Sergio Aragones' Next Book

by Sergio Aragonés

The renowned illustrator and Mad magazine humorist offers readers his most recent peccadillos in a collection of new cartoons. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446363685
• ISBN13: 9780446363686
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.1" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Sergio Aragone's final collection of MAD comic strips

It sure is strange to see the art of Sergio Aragones blown up to one panel per page given that he is the "MAD" Magazine artist who does the little cartoons buried in the borders fondly known as "Marginal Thinking." To help readers along in getting through "Sergio Aragones' Next MAD Book," the numerical sequence of each page in a particular bit provided in a little circled number at the top. Otherwise you would have some trouble in figuring out what is the set-up and what is the punch line in this collection, the sixteenth and I believe final such collection. A native of Castellon, Spain whose family moved to Mexico during the Spanish Civil War, Sergio Aragones has the well-deserved reputation of being known as the fastest cartoonist in the world. He game to New York City and did his first bits for "MAD" Magazine, beginning with "A Mad Look at the U.S. Space Effort" in the January 1963 issue. Then when he was in the 1980s Aragon?s and writer Mark Evanier (to whom this collection is dedicated) created "Groo the Wanderer," the best pastiche to date of the sword & sorcery genre and a success story as a creator-owned comic book. All of these bits are done without dialogue, with thought balloons in place of the traditional word balloons. The humor consists mostly of gentle gibes and simple ironies, such as the man who climbs all the way to the top of a mountain to talk to a wise man only to discover he is one mountain over. Aragon?s is also a master of the cut, where the point of view suddenly changes to deliver the punch line. Of course, since this is Sergio Aragones that means the back of this paperback includes a shameless plus for his other 15 books, form "Viva MAD" to "Totally MAD." The only downside to this sub-series of "MAD" collections is that you can get through this entire book in just a few minutes, a subtle reminder perhaps that the humor of the master of "Marginal Thinking" should be taken in small doses.