Humbug (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Humbug was a humor magazine edited 1957–1958 by Harvey Kurtzman
with satirical jabs at movies, television, advertising and various artifacts of popular culture, from cereal boxes to fashion photographs. Nine of the eleven issues were published in a black-and-white comic book
-sized format.
With fatally accurate irony, Kurtzman delivered his declaration of editorial principles in the first issue:
Several of the project's contributing artists had previously worked with Kurtzman when he was the editor of Mad, including Wallace Wood, Jack Davis
, Al Jaffee
and Will Elder
. The 32-page first issue (August 1957) featured a front cover by Elder (with the announcement "The End of the World Is Coming" inside a border design depicting contemporary life). Interior artwork was by Elder, Kurtzman, Wood, Davis, Jaffee and Arnold Roth
. Outside writer contributions included a piece by the novelist and screenwriter Ira Wallach
. 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). The second issue expanded from 32 pages to 48 pages.
Later issues included text pieces by Larry Siegel
, who would soon move on to a 32-year stint with Mad. Al Jaffee returned to Mad in the same issue as Siegel, and has remained with the magazine for more than half a century. Wally Wood was the only artist to work simultaneously for Mad and Kurtzman's post-Mad projects; after Humbug folded, Wood was a Mad regular until 1964. It took Jack Davis seven years to return to Mad; the artist's second run at Mad lasted from 1965 to 1996.
and Trump
, the small size was a genuine problem. It sometimes was the smallest publication in magazine racks, with the result that it was often hidden behind larger magazines. Despite a change to a larger magazine format with the tenth issue, it ceased publication with issue #11. Many contributors to Humbug were also the project's financial supporters, but their investments were lost when the magazine folded because of poor distribution. Kurtzman closed up shop with the following editorial in the magazine's last issue:
).
A complete Humbug collection of all 11 issues was reprinted February 2008 in a two-volume slipcased edition by Fantagraphics Books
. It includes annotations by John Benson, a lengthy 2005 interview with Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee, plus a four-page explanation of exactly how restoration of the magazine was accomplished by Fantagraphics.
Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic books and magazines. Kurtzman often signed his name H. Kurtz, followed by a stick figure Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic...
with satirical jabs at movies, television, advertising and various artifacts of popular culture, from cereal boxes to fashion photographs. Nine of the eleven issues were published in a black-and-white comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
-sized format.
With fatally accurate irony, Kurtzman delivered his declaration of editorial principles in the first issue:
- "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."
Several of the project's contributing artists had previously worked with Kurtzman when he was the editor of Mad, including Wallace Wood, Jack Davis
Jack Davis (cartoonist)
Jack Davis is an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories...
, Al Jaffee
Al Jaffee
Abraham Jaffee , known as Al Jaffee, is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. As of 2010, Jaffee remains a regular in the magazine after 55 years and is its longest-running contributor...
and Will Elder
Will Elder
William Elder was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art, but is best known for a zany cartoon style that helped launch Harvey Kurtzman's Mad comic book in 1952....
. The 32-page first issue (August 1957) featured a front cover by Elder (with the announcement "The End of the World Is Coming" inside a border design depicting contemporary life). Interior artwork was by Elder, Kurtzman, Wood, Davis, Jaffee and Arnold Roth
Arnold Roth
Arnold Roth is an American freelance cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines and newspapers.Novelist John Updike wrote, "All cartoonists are geniuses, but Arnold Roth is especially so."...
. Outside writer contributions included a piece by the novelist and screenwriter Ira Wallach
Ira Wallach (writer)
Ira Wallach was an American screenwriter and novelist.Born in New York City, He wrote the novel Muscle Beach and collaborated with Peter Ustinov on the screenplay for Hot Millions...
. Elder illustrated Kurtzman's satire of television's rigged Twenty One
Twenty One (game show)
Twenty One is an American game show which aired in the late 1950s. While it included the most popular contestant of the quiz show era, it became notorious for being a rigged quiz show which nearly caused the demise of the entire genre in the wake of United States Senate investigations...
quiz show, and Davis spoofed the Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan was an American director and actor, described by the New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, to Greek parents originally from Kayseri in Anatolia, the family emigrated...
film of Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
' Baby Doll
Baby Doll
Baby Doll is a 1956 black comedy /drama film directed by Elia Kazan. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton...
(1956). The second issue expanded from 32 pages to 48 pages.
Later issues included text pieces by Larry Siegel
Larry Siegel
Larry Siegel is a comedy writer who was one of the "Usual Gang of Idiots" at Mad from 1958 to 1990.At Mad, Siegel had an aggressive writing style that did not shy away from being occasionally provocative or inflammatory to make a point. He was fond of attacking purveyors of bad taste, such as...
, who would soon move on to a 32-year stint with Mad. Al Jaffee returned to Mad in the same issue as Siegel, and has remained with the magazine for more than half a century. Wally Wood was the only artist to work simultaneously for Mad and Kurtzman's post-Mad projects; after Humbug folded, Wood was a Mad regular until 1964. It took Jack Davis seven years to return to Mad; the artist's second run at Mad lasted from 1965 to 1996.
Size matters
Although Humbug offered the same type of superior satires Kurtzman had previously presented in MadMad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
and Trump
Trump (magazine)
Trump was a glossy magazine of satire and humor, mostly in the forms of comic-strip features and short stories. It was edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published by Hugh Hefner, with only two issues produced in 1957...
, the small size was a genuine problem. It sometimes was the smallest publication in magazine racks, with the result that it was often hidden behind larger magazines. Despite a change to a larger magazine format with the tenth issue, it ceased publication with issue #11. Many contributors to Humbug were also the project's financial supporters, but their investments were lost when the magazine folded because of poor distribution. Kurtzman closed up shop with the following editorial in the magazine's last issue:
- Man—We're Beat! Satire has got us beat. 1953—We started Mad magazine for a comic-book publisher and we did some pretty good satire and it sold very well. 1956—We started Trump magazine... and we worked much harder and we did much better satire and we sold much worse. 1957—We started Humbug magazine and we worked hardest of all and turned out the very best satire of all, which of course now sells the very worst of all. And now... as they throw rocks at Vice President Nixon... as space gets cluttered with missiles... and as our names are carefully removed from our work in Mad pocketbooks—a feeling of beatness creeps through our satirical veins and capillaries and we think how George S. KaufmanGeorge S. KaufmanGeorge Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
once said, "Satire is something that closes Saturday night."
Reprints
Some material from the magazine was collected in the paperback, The Humbug Digest (Ballantine BooksBallantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
).
A complete Humbug collection of all 11 issues was reprinted February 2008 in a two-volume slipcased edition by Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
. It includes annotations by John Benson, a lengthy 2005 interview with Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee, plus a four-page explanation of exactly how restoration of the magazine was accomplished by Fantagraphics.