EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 18 © 2017 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

8 All images from MAD Magazine © E.C. Publications, Inc. as The Adventures of Bob Hope , The Fox and the Crow , war comics such as Star Spangled War Stories , westerns and teenage comics. He tried making up his own gag cartoons for comics such as Dobie Gillis . Drucker’s reputation soon spread. “I met some editors and I told them what I wanted to do. They said they would support me with freelance work and, sure enough, they kept their word; they gave me the work.” He found himself working for Atlas Comics , Dell , St. John and other publishers in addition to National . The early freelance days turned hectic for Drucker. “Barbara would wake up in the morning and come in to where I was working and she’d see me sleeping at the desk with the pen in my hand. That’s the way it was. When you freelance, you don’t want to turn anything down. No matter when I took on the work it was always more than I should have taken so there I would be, falling asleep with a brush in my hand.” Then in 1956, in a now legendary encounter, Drucker answered a classified ad in the New York Times for MAD magazine, which was seeking a new artist. Associate Editor Nick Meglin greeted Drucker and reviewed his portfolio. Immediately recognizing Drucker’s talent, he brought Drucker back to meet MAD publisher Bill TOP LEFT: Mort and his wife Barbara on their wedding day in 1947. TOP RIGHT: Doby Gillis— early work for DC . ABOVE & FACING PAGE: Examples of Mort's early years with MAD magazine. When editor Nick Meglin saw Mort's portfolio he brought the young artist into publisher Bill Gaines office. Gaines agreed to hire Drucker with the proviso that the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series game he was listening to. The Dodgers won and it was the start of a 55 year long relationship.