CRAZY Filler - The Last Supper

I wrote and illustrated The Evolution and History of Moosekind for Marvel's CRAZY Magazine, issues 1-16 (1973 - 1976). Marv Wolfman was the editor and occasionally asked for some filler material to use whenever there was an extra page or two to fill. Since I was doing a history oriented thing, he suggested a history update, based on real events in history as if they happened today. He might have even said, "Something like the Last Supper, for example." So I thought about it and realized that if it did happen today, they might go to Sambo's coffee shop, might have a tough time getting a table for such a large group, might have a problem ordering and divvying up the bill. I got 16 people to agree to do a fumetti-style photo shoot in Studio City, California, on Ventura Blvd., one of the busiest streets in the San Fernando Valley. We all assembled on a Saturday at a small Animation studio about three blocks away, put on period costumes and walked the three blocks to Sambo's. I gotta hand it to these guys for having the courage to make that walk. Being in a group helped, but I think most people passed it off as just another day in Los Angeles. The opening shot was a real "grab and run" thing. We were in and out of there in about three minutes, heading back to the studio to do the rest of the shoot indoors.

Click on the image to enlarge. In the first panel of Page 1, from left to right, the participants included Willie Ito, Mark Kausler, and Bill Spicer (all standing), Tim Walker (kneeling in front of them), Drew Gentle (kneeling), Milt Gray (standing), Jim Childs (kneeling), Dave Alexander (behind Childs), Phil Phillipson (half kneeling), Terry Stroud, Bob Randles and Bill Stout, on the rock. Hidden behind Drew Gentle is Don Glut.

A lot of us were working at Hanna-Barbera at the time. Mark Kausler was one of the best independent animators during this period, Bill Spicer was publishing Graphic Story Magazine and was one of the premier comic book letterers, Dave Alexander and Terry Stroud were partners in a comic shop, Bob Randles was a music editor for live action films, Bill Stout was doing underground comix.

In the second panel, the same cast but with the addition of Greg Crosby as the Maitre de. A writer in Disney Publishing at the time, he later became Vice President, Disney Publishing.

In Page 2, Linda Glut, Don's wife, enters as the waitress.

In Page 3, Carol Svendsen, wife of Disney story man Julius Svendsen, enters as Bill Stout's mother. The final panel shows Mark Kausler, Phil Phillipson, Drew Gentle, Bill Spicer, Bob Randles, Willie Ito, Tim Walker, Terry Stroud, Dave Alexander, Jim Childs, Milt Gray and Don Glut all going for the leftovers.

A piece of real trivia: The lettering for this filler was done by Alex Toth.