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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

CARtoons Magazine

Besides MAD, CRACKED, CRAZY, and NATIONAL LAMPOON (which I'd buy because invariably there'd be boobs somewhere in each issue), occasionally there would be another humor magazine on the racks; CARtoons. It was published from 1959 to 1991, but poor distribution and sales meant that I'd only see one or two issues per year. Seeing that it specialized in the niche genre of comics about cars probably didn't help it's overall popularity either. Regardless of the problems it had, it was an enjoyable read on the occasions that I did manage to find a copy.
While it normally focused on humor, sometimes there'd be some sci-fi or psuedo-horror stories mixed in, like this one by Errol McCarthy:



In this next feature we see that even the simplest of tasks can have unexpected results when there are kids involved, courtesy of Jim Willoughby.



When this was published, airbags were virtually unheard of, yet this gag would still work today with a few tweaks in the dialogue. This one's by Jim Mueller.



Next, by Jack Feagan, is a story that definitely shows the signs of it's time. In the 1970s, all the happenin' dudes would have a decked-out van that served as home away from home. The story is a little dated, but I like this art.



Finally, a two page spread from one of the masters of car comics, George Trosley, whose "How To Draw Cars" is an indispensable addition to any cartoonist's reference library.



from CARtoons #72, August 1973
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1 comment:

  1. A shame this couldn't be more popular, I bet it could still be on print today with a good amount of issues per year. But well what we have is enough to remember a great mag that could have been.

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