Mort Todd

With Daniel Clowes, Pete Friedrich and Rick Altergott, Mort Todd contributed stories and art to Psycho Comics. He sold his first screenplay for a TV pilot called The Ultimates to a German production company while still a teenager.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} The pilot was produced, but never distributed, and stars a young Clowes as a teen rock 'n' roll superhero.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} Mort also wrote and penciled some stories for Clowes' Lloyd Llewellyn series from Fantagraphics. Around then he started freelancing for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Kitchen Sink, Myron Fass, and many other smaller publishers.

Since 1983, he illustrated all eight volumes of Back from the Grave (Crypt Records), a compilation series of obscure proto-punk rock from the 1960s. The original art to the cover of Volume One is on permanent display at the Cornell University Punk Archive Collection.[http://ezramagazine.cornell.edu/FALL12/cover.html] The library that never sleeps: 24/7 access, on campus and around the world

In 1985, Todd became editor-in-chief of Cracked magazine. There he signed artist Don Martin after a 32-year career at Mad Magazine.[http://www.salon.com/people/obit/2000/01/07/martin/index.html "MAD cartoonist Don Martin dies. The humor artist known for wacky words and sick jokes succumbs to cancer at age 68,"] Salon.com (January 7, 2000). {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010905125912/http://www.salon.com/people/obit/2000/01/07/martin/index.html |date=September 5, 2001 }} Todd also published some of the earliest mainstream work of Altergott, Clowes, and Peter Bagge.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

For Globe Communications, Todd created the comics magazine Monsters Attack!,[http://www.comics.org/credit/name/mort%20todd/sort/chrono/ Mort Todd] at the Grand Comics Database. which featured horror comics and articles about movies. It ran five issues (Sept. 1989 - Dec. 1990), with Todd involved with the first four.[http://www.comics.org/series/3952/ Monsters Attack] (cover logo: Monsters Attack!) at the Grand Comics Database.

Todd launched the imprint AAA, which published the first authorized collection of Bill Ward's pin-ups in W.O.W. (World of Ward). AAA also published a bilingual humor comic called Pepito with stories by writer George Gladir.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

In 1994, Todd launched a line of music comics called Marvel Music at Marvel Comics, working with such artists as Kiss, Rob Zombie, The Rolling Stones, KRS-One, and the estates of Elvis Presley and Bob Marley. Some of the talent working on these books included Neil Gaiman, Kyle Baker, Dan Barry, Severin, Colan, and Morrow.Considine, J.D. [https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19940710/1919586/comics-that-rock "Comics That Rock -- It's Not The New Music Video - Yet - But The Comic Book Has Become A Hot Marketing Tool For Top Names In Rock,"] The Baltimore Sun (July 10, 1994).

While at Marvel, Todd also edited a series of pre-Comics Code horror and giant monster reprints (Curse of the Weird and Monster Menace), and developed the oversized Comic Book by Ren & Stimpy-creator John Kricfalusi.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

In 2005, Todd rejoined Cracked magazine, this time as a contributing editor, but left after several months.{{cite book | title = If You're Cracked, You're Happy | author-link= Mark Arnold (writer)| first= Mark | last = Arnold}}

Todd has written and illustrated for the new Tales from the Crypt comic series, and completed new comic books featuring "Lucy Hell, Devilgirl", "The Secret Society", and the French/English language "Mr. Krime", the last written by Martyrs of Pop's Jean-Emmanuel Dubois. With his longtime collaborator Cliff Mott, Todd has created and directed three animated cartoons for Playboy.{{cite web |url=http://www.aniboom.com/animation-video/375638/Bunni-Power---Sexy-Superhero/ |title=Watch Bunni Power Sexy Superhero animated video on aniboom |access-date=2012-03-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320055812/http://www.aniboom.com/animation-video/375638/Bunni-Power---Sexy-Superhero/ |archive-date=2012-03-20 }} Bunni Power - Sexy Superhero aniboom.com

