Watching so many versions of “A Christmas Carol” (or ‘Scrooge,” “Scrooged,” etc.) on Christmas day caused me to logically think of the Dickensian word “humbug.” By extension it brought to mind Humbug, a humor magazine edited by Harvey Kurtzman, including satires of film, television, advertising and popular culture
It was launched in August 1957 in a black-and-white comic-book size format. Kurtzman’s declaration of editorial principles went like this:
“We won’t write for morons. We won’t do anything just to get laughs. We won’t be dirty. We won’t be grotesque. We won’t be in bad taste. We won’t sell magazines.”
Humbug followed MAD after the comicbook version was suspended owing to the Comics Code. Kurtzman used some of the artists he had previously worked with when he was the editor of Mad, including Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, Al Jaffee and Will Elder. The 32-page first issue featured a front cover by Elder (with the announcement “The End of the World Is Coming” inside a border design depicting contemporary life), followed with interior artwork by Elder, Kurtzman, Wood, Davis, Jaffee and Arnold Roth. Elder illustrated Kurtzman’s satire of television’s rigged Twenty One quiz show, and Davis spoofed the Elia Kazan film of Tennessee Williams‘ Baby Doll (1956) with Eli Wallach. It ceased publication with Number 11, Oct 1958. Bah! Humbug!
If you were not lucky enough to enjoy the original, go here for a reprint of all the wonderful issues.
(Remembering Abbey Road and John Lennon’s suit in Saturday’s Daily Heller.)
#comics