| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
MAD was first published as a comic book entitled Tales Calculated To Drive You Mad (Oct.-Nov. 1952), written almost entirely by Harvey Kurtzman, and concentrated on newspaper comics and comic books. It was converted into a magazine to escape the strictures of the Comics Code Authority, which was imposed in 1955 following Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency. The immediate practical result was that MAD acquired a broader range in both subject matter and presentation. Magazines also had wider distribution than comic books.
Throughout the 1950sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. MAD featured brilliant parodies of American popular culture illustrated by such luminaries as Jack DavisThe talented, prolific cartoonist/illustrator Jack Davis created work seen widely on everything from major advertising campaigns to Topps bubblegum trading cards. Born December 2, 1924 in Atlanta, Davis drew for his high school paper and then spent three, Bill Elder , and Wally WoodWallace "Wally" Wood ( June 17, 1927 November 2, 1981), best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad magazine, was an imaginative and prolific writer-illustrator. In addition to Wood's many comic book pages, he also did magazine illustrations, advertising, each with his own style. They combined a sentimental fondness for the familiar staples of American culture--such as ArchieArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones. Archie's first appearance, in Pep Comics 22, December 1 and SupermanMetropolis, his home, with the Daily Planet building in the background. Superman is a fictional character and superhero, created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, who first appeared in comic books in 1938, and eventually became the most popular comic book--with a keen joy in exposing the fakery behind the image--see their pieces entitled "Starchie" and "Superduperman."
MAD was noted for its absence of advertisingAdvertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, persona, enabling it to skewer the excesses of a materialist culture without fear of advertiser reprisal. The magazine often featured numerous parodies of ongoing American advertising campaigns. During the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around, it satirized such topics as hippies, the Vietnam War, and drug abuse. The magazine gave equal time to counterculture drugs such as pot as well as to mainstream drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. Although one can detect a generally liberal tone, the magazine always slammed Democrats as mercilessly as Republicans.
In a parody of Playboy's "foldout" cheesecake pictures, 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.
Other long-running features included Dave Berg's "The Lighter Side of..." which often satirized the suburban lifestyle, and Antonio Prohias ' wordless " Spy vs. Spy," the neverending battle between the Black Spy and the White Spy that has lasted longer than the Cold War which inspired it.
The image most closely associated with the magazine is that of Alfred E. Neuman, the curly-haired boy with a gap-toothed smile and the question "What? Me worry?" Alfred's image first appeared on the cover of the magazine within the first few years of its existence. Before that he had appeared inside a small portion of an issue. The original image of an unnamed boy with a goofy grin was a popular humorous graphic many years before MAD adopted it. The character takes his name from Alfred Newman, a member of a well-known family of film composers, who made a series of blackout radio appearances that had amused Kurtzman years earlier.
MAD also provided a showcase for some of the best satirical writers and artists of a generation. Artists such as the aforementioned Davis, Elder and Wood, as well as Mort Drucker, Sergio Aragones, and Don Martin, and writers like Dick DeBartolo , Frank Jacobs , Tom Koch , and Arnie Kogen appeared regularly in the magazine at various times in its history. Newer contributors include Rick Tulka , Hermann Mejia , Desmond Devlin, Mike Snider , John Caldwell , Bill Wray , Anthony Barbieri , Drew Friedman , Tom Bunk , and Barry Liebmann .
Original editor Kurtzman left in 1956 following a business dispute with Gaines, and was replaced by Al Feldstein , who oversaw the magazine during its greatest heights of circulation. Feldstein retired in 1984, and was replaced by the team of Nick Meglin and John Ficarra , who continue 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 seems to have diminished such influence of MAD somewhat, 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 Magazine on the animated series The Simpsons.
For tax reasons, Gaines had sold his company in the early 1960s to the Kinney Corporation , 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' death in 1992, though, MAD became more ingrained within the AOL Time Warner conglomerate.
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.
In 2001, the magazine broke its long-standing taboo and began running advertising. A TV show was introduced in 1995 based on the magazine: MAD TV, which aired comedy segments in a fashion similar to Saturday Night Live and SCTV. There is no editorial connection between the sketch comedy series and the magazine, though the characters from "Spy vs. Spy" featured in animated vignettes. Meanwhile, MAD-related merchandise, which was scarce during the Gaines years, has appeared regularly.
Today, the magazine is published by a branch of DC Comics and in recent years has, along with allowing advertising, increased the use of color. The MAD logo has remained virtually unchanged since the late 1950s, save for the decision to italicize the lettering beginning in the late 1990s.