# Mad Magazine to Cease Publication of New Material



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The Decline of Western Civilization accelerated dramatically in 1952 when _Mad_ was first published as a comic book. I was 12 when I bought that first issue, and it began the unraveling of my boy's faith in the sanctity and permanence of contemporary human institutions. I still regard the brief years of comic book _Mad_ as their own personal pinnacle of nuttiness, wth cartoonists Wally Wood (described by the publication as having a third eye in the center of his forehead), Jack Davis (clad always in a Confederate Army uniform and shrieking the Rebel Yell), and Bill Elder ("kept locked in a steel cage in Engelwood, New Jersey") vying to outdo one another in satires of genuine cartoon characters (_Melvin of the Apes, SuperDuperMan_) or newly-invented tales of their own (_Melvin Mole_, who dug his way out of his prison cell by using one of his nostril hairs, but found he had tunneled into the chamber containing the electric chair). When you're twelve, these things can be potent. And Alfred E. Neuman was originally Melvin Kosnowski--why did he really change his name?

Golden Years, but also the end of childhood certainty.........

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48865342


----------



## ECraigR (Jun 25, 2019)

A shame, but as someone moderately profound once said: all things must end.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> The Decline of Western Civilization accelerated dramatically in 1952 when _Mad_ was first published as a comic book.


Maybe. But I was introduced to Western Civ through Mad Magazine. They used to take famous poems and do parodies, like remaking Kipling's Gunga Din into Wilt the Stilt. The poem wouldn't be funny until I read the original poem.

Their sendups of films and TV shows inspired me into satire, which got me a spot in the high school journalism class as the feature page editor.

I still use their interjections, like Blecch. And I was introduced to New York Yiddish through their adjectives, like meshuggah.

I also discovered the power of humor to make a point that a protest wouldn't.

I guess they weren't all that bad after all.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^In reply, I say only "Potrzebie!". And you can quote me!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potrzebie

And let's not forget "Veeblefetzer", another _Mad_ popularization:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veeblefetzer


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Looks like this guy's gonna be out of work again.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I found a website that let me download every issue from 1 to 533. I dip into them on my iPad regularly. Such joy but alas, there is no joy in Mudville. Casey, mighty Casey, has struck out! Lovers of the early years will catch the reference.:tiphat:


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Barbebleu said:


> I found a website that let me download every issue from 1 to 533. I dip into them on my iPad regularly. Such joy but alas, there is no joy in Mudville. Casey, mighty Casey, has struck out! Lovers of the early years will catch the reference.:tiphat:


Can you share that website???


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

One thing I remember was that their movie reviews, though over the top and full of satire, were (if carefully read) actually quite perceptive.


----------



## RockyIII (Jan 21, 2019)

I loved Mad Magazine as a child. I looked at it once as an adult and didn't find it the least bit humorous.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Those of us of a certain age, and long memories, will recall that _Mad_ was just one of the many publications of EC Comics, one of the landmark giants of mid-20th century comic book publishing. EC's output consisted of outstanding horror comics (The Vault of Horror, The Crypt of Terror, Tales From The Crypt), war comics (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, Valor), science fiction (several titles, often including Ray Bradbury stories), and others, including _Mad_. EC fell afoul of the New Puritanism of the 1950s, and congressional hearings into the corruption of young minds such as mine by these terrible comic books, and most of the EC comics disappeared. _Mad_ managed somehow to survive, and became EC's final and enduring legacy.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC_Comics

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Entertaining_Comics_publications


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Strange Magic said:


> Those of us of a certain age, and long memories, will recall that _Mad_ was just one of the many publications of EC Comics, one of the landmark giants of mid-20th century comic book publishing. EC's output consisted of outstanding horror comics (The Vault of Horror, The Crypt of Terror, Tales From The Crypt), war comics (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, Valor), science fiction (several titles, often including Ray Bradbury stories), and others, including _Mad_. EC fell afoul of the New Puritanism of the 1950s, and congressional hearings into the corruption of young minds such as mine by these terrible comic books, and most of the EC comics disappeared. _Mad_ managed somehow to survive, and became EC's final and enduring legacy.
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC_Comics
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Entertaining_Comics_publications


That "new puritanism" was not without reason. Wertham's 1954 book _Seduction of the innocent_ showed many illustrations of over-the-top comics of the day, with EC taking a place of honor. Here's a relatively tame cover...


