Antonio Prohias Mad Magazine's Spy vs Spy "Follow-Up File" 1968

Antonio Prohias original Art published in "Mad's Spy Vs Spy Follow-Up File" c. 1968. Approximately 36" x 43” high quality wood frame with archival quadruple matting w/ 7 openings.

Art is in pencil, finished in India ink. Pantomime storyline has White Spy fishing. Black Spy is upstream and drops his hat in stream followed by canoe w/lunch basket. White Spy sees hat, thinks other Spy has drowned and gets in canoe and starts paddling. Walkie-talkie voice in basket yells “Stick ‘Em Up!” He raises his hands, stabs basket, sees walkie-talkie, but….too late. He goes over waterfall as hatless Spy in black laughs. Wonderful sight gag, including extra large last panel.

Antonio Prohias (1921-1998) was a Cuban exile who came to New York in 1960. Prohías was a prolific Cuban cartoonist known for political satire. Prohías' parodies of newly installed Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro attracted criticism, and faced with the loss of work, possible arrest, and threats of execution, he fled to the United States on May 1, 1960 – 3 days before the Castro government nationalized the last of the Cuban free press. Prohías sought work in his profession and traveled to the offices of Mad Magazine in New York City on July 12, 1960. After a successful showing of his work and a prototype cartoon for Spy vs. Spy, Prohías was hired.

Between 1961 and 1987, Prohías completed a total of 241 strips for Mad Magazine, the last appearing in Issue #269 (March 1987). His brilliance also included published paperbacks such as 1965's "Mad's Secret Files" and 1968's "Mad's Follow-Up File", containing original short story pantomimes such as in this superior example.

Please see Additional Images Depicting Each of the Six (6) Panels from this story line. Formerly from the Robert M. Overstreet Collection.