%26recentlyadded%3Dall%26sgnd%3Don&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-image1

Note:  It should come as no surprise that this is the first and only copy of A Golden Trashery of MAD to appear on this blog. I am, of course, open to showing other MAD books here, particularly if they have interesting inscriptions or original drawings.

Today I broke with my internalized style book and capitalized all three letters of MAD even though I know better. For some reason it felt right. Shouldn't I stick with the lower-key Mad?

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Sergio Aragonés

Jack Davis

William M. Gaines

Al Jaffee

Norman Mingo

MAD Magazine

Signed Books with Original Drawings

Attempted Bloggery's Retiring Index

02709