The Magnificent — and Outrageous — 1960s DC COMICS FOLDEES-SIMPSONS Mash-Up

MORRISON MONDAYS!

By BILL MORRISON

In a previous column, I talked about a chase set of trading cards I helped to create for the Inkworks Simpsons Mania series produced in 2001. As I mentioned, with the guidance of Matt Groening Productions’ art director, Mili Smythe, Bongo produced the Simpsons Mania cards, and as Bongo’s creative director I was able to pitch ideas for the subset cards, like the nine-card SimpsaDelic Blacklight set I covered in that earlier article.

Well, recently I unearthed my original art for another chase card set from the same series, the “Dr. Marvin Monroe Split Personality Fold ’Em Cards!” Each of those cardstock curiosities allows you to create nine funny pictures by folding over the tops and bottoms of the side sections of the card.

If the concept sounds familiar, it’s because I borrowed the idea from the 1966 Topps Comic Book Foldees. This 44-card set features DC Comics characters exclusively, and was drawn by legendary comics creator, Wallace “Wally” Wood. Being equally adept at drawing in both humor and superhero styles, Wood was the perfect artist to pull off these hero/humor amalgamations. And it’s cool to see his renditions of DC characters like Batman, Lois Lane, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, the Spectre, and many more.

I don’t recall who chose the characters for the Simpsons “Fold ’Em” cards set, but I love the deep dive with seldom-seen Springfieldians like Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, Llewellyn Sinclair, and Princess Kashmir. And where else will you find a picture of Marge’s sister, Selma in a bullet bra? (Not that you’d ever be searching for that!)

My original intention was to make the Fold ’Ems a direct parody of the Topps Foldees in the way they were designed, drawn, and colored. However, although Mili loved the idea, she wanted to take a less nostalgic approach and try something a bit more stylized and artsy with an unusual brush-inked line style and limited color. I think her instincts were spot-on, and the result is a set of chase cards unlike anything else in the multitude of cool Simpsons collectibles (man!).

Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below!

MORE

— What If JOHN ROMITA Stayed at DC to Work on BATMAN? Click here.

— THE QUEST FOR THE GLOWY GRAIL: Dig the TOP 13 MARVEL BLACK LIGHT POSTERS. Click here.

Eisner winner BILL MORRISON has been working in comics and publishing since 1993 when he co-founded Bongo Entertainment with Matt Groening, Cindy Vance and Steve Vance. At Bongo, and later as Executive Editor of Mad Magazine, he parodied the comics images he loved as a kid every chance he got. Not much has changed.

Bill is on Instagram (@atomicbattery) and Facebook (Bill Morrison/Atomic Battery Studios), and regularly takes commissions and sells published art through 4C Comics.

Author: Dan Greenfield

Share This Post On

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: