Evan Dorkin ([info]evandorkin) wrote,
2007-07-17 19:53:00
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Mad #480: Meet The G(ig) That Killed Me

As a reader pointed out recently, the latest issue of Mad contains a three-page article that Sarah and I provided the artwork for. This includes the two-page spread of doom which I've mentioned here several times before, and which put my hand in a wrist brace for a period of time after I finished working on it. The biggest problem with the job was not so much my decision to really amp things up (I was asked to take out some business and figures, this was actually a little denser in the pencils/roughs), but with  my choice to draw it on a fairly small scale, certain circumstances led me to draw the spread on a piece of 12" by 19" board. Not as large as I would have liked considering the detail work. So there was a lot of time put in with the Hunt 102 nibs and the .30 rapidograph.

Below is what most of the left-hand side of the spread looks like, without Sarah's colors or effects on the various monitor screens.



Not the keenest draftsmanship around, but I'm happy with the way things came out. It printed a little dark, color-wise, but Sarah and I got what we were going for; a two-page spread that fries the eyeballs, but keeps them on the page so the reader can find all the Will Elder-style chicken fat background gags. More bang for the buck, as it were.

Anyway, the latest issue is #480 (!), and it shipped to comic shops last week, and, I believe, should now be available on newsstands. Please feel free to check out the issue. The Usual Gang of Idiots this time around includes Tom Richmond, Peter Kuper, Paul Coker, Bob Staake, Herman Mejia, Al Jaffee and the inimitable Sergio Aragones. And us. Crazy! Er, I mean, Sick! Cracked? Forget it. Lame joke.

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  • 22 comments

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 00:28:48 UTC 4 years ago

I don't know why that image looks like crap when you click on it a second time to enlarge it. I must have done something wrong. I tried to fix it and then re-scan it but my non-skills failed to fail me, so I now give up, because I have to get back to the board. You can click it once and squint some for the background details if you care to. Sorry.

[info]toonhead_npl

July 18 2007, 01:18:07 UTC 4 years ago

It looks like you scanned it as a bitmap, which is fine for keep artwork sharp for printing but stinks for resizing. Try coverting it to grayscale first before resizing.

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 01:52:38 UTC 4 years ago

You were correct. I fixed it. Thanks.

[info]robyn_ma

July 18 2007, 00:34:14 UTC 4 years ago

So does Mad still insist on keeping original artwork, or did that die with Bill Gaines?

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 00:38:57 UTC 4 years ago

I think it may have died before Gaines. But they don't keep the art now.

Re: my trying to "fix" the scan -- if you click on it three times, it's clean but ludicrously oversized. Much larger than the original, please keep that in mind re: the drawing. It's like ten times larger or something crazy. Shit. I hate my computer skills.

[info]robyn_ma

July 18 2007, 00:47:29 UTC 4 years ago

Cool. Very Davis/Elderesque.

Say, is that meant to be Jimmy Corrigan holding a gun to his head?

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 01:54:44 UTC 4 years ago

It's not Corrigan, but the thick round (oval) head with the thin hair details made me think of that myself after I'd inked it. I did draw Spider-Man on the other side. I appeal to the Wizard crowd, not the Journal crowd, we all know that.

[info]inkstuds

July 18 2007, 00:57:18 UTC 4 years ago

i am pretty sure it ended with Bill Gaines. I don't think it was Feldstein that was wanting to hold artists art. I know thats what kept Drew Freidman away from doing stuff for mad.

On a side note, I just got some original Jack Davis art on EBAY, its feet. Thats it, just feet, but its still awesome.

Oh yeah, love the McMadness.

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 01:58:55 UTC 4 years ago

Davis could put more lines into a pair of feet than I put into that entire spread.

[info]patrickdean

July 20 2007, 14:59:31 UTC 4 years ago

If you're going to own a Davis-drawn body part, feet's the way to go.

[info]carless_sam

July 18 2007, 01:25:57 UTC 4 years ago

Good lord, man, the RSI from that must be a killer. Make a nice poster...

[info]fractured_atlas

July 18 2007, 02:08:41 UTC 4 years ago

Nice work, Evan...

I attempted a similar two-page spread really early on in my career, and even though it took me weeks to draw, the end result was pretty crappy; I completely failed to pull off that Will Elder/Goodman Beaver vibe. Unlike yours here, of course, which captures that feel beautifully, IMHO.

I think, now that I've done about 14 years worth of comics since then, I could maybe try a scene like that again and not embarrass myself too badly. I stress "too badly", though.

Anyway, very nice ~ I'll have to pick this issue up.

[info]thunderleg

July 18 2007, 06:58:45 UTC 4 years ago

ah man! this might get me to pick up an issue of Mad for the first time in some years. awesome stuff, and as the worlds least professional and impatient inker, god bless you for finishing that and making it look great.

[info]unknownrockstar

July 18 2007, 11:37:29 UTC 4 years ago

hah, awesome! the bloke with the "please give so I can eat at Wendy's" sign looks familiar...

[info]patrickdean

July 18 2007, 14:03:23 UTC 4 years ago

I like the Frankenstein waiting outside and the kid in the middle projectile vomiting. Al Jaffee would be proud.

[info]prickvixen

July 18 2007, 15:58:24 UTC 4 years ago

Good or bad that I spotted the Hidden Evan at really low resolution?

[info]evandorkin

July 18 2007, 18:28:44 UTC 4 years ago

If I'm in there it's a case of my drawing a generic "me" or Halby Durzell from Hectic Planet. I didn't consciously draw myself in there.

[info]leroy_spectre

July 18 2007, 22:15:20 UTC 4 years ago

I saw Milk and Cheese in there.Did anyone else?

[info]chriswarren01

July 19 2007, 05:43:52 UTC 4 years ago

This kind of reminds me of Sergio Aragones. So great!

You're really lucky to have someone who's computer savvy on your side. I suck at that stuff.

[info]slagzombie

July 19 2007, 22:04:57 UTC 4 years ago

I like it! As a few others have said in their comments, I too shall pick up a copy of this issue. Also, like the others, I haven't picked up an issue of Mad in years. Perhaps it's time to get back in the habit.

[info]slagzombie

July 20 2007, 08:14:38 UTC 4 years ago

Just so you know I'm a man of my word, I now have a copy of Mad magazine #480. I enjoyed it thoroughly! Looking forward to more of your work in Mad. Also, for what it's worth, I did spot Milk & Cheese in the new and improved Mickey D's.

[info]evandorkin

July 20 2007, 23:52:07 UTC 4 years ago

Nice of you to spend the time and dough. Thanks. Hopefully Mad will get wind of my totally massive popularity and drawing power (not the draftsmanship kind) and make me their number twelve freelancer-type person to call with offers of work. I don't wanna be the number eight or, heaven forbid, number two or three guy, too much pressure and work. Number twelve would do fine, I think. maybe eleven. Or fourteen, even. Yeah, fourteen sounds about right.
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