When folks think of the classic MAD, they might almost immediately think of Don Martin. Martin's people look like no one you've ever seen and yet he successfully in his abstraction captures that every man which nestles in the heart of us all. When his characters act stupidly it is a stupidity we can sadly likely identify with. The Don Martin gags were always the first thing I checked out in a new issue of MAD, scampering through the pages to find the two or more likely three installments. After that it was time other things, but it was always Martin first. When Don Martin left MAD for places, for a time at Cracked and later with his own short-lived magazine, he was always instantly recognizable. Martin seemed to have some fine success in the paperback arena, and one regret I definitely have is that over the many years I've read and collected comics and such, I never made much of a point of chasing the MAD paperbacks, especially the Don Martin collections. Captain Klutz needs a new edition especially.
Some years ago they published all of Martin's MAD cartoons in two super-size volumes and I was lucky to stumble across it for relatively small money. The slip-covered collection a treasure and now that I think of it, one I haven't examined in far too long. Maybe when I finish this post, I'll dig it out for a few laughs. Don Martin was always good for that.
Don Martin's page(s) were the first thing I looked for when ever I had a copy of Mad He was also the first artist I remember kids at school talking and raving about . I adored the work of most of the Mad artists at this time Jack Davis, Wood, Aragones and of course the truely "mad" Don Martin being my stand out favourites.
ReplyDeleteMartin's art demands to be remembered.
DeleteThe most consistently funny of all the Mad gag artists, IMHO. Love his sound effects. I got that two-volume set, too. I think it originally sold for a hundred bucks, but like you, I remember getting it for less (or I had a big discount coupon from B&N).
ReplyDeleteHe was the "MADest" artist!
DeleteIt wasn't just Martin's great and silly art, but his insane dialogue that carried Captain Klutz. To this day, the name of Klutz' alter-ego, Ringo Fonebone, is still laugh out loud funny.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteI had a blast with the original CAPTAIN KLUTZ collection, which skewered the superhero genre at just the right cultural moment. However, I don't think I ever saw Number Two, so your idea of a complete collection of All Things Klutzy would be desirable.
ReplyDeleteThese need reprinting.
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