MAD Presents: Spy Vs. Spy - The Top Secret Files

by Peter Kuper

Spy vs. Spy' has been one of the most popular features in MAD Magazine. The diabolical duo of double-crosses and deceit (one dressed in black, the other in white) have continued to one-up each other until death do they part. This new edition of Spy Vs. Spy spotlights the work of Peter Kuper who continues the series following the death of Antonio Proh'as, the original creator.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics

75 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2011

About the author

Peter Kuper is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, renowned for his politically charged, socially conscious, and often autobiographical work. He co-founded the influential anthology World War 3 Illustrated, and is best known for his long-running reinvention of Spy vs. Spy for Mad magazine from 1997 to 2022. Kuper has produced numerous graphic novels, including award-winning adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Give It Up! and The Metamorphosis, as well as autobiographical works like Stop Forgetting To Remember and Diario de Oaxaca, documenting life, travel, and social struggles. His illustration work has appeared on covers and in publications such as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Kuper’s style often merges comics and illustration techniques, with both wordless narratives and text-driven storytelling, reflecting his belief that the two disciplines are inseparable. He has traveled extensively across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, often documenting these experiences in sketchbook journals. Kuper has taught courses on comics and illustration at the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and Harvard University’s first class on graphic novels. He has received numerous awards, including recognition from the Society of Newspaper Designers, the Society of Illustrators, and Eisner and NCS awards for his work. His comics combine sharp political commentary, personal observation, and inventive visual storytelling, establishing him as a prominent figure in contemporary alternative comics and illustration.

Reviews

[Glen Farrelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

REST IN PIECES MAD MAGAZINE
I picked this up in tribute to the recent passing of the belovedly irreverent, hysterically funny, and decades old comic serial, Mad Magazine (see the obit in New Yorker )

Spy vs. Spy has been a regular feature in Mad since the 60s and has always been one of my favourite comics since I was a grade schooler.

The strip is always wordless and always has the same plot and gag (elaborate attack then bizarre surprise counter attack) . This constraint makes it interesting to see how inventive the cartoonist has to be to be novel and funny. No easy accomplishment after over half a century of strips. Sometimes, they are incredibly inventive, clever, and even meta. Behold this gem from this collection:



Spy vs. Spy is a simple, possibly guilty, pleasure with no pretensions (which is in itself refreshing). It does what it does - overly elaborate, ultra-violent and funny plots between the two spies - extremely well, masterfully even.

It's generally a single type of humour, so I recommend spreading out the reading of this book as the humour can wear thin. For me, half the fun is reading it and remembering what the 10 year old boy in me would have found extremely funny - nostalgic and now bitter sweet.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Kuper's take on the iconic Spy vs. Spy strip is visually appealing but a tad unimaginative storywise. Not that the original Spy vs. Spy strips were anything other than fun visual gags featuring two spies trying their damnedest to kill each other, but Kuper's strip isn't quite as funny as the originals by Antonio Prohías. What I did like about Kuper's take is the great panel compositions and muted color palette. Kuper's scratchboard style has always been appealing to me, and as a modern update on the strip, it looks pretty nice. I imagine these read better in individual issues of MAD, but taken together they get a bit too repetitive.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Peter Kugler’s take on this classic MAD strip lacks all of the cleverness, commentary and comedy of the Antonio Prohias work that started it all. Where there should be wit, there is crudeness. Where there should be humor, there is vulgarity. More power to those who enjoy Kugler’s take on Spy vs. Spy, but go back and check out the originals, too. You’ll be glad you did.

[Honesty · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are a lot of funny spy spoofs out there; this isn't one of them. This predictable gore fest had only a handful of chuckles at most.

[Michael Emond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read this to go down nostalgic lane - I used to love MAD magazine as a child and Spy vs Spy was one of my fav features. For some odd reason I always rooted for the Black Spy - do other people also pick a favourite? It is odd because - other than their colour - their personalities are the same - kill the other Spy.

This is by the current artist/writer of that feature Kuper and I don't like his illustrations like the writer/illustrator from my childhood Antonio Prohias, but he is stil very good. The inventiveness is still there but I think my comic tastes have evolved. The other problem is this would be good for a bathroom book where you read a few strips at a time but reading it in one sitting lessens the comic appeal.

Although I rated it low - it is still very inventive and fun, just not my tastes anymore.