Goodman Beaver is a fictional character who appears in comics created by American cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman. Goodman is a naive and optimistic Candide-like character, oblivious to the corruption and degeneration around him, and whose stories were vehicles for social satire and pop culture parody. Except for the character's first appearance, which Kurtzman did alone, the stories were written by Kurtzman and drawn by Will Elder.
Artists such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder had an influence on Will Elder's detailed drawings. (The Fall of the Magician, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565)
In "Goodman Goes Playboy" (1962), Kurtzman and Elder satirize Hugh Hefner's swinging lifestyle, using parodies of Archie Comics characters.
Don Quixote illustrations by Gustave Doré bookend "Goodman, Underwater".
The parodic depictions of Archie Comics characters in "Goodman Goes Playboy" prompted a lawsuit from the characters' publisher.
Harvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book Mad from 1952 until 1956, and writing the Little Annie Fanny strips in Playboy from 1962 until 1988. His work is noted for its satire and parody of popular culture, social critique, and attention to detail. Kurtzman's working method has been likened to that of an auteur, and he expected those who illustrated his stories to follow his layouts strictly.
Author photo from Help! #7 (February 1961)
Kurtzman assisted on the Classics Illustrated version of Moby Dick in 1942 as his first assignment at Louis Ferstadt's studio.
Kurtzman worked for EC Comics from 1950 to 1956.
Kurtzman is best known for creating Mad in 1952.
