Bill Baroud :: Les Américains et Anglo-Saxons

Mad #20 - Complete story (8 pages):

Artists: Will Elder (All) , Harvey Kurtzman (Writer)

2 Comments - 298 Views - 1 Like

Mad #20 - Complete story (8 pages): Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Mad #20 - Complete story (8 pages):
Artist:	Will Elder (All)
Artist:	Harvey Kurtzman (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	298
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	12/4/2021
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Kurtzman at the script, Bill Elder at the brushes, for a parody of "The Katzenjammers Kids" (by Rudolph Dirks) published in the issue 20 of MAD in 1955. That's not bad.
But what fascinates me (and intrigues me because I don't have all the answers) is the choice of language in this 8-page story: Kurtzman takes into account the fact that the original comic book used Anglo-German slang, a reference to the original nationality of the protagonists and their author Rudolph Dirks.
And since we are in a parody, Kurtzman pushes the cursor in all directions, including language: the two kids make psychopathic jokes, the parents' physical abuse borders on the death penalty, the physical damage is permanent... and the texts in the speech bubbles are almost incomprehensible if you don't know German!
This last point being quite inflated for an American publication intended for an Anglo-Saxon audience!

Instead of focusing on the text in the bubbles, Kurtzman invites the reader to appreciate his story in its graphic aspect, entirely dedicated to slapstick and burlesque, two genres of humor quite close and fallen into disuse these last years, to my great regret...

As usual, Elder stuffs his drawing with a multitude of absurd details or funny private jokes. On his side, Kurtzman excels in the art of the crescendo leading inexorably to the excess over the pages.
It's a well-honed mechanism that Kurtzman masters perfectly. And this purely visual story is an excellent example.

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About the Owner

	Bill Baroud
Joined:	May 2010
Last Login:	August 2025
Country:	BELGIUM
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frank x townsondecker
Member Since 2006

Posted on 12/5/2021

Fantastic!!!!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/5/2021

This is sophisticated humor at its best! They took all that energy and gave it their all to show the lofty heights that can be achieved in the genre and medium. Legends.

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