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''Mad'' is an American Humor Magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952 . Offering Satire 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 targeted industry Censorship , the enmity of his fellow publishers, and a weak distributor, which had driven his prior line of EC horror comics from the stands. HISTORY With the first issue (October-November, 1952), ''Mad'' was a Comic Book . Its subtitle, "Tales Calculated To Drive You" above the title ''Mad'', referenced radio's '' Suspense '' which each week used the opening, "Tales well calculated to keep you in... Suspense!" Written almost entirely by Harvey Kurtzman , the first issue displayed the cartoon talents of Kurtzman, Wally Wood , Will Elder , Jack Davis and John Severin . Wood, Elder and Davis were the main three illustrators throughout the 23-issue run of the comic book, as Severin, a mainstay of Kurtzman's EC war comics, was phased out of ''Mad.'' Kurtzman included his own cartooning only sporadically, primarily on the covers. However, he was known as an exceedingly "hands-on" editor and a visual master, and thus many ''Mad'' articles were illustrated in strict accordance with Kurtzman's layouts. A handful of other artists contributed to the original run, including Bernard Krigstein , Russ Heath , and most conspicuously among the non-regulars, Basil Wolverton . Wolverton's grotesque faces made an impression despite only appearing in two issues of the comic book. The first two issues of ''Mad'' spoofed only comic book genres of romance, horror, sports and science fiction without overly specific references. However, with the third issue, Kurtzman turned to direct parody. These parodies soon spanned well-known radio programs (" Dragged Net! "), newspaper comic strips (" Little Orphan Melvin! "), comic books (" Superduperman! "), movies (" Ping Pong !") and television (" Howdy Dooit! "). , ''Mad'' switched to a magazine format. The "extremely important message" was "Please buy this magazine!"]] In 1955, with issue 24, the comic book was converted into a Magazine . The popular myth is that this was done to escape the strictures of the Comics Code Authority , which was imposed in 1955 following United States Senate hearings on Juvenile Delinquency . Actually, Kurtzman received a lucrative offer from another publisher (''Pageant''), and only stayed when Gaines agreed to convert ''Mad'' to a similarly "slick" magazine. The immediate practical result was that ''Mad'' acquired a broader range in both subject matter and presentation. Magazines had wider distribution than comic books, and a more adult readership. Though there are antecedents to ''Mad'''s style of humor in print, radio and film, the overall package was a unique one that stood out in a staid era. Throughout the 1950s ''Mad'' featured groundbreaking parodies combining a sentimental fondness for the familiar staples of American culture—such as Archie and Superman —with a keen joy in exposing the fakery behind the image. After original editor Kurtzman left in 1956 following a business dispute with Gaines, he was replaced by Al Feldstein , who oversaw the magazine during its greatest heights of circulation. Taking over with issue #29, Feldstein set to work assembling a phalanx of talented humor writers and cartoonists. Feldstein's first issue as editor coincided with the debut of Don Martin ; crucial longterm contributors like Frank Jacobs and Mort Drucker quickly followed. Before the classic ''Mad'' staff was assembled, Feldstein also relied on celebrity "guest" contributions. Some of these pieces, attributed to Bob And Ray , were actually the work of their main writer Tom Koch , who would flourish in ''Mad'' for decades. By the early 1960s, with notables such as Antonio Prohias and Dave Berg well in hand, editor Feldstein had fully established the format that was a commercial success for decades. Al Feldstein joined ''Mad'' in the same year that Time Magazine described it as a "short-lived satirical pulp." By the time he left, 28 years later, the magazine was commonly cited as one of the three greatest publishing successes of the 1950s , along with Playboy and TV Guide . The magazine's circulation more than quadrupled during Feldstein's tenure, peaking at 2,132,655 in 1974, although it declined to a third of this figure by the end of his time as editor. When Feldstein retired in 1984 , he was replaced by the team of Nick Meglin and John Ficarra , who co-edited ''Mad'' for the next two decades. Meglin retired in 2004. Ficarra continues to edit the magazine today. ''Mad'' is often credited by social theorists with filling a vital gap in political satire in the 1950s to 1970s , when Cold War Paranoia and a general culture