Extremely difficult to attain vintage 7x9-inch paperweight portrait of Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman, boldly signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint pen in-person at the Big Apple Comic Book Convention in 1988, when he was in attendance at a talk given by Dick DeBartolo. The son of the inventor of the comic book, William M. Gaines is remembered as the genius behind E.C. Comics' classic series, including Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock Suspense Stories, Crime Suspense Stories, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, and, of course, Mad. He reintroduced the latter as a magazine after the lurid depictions of lust, murder and mayhem some of his publications contained sparked worry from shrinks and the infamous Comics Code Authority. Mad would go on to influence countless comedians, and humorous television programs, films and books, not to mention not-so-remarkable competitor magazines, most notably Cracked.

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