Spy vs. Spy 2: The Joke and Dagger Files (Paperback)

~ David Shayne (Author), J.J. Abrams (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Black versus white. Yin versus yang. Good versus...wait, they’re both evil. Or are they both good? Discuss. Everyone knows and loves Spy vs. Spy, the two MAD magazine spies locked in eternal, existential battle. In the rich tradition of Spy-vs.-Spy oneupsmanship, Spy vs. Spy 2: The Joke and Dagger Files is the follow-up to Spy vs. Spy: The Complete Casebook. This full-color sequel (only the spies are still black and white) takes up where the first volume left off and includes a foreword by J.J. Abrams, 230 Spy strips by Spy artist Peter Kuper, 56 Spy strips by Bob Clarke, 85 Spy strips and Sunday newspaper strips by Dave Manak, and material from the popular Spy Mountain Dew commercials, MAD TV spots, and AOL’s Spys Jr. More colorful than the Casebook, even more packed with international intrigue, this is the one spy book to buy when you’ve already got the first one on your bookshelf. Order it now! What do we need to get you moving, a bomb labeled BOMB?

About the Author

David Shayne, one of the usual gang of idiots, is the author of MADvertising. A former member of the Mad editorial staff, he currently writes for television. He lives in Los Angeles. Peter Kuper, the primary artist for Spy vs. Spy since 1998, also creates art for Time, Newsweek, Esquire, the New York Times, and the New Yorker. He wrote and illustrated Sticks and Stones, an award-winning wordless graphic novel about the rise and fall of empires. He lives in Manhattan. J.J. Abrams, the acclaimed TV and movie producer, director, and writer behind such huge hits as Lost, Alias, and Mission Impossible III, lives in Los Angeles.

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Product Details Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 2, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0823050351 ISBN-13: 978-0823050352 Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,657 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	60% buy the item featured on this page: Spy vs. Spy 2: The Joke and Dagger Files 4.8 out of 5 stars (8) $17.13
	27% buy Spy vs. Spy: The Complete Casebook 4.8 out of 5 stars (28) $16.47
	5% buy Spy vs Spy Danger! Intrigue! Stupidity! (Mad) 4.0 out of 5 stars (2) $8.63
	5% buy MAD's Greatest Artists: The Completely MAD Don Martin (MAD's Greatest Artists Series) 4.6 out of 5 stars (25) $101.25

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars 40+ years and still going, November 3, 2007 By  Jose A. Vargas "Joseph Antonio Vargas" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    The spies are at it again in this second collection of strips. Starting where Prohias left of, the spies continue their mishaps, but under the direction of a few different artists and writers. Included are also the short lived Sunday strips, a couple Spy vs. Spy Jr., Inputs from Kuper, Abrams, and Shayne, and a couple of Prohias strips. First, the strips done by Edwing, Clarke, Manak, and some random others. These three stayed pretty close to the style which was of Prohias. Edwing usually did the writing, while Clarke and Manak did the art. Edwing's writing, w/ the exception of the airport strip, were pretty good as it was simple yet complicated, which fit the spies well. The art for Clarke I actually liked as it the lines were strong and crisp. Manak's style was not too far off of being like Prohias' style, which was good. Second, was Peter Kuper, who took over the strip in the late, nineties and has been doing so since. His style was sought after as MAD was apparently going for a new look, and Kuper's was it. At first, he does black and white, but then goes to color. Now, I'm not saying he's the worst, as he is very talented, but, I don't believe that he captured the spies the best. I know that the editors were looking for a new look and apparently the fan base increased because of him, but I'm just not drawn fully into it. The previous artists' view of violence was simple, where as Kuper's was more extreme w/ blood, brains, eyeballs, and the such. When he went into color, I thought it took it away that much more. Having something from black and white into color doesn't necessarily improve it (ex. 3 Stooges), also with the different shades and gradients of the colors, it took too much attention away from the spies (they were black and white after all). The Sunday strips are nice to look at even though it was short lived. Edwing and Manak did these,which was nice. And, even though they were in color, it was done to where it was simple and not overpowering to where it works. All in all, this book is well worth it if you're a spy fan, old or new. Now, I just hope they put the paperbacks into a collection. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars It's a `must' for any Spy Vs. Spy fan., December 1, 2007 By  Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews Watson-Guptill Publications and MAD Magazine presented the first SPY VS. SPY: THE COMPETE CASEBOOK to much acclaim, and fans of the first will want its sequel, SPY VS. SPY 2. It packs in observations from a political cartoonist and includes over 200 color and black and whit cartoons, including the original Sunday newspaper comic strip written by Edwing and Manak - the complete run of which appears here for the first time under one cover. It's a `must' for any Spy Vs. Spy fan. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Spy vs Spy2, January 15, 2008 By  Eri (N.J.) - See all my reviews I purchased the Spy vs Spy2 book as an Xmas gift for my 12 year old son. He receives Mad magazine. He always loves to show me the Spy pages. He loved the book so much, he just ordered the first Spy vs Spy book. His best friend also spent a good deal of time pouring over the pages at his last sleepover. We hope you continue to keep these products available.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Joke book This item arrived in amazingly good condition and very quickly. Thank you so much! Published 5 months ago by Susan 4.0 out of 5 stars They're not Prohias, but following in the master's footsteps Kuper, Adams, and Shayne are following the the footsteps of greatness, and they're overshadowed by Prohias. Read more Published 10 months ago by E. M. Van Court 5.0 out of 5 stars hot stuff great stuff if you love Mad magazine. i enjoyed reading the history of the comic and it's Cuban creator. Published 19 months ago by rickmajerus99 4.0 out of 5 stars Edwing and Kuper both do very good but I prefer the work of Prohias Something somehow was richer in character about Prohias's many Black Spy vs. White Spy cartoons in Mad Magazine and this make me think he was really the best of the Mad artists to... Read more Published 21 months ago by Ca A. No 5.0 out of 5 stars spy vs. spy again! If you are a fan of Mad Magazine then there's simply no way you cannot be a fan of Spy Vs. Spy. Created by Cuban cartoonist Antonio Prohias, the strip has been a fixture in Mad... Read more Published 22 months ago by Tim Janson Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823050351
• ISBN-13: 978-0823050352
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,657 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 40+ years and still going, November 3, 2007