Todd has storyboarded commercials and produced animation for Walt Disney, Sesame Street, CBS, MTV, and Comcast, including an animated TV pilot featuring Christopher Walken.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7uTHJhRwbo&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ] Christopher Walken Lost Cartoon - Sings & Dances youtube.com

Todd was assistant director on the live-action film Distraction,[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0835477/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast] Distraction Full Cast & Crew imdb.com and directed his first live-action short, a gangster comedy called A Change of Heart.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} He is producer of The Diabolikal Super-Kriminal documentary, which had its world premiere in Italy at the Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival in November 2007,{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110723080917/http://www.stradanove.net/news/testi/cinema-07b/camrx2510070.html "Ravenna Nightmare Film Fest" press release]}}, Stradanove.net (October 25, 2007). and its U.S. premiere at San Diego Comic-Con in July, 2009. The film was awarded a Special Mention at the convention and in November, 2011, won the "Golden Lobster" Director's Award at the Portland Maine Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.mainetoday.com/enternews/041874.html |title=News Pile: Portland Maine Film Festival announces festival winners | MaineToday.com |access-date=2012-03-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319060025/http://www.mainetoday.com/enternews/041874.html |archive-date=2012-03-19 }} Portland Maine Film Festival announces festival winners mainetoday.com He has directed music videos for cartoonist Peter Bagge's Seattle band Can You Imagine?,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIO97nzNHw&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&index=1&feature=plcp] DRIVE by Can You Imagine? with Peter Bagge, Directed by Mort Todd youtube.com the psychobilly band Psycho Charger,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za28xTDaEXM&feature=BFa&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&lf=plcp] They Call Him SADISTIK! - Psycho Charger youtube.com the Spanish Help Me Devil[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f22wWLAVGeY&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&index=5&feature=plcp] Girls Today Don't Like to Sleep Alone - Help Me Devil youtube.com[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY8oclwO9gs&feature=BFa&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&lf=plcp] Free of Your Spell - Help Me Devil directed by Mort Todd youtube.com as well as an animated tease for his animated Sadistik: Strip & Kill web series.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm19QadZHoE&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&index=2&feature=plcp] SADISTIK! Strip & Kill Animation Teaser 2011 youtube.com He also provided some animation for the documentary Arias with a Twist, directed by Bobby Sheehan.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

The first work from Todd’s media company, Comicfix, was a trio of comic strips appearing in the New York Post, starting in 2000: Speed Racer, written and drawn by Mort; Celebrity Biografix by Mort and John Severin; and an interactive soap opera comic, Molly the Model by Mort, Cliff Mott and Pat Redding.{{cite news | title=New York Pulse: Golly It's Molly & You Can Meet Her| work='New York Post| date=January 29, 2001}} His illustrations appear on CD covers, magazines, newspapers and print advertisements.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

Other work includes a comic booklet in the Wilmer Valderrama DVD, The Dead One (a.k.a. El Muerto); a CD cover for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the European tour poster and videos for his band with Matt Verta-Ray, Heavy Trash.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2tdmHwq1gs&list=UUbf1FQKpyqqZDnPFvurYiSQ&index=14&feature=plcp] Heavy Trash "Way Out" Redux youtube.com Comicfix also published the three issue run of Holy Terror by Jason Caskey & Phil Hester that was started at Image Comics but was never completed there.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

In late 2011, Mort started Station A, a media company in Portland, Maine, that creates print advertising and comics,[http://www.station-a.com] station-a.com as well as a live action TV commercial he directed for Nosh Kitchen Bar that stirred a local controversy for its depiction of vegans.{{cite web |url=http://www.pressherald.com/blogs/mainealacarte/146452285.html |title=Sneaky burger: Nosh tricks vegetarians into eating meat...in a new commercial | the Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram |access-date=2012-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712075558/http://www.pressherald.com/blogs/mainealacarte/146452285.html |archive-date=2012-07-12 }} Sneaky burger: Nosh tricks vegetarians into eating meat...in a new commercial pressherald.com as did an animated commercial for Taco Escobarr.[http://www.themainemag.com/blog/2012/03/tex-mex-flavors-come-alive-and-kick-you-right-in-the-pants-at-taco-escobarr-2/]{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Tex-Mex flavors come alive, and kick you right in the pants, at Taco Escobarr themainemag.com

