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Monday, September 19, 2022
Norman the Barbarian - Barry Windsor Smith & Conan battle ego and politics
It’s been some time since I last visited “Nation Lampoon’s” satirical comic strip output, mostly due to the fact that I only had one of their strips (“Son of God”) to add here. However, that all changed last month when I was rummaging through some old newspapers and magazines in an antique / nostalgia type shop in Glasgow and came across these pages from National Lampoon from May 1972. Sadly, this was all that there was of that issue of National Lampoon (no cover etc) but the owner was happy to sell these to me for a few pounds along with a couple of UK late 1960’s annuals (mostly purchased in the hope to seal the deal).
"Norman" himself was not primarily a parody of Conan but was a satire on New York writer and activist Norman Mailer who in 1969 made a failed attempt to run for Mayor of New York City on a ticket of banning private cars from Manhattan on a Sunday ( well ahead of its time as it was meant to cut down on pollution) and making New York city the 51st state of the US. By all accounts Mailers run for mayor was highly entertaining and filled with many hard hitting and fun quips at his rivals but it was also peppered with drunken tirades with Mailer swearing at crowds and telling anyone that interrupted his speech to “shut up”. It was in May 1969 at an event in Greenwich that his campaign hit the “skids” when he called the audience “……nothing but a bunch of spoilt pigs”. Like all things political from another country my knowledge is very limited and I m sure Mailer had his good points, but one thing was for sure it provided an excellent comic strip parody.
Written by Sean Kelly with art by a young Barry Smith (at this time he hadn’t added “Windsor” to his name) this is one of the very best National Lampoon parodies. A well-researched script by Sean Kelly with Smith providing some excellent art based on his rapidly changing style at the time (possibly around the time of “Conan the Barbarian” issue 15). The character “Bress- Lin” was in reality a paraody of Mailers good friend, writer and running mate Jimmy Breslin. Breslin seemed the more level headed and wittier of the two men who when asked what he would do if they won reportedly replied “I’d demand a recount” (Mmmmm sounds familiar!) . In another quote Breslin upon hearing that New York bars would be closed on election day stated ” I am mortified to have taken part in a process that required bars to be closed” - I think I like this guy!
The human faces featured in the Hydra are seemingly US talk show hosts of the time including Dick Calvert (the only one I recognise). The reference to Norman “….stabbing his wife” is based on a true event that took place in 1960 when Mailer stabbed his then second wife with a pen knife nearly killing her seemingly for questioning his “manhood”.
As with all things National Lampoon from this period this strip is very much of its time and should be read with that in mind. In reality Mailers run for Mayor seemed to be based on his ego rather than any real attempt to win. Surely no one would be silly enough to elect an egotistical President in the US?!!
The real "Norman" Mr Mailer.
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I simply love Windsor-Smith's work from this era. It has a delightful charm even when he's drawing hideous beasts. I'm not referring to Norman Mailer by the way.
ReplyDeleteLol. Smith's art was so fresh and a joy to behold at this time . The more I read about Norman Mailer the more he seems like he was always a relic from a bygone era - a shame as he was a talented writer.
Delete"Gomorrah, the world!" - brilliant title, very witty.
ReplyDeleteAnd it sounds even better in a Glaswegian accent!
DeleteIn 1983 I bought the novel "Ancient Evenings" by Norman Mailer because at the time I was fascinated by anything to do with ancient Egypt (where the novel is set) but I never read it so I can't say if it was any good or not.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a Mailer book either Colin but I am looking at picking up "The Fight" an account of Muhammod Ali's fight with George Foreman in Zaire ( now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) the legendary "rumble in the jungle" fight . I'm not a boxing fan but I will read most things aboit Ali , who like Mailer was a flawed genius.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating find, McScotty, and a reminder that this kind of satirical magazine seems to be no longer produced here in the US. (National Lampoon ceased publishing in 1998). Perhaps that is a comment that today's target audience of 18-30 year olds are either too apathetic about politics, or the joke of satire would be lost? It does seem strange that this parody of Norman the Barbarian should appear in 1972, 3 years after the event it was satirizing. At that time, I think that Mailer was both lionized in the media for his non-fiction novel approach to "new journalism" and mocked for his attitudes and tough-guy demeanour. His book "The Armies of the Night" was hailed as a seminal work. Mailer was one of Denny O'Neil's favourite writers, and O'Neil quotes "Armies of the Night" in one of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics of this era. (Am away from home so unable to identify the exact issue).
ReplyDeleteI've only read one Norman Mailer novel "Tough Guys Don't Dance", but it was 40 years ago. I'm also intrigued by National Lampoon issues of this era.....I may search out a few.
You've probably watched the Youtube video clip of Mailer's 1969 run for Mayor at https://youtu.be/TkbTdkqYbG0 . Worth a look. Also Dick Cavett talks about having Mailer on his TV chat show in this archive interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C4VbKdbF48 .
I think too many 18-30 year olds get all their info from social media which is geared to their like and interests so they don't get a balanced view. Mags like National Lampoon were good at poking fun at all sides. I think the Mailer\Norman parody was really looking at Mailer in general as he stabbed his wife in 1960 etc. In 1971 he also head butted Gore Vidal after they argued on the Dick Cavett TV show. I would assume that was big news in 1971 and rekindled interest in Mailer who was again ripe for parody and National Lampoon was happy to oblige. Mailer seemed full of contradictions but seems to have his heart in the right place but he was certainly flawed. I am on the look out for Neal Adams Dead Man NAtional Lampoon strip, nothing at all to do with the DC strip he was drawing at the time .
ReplyDelete