of Censorship prevailed in the United States, especially in literature for teens. The rise of such factors as cable Television and the Internet have diminished the influence and impact of ''Mad'', although it remains a widely distributed Magazine . In a way, ''Mad'''s power has been undone by its own success; what was subversive in the 1950s and 1960s is now commonplace. However, its impact on three generations of humorists is incalculable, as can be seen in the frequent references to ''Mad'' on the animated series '' The Simpsons ''. ), the first issue to prominently feature Norman Mingo 's paintings of Alfred E. Neuman on the cover.]] ''Mad'' was long noted for its absence of Advertising , enabling it to skewer the excesses of a materialist culture without fear of advertiser reprisal. For decades, it was by far the most successful American magazine to publish ad-free. (In its earliest days, the comic book had run the same advertisements as the rest of EC's line, and the magazine later made a deal with Moxie soda that involved inserting the Moxie logo into various articles. Other than that, the only promotions were house ads for ''Mad'''s own books and specials, subscriptions, and so forth.) ''Mad'''s satiric net was cast wide. The magazine often featured parodies of ongoing American advertising campaigns, the nuclear family, the media, big business, education, publishing, and other concerns. In the 1960s and beyond, it satirized such burgeoning topics as the Sexual Revolution , Hippies , Psychoanalysis , Gun Control , Pollution , the Vietnam War , and Drug Abuse . The magazine gave equal time, generally negative, to counterculture drugs such as Cannabis as well as taking a savage approach towards mainstream drugs such as Tobacco and Alcohol . Although one can detect a generally Liberal tone, ''Mad'' always slammed Democrats as mercilessly as Republicans . The magazine also ran a good deal of less topical material on such varied topics as Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes , Greeting Cards , Sports , Small Talk , Poetry , Marriage , Comic Strips , Awards Shows , Cars and many other areas of general interest. For tax reasons, Gaines sold his company in the early 1960s to the Kinney National Company , which also acquired Warner Bros. by the end of that decade. Though technically an employee for 30 years, the fiercely independent Gaines was largely permitted to run ''Mad'' without corporate interference. Following Gaines' June 3 , 1992 death, ''Mad'' became more ingrained within the Time Warner conglomerate. Eyeing the merchandising possiblities, Time Warner made plans to market ''Mad'' products through the chain of Warner Stores, and they turned the magazine over to DC Comics ' publishers Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz . Kahn and Levitz, in turn, appointed DC Vice President Joe Orlando as the magazine's new Associate Publisher, since Orlando was closely involved with DC licensing. Further, Orlando had been a prolific contributing artist to ''Mad'' during the 1960s. Eventually, the magazine was obliged to abandon its long-time home at 485 Madison Avenue , and in the mid-1990s, it moved into DC Comics' offices at the same time DC relocated to 1700 Broadway . In 2001 , the magazine broke its long-standing taboo and began running advertising. Today, the magazine is published by a branch of DC Comics and in recent years has used its advertising revenue to increase the use of color and improve the magazine's paper stock. The ''Mad'' logo has remained virtually unchanged since on, the magazine was handled by Independent News Distribution. RECURRING FEATURES Mad fold-ins In a Parody of '' Playboy 's'' "fold-out" Centerfold s, each issue of ''Mad'' from 1964 on featured a " Fold-in " on its inside back cover, designed by artist Al Jaffee . A question would be asked, which apparently was illustrated by a picture taking up the bulk of the page. When the page was folded inwards, the inner and outer fourths of the picture combined to give a surprising answer in both picture and words. With over 350 Fold-Ins to date, Jaffee has appeared in more issues of ''Mad'' than any other artist. The Lighter Side of... From 1961- 2002, Dave Berg produced "The Lighter Side of..." which often satirized the suburban lifestyle, Capitalism and the Generation Gap . Subjects commonly lampooned include Medicine , Office life, Parties , Marriage , Psychiatry , Shopping and other everyday activities. Although this feature eventually became notorious for its corny gags and garishly outdated fashion choices, the ''Mad'' editors, over decades, claimed it was the magazine's most popular feature. It was quite sharp in its early years, providing the sort of Americana-based humor that standups