Mad's Greatest Artists: Dave Berg: Five Decades of "The Lighter Side of..."

You've got to hand it to Bill Gaines for being one of the few publishers who stuck to the idiom of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", as for nearly five decades MAD remained virtually unchanged. It was printed in black and white and on cheap newsprint paper, and never carried any advertisements unless it was a parody of one. As a matter of fact, once the usual gang of idiots was established, you knew you'd somehow see Alfred E. Neuman doing something stupid on the cover, and when you opened the magazine, the first treat would be a parody of the latest Hollywood blockbuster (usually courtesy of cartoonist extraordinaire Mort Drucker), and would end with a parody of the latest tv sitcom sensation (usually courtesy of the great Angelo Torres). But let's not forget the fold-in by Al Jaffee in the inside back cover that had many a kid wrecking the covers of their MAD magazines trying to figure out what Jaffee had really drawn. You'd also most certainly find a Spy vs. Spy page or two, along with some crazy Don Martin pages (at least when he was part of the usual gang of idiots), the Sergio Aragonés pantomime marginals all over the magazine that had many a reader wondering how he could draw so small, and of course Dave Berg's hilarious look into middle-class America: the Lighter side of... (pick your choice, he did them all). As is, this book is a collection of some of Dave Berg's best Lighter side of gags from the five decades he worked at MAD, and not the "complete collection" as many readers believe (a complete collection would require ten more books like this one). Dave Berg, who before working for MAD had probably worked for every other comic book publisher in America, hit a home-run with his insightful and hilarious, always spot-on look into what was going on in the households of middle-class families (which for a certain amount of time was the predominant social class in America). I mean, who hasn't read a Lighter side of gag and not wondered whether Dave Berg had been looking over your shoulder, as "That same thing happened to me", or "My father/son/mother/daughter/brother/sister said exactly the same thing". Yes, for five decades, Dave Berg was the voice of many American families that struggled to keep up with the changing times. Berg's view of the world was so accurate that to this day any sociological study on America needs look no further than his Lighter side of... cartoons. I have to confess, though, that Dave Berg wasn't my favorite MAD artist (or is it idiot?) back then, but his Lighter side of... was the first thing I read whenever I got a MAD magazine. And it always made me laugh. Sometimes very loudly, and much to the detriment of whoever happened to be near/beside me, whether at school or at work (or in bed). And you've got to leave it to Dave Berg for being one of the only cartoonists I know of who must have drawn hundreds of different characters, as opposed to your usual comic book artist who is always drawing the same handful of characters. I mean, there was a time when I thought he would run out of characters because every month there was a new batch, be they male or female, young or old. How could he do that? Also, Dave Berg's the only artist/cartoonist I know of that had as many male as female fans. Do you know many comic book artists who have female fans? Thought so. Well, Dave Berg was the exception. Although hardly any of the girls during my school years read comic books, they would occasionally grab a MAD magazine, and what they read inside was the Lighter side of cartoons by Dave Berg (for a while there you thought I'd say they read Don Martin, huh?). And that's why Dave Berg is such an important artist and this book's been due for a long time. So far so good, right? Well, yes and no. As I said before, this book was due for a long time (Dave Berg only drew one cover for MAD, fer chissakes), and having it now in hardback makes it all the more worthy. However, the artwork inside seems to have been scanned directly from the magazine (wasn't there any original Dave Berg art available?). The problem with the old MAD magazines was that they were printed on cheap paper that yellows (or grays) with age. And when you try to clean up the pages, much of Dave Berg's original gray washtones get lost along the way. Oddly enough, sometimes even parts of his finer pen line work has faded during the clean-up process. It's a pity, because the artwork in the magazines looked much better and sharper than it does in this book, even if it's printed on glossy paper. Maybe it would've been better to leave the artwork as is with the "graying paper", and print the whole thing on mat paper instead. I'm not saying its all lost. The art just doesn't look as good as it did in the magazines. Anyway, this doesn't spoil the joy you'll have from reading the strips. As added bonuses, we do get an abridged interview with Berg, a reminiscence by his daughter, and some private pics of him courtesy of his family. We also get some drawings by other artists illustrating Berg's own gags. Though I guess I would've prefered a little more info as to the content inside. I mean, where did the name of Roger Kaputnik come from? Oddly enough, though Dave Berg drew himself in the strip, he wasn't called Roger Kaputnik in the beginning, and the name was used to describe some other characters instead. As to the many characters he drew, you'll recognize Bill Gaines in various guises (before and after he had the beard and long hair), some other MAD editors, and a handful of recurring characters he kept drawing, but that I don't know who they were, as there is no info on any of them inside the book. And damn, couldn't they get any original art for this book? Even with its minor faults, I'm still giving this book five stars, as Dave Berg's work more than deserves it (five might be a little too short for such a talented person). Enjoy!

Book came cheap and in good condition (not in a library). Been searching for it and found it and loving every bit of it

I'd give this 10 stars if possible. This should be required reading for everyone. Perfect reflection on the last 50 years of middle America. Totally hilarious. Total genius. I have been lucky enough to have followed "the Lighter Side of..." in MAD since its first appearance till the last strip. Dave is immensely missed. Buy this book and buy one for all your family members as it is so good. You will love it.

Love the delivery and reasonable price for this hard to find out of print book (Mad’s Greatest Artists: Dave Berg). Only very small issue was that although the book was in very good shape, including the dust jacket, it was not ‘New’ as it had been represented.

GOOD BOOK WITH ALL HIS WORKS

Dave Berg's section was always one of my favorites and this book collects a ton of his material from the decades he worked for the magazine. If you're a fan of MAD, you won't be disappointed.

if you ever bought or read MAD.. you really must get this book of rave humor.. a massive collection of humor by a MAD staple..Dave Berg...

Despite the dated clothing and social mores that define Dave Berg's work, his work is priceless. One of the original writer-artists when the magazine first began, his style is instantly recognizable. i grew up reading MAD magazine and still have a subscription that the boys and my husband fight over when it arrives. To me, MAD will always be Don Martin, Prohias, the disgusting Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker and Dave Berg. And the title of this book collection says it all: MAD's Greatest Artist: Dave Berg. There are other collections of Mort Drucker and Sergio Aragones that I will definitely check out.