If there’s one item that can be said to be recession proof, it’s apparently original artwork from the glory years of MAD Magazine. Heritage Auction Gallerie’s auction of the last batch of MAD original art sold for $746,516, more than double pre-sale estimates. The above 1956 cover to Mad #30, by Norman Mingo, went for $203,150 all on its own.
Chicago collector Michael Gidwitz was the winning bidder for the cover, which shows the gap-toothed icon as a “write-in candidate for president,” saying “What — me worry?” as an elephant and donkey glare angrily at each other in the background.
A Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter who requested anonymity was the winning bidder of three other MAD art covers, Rohan said.
Hm, let the speculation begin. Ours? Can it be anyone but Amy Winehouse?
These covers were the “hall of fame” covers, as featured in Mad Cover To Cover, and thus represent the last original cover artwork from the Gaines era. My favorite is the convention cover, by Frank Kelly Freas, featuring 50s politicians politicing for AEN. My first was July 1979, featuring Superman flying AEN, who is using an air sickness bag!
Why is this news?
It’s news because the Associated Press sent it to its members.
It’s news because original comicbook artwork sold for $203,150, legitimatizing a medium that has long been seen as low-brow, sub-par, and lacking any cultural value. (Yes, MAD is low-brow, sub-par, and lacking any cultural value, making this all the more notable! Hoo-HAH!)
It’s news because almost everyone under age 70 is familiar with MAD Magazine (still the best selling comicbook in the U.S. at 205,000 copies a month, most via newsstand sales!), and Monday mornings are usually slow newsdays.
The auction catalog and results can be viewed here:
http://comics.ha.com/common/auction/pricesrealized.php?hdnSearch=True&hdnSubmitted=True&Sale_No=830&cboSaleNo=830&optGlobalSearch=&cboDenomination=All:&txtSearch=MAD&cmdSearch.x=0&cmdSearch.y=0&cmdSearch=Search&stage=1
Al Yankovic?
“It’s news because original comicbook artwork sold for $203,150, legitimatizing a medium that has long been seen as low-brow, sub-par, and lacking any cultural value. ”
So it’s news when a rich person has money to throw around for comic art because it makes you feel better about liking comics. I just don’t understand why so many fans of comics need to have their love of comics legitimatized. Do you enjoy whatever comics you read more because someone spend $203,150 on a Mad cover?
Comics have always had cultural value to me, why do you and so many others need someone else to tell you they have it by them spending an obscene amount of money on comic art?
I have always admired Drucker, Davis, Paul Coker Jr, Rickard, and of course Mingo. I would love to own some of the original art from those old Mads. However, prices in the high hundreds or especially way up into the 6 figures are out of my snack bracket.
When the price for these iconic pages is equivalent to several years salary, or a pretty decent house, it certainly has entered into the “serious” collector neighbourhood.
Moby?
I doubt Amy can even spell “MAD.” Moby’s an interesting guess, though.
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I have created a small poster with your Alfreds picture and Citi woes.I want to send it to you gratis. Please send me a name and address to use. Thank you.
Len Gyson
I’m sorry Len… I missed that. Can you repeat it?
Sorry, couldn’t resist… I hate it when that happens to me.
snoid- considering this is a blog about news in the comics world, I’d say original artwork that literally defined a comics and pop culture icon that has been in print for 50 plus years selling for 3/4 of a million dollars is worthy of a one paragraph post. Why don’t you go over to the Entertainment Weekly blog and question why they consider what Brangelena ate for breakfast “news”? I’d like to know that myself.
Wow and to think my dad did the cover of Mad #30 for about 600-700 bucks! Over the years he was aware that he had achieved a measure of fame for drawing AEN but the sale of this piece would have been the crowning confirmation to him that he had “made it” as an illustrator. I am really eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to see him at work on all the MAD stuff and numerous commercial art endeavors as he worked 99% of the time at home. Pity that most folks aren’t aware of the really teriffic commercial stuff he did, such as pin-ups when subbing for an ailing Vargas for example. Drawing Alfred was only one of the many facets of his long distinguished career. Do I sound a little biased? Comments or questions welcomed.
Wow and to think my dad did the cover of Mad #30 for about 600-700 bucks! Over the years he was aware that he had achieved a measure of fame for drawing AEN but the sale of this piece would have been the crowning confirmation to him that he had “made it” as an illustrator. I am really eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to see him at work on all the MAD stuff and numerous commercial art endeavors as he worked 99% of the time at home. Pity that most folks aren’t aware of the really teriffic commercial stuff he did, such as pin-ups when subbing for an ailing Vargas for example. Drawing Alfred was only one of the many facets of his long distinguished career. Do I sound a little biased? Comments or questions welcomed.
Wow and to think my dad did the cover of Mad #30 for about 600-700 bucks! Over the years he was aware that he had achieved a measure of fame for drawing AEN but the sale of this piece would have been the crowning confirmation to him that he had “made it” as an illustrator. I am really eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to see him at work on all the MAD stuff and numerous commercial art endeavors as he worked 99% of the time at home. Pity that most folks aren’t aware of the really teriffic commercial stuff he did, such as pin-ups when subbing for an ailing Vargas for example. Drawing Alfred was only one of the many facets of his long distinguished career. Do I sound a little biased? Comments or questions welcomed.