like Shelley Berman and Alan King performed successfully onstage. "The Lighter Side of..." feature was retired with Berg's death. Spy vs. Spy Antonio Prohías's wordless " Spy Vs. Spy ", the never-ending battle between the iconic Black Spy and White Spy, has lasted longer than the Cold War which inspired it. The strip was a silent parable about the futility of mutually-assured destruction, with various elaborate deathtraps designed in Prohías' thick line. Almost always, these traps would boomerang back on whichever Spy had originally concocted it; there was no pattern or order to which Spy would be killed in which episode. A female "Gray Spy" occasionally appeared, the difference being that she never lost. Although Prohías eventually retired from doing the strip, "Spy vs. Spy" continues in newer hands. (It is currently being drawn by Peter Kuper .) The morse-coded "by Prohias" remains in each strip's title, however, paying tribute to the beloved originator. Don Martin gags Don Martin , billed as "Mad's Maddest Artist", drew regular gag cartoons, generally one page but sometimes longer, featuring lumpen characters with apparently hinged feet. Martin's absurd sight gags were frequently punctuated by an array of bizarre sound effects such as GLORK, PATWANG-FWEEE, or GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA, coined by Martin himself (or ghost writer Don Edwing ). When Martin first joined ''Mad'', he employed a nervous, scratchy art style, but this developed into a rounder, more cartoony look. Martin's wild physical comedy would eventually make him the signature artist of the magazine. Many of his cartoons used similar titles (e.g. "One Exceedingly Fine Day at the Beach"), and as this became a trademark, the titles sometimes became increasingly elaborate (i.e. "One Night in the Acme Ritz Central Arms Waldorf Plaza Statler Hilton Grand Hotel," "One Hot Sunny Afternoon in the Middle of the Ocean," or "One Fine Day at the Corner of South Finster Boulevard and Fonebone Street "). ''Mad'' has occasionally used the conceit for other cartoonists' one-page gag titles. However, Martin's long 31-year association with ''Mad'' ended in some rancor over the ownership of his work. Not long after leaving ''Mad'', Martin ended up working at ''Mad'''s competitor '' Cracked '', who, unlike ''Mad'', allowed creators to keep the copyright on their work. After a few years, Martin also left ''Cracked'', and published a handful of issues of his own eponymous magazine. A Mad Look At... Sergio Aragones , has written and drawn his "A Mad Look At..." feature for over 40 years. He is known for his remarkable speed and cartooning facility. In addition to his regular slot, Aragones also provides the "Mad Marginals": tiny gag images that appear throughout the magazine in the corners, margins or spaces between panels. Aragones debuted in ''Mad'' #76 (January 1963), and has appeared in every issue of the magazine but one since. Aragones' ''Mad'' cartooning is notable for its silence. He uses virtually no words; speech balloons, when they occur at all, will merely feature a drawing of whatever is being discussed. Aragones will occasionally bend this rule for a store window sign, or a stray "Gesundheit," or some other item necessary to the punchline. Monroe "Monroe" is an ongoing storyline about a prototypical, angst-filled, teenaged loser. It depicts his travails in school, his dysfunctional home and his unending troubles elsewhere. It is written by Anthony Barbieri and illustrated by Bill Wray , and passed its 100th episode in 2005. Monroe is a gawky, ugly kid with extreme cowlicks that resemble bug-like antennae. The series has perplexed a handful of fans; an occasional "explanation" has been offered that '''Monroe' is an open-ended parable of the 1905 Sino-Russian War , and if one reads it with that in mind, it all makes sense.'' Movie and TV show parodies A typical issue will include at least one full parody of a popular movie or television show. The titles are changed to create a play on words; for instance, " The Addams Family " became "The Adnauseum Family." The character names are generally switched in the same fashion. These articles typically run 5 pages or more, and are presented as a sequential storyline with caricatures and word balloons. The opening page or two-page splash usually consists of the cast of the show introducing themselves directly to the reader; in some parodies, the writers sometimes attempt to circumvent this convention by presenting the characters without such direct exposition. Many parodies end with the abrupt Deus Ex Machina appearance of outside characters or pop culture figures who are similar in nature to the movie or TV series being parodied, or who comment satirically on the