There is so much that could be said here about MAD. First, when you look at those comics that got America so outraged, they were really pretty harmless. It didn’t take much to set America off. Very conservative. They could not understand the new humor developing in their kids. So MAD changed. Comic book codes were established in the industry. Interesting note is that Golden Key comics refused to abide by the comic book code and eventually, Dark Shadows had a comic published by them because of they were not bound by this code.

I remember pictures of Alfred E. Newman as a child of maybe 3 in 62. He stood out to me. But I did not really discover MAD till 1970, beginning with the MAD scenes in a tropical fish store and “Get It Out of Your System Land.” My aunt had them. From then on, my parents bought the magazine for us, as I had fish at the time and we all got a kick out of the magazine.

MAD had great movie and TV satires in those days. Crock Work Orange, The Planet that went Ape series, Love Story, and so many more. To me, it was the golden age of MAD. And there was nothing as funny as a good Don Martin cartoon with the silly looking exaggerated characters, the insane sounds spelled out. Even more funny were his books published by MAD, featuring Captain Klutz. Hysterically funny.

Jaffe, Sergio Aragones, who also did a comic book called Plop, which was also funny. Clarke, Jacobs, Berg, and many more. I loved the typical “You Know You’re Really in Trouble When . . .” or something similar. I also loved the Why Kill Yourself Just Because you Missed the Last Issue of MAD and beg you to subscribe. The letters section was great, too. The cartoon with the line would show some poor sap having figured out a good way to do himself in, such as laying of the steps of a school when it let out and kids charging toward him.

Or how about “A MAD Look at . . .” I remember the MAD look at Star Wars. Aragones was the artist. Darth Vader says to Luke, Luke, take off the mask. You expect Luke to take off Vader’s mask but instead. Luke takes off his face and he looks like Vader’s mask. I laugh as I write. The MAD staff was crazy and wonderful. One of the more memorable aspects of growing up in the 60s and 70s. I got busy in the 80s and kind of left off for a while. But I started up again around maybe 1991 or so. I would be reading at work during break and burst out in uncontrolled laughter. They thought I was crazy but they would all want to read it afterward.

I recall, you really know you’re in trouble when . . . your hear a voice say, this is the ATF, come out with your hands up. The cartoon was as funny as the scenario. This was after the Waco thing. Or is celebrities endorse products more in harmony with their personalities. Prince was matched with Valvoline Motor oil due to his hair.

I loved the parodies of other cartoons like Sunday comics like Peanuts, Archie, and others. They would sometimes give them a different personality or realistic situations. Always a riot. I can’t think of a better, more memorable and entertaining magazine. Few things can equal MAD. Long live the usual gang of idiots. They really made life more enjoyable and that is about as good as you can do in life.

MAD always cracked me up!
Thanks for the memories...
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~

I loved Mad Magazine!! I had bought it some but our journalism teacher,(Hi, Mr. Jackson.) Required it for our class when we were studying satire. It was a great mag, great satire, and he was a great teacher. I do not remember any problems with outrage in using this magazine for school.

... and for a parting laugh, I always loved MAD's Fold-In back cover.
Often ingenious!

One of my childhood friend’s older brother had a huge collection of E.C Comics (this must have been circa 1961) and we used to read them laughing at the gruesome artwork, fascinated by the lurid tales of murder, debauchery and drug abuse. Apparently Wm Gaines was no stranger to the seamy urban underbelly of post war America and tapped into the boomer zeitgeist with his offerings.

The A & H bombs kept many Americans (especially the younger set) in the thrall of fear and reading these dark comics provided an escape from the putative reality of thermonuclear annihilation by substituting that horror with the “safe” horror and depraved depictions of the less than ideal human condition.

I was too young to appreciate the satire and subliminal messages inherent in the genre but as a young adult rediscovered them when they were reprinted. I had several of the reprints (Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror etc.) and many of the underground comics (R. Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Bill Griffith) but after having children, I disposed of them all as I didn’t want to expose them to such shocking material or the fact that I possessed them.

I enjoyed MAD Magazine until the middle 60’s but I regarded Sick and Cracked as too inferior to be bothered acknowledging (but my sister read Cracked.) It was in the pages of MAD that I first became aware of “reefers” (behind the barn with hoodlum Bobby) and gave my parents a start when I inquired as to their nature (I was already smoking tobacco but never heard of pot.) After ’67 though my penchant for other predilections relegated MAD to an occasional perusal if I happened to run across an issue.

It’s probably fortuitous that Mr. Gaines was inarticulate (up all the night before on speed) while testifying before Estes Kefauver’s senate subcommittee or the boomer youth of America may have rebelled sooner than they did.

A good reference to this era is David Hadju’s The 10 Cent Plague

I was mad and cracked! I read both of these fine magazines! Still do! I didn't know Cracked wasn't out their? I thought it was? I occasionally pick up a Mad magazine. Although thre Mad magazines today seem to be more risky per say especially with bad language and sexuality??? It seems a little more less innocent then back when...Or is it that I'm getting older? Always love the Don Martin clips and spy vs spy! And always loved the back cover fold ins! I kinda liked Cracked magazine better as it seemed to me to be more wacky! I remember Sick, but really didn't like it much. Not sure why? I was never a reader, but alway read MAD or cracked. Wasn't their a Cracked spin off called Crazy magazine? I had a few of those too, but didn't like it as much! Alfred E Newman is definately a Classic! I still like the Batroom writings you may see on the wall from MAD mag! This is a Tee Pee for you to Pee Pee, Not a Wig Wam to --------- Well, you know the rest! I admit it! I was warped by these magazines, but I turned out OK! Well...)You will have to ask my wife about that??

I was absolutely mad for Mad. I can still recall lines like the one from the parody of True Grit: (As they are gathered around the dinner table) 'How did you find your steak?' - 'I just looked under the mashed potatoes and there it was!'

If you'd like to revisit those childhood memories, there is a computer DVD out with every Mad magazine issue from it's beginning to 2005. You can find it at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-MAD-Magazine-50-Years/dp/B000HKMQ64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1244908000&sr=8-1.