On Satirical Comics’ Elder Statesmen

* Ron Hogan takes a look at the latest MAD collection and seems surprised to find some truly vicious and pointed barbs in work going back to the year 2000, whetting his appetite for more.

* Writer Matt Fraction's survey of recent comics reading includes a mention of two older National Lampoon books featuring lots of beautiful Russ Heath work. With the recent court decision making easier the republication of material into archival digital media packages, I have to imagine a complete National Lampoon and all of its comics is one that's likely to be published in the next few years. Of course, I thought some book publisher out there would make a complete Trots and Bonnie happen by now, too.

Completely off the topic of comics, I've never understood how whoever owns the NL brand at any one time hasn't managed to come out with some sort of print or on-line package based around the kind of smart, funny, Jean Shepherd-ish first-person memoir that resulted in the Animal House and Vacation movies. There are so many smart memoir writers and humorists out there right now, and one imagines there are dozens of singularly funny periods in those writers' lives that could make for great writing and a number of fresh film opportunities. Instead, it seems to be a brand that lurches from its grave to be attached to really generic, low-grade, crude humor vehicles before going away again.

* Four new issues have been scanned and are ready to be enjoyed in Ethan Persoff's ongoing project to archive Paul Krassner's The Realist.
 
posted 3:06 am PST | Permalink
 

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