I think I was in the sixth grade when I discovered Mad Magazine. For those who don’t know, Mad Magazine was a monthly satirical publication with amazingly creative art and humor that made fun of everything. My father was always upset with me when I spent the money I had earned working on my summer jobs, to buy Mad Magazines. Not only did Mad bend me over in laughter, but it also made me aware of current events (because I had to know what was going on, to understand the humor). That need for awareness of news events is something I have carried with me for the rest of my life.
One of special attractions for me in Mad Magazine were the cartoons drawn by Don Martin. His goofy-looking, stupid characters, and situations really appealed to me at that age. I liked them so much that I began trying to draw them myself. Below is something I drew for a friend, probably when I was in the eighth grade. I’m sure you can see how heavily I copied those Don Martin characters.
I continued to draw Don Martin-inspired characters whenever the need arose, (making a birthday card ,a poster, or something for the classroom when I was teaching. As an adult, living in McBride, often when I got upset or wanted to make fun of something that was going on, I would draw a cartoon about it and submit it to our local weekly paper. Eventually the paper asked me to submit a cartoon every week, and it became a “side hustle” for me.
Slowly my characters took on a look of their own, but certainly their nose, ears, and eyes, continued to reflect my early love of those Don Martin cartoons in Mad Magazine.
I have now been doing those weekly cartoons for the local paper for 40 years. I just submitted my latest one to the paper last night. Below is a cartoon I did for the paper a couple of weeks ago.
I often think about my father’s anger at me whenever I bought a Mad Magazine, and wonder if he ever recognized just how beneficial those magazines were to my life.
You can view my paintings and a weekly cartoon at: davidmarchant2.ca
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