theme. For example, Dr. Phil arrives to counsel the " Desperate Housewives ", or the cast of " Sex And The City " show up as the new hookers on " Deadwood ". The parodies frequently make comedic use of the Fourth Wall , Breaking Character , and Meta-reference s. Within an ostensibly self-contained storyline, the characters may refer to the technical aspects of filmmaking, the publicity, hype, or box office surrounding their project, their own past roles, any Cliché s being used, and so on. Several show business stars have been quoted to the effect that the moment when they knew they'd finally "made it" was when they saw themselves thus depicted in the pages of ''Mad''. Others Several ''Mad'' premises have been successful enough to warrant additional installments, though not with the regularity of the above. Other recurring features which have appeared in ''Mad'' include:
Besides the above, ''Mad'' has returned to certain themes and areas again and again, such as fullblown imaginary magazines, greeting cards, nursery rhymes, Christmas carols, song parodies and other poetry (updating "Casey at the Bat" being a perennial favorite), comic strip takeoffs, and others. ALFRED E. NEUMAN See Also: Alfred E. Neuman The image most closely associated with the magazine is that of Alfred E. Neuman , the boy with misaligned eyes, a gap-toothed smile and the question "What? Me worry?" ''Mad'' first used the boy's face in November, 1954, on the cover of the comic book's first reprint volume, Ballantine's ''The Mad Reader''. In the comic book, he appeared for the first time on the cover of issue #21 (January, 1955). The original image of an unnamed boy with a goofy gap-toothed grin was a popular humorous graphic many years before ''Mad'' adopted it. It had been used for all manner of purposes, from U.S. political campaigns to Nazi racial propaganda to advertisements for painless dentistry. Decades ago, the magazine was sued over the copyright to the image but prevailed by producing similar ones predating the claimant, back to the late 19th Century. The face is now permanently associated with ''Mad'', and with the "What? Me worry?" motto, often appears in political cartoons as a shorthand for unquestioning stupidity. For many years, ''Mad'' sold prints of the "official portrait" of Alfred E. Neuman in a small ad at the front of the magazine. A female version of Alfred, named Moxie, appeared for a very brief time in the late 1950s. The name "Alfred E. Neuman" derived from the 1940s radio show of comedian Henry Morgan which sometimes featured a running gag about Hollywood Composer Alfred Newman . Later, Morgan was a contributor to ''Mad''. RECURRING IMAGES AND REFERENCES Regular ''Mad'' readers have been treated to a large number of recurring In-joke s, including Neuman's Catch Phrase " What? Me Worry? ", as well as such Words as Potrzebie , Axolotl , Melvin , and Cowznofski . In the 1950s, the magazine received a fee to promote the soft drink Moxie , and that product's logo would occasionally appear in illustrations. This experiment was an attempt by Feldstein to convince Gaines that the magazine could profit by carrying legitimate advertising. Other visual elements are sheer whimsy and frequently appear in the artwork without context or explanation. Among these are a potted plant labelled Arthur (rumored to be based on art director John Putnam's marijuana plant); a domed trashcan wearing an overcoat, the ''Mad'' Zeppelin (which more closely resembles an elongated hot air balloon); and an emaciated long-beaked creature who went unidentified for decades before being dubbed "Flip the Bird." The mysterious name "Max Korn" has popped up for years; reader requests to clarify the reference have been greeted with increasingly outlandish "explanations." In late 1964, ''Mad'' was tricked into purchasing the "rights" to an optical illusion in the public domain, featuring a sort of three-pronged tuning fork whose appearance defies physics. The magazine dubbed it the ''Mad'' Poiuyt after the six rightmost letter keys on a QWERTY keyboard in reverse order, not realizing that the existing image was already known to engineers and usually called a Blivet . The word "hoohah" was a Running Gag In-joke in the early years of ''Mad'', often exclaimed by characters in the comic book issues written and edited by Harvey Kurtzman . Its somewhat Eastern European feel was a perfect fit for the New York Jewish style of the magazine. Kurtzman liked to use Yiddish expressions and nonsense words for a humorous effect, and the very first story in the first issue of ''Mad'' was "Hoohah!", illustrated by Jack Davis . According to some sources, the word "hoohah" has been traced to the early 20th Century, although the actual origin is unknown (although it might have originated from the Hungarian word for wow which is ''hűha'' {Link without Title} ). "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide" was a Non Sequitur -ish phrase that found its way into ''Mad'' on several occasions, though it has been suggested that this is slang meaning "it is foolhardy to bribe a policeman with counterfeit money." ''Mad'' cartoonists have often drawn caricatures of themselves, other contributors and the editors into the articles, most famously the character Roger Kaputnik in "The Lighter Side Of...", who is the spitting image of Dave Berg. Meanwhile, the magazine's photos have typically featured the same ''Mad'' staffers. 