Fantagraphics continues its phenomenal series in collaboration with Marvel Comics by publishing its eighth entry in the Atlas Comics series, Atlas’ response to MAD Magazine, SNAFU (an ironic Army acronym for Situation Normal: All Fouled Up). While the entire run was only three issues long, the complete collection is published here (Issues 1 -3: November 1955 – January 1956). The issues are gargantuan, verging on 70 pages each of nothing but comic buffoonery, quick witticisms, and long, wonderfully drawn roasts of popular TV shows and movies.
Buy SNAFU: The Funniest Magazine in the World!The Atlas collection is further embellished with incredible supplementary content. The introduction to SNAFU is covered by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo in a 22-page extravaganza of artwork, comic covers, and lots of opportunity for quick barbs and witticisms. A complete culture is presented in which comics like MAD Magazine, SNAFU, and, later, Cracked Magazine evolved out of a world winding down from war. There are many examples of very early comics that would influence MAD and SNAFU: Bill Holman’s (Doctor of Foolosophy) “Smokey Stover,” and Harvey Kurtzman’s “Pigtails,” “Hey Look,” “Little Aspirin’s Tricky Tricks!”, and “Egghead Doodle.” These are the sorts of comics with lines like, “Well, starch my girdle!” There is also a selection of covers from other satirical publications such as Wild, Crazy, Riot, Cracked, Loco, Zany, and The Adventures of Pussycat.
SNAFU feels very familiar to MAD Magazine but with a bent toward older teens / young adults. There are tons of satirical looks at print advertisements, popular commercials, best-selling novels, cheesecake photos, a photo of a real cheesecake, and the list goes on. Certainly our communal sense of humor has “matured” since these simpler days. However, there is still plenty to laugh at in this over-filled volume. One bit starts as a news item (129 – 131): “What would happen if Gina Lollobrigida tripped on a banana peel in Times Square? It would probably be reported in the newspapers. After all, it’s a news item. But how might the various newspapers handle such a story?” This is followed by two pages of gag headlines from Variety’s, “Gina Boffo in N.Y. Wows Smash Crowd on B’Way,” to The New York Times, “Girl Trips in Street. Uninjured.”
Due to time and culture shifts, most of SNAFU is still (just barely) chuckle inducing. The jokes that work best are those that haven’t worn too thin or are not too enmeshed in the culture of the times. One piece that has become a classic because of the many versions we have seen over the years is: “You Don’t Say” (174 – 175). The premise is simple: When a woman says one thing she means another. If we ignore the obviously sexist set-up, we get lines like “Darling, how do you ever manage to stay so young-looking?” (Who’s your embalmer, you old bat?), and “For me?!! Oh, Wendley, you shouldn’t have done it!” (I didn’t know Woolworth’s was having a sale, you cheapskate!). And six more of the same – they had pages to fill.
Atlas No. 8, like its predecessors, concludes with yet another comprehensive section on the creators of SNAFU written by Michael Dean. This time, there are only seven entries as the Atlas offices must have been a madhouse with so few staff chugging along at full steam to meet deadlines of such a large and content-filled book. Entries to “The Creators” include Bill Everett, Russ Heath, Stan Lee (who single-handedly wrote nearly all the content in SNAFU), Joe Maneely (also included are nine pages of Maneely’s original art, sans dialogue, to showcase Maneely’s considerable talent), Howie Post, John Severin, and Marie Severin. These are more than just thumbnail sketches for each artist. Instead, we are given career-covering biographies with details on important work in comics, associated publishing houses, and awards and honors.
Considering the exorbitant costs associated with collecting original copies of SNAFU today, Atlas Comics No. 8: SNAFU: The World’s Funniest Magazine! brings together a dream for collectors. This is a beautifully constructed and produced book that showcases some of the greatest talents of the time. They may not have been able to rival MAD Magazine for success in sales, but, dang it, you can tell they really tried. It is obvious that the creators of SNAFU absolutely loved working on it: the writing is great, and the art pops from every page.
