CRAZY #11

Let's open up another 70s time capsule in the form of Crazy #11 from June 1975

Cover by Kelly Freas by Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith

Parody ofTowering Inferno by Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt Recurring feature for five issues by Gerry Conway and Vic Martin. Innuendo later used by National Lampoon After another Consumer Confidential credited to “Petunia Begonia” and Disaster Crazies, there's this. The last installment of their first mascot The Nebbish fromMarv Wolfman and Marie Severin After that is an ad for ForSale Distension University, a parody of the back-to-school ads that were familiar to comics readers, then another excerpt from Will Eisner's Gleeful Guide to Living with Astrology, then a parody of the very kinds of mens' adventure magazines their parent company published. Second installment of Lee Marrs' feature. A moose killing a bull reminds me of how every kid wonders how Pluto and Goofy can both be dogs. From Bob Foster's History of Moosekind After this is a fumetti called In a Little Shanty Town by Marv Wolfman about black liberation where I can't tell what's supposed to be the joke, and something called Poetry Corner which used the same illustration every issue.

Subscription ad on inside back cover. Parody of Nine Lives commercials.

CRAZY #10

Here's another issue I have of Crazy from April 1975.

Cover by Nick Cardy Here's some of the Marvel staff. Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt parodying Death Wish The first page of Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith's running feature Just Plain Folks After this was another Consumer Confidential from Bob Foster and Willie Ito, credited to “Oona LaGorpe”.

For a few issues Lee Marrs did a regular feature. Then another excerpt from Will Eisner's Gleeful Guide to Astrology

Street Gang Illustrated by Michael Ricigliano Installment of Bob Foster's History of Moosekind Second parody they did of Westworld, opening parody of their first one here. Another installment of their original mascot, The Nebbish, by Marv Wolfman and Marie Severin. Two probably well-meaning, but nevertheless racist TV parodies of Good Times and Chico and the Man, which were both racist in their own right.

CRAZY #9

Another issue of Marvel's short-lived Mad competitor Crazy from December 1974.

This was sort the transition of editors. Though not credited, Steve Gerber takes over, adding more text pieces. In this issue, there are almost no credits.

Cover by Kelly Freas Parody of the Charles Atlas ads from practically every comic book up to the late seventies. Parody of Chinatown illustrated by Vance Rodewalt Daniel Azulay For a few issues they reprinted excerpts from the Gleeful Guide books Will Eisner had been doing. I think this is drawn by Robert Graysmith

One-time Cracked editor Michael Ricigliano After this was another installment of History of Moosekind by Bob Foster

And then a new reccuring feature called Underground Almanac.

In the Gerber-edited issues, they would do stories of their mascot The Nebbish written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Marie Severin They probably thought they were putting one past the censors crediting authorship to “Hugh Jardonn”, or maybe it went over the editor's head. The art is by Willie Ito. After Consumer Confidential were Ramblings of a Crazyman, Medical Crazies and more Will Eisner with his Gleeful Guide to Astrology

The inside back cover subscription ad which doesn't seem to list the price. Parody of the American Express commercials with Karl Malden.

CRAZY #8

Another issue of Marvel's short-lived Mad competitor Crazy from December 1974.

Like the previous issues, it's not that funny but interesting because it represents a certain period of time. Cover by Nick Cardy More lampooning of Nixon by Tony Isabella and Dick Wright. Parody of Police Story by Stu Schwartzberg and Vance Rodewalt. After this was The Crazy White Paper on Hamburgers

This parody of Casper by Marv Wolfman and Marie Severin used to creep me out as a kid and now it does for a different reason. It's ironic that Harvey comics are looked down on as formulaic and kids' stuff by a publication that is formulaic and kids' stuff. Marvel even published their own Harvey imitations at one time. This was reprinted several times and they tried to duplicate its “success” with a Richie Rich/SLA mashup.

Marvel was in the same building as National Lampoon and their staffers were constantly trying to pitch them stories. This was apparently one of them.

I don't always post things because I think they are funny, often it's because they're supposed to be. People who know me know I have a grim sense of humor, sometimes I even joke about how I've had to have an MRI immediately after waking up in a pool of my own blood (don't worry, it doesn't happen anymore). I don't find any subject off-limits. Someone made a YouTube video of the 9/11 footage juxtaposed with Yakkety Sax. It's completely tasteless, I couldn't watch it all the way through, anyone who would laugh at that is an asshole, but at least I can see what's supposed to be funny about it. This story nowhere near that level. Doesn't offend me much. However, I don't know exactly what the joke is here. Do they think wife-beating and infanticide are funny in and of themselves? Is it iconoclasm? Were they trying to do something a sixth-grader would like? What exactly is the joke here? After that is a story by Barry Hepp called If Human Interest Stories Were Written Like Crime Stories.

More History of Moosekind by Bob Foster

And keeping with the law and order theme, is Crazy's Prison Crazies by John Stevens.

Insipid Romances by Steve Gerber and Marie Severin parodies the many romance magazines that existed at the time. This was mocking the Saturday Morning cartoons of that year which I think was done by people that worked on those cartoons, hence what I think are mostly fake names. The writing is credited to “Lance Boyle”. The only name I recognize is William Stout.

They also parodied Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, These Are the Days, Partridge Family: 2200 A.D., Devlin, and Hong Kong Fooey There was Serpikette, a parody of Serpico in collage and fumetti form.

Then a collaboration by Marv Wolfman and Robert Graysmith

Parody of the Bounty Paper Towels campaign.