CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
I bought this beat up copy for $4
Most people know the story of how William Gaines' EC Comics ruled Newsstand sales until the Congressional hearings scared the other publishers into creating a 'Comics Code' that essentially targeted all of his best selling comics - and how he instead went to publishing humor in his all new Mad Magazine using some of the same great artists and once again dominating the entertainment section of the newsstand.
Well Marvel evetually copied them, in 1974 with their own 'Crazy Magazine', done is almost the exact same format - Goofy mascot, Professionally painted cover, quality artists lampooning movies, counter culture humor, etc.
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974)
Most people know the story of how William Gaines' EC Comics ruled Newsstand sales until the Congressional hearings scared the other publishers into creating a 'Comics Code' that essentially targeted all of his best selling comics - and how he instead went to publishing humor in his all new Mad Magazine using some of the same great artists and once again dominating the entertainment section of the newsstand.
Well Marvel evetually copied them, in 1974 with their own 'Crazy Magazine', done is almost the exact same format - Goofy mascot, Professionally painted cover, quality artists lampooning movies, counter culture humor, etc.
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974 with cover art by Kelly Freas)
They certainly had some talent working for them, though maybe not in the same 'humor' league as Don Martin, Jack Davis, or Al Jafee (Mort Drucker worked for both). Still, some quality talent there...
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974 with art by John Romita)
I mean, right off the bat you get Marv Wolfman's 'The Walnuts', a parody of the TV show 'The Waltons' with some great art by Marie Severin! I didn't watch the Walton's, but I was familiar with elements of it, so this was amusing to me as an 11 year old...
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974 with art by Marie Severin)
...but I was REALLY amused when they threw in an 'All in the Family' because I DID watch that show...
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974 with art by Marie Severin)
And of course being hippies of the day running Marvel Comics, they give us a Rolling Stone parody. At some point I was reading National Lampoon pretty early in my young teens (and even though I didn't always 'get' it then), I saw this was more of a homage to THEM than Mad Magazine (at some point).
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974 with art by Larry Hama)
Same thing (though probably immediate in this instance) with 'Foto Funkies' being a rip off of their 'Foto Funnies'. That's Roy Thomas and his wife Jean from left to right... the other guy is... maybe Steve Gerber?
(CRAZY MAGAZINE #3 - cover dated March 1974, on newsstands January 3rd, 1974)
Same concept - it's an excuse to show some nudity, though in Crazy's case they didn't - National Lampoon showed full nudity - so all Crazy could do was try and be funny about it. Which they sorta did I guess...
