MAD Magazine

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

So I got a deal duped into a subscription of MAD magazine for my kid and his first issue came yesterday. 

 

It's pretty rad and he seems to enjoy it but I'm afraid a lot of the older content will go over his head.  The new zines are mostly compilations from the classic volumes.  So this one is all monster/horror movie spoofs from late 50s through 00s.

 

Anyway, my nostalgia is running pretty high at the moment.  I had a bunch of mid/late 80s MAD that my mom threw out when I was 10.  I still have a few later issues, mostly 90s and 00s.  I'll see if I can't grab pics and update as I come across them.

So any of you collect MAD or have classic favorites? 

Edited October 3, 2020 by JamesRobot

[Tabonga | 2,533]

I have this 8 page insert from the Worst of Mad from 1961. *  I also have a copy of the magazine with the insert intact that I got on ebay awhile ago.

T

This holds a special sense of nostalgia for me - my oldest brother took my my second oldest brother and me to a large magazine store and let us buy a bunch of comics on the night before he left to become a naval pilot.

*The old Mad compilations would always come with an insert of some sort.  One of my favorites was this punch out flying contraption from 1965:

Another one that drove my parents nuts in 1963 was this record that came in one:

 

[Hammerfestus | 4,181]

I was into the knockoff magazine Cracked for awhile when I was about 10.  At this point for whatever reason I only really recall a parody of LionHeart or some JCVD movie.  

[Tabonga | 2,533]

Here are a couple of odd pieces of ephemera regarding Mad Magazine.

In 1960 Transogram made a game called "Screwball the Mad Mad Mad Game":

Supposedly Mad Magazine sued Transogram since the image on the cover and the title were clearly intended to mimic Mad Magazine.

Whatever the story, Transogram redid the title (slightly) and cover (they stuck a microphone in front of the Alfred E. Neuman caricature to help obscure (sorta) the face):

I have both variants - the game is actually pretty fun - a reverse Monopoly where the object is to be the first to lose all of your money.  There is a lot of humor used in the property titles etc. that is the sort of humor that Mad Magazine would have used at the time.

[Tanooki | 5,189]

Wow I thought the magazine was dead.  I was thinking towards the end they went off the deep end being equally political as comedic and I got fed up with politics ruining stuff so I canceled it.   If they're still at it, but it's basically a reprint magazine of their greatest times from the 20th century I'd be on board for that entirely.

I always loved certain parts most of all.  Argones work, Spy vs Spy, Snappy Comebacks, the 3 (usually) block comics ripping on various habits/lifestyles, the back page fold out, and usually the movie stuff as they'd do the most well known so you couldn't get lost with the punning.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Tanooki

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

2 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

I was into the knockoff magazine Cracked for awhile when I was about 10.  At this point for whatever reason I only really recall a parody of LionHeart or some JCVD movie.  

I would buy the occasional Cracked if they happened to pique my interest.

 

 

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

Wow I thought the magazine was dead.  I was thinking towards the end they went off the deep end being equally political as comedic and I got fed up with politics ruining stuff so I canceled it.   If they're still at it, but it's basically a reprint magazine of their greatest times from the 20th century I'd be on board for that entirely.

I always loved certain parts most of all.  Argones work, Spy vs Spy, Snappy Comebacks, the 3 (usually) block comics ripping on various habits/lifestyles, the back page fold out, and usually the movie stuff as they'd do the most well known so you couldn't get lost with the punning.

Yeah, it got rebooted a couple years ago by a new publisher on the west coast I think.  It's every other month.  The latest is issue #16.  

Edited October 4, 2020 by JamesRobot

[Link | 2,911]

I love Mad. 

I stopped buying new issues around the end of high school, but kept my original collection until I lost it in a move. In the past decade I’ve started collecting again, and got a new subscription almost 4 years ago.

1 hour ago, Tabonga said:

a reverse Monopoly where the object is to be the first to lose all of your money.

They later made an official game with the same concept.

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

  If they're still at it, but it's basically a reprint magazine of their greatest times from the 20th century I'd be on board for that entirely.

That is what they’re doing now. There’s a couple new articles but mostly old stuff, some with color added. One regular feature is an illustrator’s tribute to Mad.

DC bought them, moved administrative functions to LA, killed issue numbering and started over with #1. Ran a few new issues — stuff that was already in the pipeline maybe — then made the change. It’s sad to me, but what can you do. I doubt any other humor mag is still running and print media is down across the board. I have the last print issue of The Onion.

[Tulpa | 3,770]

16 minutes ago, Link said:

I doubt any other humor mag is still running and print media is down across the board. I have the last print issue of The Onion.

I think the Harvard Lampoon and a couple of other college ones are still going in print, but yeah, most have moved online if they haven't folded.

[nrslam | 495]

I've been a subscriber for about 25 years, and still am. I remember reading it as a child because my mom was a big fan of Most Drucker, whereas I thought Don Martin was hilarious. Nobody could draw sound effects like him.   The reruns don't bother me much since I've forgotten most of the old stuff, though a lot of the humor was of-its-time and no longer seems so funny.