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. Within the industry, ''Mad'' was known for the uncommonly prompt manner in which its contributors were paid. Publisher Gaines would typically write a personal bank check and give it to the artist upon receipt of their finished product. Wally Wood said, "I got spoiled... Other publishers don't do that. I started to get upset if I had to wait a whole week for my check." Another lure for contributors was the annual "MAD Trip," a tradition which began in 1960. The editorial staff was automatically invited, along with those freelancers who had sold a set amount of articles of pages the previous year to qualify. Over the years, the ''Mad'' crew traveled to such locales as Paris, Kenya, Leningrad, Hong Kong, Monte Carlo, Athens, London, Amsterdam, Tahiti, Morocco, Venice, Greece, Germany, and more. 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. ''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: "The second issue of Among the most frequently-cited "downward turning points" are creator/editor Harvey Kurtzman's departure in 1957, the magazine's mainstream success and/or adoption of recurring features starting in the early 1960s, the magazine's absorption into a more corporate structure in 1968 (or the mid-90's), founder Gaines' death in 1992, the magazine's publicized "revamp" in 1997, or the arrival of paid advertising in 2001. ''Mad'' has been criticized for its overreliance on a core group of aging regulars throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and then criticized again for an alleged downturn as those same creators began to leave, die, retire, or contribute less frequently. It has been proposed that ''Mad'' is 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." ''Mad'''s sales peak was in the 1970s , but its critical heyday is in the eyes of its beholders. The magazine's art director Sam Viviano has suggested that historically, ''Mad'' was at its best "whenever you first started reading it." 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. 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 four 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. 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 . 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. AWARDS The magazine has received recognition in the field. Sergio Aragones received the Shazam Award for Best Inker (Humor Division) for his work on ''Mad'' in 1972, and the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on ''Mad'' and '' Groo The Wanderer ''. Mort Drucker won the Reuben Award for his work on the magazine in 1987. ''MAD'' MERCHANDISING ''Mad'' has stepped gingerly into other media. Three albums of novelty songs were released in the early 1960s . A successful Off-Broadway production, "The Mad Show," was staged in 1966 , featuring sketches written by ''Mad'' personnel (as well as an uncredited assist by Stephen Sondheim ). An early 1970s television pilot was not picked up. In 1979 , a very successful board game was released. "The MAD Magazine Game" was an absurdist version of Monopoly in which the first player to lose all their money and go bankrupt was the winner. Profusely illustrated with artwork by the magazine's contributors, the game included a $1,329,063-dollar bill which could not be won unless one's name was "Alfred E. Neuman". It also featured a deck of cards (called "Card cards") with bizarre instructions. Among them:
