MAD Magazine

Mad is an American humor magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952. Offering satires on all aspects of American pop culture, the monthly publication deflates stuffed shirts and pokes fun at common foibles. It is the last surviving title from the notorious and critically acclaimed EC Comics line. Publisher Gaines had suffered greatly from censorship, which had literally driven his prior line of EC horror comics from the stands.

Contributors and Controversy

Mad provided an ongoing showcase for many of the best satirical writers and artists. The magazine fostered an unusual group loyalty. Even though several of the contributors were earning far more than their Mad pay in such fields as television and advertising, they steadily continued to provide material for the publication. Among the notable artists were the aforementioned Davis, Elder and Wood, as well as Mort Drucker, George Woodbridge and Paul Coker. Writers such as Dick DeBartolo, Stan Hart, Frank Jacobs, Tom Koch and Arnie Kogen appeared regularly in the magazine's pages.

Related Topics:
Mort Drucker - George Woodbridge - Paul Coker - Dick DeBartolo - Stan Hart - Frank Jacobs - Tom Koch - Arnie Kogen

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Although Mad was an exclusively freelance publication, it achieved a remarkable stability, with numerous contributors remaining prominent for decades. Critics of the magazine felt that this lack of turnover eventually led to a formulaic sameness, although there is little agreement on when the magazine peaked or plunged. It appears to be largely a function of when the reader first encountered Mad. Like Saturday Night Live or The Simpsons, proclaiming the precise moment that kicked off the irreversible decline has long been sport.

Related Topics:
Saturday Night Live - The Simpsons

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Mad poked fun at this dynamic in its "Untold History of Mad Magazine," a self-referential faux history in the 400th issue. According to the Untold History:

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• "The second issue of Mad goes on sale on December 9, 1952. On December 11, the first-ever letter complaining that Mad "just isn't as funny and original like it used to be" arrives."

Mad is perhaps more susceptible to this criticism than many media because a sizeable percentage of its readership turns over regularly. Also, Mad focuses greatly on current events and a changing popular culture. A reader born in 1980, who takes to Mad in 1995, might look back ten years from 2005 and, comparing an issue from each year, decide that the magazine isn't as good as it once was. However, that same reader might very well fail to appreciate the humor or references in a 1985 or 1975 issue, even though the magazine would logically have been even further ahead of its later "slump." Mads sales peak was in the 1970s, but its critical heyday is in the eyes of its beholders.

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The loudest among those who insist the magazine is no longer funny are typically supporters of Harvey Kurtzman, who had the good critical fortune to leave Mad after just 28 issues, before his own formulaic tendencies became oppressive. This also meant Kurtzman suffered the bad financial timing of departing before the magazine became a runaway success. However, just how much of that success was due to the original Kurtzman template he left for his successor, and how much can be credited to the Al Feldstein system and the depth of the post-Kurtzman talent pool, can be argued without result.

Related Topics:
Harvey Kurtzman - Al Feldstein

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Judging from Kurtzman's final two-plus years at EC, during which Mad appeared erratically (10 issues appeared in 1954, followed by eight issues in 1955 and 4 issues in 1956), it seems clear that he was ill-suited to the job of producing the magazine on a regular schedule. It seems equally clear that Feldstein's abilities were more workmanlike and reliable than the inimitable genius of Kurtzman. Kurtzman and Will Elder returned to Mad for a short time in the mid-1980s as an illustrating team.

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Many of the magazine's mainstays began slowing, retiring or dying in the 1980s; though the magazine was always open to new talent, the influx increased from this stage onwards. Newer contributors include Anthony Barbieri, Tom Bunk, John Caldwell, Desmond Devlin, Drew Friedman, Barry Liebmann, Hermann Mejia, Tom Richmond, Andrew J. Schwartzberg, Mike Snider, Rick Tulka and Bill Wray.

Related Topics:
1980s - Anthony Barbieri - Tom Bunk - John Caldwell - Desmond Devlin - Drew Friedman - Barry Liebmann - Hermann Mejia - Tom Richmond - Andrew J. Schwartzberg - Mike Snider - Rick Tulka - Bill Wray

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In recent years, Mad has continued to receive complaints from fans and foes alike, sometimes over its perceived failings or because of controversial content, but generally over its decision to accept advertising. These accusers sometimes invoke the late publisher Bill Gaines, asserting that the late publisher would "turn over in his grave" if he knew of the magazine's sellout. The editors have a ready answer, pointing out that such protests are completely invalid because Gaines was cremated.

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