Original ‘Superduperman’ art leads Comics and Comic Art auction, Feb. > 26-27/ On the heels of an auction of /Mad Magazine/ art that brought almost
> $750,000, Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries is offering the
> first page of the /Mad/ story that arguably made the maga
As the book Completely /MAD/ notes, sales of issue #1 were “abysmal”
> and it was #4 that finally turned the corner to profitability.
>
> “Most experts credit the turnaround directly to /Superduperman/,” said
> Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Heritage. “/Mad/ cast Superman
> as a narcissistic stuffed shirt, and Clark Kent as a pathetic creep.
> It was the first truly hilarious /Mad/ story, and it‘s been reprinted
> many times over the years. Harvey Kurtzman’s subversive deconstruction
> of popular culture—which is introduced right on this page—is a
> blueprint for /Mad’s/ entire achievement. This approach was hugely
> influential to the subsequent Underground cartoonists, not to mention
> the entire history of American comedy from the 1950s on. The splash
> shows the great Wally Wood at his comedic best, it’s beautifully
> rendered and filled with hilarious detail. You couldn’t find a better
> marriage of form, content, and historical importance. This is a truly
> iconic piece of original comic artwork.”
>
> While these days /Mad/ is published by DC Comics, back then there was
> no such connection, and Superman’s publisher was not amused,
> threatening a lawsuit. EC chose to ignore the threat and continue
> churning out parodies, and the rest is history.