By	Jose A. Vargas "Joseph Antonio Vargas" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The spies are at it again in this second collection of strips. Starting where Prohias left of, the spies continue their mishaps, but under the direction of a few different artists and writers. Included are also the short lived Sunday strips, a couple Spy vs. Spy Jr., Inputs from Kuper, Abrams, and Shayne, and a couple of Prohias strips.

First, the strips done by Edwing, Clarke, Manak, and some random others.
These three stayed pretty close to the style which was of Prohias. Edwing usually did the writing, while Clarke and Manak did the art. Edwing's writing, w/ the exception of the airport strip, were pretty good as it was simple yet complicated, which fit the spies well.
The art for Clarke I actually liked as it the lines were strong and crisp. Manak's style was not too far off of being like Prohias' style, which was good.

Second, was Peter Kuper, who took over the strip in the late, nineties and has been doing so since. His style was sought after as MAD was apparently going for a new look, and Kuper's was it. At first, he does black and white, but then goes to color. Now, I'm not saying he's the worst, as he is very talented, but, I don't believe that he captured the spies the best. I know that the editors were looking for a new look and apparently the fan base increased because of him, but I'm just not drawn fully into it. The previous artists' view of violence was simple, where as Kuper's was more extreme w/ blood, brains, eyeballs, and the such. When he went into color, I thought it took it away that much more. Having something from black and white into color doesn't necessarily improve it (ex. 3 Stooges), also with the different shades and gradients of the colors, it took too much attention away from the spies (they were black and white after all).

The Sunday strips are nice to look at even though it was short lived. Edwing and Manak did these,which was nice. And, even though they were in color, it was done to where it was simple and not overpowering to where it works.

All in all, this book is well worth it if you're a spy fan, old or new. Now, I just hope they put the paperbacks into a collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a `must' for any Spy Vs. Spy fan., December 1, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Watson-Guptill Publications and MAD Magazine presented the first SPY VS. SPY: THE COMPETE CASEBOOK to much acclaim, and fans of the first will want its sequel, SPY VS. SPY 2. It packs in observations from a political cartoonist and includes over 200 color and black and whit cartoons, including the original Sunday newspaper comic strip written by Edwing and Manak - the complete run of which appears here for the first time under one cover. It's a `must' for any Spy Vs. Spy fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spy vs Spy2, January 15, 2008

By	Eri (N.J.) - See all my reviews

I purchased the Spy vs Spy2 book as an Xmas gift for my 12 year old son. He receives Mad magazine. He always loves to show me the Spy pages. He loved the book so much, he just ordered the first Spy vs Spy book. His best friend also spent a good deal of time pouring over the pages at his last sleepover. We hope you continue to keep these products available.