Mad Magazine was a huge influence my young mind, my sense of humor and my cynical outlook on American culture. Its probably safe to say that without the influence of Mad, I would not be a SubGenius today...
There are a lot of similarities between Mad and the SubGenius viewpoint. The graphic intensity and eye-popping visuals of SubG literature seems to be a direct descendant of Mad's aesthetic. Also, there is the love of silly wordplay, puns and invented lingo, the many shibboleths and inside jokes that make both the Mad reader and the SubGenius feel a shared understanding of a world beneath the surface. Definitely, there is a subversive, smartass attitude that is inseparable from both.
And then there is J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, who is like Alfred E. Neuman in many ways. Both characters started life out as clip art, cheap public domain graphics with enigmatic origins; both were consequently adopted as the official mascot, trademark, and embodiment of their respective organizations...
The images of "Bob" and Alfred are, for the most part just faces. True, they are often pictured with full bodies, but that tends to be just a means to some visual gag. The power of both characters resides in their own peculiar, grinning visages.
And of course, the magic of both "Bob" and Alfred is their ability to shapeshift, to take on a multitude of identities while retaining their own characteristics. As a Mad reader, I was always amazed at the endless variations on a theme that the "Usual Gang of Idiots" could come up with in the depiction of Alfred. When I first encountered Revelation X, my introduction to the Church, I was struck by the similar way the Dobbshead was treated. It seems there are limitless ways to express the image of "Bob" that are different yet recognizable. This has been a great source of inspriation to me, as I try to work the Dobbshead into my images in new and interesting ways.
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