A Ten Question Q&A with MORT TODD
Mort Todd is an artist whose career is inextricably linked with everything that’s unseemly and subversive about American culture. By the age of 23, he’d infamously risen through the ranks at Cracked and had succeeded in assembling a cadre of cartoonists bent on recreating the halcyon age of MAD. Todd’s irreverent covers for the Back From the Grave series would further establish his reputation and would ensure that his unique imprint was indelibly seared into the frontal lobe of every malingerer, malcontent and wastrel on the planet. Reinforcing his status as a consummately cool dude, Mort took some time out of his hectic schedule to discuss his active participation in the seduction and corruption of innocent minds.
What was it like growing up in Maine and what was your introduction to the punk scene? You’d mentioned heading out to Boston for shows—what bands were you checking out?
Maine was a gas. It was twenty years behind the rest of the world so you could still pick up vintage records, toys, clothes and comics virtually new, as if in a time warp. I stocked up on tons of 60s stuff that I still enjoy to this minute. I got kicked out of public school so I went to a private school for my junior year. There I met Maine's only Jewish and black kids, along with Maine's first punk rock chick. I realized that I had always been a punk, too! The Maine punk scene was small but steadfast and I still socialize with some of them, who like me, moved out and on. Boston was the closest real bands would come to Maine then, so I hitchhiked down often and hung out with such local locos as DMZ (pre-Lyres), the Real Kids, Paley Brothers, the Marshalls and other hipsters of the era.
How’d you meet up with Dan Clowes and Rick Altergott and how did Psycho Comics happen? What was your readership like and did you have a following?
I was going to 'art' school in NYC and met comic fans; a species unknown in Maine at that time. One went to high school in Chicago with Dan, who was then attending Pratt, and through Dan I met others Prattsters, Altergott and Cliff Mott. There was no way 'mainstream' comics would allow people like us to work for them, so PSYCHO began as a DIY necessity. We were one of the first non-major publishers to have their comics distributed through the new direct sales market. Our readership was small but hardcore. Many of them have gone on to success in bands or become warped cartoonists.
One of the things that’s always impressed me about Psycho Comics is the unpopular references being mined in your mag: EC, MAD, Ditko, Jack Cole, Grand Guignol, etc. I know there was the Nostalgia Press Horror Comics book, but, otherwise, how easy was it to find this sort of stuff in the days pre-internet? How influential were the Cramps?
Obviously all that stuff was out there if you knew where to look, or had the inclination, even in Maine! A lot of EC and early MAD stuff was omnipresent in paperback editions and DC was doing a lot of Golden Age reprints, where I saw a bit of Cole. And, like I said, Maine was in a bit of a time warp and I could find old comics and stuff for under cover price. It was used after all! Actually I did buy a lot of Atlas pre-code horror and crime as a teen at the outrageous price of 50 to 75 cents each! The Cramps weren't that much of an influence as I was listening to a lot of the same stuff that influenced them.
The Krig or Ghastly?
That's like asking blonde or brunette! They can both be fun and worthwhile for different reasons!
How’d you get involved with Tim Warren and Crypt?
Tim's darkest secret is that he is (partly) from Maine. That's where I met him when he was a DJ at a club in Portland. Later in Gotham, we were having a release party for Psycho at a club and I got Tim to spin disks. I did an ad for the party with zombies dancing around a bonfire of Psycho Comics and it inspired Tim to have zombie-packed Grave covers when he started Crypt Records.
What’re your top ten favorite cuts off of the Back From the Grave series? In order of greatness, please.
C'mon! They're all fun and some of them will probably show up on the soundtrack of the SADISTIK movie I'm doing.
How’d your stint at Cracked end up happening?
Right place, right time. I figured there was nothing to gain by imitating the contemporary MAD so went back to the Kurtzman-crazed era as inspiration and was lucky to work with like-minded nuts. Against my better judgment, but due to popular demand, I'm going to document my CRACKED days in graphic novel form.
What’s your favorite Uggly Family strip?
That's like asking which is your favorite child! The first one was very fun and written in a fever, but I always liked the Dragnet and Dick Tracy ones. They would basically write themselves!
Is there anything else you wish you would’ve accomplished at Cracked—I mean, other than burning the whole place down on your way out?
I was always trying to upgrade the format, adding color, etc. I always wanted it to evolve into an oversized slick magazine so it wouldn't be compared to MAD or National Lampoon... maybe someday! And though I didn't burn the place down, I certainly left my damage in other ways.
What're you up to these days and are there any comics that you're still excited about?
I've been working in film and animation for years and a lot of the comics I produce are blatant vehicles for movies and other merchandise. I got the rights to SADISTIK, a 60s photo novel series from Italy about a skeleton-suit clad serial killer that is on the fast track to becoming a film series along with some other projects I created. Today's mainstream comics bore me but I think the best damn comics today are being created by Johnny Ryan. His stuff is hee-larious and never fails to bust my gut!
The Groupies - Primitive b/w Hog (Atco, 1966)
Songs:
Primitive / Hog AA
