FLIP was Harvey's very short-lived attempt at doing a MAD style humor magazine. Lasting only 2 terrific issues, it definitely delivered on said attempt with a great mix of hilarious artwork, as well as the way-way-way over the top, bat shit bonkers writing --which at times, can maybe be a little too kooky to even understand! One really good example of all the things I just mentioned can be found in the April 1954 issue of FLIP #1, with Howard Nostrand's art aping that MADcap style superbly, and the v-v-v-vampire theme fitting into our Friday Fright / Saturday Shocker as smoothly as a pair of ferocious fangs sinking into your neck. And oh yeah-- hello October! Is everyone ready for a full month of monsters, mayhem, and the moronically macabre? Stay tombed...
This one zoomed beyond a pale Mad imitation into its own category: Mad artists unmoored from an editor.
ReplyDeleteBonkers, indeed. The Prof's first word balloon alone is worth the dime.
Really enjoyed Will Elder's, er, Nostrand`s art.
Great art. Pretty racy for Harvey. For a minute, I thought this was Mad and that was Bill Elder art. I'm not familiar with Howard Nostrand. I'll have to look up his work.
ReplyDeleteWell, there may only be two issues, but their mission seems to have been to shoehorn the jokes of six issues into each story. No one-liner left behind! People sure got their money's worth.
ReplyDeleteDelightful art (especially the cover!). I liked the standard wampire costume better than the spring wampire-jet costume. The school uniform wasn't bad, either.
TGIO
Nostrand is aping both Davis (which he did a lot) and Wood, all slapped together in a great package deal. The art is really crackling. Most of the art is an excuse for good pin-up art, and there it delivers, to the point where her dresses are more paint jobs then cloth!
ReplyDeleteI will say I never liked dialects in word balloons, up to a point. It just makes it hard to read.
I think a lot of mad imitators picked up the "100 jokes a panel" but missed out and there was usually a story. Here there's a punch line, but it's very un-announced.
The art is A+.
The story drags it down a lot, but the gags on their own are pretty funny. Put together is a fun story worth your dime at the time!
I know I'll be burned at the stake, but I never cared for the early 'Mad'...and forget about 'Panic'!
ReplyDeleteMy point (if I have one) is these imitators nailed horror better than the "funny".
Just for Guy, I'll be posting all early MAD all next month! Just joking...lol
ReplyDeleteFriday Frights this week will fast forward into the supernatural silver age 70's for one of the weirdest vampires stories ever put to print, you've been warned-- and yes, we're still in vampire mode until the release on my VAMPIRES #1 one-shot coming in a few weeks from Asylum Press. Stay tombed!
Mr.K:
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate that you let my sometimes "negative" posts through.
There's many other sites where, if you say something "wrong", you're quickly blocked.
My take: if I didn't love this stuff, I wouldn't be here!
Super fun and great art. So much in so few pages, it's crazy!
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