In 1980 another game was released, this time it was a card game, ''MAD Magazine Card Game'', by Parker Brothers . The player who first loses all their cards is declared the winner. The game is actually pretty similar to UNO by Mattel . Also in 1980 , following the success of the '' National Lampoon ''-backed '' Animal House '', ''Mad'' lent its name to a similar risque comedy entitled '' Up The Academy ''. It was such a commercial and critical failure that ''Mad'' successfully arranged for all references to the magazine (including a cameo by Alfred E. Neuman) to be removed from future TV and video releases of the film. A TV show was introduced in '', which aired comedy segments in a fashion similar to '' Saturday Night Live '' and '' SCTV ''. However, there is no editorial connection between the sketch comedy series and the magazine. The characters from "Spy vs. Spy" have featured in animated vignettes on ''MADtv'', and more recently, TV ads for Mountain Dew soda. In '' and '' The New Yorker '') have attempted this type of comrehensive archival release on discs. While ''Mad'' frequently repackaged its material in a long series of "Super Special"-format magazines and paperbacks, ''Mad''-related merchandise was once scarce. During the Gaines years, the publisher had an aversion to milking his fanbase and expressed the fear that substandard ''Mad'' products would offend them. He was known to personally issue refunds to anyone who wrote to the magazine with a complaint. Among the few outside ''Mad'' items available in its first 40 years were cufflinks, a T-shirt designed like a straitjacket, complete with lock, and a small ceramic Alfred E. Neuman bust. After Gaines' death came an overt absorption into the Time-Warner publishing umbrella, with the result that ''Mad'' merchandise began to appear more frequently. One steady form of revenue has come from foreign editions of the magazine. ''Mad'' has been published in local versions in many countries, beginning with the United Kingdom in 1959 , and Sweden in 1960 . Each new market receives access to the publication's back catalog of articles and is also encouraged to produce its own localized material in the ''Mad'' vein. However, the sensibility of the American ''Mad'' has not always translated to other cultures, and many of the foreign editions have had short lives or interrupted publications. The Swedish, Danish, Italian and Mexican ''Mad''s were each published on three separate occasions; Norway has had four runs cancelled. United Kingdom (35 years), the Netherlands (32 years) and Brazil (31 years and counting) have produced the longest uninterrupted ''Mad'' variants. Current foreign editions:
Foreign editions of the past:
Some of the foreign editions have spoofed material that is completely unfamiliar to American audiences, or which is not in keeping with ''Mad'''s general avoidance of obscenity (for an example of both, see the Swedish ''Mad'' parody of Fucking Åmål {Link without Title} ). IMITATORS AND VARIANTS ''Mad'' has had many imitators through the years. The three most durable of these were '' CRACKED '', '' Sick '', and '' Crazy ''. Most others were short-lived exercises, such as ''Zany'' (4 issues), ''Frantic'' (2 issues), ''Ratfink'' (1 issue), ''Nuts!'' (2 issues), ''Get Lost'' (3 issues), ''Whack'' (3 issues), ''Wild'' (5 issues), ''Madhouse'' (8 issues), ''Riot'' (6 issues), ''Flip'' (2 issues), ''Eh!'' (7 issues), and ''Gag!'' (1 issue). Even EC Comics joined the parade with a sister humor magazine, ''Panic'', produced by future ''Mad'' editor Al Feldstein. Most of these productions aped the format of ''Mad'' right down to choosing a synonym for the word ''mad'' as their title. Many featured a cover mascot along the lines of Alfred E. Neuman . In 1967 , Marvel Comics produced the first of 13 issues of Not Brand Echh , which parodied their own superhero titles, and owed its entire inspiration and format to the original "Mad" comic books of a decade earlier. From 1973-1976, DC Comics published '' Plop! '' which was much the same but relied more on one-page gags and horror-based comedy. There was even a Christian imitation of ''Mad'' -- Glad , a Born Again version that followed the same format, except that the TV, film and social parodies were vehicles towards conveying Bible-based messages. But as it carries on past its 50th year, ''Mad'' has outlasted them all, save ''Cracked'', which has appeared infrequently for years but still bobs in and out of production. Other humor magazines of note include former ''Mad'' editor Harvey Kurtzman's '' Humbug '', '' Trump '' and '' Help! '', as well as the '' National Lampoon '', and '' Spy Magazine .'' However, each of these had its own distinct editorial approach, and thus cannot be considered direct ripoffs of ''Mad'' in the same way as the others mentioned here. Of all the competition, only the ''National Lampoon'' ever threatened its hegemony as America's top humor magazine, in the early-to-mid-1970s. However, this was also the period of ''Mad'''s greatest sales figures. Both magazines peaked in sales about the same time. The ''Lampoon'' topped one million sales once, for a single issue in 1974. ''Mad'' crossed the two-million mark with an average 1973 circulation of 2,059,236, then improved to 2,132,655 in 1974. Gaines reportedly kept a voodoo doll in his business office, into which he would stick pins labelled with each imitation of his magazine. He would only remove a pin when the copycat had ceased publishing. At the time of Gaines' death in 1992 , only the pin for ''Cracked'' remained. SOME OF THE USUAL GANG OF IDIOTS Each of the following has created over 150 articles for the magazine: Writers:
