If you grew up reading MAD magazine, you have a sense of Nick Meglin, who edited MAD for a long time.
He died a couple of days ago, a week after I saw him last. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would graciously accept glowing words of praise. He was clever and sarcastic and sharp, and I’m dearly, deeply, genuinely grateful to have known him for the last twelve or so years, though I can’t imagine saying that to his face or what his hilarious, dismissive reply would have been.
The best way I’ve thought to express it is that, in the moments when we had his attention, he made us each feel we were kings, that we had such a fine court jester to mock us so perfectly.
And the world is diminished without him.
Greg, you should name the raccoons after Nick. And the raccoons could sing. It’d be Nicktoons. In the afternoon.
Condolences on the passing.
I was wondering when the raccoon tribe would show up! Poor Lowell, looks like he didn’t get enough, he’s not going to get any… that’s okay, he probably has to go back and get a bunch of apple pies so he can sneak himself a bag and eat it before he gets back….
I bet he had a great life still.
and nice to know that Lowell takes ‘good care’ of his raccoon family. hehe
All Jaffee, Sergio Aragones and Dick DeBartolo seem to be all that is left of the Usual Gang of Idiots. Sad to see an era passing before our eyes.
As for the raccoons. After capturing six to date out of my Mom’s Garage I can say the really prefer dry cat food and donuts. For some wierd reason they avoided the french fries completely.
Last big urban I lived in, was part of a citywide pond keeper club. We had lots of urban wildlife to deal with including raccoons. (our keeshond could tree one and did more than once, at just less than pitch black before the dawn and we would go out with a garden hose and convince it to leave (then put up a havaheart and call to have it gotten rid of). They would catch all your prize goldfish and koi, take a bite out of each one and lay them out for you (to die of course) or walk across on lily pots (placed inches below the surface) home in on the $200 one that you were on a waiting list for, dig it out and chew it to a flinder and leave it floating. One fellow said 25# of Gravy Train dog food a week kept them out of his pond, not cat food.
I bait my traps with marshmallows. Don’t catch cats, dogs, or my chickens that way
Balloons, smeared with grease, a drop of capsaicin and a little oil inside before inflating worked for me. Pro Tip: do not inflate with your mouth.
You have my condolences on the passing of your friend. Thanks for sharing his light. That is the perfect way to share it, passing on the warmth and bemusing the singes it gave you.
As always, thank you for the art.
Also, love the one raccoon dragging Mr. Stuffins around. That’s a beautiful touch that adds to their personalities.
I grew up with mad magazines. It’s one of those things my dad would sneak to me, on “his” weekends with me. I learned a whole lot from them! And a lot about my dad, actually, as he shared what was funny to him, and we talked and shared over the contents.
I’m thinking it’s a good thing Lowell got that nice, WELL paying job, or he’d be having fewer options in “providing for his family”.
Losing your friends and family to death sucks. Been there too often. Gets worse as you get older. Sometimes you just have to take a break to remember them and the good times you had with them, and know they’d want you to continue to live life to its fullest.
Long live Alfred E Newman.
I still have boxes of MAD in my parents’ attic. Condolences.
On a comic note, it still cracks me up that the only roadway protection Bob wears is a helmet.