# Don Martin is dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601 "2000-01-07T20:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/1 "2000-01-07T20:59:00Z")
My generation was the first to go mad about Mad Magazine. As a long time contributor and, indeed, mainstay of Mad, Don Martin was also a major contributor to the youth culture for several waves of “youths”. Don Martin - Maddest of the Mad - rest in peace. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/2 "2000-01-07T21:03:00Z")
Don Martin… is he the guy who drew the knobby-kneed, horizontal-toed, freaky-lookin’ people? ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/3 "2000-01-07T21:09:00Z")
I picked up a Mad Magazine a little while ago and was suprised that the masthead was almost identical to the one I remember 20 years ago. An issue without a Don Martin cartoon seems incomprehensible. He’s a fixure like the fold-in on the inside-back cover and the little Sergio Argonne(sp?) gags in the margins and Spy vs Spy and those lame “Lighter side of…” strips. Mad magazine will be incomplete without Don Martin. It will no longer be the same magazine I bought religiously as a kid and had to hide from my mom. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/4 "2000-01-07T21:12:00Z")
Oh man. That suck. Splorch. * * * Plunging like stones from a slingshot on Mars. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/5 "2000-01-07T21:15:00Z")
Oh. Sad. Don Martin was a fixture in my life growing up as well. But, for awhile there he had left Mad, went over to Cracked. I don’t know for how long, but they had “Duck” Edwing, or something like that replacing him. Also, there is a new person doing Spy vs. Spy, which I thought was a shame. I remember as a kid reading the magazine and laughing at all the fun jokes, then finding an issue from 20 years before and seeing how many of the artists and writers were the same. They knew how to hang on to the “usual gang of idiots” Well, a moment of silence for Don Martin. Hopefully his funeral won’t involve tall men who can’t carry a coffin correctly for four panels. pat ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/6 "2000-01-07T21:20:00Z")
I hate to tell you this, but the ‘Spy vs. Spy’ artist died a few monmths ago, too . . . ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/7 "2000-01-07T21:25:00Z")
You can’t help but love a man that had “SHTOINK” on his license plate. Aw damn. your humble TubaDiva PS Patrick O’Brian passed away too; it’s been a tough week for the arts. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/8 "2000-01-07T21:26:00Z")
Hellooo? [knock knock] Is this thing on? ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/9 "2000-01-07T21:30:00Z")
As someone who still reads Mad Magazine (for over 20 years now), I’m also saddened by Don Martin’s demise. However, I’m even more amazed at the longevity of many of the artists. Over the past couple of years, Mad has reissued their comic books, three at a time, in magazine format. Many of the names were recognizable to me, even though I didn’t start reading Mad until 1979. The artist who originally drew “Spy vs. Spy” was Antonio Prohias, who, like Eve said, is in Mad heaven with Bill Gaines and Don Martin. An aside: There is a message in Morse code in each “Spy vs. Spy” title block that reads (IIRC) “by Prohias.” * * * “Well, walk it off! And next time, _stretch_ before you ovulate.” – Al Bundy ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/10 "2000-01-07T21:33:00Z")
That is depressing. Fonebone is no more. I was a huge Don Martin fan as a teenager and spent all my class time trying to draw like him. When I was in high school my best icebreaker was my D.M. style drawing of the band Kiss. * * * “Popeye? Hm? He’s not much of a judge of women!” King Blozo ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/11 "2000-01-08T17:27:00Z")
National Gorilla Suit Day just won’t be the same this year. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/12 "2000-01-08T19:01:00Z")
When I read the title of this thread, I actually unconsciously yelled “NO!” out loud. I recently purchased the “Totally MAD” CD ROM set, and highly recommend it to all Don Martin fans. ---
**Author:** ![sly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@sly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sly)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/13 "2000-01-08T19:06:00Z")
Canthearya: Yes, that is Don Martin. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/14 "2000-01-08T22:11:00Z")
Rest in peace, Thoof-foing, Flabadap, Vreech, Katoonga, Fagroon, Ssat… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/15 "2000-01-08T22:38:00Z")
When I heard that Mr. Martin had died, I immediately thought of the old “Mystery Science Theater 3000” invention-exchange that featured “Don Martins”, big oversized boots you could wear that made your feet look like the ones Mr. Martin drew. * * * “My hovercraft is full of eels.” ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/16 "2000-01-08T23:16:00Z")
- - - Okay, any MAD experts here, why did the title MAD (on the front cover) always have a small “ind” between the M and the AD? Well, I don’t know that it _always_ had it, but it did for as long as I can remember. - MC ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/17 "2000-01-08T23:24:00Z")
Spy vs Spy **IS** old. I remember trying to figure those out about 1960, since they had no words, they were easier. My dad would buy Mad and Superman, back in the old country. And we had some Mad books that were older than 1960 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/18 "2000-01-08T23:26:00Z")
To MC: The “IND” refers to the Independent News Agency, which has been the distributor for _Mad_ since the mid-50s, when Leader News–the magazine’s then distributor and a mjor debtor of publisher Bill Gaines–went belly-up. ---
**Author:** ![dwtno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@dwtno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwtno)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/19 "2000-01-09T00:04:00Z")
My favorite Don Martinism… The sound of Wonder Woman removing her bra: _snap_ _floobadoof_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-martin-is-dead/12601/20 "2000-01-09T04:49:00Z")
I remember _Games_ magazine once had a quiz where they listed ten Don Martin “sound effects” and you were supposed to match them to the events they were supposed to describe. “Let’s see does a man getting hit in the face with a fish sound more like a splorch or a fwakk?”