Writer-Artists:
Artists:
Photographer: The editorial staff, notably Charlie Kadau , John Ficarra , and Joe Raiola , also have dozens of articles under their own bylines, as well as substantial creative input into many, many others. SOME OF THE UNUSUAL GANG OF IDIOTS ''Mad'' is known for the stability and longevity of its talent roster, with several creators enjoying 30-, 40-, and even 50-year careers in the magazine's pages. However, about 600 people have received bylines in at least one issue. Among the contributors to be credited but a single time are Charles Schulz , Richard Nixon , Chevy Chase , "Weird Al" Yankovic , Donald E. Knuth , Will Eisner , Kevin Smith , J. Fred Muggs , Boris Vallejo , Sir John Tenniel , Jean Shepherd , Winona Ryder , Thomas Nast , Jimmy Kimmel , Jason Alexander , Walt Kelly , Barney Frank , Steve Allen , Jim Lee , Jules Feiffer , and Leonardo Da Vinci . Mr. da Vinci's check is still waiting in the ''Mad'' offices for him to pick it up. Contributing just twice are such luminaries as Tom Lehrer , Stan Freberg , Mort Walker , and Gustave Dore . Frank Frazetta (3), Ernie Kovacs (11), Bob And Ray (12), and Sid Caesar (4) are among those to have appeared slightly more frequently. The magazine more commonly used outside name talent in its earliest years as a magazine, before amassing its own staff of regulars. More recently, ''Mad'' has run occasional guest articles in which celebrities from show business or comic books have participated. Introductions to the paperback reprints are by such notables as Trey Parker , Adam West , Siskel And Ebert and, again, "Weird Al" Yankovic . RECURRING SUBSECTIONS Most magazines include ongoing, internal segments or domains, and ''Mad'' is no exception. An issue of ''Mad'' includes these "cluster" departments. Table of Contents The first page of each issue lists all the articles to follow, including their "Department" headings, which are 's "Lighter Side of..." always ran within the "Berg's Eye View Department," and many of Frank Jacobs ' articles come under the "Frank on a Roll Department." Most of the magazine's other recurring features have had their own continuing "Department." For several years, the Table of Contents has listed one article which does not actually exist. Some of these imaginary listings have included "Santa Claus, Porn Star"; "When Goats Go Bad"; "What if Cap'n Crunch Was Brought Before a Military Tribunal?"; "If the Amish Used Zombies to Do Their Chores"; "The MAD Urinary Tract Infection Primer"; "Dick Cheney Electrocardiograms We'd Like to See"; "If Bobby Knight Coached the Special Olympics"; "Only the Assistant Undersecretary of Transportation Would Possibly Believe..."; and "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions During the Bombing of Belgrade." Each Table of Contents also includes a pithy quote or aphorism attributed to Alfred E. Neuman . With a handful of exceptions, this is the only time the character ever "speaks." Letters and Tomatoes Dept. An esoteric version of the standard "Letters to the Editors," this commonly runs three pages and includes correspondence from readers, reader drawings or craft projects, celebrity photos, references to ''Mad'' in other media, and so forth. All letters are typically answered in a snide and insulting manner. There are also a few (very small) sub-departments that sometimes live within its pages:
The Fundalini Pages Beginning with its February 2004 edition, ''Mad'' has begun its issues with this catch-all section of various bits, which are far shorter or smaller than normal ''Mad'' articles. They often appear at as many as 3 to 6 per page. Some of these pieces are produced in-house; others are the work of freelancers. All contributors for each month are credited en masse, as "Friends of Fundalini." For this reason, it is not always apparent which contributor is responsible for which item, particularly the writers. Most Fundalini features are one shot gags that never appear again, some have appeared multiple times, and a few appear in nearly every issue. Among the recurring elements in the Fundalini section are: Created for Fundalini
Preexisting; moved into Fundalini
Of these, the most regular features have been ''Bitterman,'' ''The Godfrey Report,'' ''Celebrity Cause of Death Betting Odds,'' and ''The Puzzle Nook.'' Newer additions
First appearing in the July 2005 issue, it is a 3- to 4-page assortment of short gag comic strips drawn by various artists. It appears every-other month.
