Crazy Magazine

Crazy Magazine was an illustrated satire and humor magazine, and was published by Marvel Comics from 1973 to 1983 for a total of 94 regular issues (and two "Super Specials", Summer 1975, 1980).^[1] It was preceded by a standard-size comic book titled Crazy, which lasted three issues.

Background

Marv Wolfman edited the first 10 issues from 1973–1975 and the first "Super Special", and created the magazine's first mascot. a short, bug-eyed mascot with a large black hat and draped in a black cape, called Irving Nebbish. The nebbish was replaced with the belligerent Obnoxio the Clown, who made his first appearance in issue #63 (June 1980), the first regular issue edited by Larry Hama, who also edited issue #61 (April 1980).

Many of the features involved recurring characters such as "The Kinetic Kids" (where when you flipped the two pages they were on back and forth an illusion of motion was created), The Teen Hulk (a teenager who becomes a Hulk-like character played for laughs), Retread Funnies (classic Marvel Comics stories presented with new dialogue) amongst others.

The magazine's last issue was #94 (April 1983) by Marv Wolfman.

In 1982 a Dutch version of Crazy was published by Juniorpress. The only editor, translator and contributor of the four issues was Ger Apeldoorn.

Contributors

Many comic book artists and writers contributed to the effort in the early years. These included Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Vaughn Bodé, Frank Kelly Freas, Harvey Kurtzman, Mike Carlin, editor Marv Wolfman and executive editor Roy Thomas. Mainstream writers like Harlan Ellison and Art Buchwald also contributed.

Steve Gerber, who served as editor from issues #11-14 and wanted it to be distinctive from the archteypal Mad, said^[2] that the goal was to present work that implied the creators were themselves insane. Gerber's own contributions were often prose stories with a handful of illustrations, such as the "Just Plain Folks" series of bizarre biographies. The last issue of his run as editor included a darkly comic short story he wrote in college, "...And the Birds Hummed Dirges!", about high-school kids who make a suicide pact. Lee Marrs supplied a few pictures. In addition to drawn art, Crazy experimented with fumetti.

Paul Lamont edited issue #15 (Jan. 1976) and Paul Laikin edited #16-60 and #62 (May 1980).

Cultural references

The publication was referenced in The Simpsons episode "Separate Vocations". Principal Skinner shows Bart Simpson some of the confiscated contraband in a storeroom at Springfield Elementary School: "Complete collections of Mad, Cracked, and even the occasional issue of Crazy!"

A previous magazine Crazy, Man, Crazy ran for two issues in Dec, 1955 published by Humor Magazines, Inc. (Copyright by Charlton Comics Group) and June, 1955 published by Humor Magazines, Inc. (Copyright by Humor Magazines, Inc.) According to Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide it was (Formerly From Here to Insanity) and (Becomes This Magazine is...?) both of which were comic book format. Interestingly the Dec, 1955 indica page features a picture of Elmer Zilch often found in Ballyhoo (magazine) but credited to someone named McManus McGargle. Marvel also had a short-lived comic book series titled Crazy!, consisting of reprints from Not Brand Ecch, prior to launching the magazine version Crazy.

See also

• Mad (magazine)#Imitators and variants

References

1. ^ Crazy Magazine comics from The Big Comic Book Database Retrieved August 2008.
2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU4-R2nIoYo&feature=youtu.be

External links

• Crazy Magazine covers