Martin, Don Edward

▪ 2001

      American cartoonist (b. May 18, 1931, Passaic, N.J.—d. Jan. 6, 2000, Miami, Fla.), was renowned for the slapstick style and “sick” humour of the drawings he made for over 30 years as Mad magazine's “maddest” artist. His hapless wild-haired, odd-looking characters generally found themselves in unfortunate circumstances that led to some grotesque misfortune, which would be punctuated with an inventive onomatopoeic sound, such as “SKROINK,” “FOINSAPP,” “SPLOP,” “SPADATSCH,” or “POIT.” He carried that whimsy into his everyday life also; his automobile license plate sported the exclamation “SHTOINK.” Martin studied at the Newark (N.J.) School of Fine and Industrial Art for three years, received a degree in fine arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and in the mid-1950s began drawing for Mad. He remained with that magazine until 1987, when a disagreement with its publisher over reprint rights led to his joining the staff of Cracked, a rival magazine. Martin's style was influenced by Hiëronymus Bosch's characters, Warner Brothers cartoons' mania and energy, and caricaturist Al Hirschfeld's elegant line, and his work in turn influenced that of such cartoonists as Robert Crumb and Gary Larson. Martin began to publish paperback collections of his previously unpublished cartoons in 1962, with Mad's Maddest Artist Don Martin Steps Out!, and more than seven million copies were subsequently sold. Such volumes as Mad's Maddest Artist Don Martin Bounces Back (1963), Don Martin Drops 13 Stories! (1965), and Mad's Don Martin Carries On (1973) went through multiple printings. Martin later also issued greeting cards and calendars.

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