In July 2012, Tood launched a weekly humor magazine, Vex.[http://www.pressherald.com/2012/09/23/comics-man-reveals-his-edge-_2012-09-24/] Comics Man Reveals His Edge

On April 1, 2013, Todd perpetrated a hoax with the supposed discovery of a trove of 1950s horror comics from the fictitious Zeus Comics.[http://www.mightygeek.com/geeky/long-lost-controversial-zeus-comics-displayed/] Long Lost Controversial Zeus Comics to be Displayed[https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=450419068371129] Zeus Comics On Display The following day he announced it as a hoax to promote a publishing project.[http://www.portlanddailysun.me/index.php/newsx/local-news/9020-comic-relief-todd-says-hoax-served-serious-purpose] Comic Relief? Todd says Hoax Served Serious Purpose

Beginning in 2014, Comicfix began publishing The Charlton Arrow.[http://www.comics.org/publisher/9347/ Comicfix (publisher)} at the Grand Comics Database.] As more and more creators got involved, including some original Charlton Comics veterans, the publication became a color comic and moved to the Charlton Neo imprint where Mort became publisher and editor-in-chief.[http://morttodd.com/charlton.html] Charlton Neo Home Page

In 2013, Mort Todd relaunched ACE Comics with publisher Ron Frantz, who had published the line in the 1980s.[http://morttodd.com/ace.html] ACE Comics home page Todd had contributed to ACE in 1987, collaborating on the comic Return of the Skyman with legendary illustrator Steve Ditko.[http://www.comics.org/issue/43280/] Return of the Skyman

The first new ACE Comics release was The Return of the Original Skyman Pencil Portfolio, advertised as a 25th Anniversary Collectors’ Edition. It is unique in that the original pencil pages of artist Steve Ditko are printed next to the finished ink pages embellished by Rick Altergott.[http://morttodd.com/skyman.html] The Return of the Original Skyman Pencil Portfolio

The second title was Kill the Face!, reprinting the revival of the Golden Age of Comic Books character The Face, which Frantz released in the 1980s, with story by Joe Gill and art by Ditko with a cover by Alex Toth. As well as editing the book, Todd colored the collected issues, having been originally published in black and white.[http://morttodd.com/face.html] Kill the Face!

Another series being released by ACE is Classic Hot Rods and Racing Car Comics, a reprint series collecting the original Charlton Comics series, written and drawn by Jack Keller.[http://morttodd.com/hotrods.html ACE Comics Classic Hot Rods and Racing Car Comics]

• (as Michael Delle-Femine) Monster Party (Cracked digest, volume 2) (Globe Communications, 1987)
• The Joker's Joke Book (Tom Doherty Associates, 1988) {{ISBN|0-8125-7125-8}}
• Woodstock, 1969-1994 (Marvel Music, 1994) {{ISBN|0-7851-0075-X}} — written with Charles Schneider, illustrated by Pat Redding
• Over 100 Traits of Truly Horrible People: How to Be a Better Person, (Radius Press, 2000) {{ISBN|0-942154-44-4}}

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{{commons category}}

• {{official website|http://www.morttodd.com}}
• {{IMDb name|2565693}}
• [http://www.comics.org/credit/name/Michael%20Delle-Femine/sort/chrono/ Michael Delle-Femine] and (misspelled) [http://www.comics.org/credit/name/Michael-Della%20Femine/sort/chrono/ Michael Della-Femine] at the Grand Comics Database

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Category:American animators

Category:American comics writers

Category:American comics artists

Category:American magazine editors

Category:American record producers

Category:Living people

Category:1961 births