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Besides Mad Magazine, there also were two other similar magazines: Cracked and Sick. One of my favorite features of Cracked was *the Shut-Ups page*.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

The satire and irreverence of MAD left an indelible impression when I was young that has lasted a lifetime. They were looking at the falsity of the commercial world and the truth beneath the surface... and with classic artwork. One of my favorites was Spy vs. Spy. I collected them for years and later got all the issues on a CD-Rom, then it was time for the next generation to discover them. I thought they retained their humor and irreverence to the end whenever I'd pick up a recent copy. I continued to laugh out loud! Alfred E. Neuman... R.I.P. ! "What, me worry?"


----------



## Guest (Jul 6, 2019)

Larkenfield said:


> The satire and irreverence of MAD left an indelible impression when I was young that has lasted a lifetime. They were looking at the falsity of the commercial world and the truth beneath the surface... and with classic artwork. *One of my favorites was Spy vs. Spy.* I collected them for years and later got all the issues on a CD-Rom, then it was time for the next generation to discover them. I thought they retained their humor and irreverence to the end whenever I'd pick up a recent copy. I continued to laugh out loud! Alfred E. Neuman... R.I.P. ! "What, me worry?"


My only favourite, probably. My older brother would bring home copies, but too young to understand any articles or satire, Spy vs Spy was the only thing that attracted my interest.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Strange Magic said:


> Can you share that website???


I'll pm you with a link if it's still active.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

During the 70s MAD magazine was famous enough in the UK but I never once noticed a copy for sale in my town. Some of the older compendiums in book form such as _Greasy Mad Stuff_ and _Three Ring Mad_ were available, though, and that's how I familiarised myself with it. Favourite cartoonist? Probably Don Martin.


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Taggart and I used to get Mad Magazine regularly when we were first married, in the 1970s. We loved it, and toted a pile of old copies round from house to house, till finally deciding to get rid of them in a problematic house move. 

My own favourite was Dave Berg's 'The Lighter Side', which seemed to hold all the wisdom of human life. I remember a cartoon of two older women (probably younger than me now, though)meeting in a supermarket, and one asking the other about a product's list of ingredients. The product contained a lot of artificial ingredients, and the lady exclaimed, 'I'll take it! At my age, I need all the preservatives that I can get!'

Or another one in which a wife, exasperated by her husband's accounts of what he 'should have said' in reply to someone, tells him: 'The trouble with you is, you have twenty-twenty hindsight.' 
His response is a thought-bubble: 'When she said I have twenty-twenty hindsight, what I should have said was...'


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I remember when I lived with my parents and subscribed to MAD. My first issue arrived in a brown paper wrapper which stated in huge, bold lettering, "YOUR PORNOGRAPHY HAS ARRIVED!"


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

EC Comics: a bit of _Grand Guignol_ in comic book form. I managed to survive it with the help of Donald Duck, his nephews and Uncle Scrooge; Tarzan; Blackhawk; Airboy;; Mighty Mouse; The Heap; Wonder Woman; Doll Man; Plastic Man; The Human Torch; Captain Marvel; and countless Classics Illustrated comic books. But I remember how outraged I was when "they" took away my beloved EC Comics. That was about the same time they added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance and made us what we are today.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Strange Magic said:


> EC Comics: a bit of _Grand Guignol_ in comic book form. I managed to survive it with the help of Donald Duck, his nephews and Uncle Scrooge; Tarzan; Blackhawk; Airboy;; Mighty Mouse; The Heap; Wonder Woman; Doll Man; Plastic Man; The Human Torch; Captain Marvel; and countless Classics Illustrated comic books. But I remember how outraged I was when "they" took away my beloved EC Comics. That was about the same time they added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance and made us what we are today.


Wow, I didn't know that about "under God." I was a little later; I watched Silver Age Marvel turn from monsters into super-heroes. Thor, Spidey, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hulk.

Of DC I liked Green Lantern, The Flash, Justice League, Adam Strange, The Doom Patrol, The Atom....and their "war" comics, Sgt. Rock (Our Army At War), Star-Spangled War Stories (soldiers fighting dinosaurs), G.I. Combat (Big Joe, Little Joe, & Charlie cigar).


----------



## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Johnny Carson: "How did you know when you finally made it in show business?" 

Michael J. Fox: "When Mort Drucker drew my head."


----------



## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

millionrainbows said:


> I remember when I lived with my parents and subscribed to MAD. My first issue arrived in a brown paper wrapper which stated in huge, bold lettering, "YOUR PORNOGRAPHY HAS ARRIVED!"


That is the absolute BEST!


----------



## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Though MAD has ended the spirit lives on ... even in TalkClassical/Community/Ideas for Stupid Threads sometimes. But I wonder about Alfred E. Neumann -- will we never see him again?


----------

