Paul Coker Jr. is one of those cartoonists that always seems to be overlooked, yet he is one of the most talented and stylistically ubiquitous artists of modern times. His drawings have appeared in advertisements, on greeting cards and in the pages of Mad Magazine for over half a century. He designed characters for many of the Rankin/Bass holiday puppet TV specials, including “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”. His sketches are deceptively simple on first glance, but they are solidly drawn and incorporate many fundamental principles in a sophisticated manner. (For instance, check out the masterful control of perspective in the cartoon above.) John Kricfalusi has written an appreciation of Coker’s work, as has David Apatoff. Check out this devastating satire on network television and you’ll be a fan too.
BE A NETWORK TV EXECUTIVE
Stephen Worth
Director
Animation Resources
This posting is part of the online Encyclopedia of Cartooning under the subject heading, Magazine Cartoons.
Add another to my love list.
The combination of Paul Coker and Frank Jacobs are some of the best MAD memories around. Seriously, Coker is an amazing cartoonist.
The combination of Paul Coker and Frank Jacobs are some of the best MAD memories around. Seriously, Coker is an amazing cartoonist.
Hi, i’m Eder from Brazil. I’d like to know in which Mad magazine came out a text about the Beatles saying that they were the Generous Minstrels. Thanks and Best regards.
I have the book “Mad For Decades” and it has the TV exec bit in it. lol
Nice, Very lively drawings! I thought I saw this somewhere.