Further blurring the line between advertising and content is Go Fetch!, a list of newly-released media products such as videogames, DVD releases, music albums and books. Each product listing has ''The Hype'' and ''The Snipe'', in which its good and bad qualities are expounded. Each Go Fetch! also promotes "the Must Have", an idiosyncratic (but real) product which no ''Mad'' reader should be without, such as cold galvanizing spray, or a pneumatic jackhammer. Go Fetch! is an odd cross between the wiseass ''Mad'' mentality and the sort of product ratings generally associated with '' Rolling Stone ''. It is an overtly commercial feature, with some one-liners thrown in the apparent hope of making it more palatable. As such, Go Fetch! has been heavily criticized by many of the magazine's loyal readers as a betrayal of the magazine's original satiric mission. "THE MAD 20" Since 1998 , ''Mad'' has done an annual issue commemorating the "20 Dumbest People, Events and Things" of the year. These emphasize the visual motif above all else, parodying such things as movie posters, famous paintings, or fake magazine covers, though one or two text-heavier takeoffs are usually sprinkled into each year's assortment. The feature is reminiscent of the defunct Spy Magazine 's "Spy 100" list, which purported to catalogue "Our Annual Census of the 100 Most Annoying, Alarming, and Appalling People, Places and Things." ''Mad'' named the Reverend Jerry Falwell as one of the dumbest people of 2001 for blaming the 9/11 Attacks on Feminist s, Gay s, and Lesbian s. (Though Falwell appeared in the #1 slot in ''Mad'''s annual "20 Dumbest People, Events and Things" issue, and the examples are numbered 1-20, the "rankings" are completely random. The "20th dumbest" slot of 2001 was awarded to ''Mad'' itself for its "slide down the slippery slope of greedy commercialism" in finally permitting advertising in its pages.) Keeping in mind the indiscriminate positioning, these were the "#1" selections for the various years:
''MAD'' V. SUPREME COURT The magazine has been involved in various legal actions over the decades, but none were bigger than Irving Berlin Et Al. V. E.C. Publications, Inc. , a case which was eventually brought before the U.S. Supreme Court . In 1961, a group of music publishers representing such songwriters as Irving Berlin , Richard Rodgers and Cole Porter filed a $25 million lawsuit against ''MAD'' for copyright infringement following "Sing Along With ''Mad''", a collection of parody lyrics "sung to the tune of" many popular songs. The publishing group hoped to establish a legal precedent that only a song's composers retained the right to parody that same song. The U.S. District Court ruled largely in favor of ''Mad'' in 1963, affirming its right to print 23 of the 25 song parodies under dispute. An exception was found in the cases of two parodies, "Always" (sung to the tune of "Always"), and "There's No Business Like No Business" (sung to the tune of "There's No Business Like Show Business"). Relying on the same verbal hooks ("always" and "business"), these were found to be overly similar to the originals. The music publishers appealed the ruling, and the U.S. Court of Appeals not only upheld the pro-''Mad'' decision, but stripped the publishers of their limited victory regarding the two songs. The publishers again appealed, but the Supreme Court refused to hear it, thus allowing the decision to stand. This precedent-setting case established the rights of parodists and satirists to mimic the meter of popular songs. However, the "Sing Along With ''Mad''" songbook was not the magazine's first flight into musical parody. In 1960, ''Mad'' had published "My Fair Ad-Man," a full advertising-based spoof of the hit Broadway musical " wrote Dick Tracy " used the "When I Was a Lad" song from '' H.M.S. Pinafore '' as its iambic inspiration, as shown here:
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