Elder's Artistic Touch

I keep harping about what a good artist I think Will Elder was with satirical comics and magazines, such as MAD.

He was responsible for new standards, or format, in that type of publication. He is just about the first one to have little side jokes all over the story that had nothing to do with the story. I think he called them “sniglets” but could be wrong.

Here is a good example he did in a MAD comic book story lampooning Mandrake the Magician, here as Manduck the Magician. You may have to double click the picture to enlarge it. See in both panels the two men in the bottom right corner. It the first panel one man is pick pocketing the other man. And in the next panel the pick pocketed man is falling because the pick pocketer instead of pulling out the man’s wallet accidentally pulled off his prosthetic leg.

Also, there are other little gags that have nothing to do with the story line, for instance the feather on an extension arm tickling the armpit of Luther when he lifting barbells – giving the feeling of a Marx Brothers whimsical environment; and also the man with a zipper on top of his head – why a zipper?