 

I did buy a CD compilation, Totally MAD I think it's called, and started reading some of the wayback issues, but the software stopped working when I switched to Linux. Been too lazy to figure out Wine.

[Daniel_Doyce | 496]

3 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

I was into the knockoff magazine Cracked for awhile when I was about 10.  At this point for whatever reason I only really recall a parody of LionHeart or some JCVD movie.  

Oh man, I would love to see that. Lionheart is classic JCVD.

[doner24 | 1,230]

I read it quite a bit as a kid in the late 80’s. This is the only issue I have. 

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

^ Nice!  Wish I had that one.

Found the rest of what I have.  I could've swore I had one 80s issue leftover but I guess not.

I really like the all Spy issues. They're the only ones I've seen that don't have fold-ins.

[Ausden | 323]

Used to go to Walden books and grab the latest issue whenever I could. Some really great content was put out in those magazines.

[Tanooki | 5,189]

23 hours ago, Link said:

I love Mad. 

I stopped buying new issues around the end of high school, but kept my original collection until I lost it in a move. In the past decade I’ve started collecting again, and got a new subscription almost 4 years ago.

They later made an official game with the same concept.

That is what they’re doing now. There’s a couple new articles but mostly old stuff, some with color added. One regular feature is an illustrator’s tribute to Mad.

DC bought them, moved administrative functions to LA, killed issue numbering and started over with #1. Ran a few new issues — stuff that was already in the pipeline maybe — then made the change. It’s sad to me, but what can you do. I doubt any other humor mag is still running and print media is down across the board. I have the last print issue of The Onion.

Ok I got it, along with the post before yours there that does make sense.  I'm tempted to look into it a bit more then.  If DC is managing it maybe they won't get all preachy and shitty with stuff and just have what made the great for so long with the amazing humor.

I no longer have any issues, once I got done with them as the old group got more into the weeds I tossed it all. The only bit I regret ditching were those amazing paperback books they've run since I think the 60s with all the works from various often run bits in each monthly issue as that was solid.  I could see a use for an APP on iphone if they just wanted to throw that junk on there to freely read or have comic of the day pop up for a laugh as it would work.  And I used to have something of The Onion in print too, they did quite a few but they're getting harder to come by now even in second hand shops.

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

On 10/3/2020 at 7:55 PM, Link said:

I have the last print issue of The Onion.

 

22 hours ago, Tanooki said:

And I used to have something of The Onion in print too, they did quite a few but they're getting harder to come by now even in second hand shops.

I was admittedly spoiled with the Onion. It was a free publication here in Denver and we would get stacks at the music store.  Never crossed my mind that it would be collectable in the slightest.  I do miss it though.

[captmorgandrinker | 1,660]

I ended up with a nice lot of Mad/Cracked from the 80s and 90s for 10 bucks from my buddy that was moving.  Picked up a "Lighter Side" collection too.

Had a subscription for a while too, enjoyed the new Planet Tad cartoons.  

[Tabonga | 2,533]

Here is another obscurity culled from my fading memory cells:

This was released in 1959. I had it at one time but I don't remember if it was one of the very few lps I kept when I liquidated my lp collection.

[Link | 2,911]

On 10/5/2020 at 6:40 PM, JamesRobot said:

Never crossed my mind that it would be collectable in the slightest. 

I don’t know that it is. I’ve never seen any on ebay. I used to get it every week as well. I only kept it because it was the last one.

(It was free here too — that’s the joke in the central headline. All of the articles are about the decline of the print industry.)

Edited October 9, 2020 by Link

[Link | 2,911]

On 10/4/2020 at 11:21 AM, doner24 said:

I read it quite a bit as a kid in the late 80’s. This is the only issue I have. 

I remember when this came out. I was super impressed at Sam Viviano’s work. I was a kid and not yet aware that a given artist could draw in different styles. (They were usually all so recognizable!) I was also fascinated by Luigi’s white overalls and the hammers. In 1990 those seemed wrong, but Mario and Luigi looked pretty official. 

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

Found this one on the newsstand recently.  It was supposed to be pulled in March.  I thought they weren't selling MAD in store any longer.  Maybe just the specials.

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

Oh man! Can't wait to open this up!  Update coming later. 

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

Scored this lot on ebay, for 8 bucks shipped, cheap!  The Star Trek and ALF were my first ever issues of MAD.  Always wanted the Max Headroom but never owned it.

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

Here's the boy's latest couple of issues. December was all Sergio Aragones.

 

This month is Spy vs Spy.  There's some other spoofs too but it's pretty Spy heavy.

 

One of the best things about the new series is the mini posters by Tom Bunk in the middle.  This month's is particularly cool.

Edited February 18, 2021 by JamesRobot

[JamesRobot | 6,200]

Just came across the 70s MAD tv special.  I'd never seen it before.