48 years ago, this month, Mr. Spy vs. Spy came to the United States. The rest is history...Antonio Prohías (January 17, 1921 – February 24, 1998), born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, was a cartoonist most famous for creating the comic strip Spy vs. Spy for MAD Magazine.
In the late 1940s, Prohías began working at El Mundo, the most important newspaper in Cuba. By 1960, he had become an internationally recognized and awarded political cartoonist. At this time, Fidel Castro's government took over the paper, and Prohías left Cuba for New York, where he found himself attracted to Mad.El Hombre Siniestro: (The Sinister Man) wore a wide-brimmed hat and overcoat and had a long pointed nose, becoming the prototype for the Spies. (more)
In the late 1950s Antonio Prohias was the president of the Association of Cuban Cartoonists. On the first of May 1960, he fled from Cuba to America flat broke. Once in the states, he went directly to work at Mad magazine, and became an internationally respected and beloved cartoonist. He started 'Spy vs. Spy' as an anti-Castro cartoon, but it ended up as one of the most popular features in Mad magazine. Prohias drew 'Spy vs. Spy' for Mad until he retired in 1990. Even though Antonio P
rohias passed away in 1998, 'Spy Vs. Spy' can still be enjoyed in every issue of Mad Magazine. (more) (NPR audio report) (The first "Spy vs. Spy")Visitors to my office smile when the see Mr. Black Spy riding atop a 3-foot bomb, on its way down to pay Mr. White Spy a visit. One can only guess what the next frame of this story will be. One thing we all know, the last frame will be
MAD... Mutually Assured Destruction. Wry Prohías humor. Neither side ever wins.Need something to make you, or a friend, smile? Go MAD. Let The Spy Guys make it happen. The International Spy Museum has an army of them waiting for you. Click here.
