Deal Of The Decade (So Far)!

If you're a fan of the late, great Don Martin, then run, don't walk, to your nearest Barnes & Noble bookstore. They're currently selling "The Completely Mad Don Martin" book set for the ridiculously low price of $24.95. This is a set that normally retails for $150. Yes, I said $150.

If you grew up reading Mad, then you're definitely familiar with Don Martin. He's famous for his bizarre, floppy-footed characters and his inventive sound effects.

I've been a fan of his work since I was 10 or 12 years old. His art had a huge influence on me that continues to this day. There's a definite Don Martin influence in my own work, especially in the eyes of my various characters. I would be a different artist today if not for Don Martin.

True story: when I was in college I took a figure drawing class. You know, the kind with the nude model. One day the professor wanted to mix things up a bit and told us to draw the model "in the style of our favorite artist." Naturally most of the class tried their best to draw like da Vinci or Bruegel. I of course drew the model in the style of one Mr. Don Martin, complete with potato-like nose, giant feet and half-closed eyelids. Most of the class thought it was pretty funny, but the professor, she was not amused. Sadly the original drawing is long gone, lost to the mists of time, but I've tried to recreate it to the best of my memory below:

Anyway, this is a massive two volume set that includes every single comic that Don Martin did for Mad Magazine, from 1956 to 1988. The books are big, like 10" x 13". You won't be able to read these babies in the bathroom! Each page contains one magnificently reproduced full sized comic, just as it appeared in Mad. It's a beautiful set, and highly recommended, especially for this price! Hurry before they're all gone. Unless of course you're not a Don Martin fan, and in that case I say "Good day, sir. I said Good day sir!"