Spy vs Spy
I was reminded today of Spy vs. Spy, the comic series in MAD Magazine.
I was a little surprised to find it dates all the way back to 1961 by a Cuban cartoonist living in exile. It’s been published continually since then. The original cartoonish retired from the strip in 1987, when he passed it on to several others. In addition to MAD Magazine, there was a Sunday comic strip for a period of time, and there have been book compilations, a cartoon or two, and lots of cosplay.
The two spies are white and black, but there’s no indication of which one is the good buy and which one is the bad guy. Apparently, in 1968, there was some note somewhere about the black spy being from the “east,” but that’s about it.
Considering the early start, this strip might have contributed to the “trenchcoat and fedora” cliche of the spy. Through the 40s and 50s, that fashion was mostly associated with detectives, not spies.