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.