Don Martin

Don Martin was born in Patterson, New York, and attended the Newark Art School and the Philadelphia Academy of Arts. He settled in New York and began his career doing illustrations for records, postcards and the science-fiction magazines Fantasy and Galaxy. He joined Harvey Kurtzman's Mad magazine in 1955 and stayed with the magazine for nearly the rest of his life. He became one of the most important satirical comic makers of the United States, with characters like Fester Bestertester and Captain Klutz. He became legendary for his zany sound effects. American superheroes were a topic Martin especially liked to pick on. Many humorous comic artists mention Don Martin as an important influence. He is often called "Mad's Maddest Artist".