Mad

History

In its beginnings, MAD was published as a Comic book under the title Tales Calculated To Drive You Mad (Stories conceived to make you lose the head), become Mad . The initial subtitle was Humor in has jugular vein (and in the French version: Humor nutcase for the nutcases and half-nutcases ).

The first number of the magazine is appeared in October - November 1952 and was almost entirely written by Harvey Kurtzman.
It was mainly devoted to the satire of the daily press and magazine of the time or of the Film S to the mode.

It is often told that MAD passed from the format comic book (July 1955, number 24) to the format magazine with an aim of escaping the strict rules of the Comics Codes Authority, that certain editors of cartoon in 1955 had asserted themselves, under the pressure of the American Senate which made the cartoon responsible for the increase in the juvenile Delinquency and threatened to impose on the industry of the cartoon a legislative device. But it seems that actually, this change was imposed by Harvey Kurtzman which, courted at the time by another magazine, agreed to continue MAD only if the newspaper became a more luxurious magazine. The immediate consequence of these changes was that MAD widens at the same time its size and the field of the covered subjects. It extends to the passage its assistantship and sees to extend the age bracket from its lecteurs.
A permanent conflict opposing Harvey Kurtzman to its editor in connection with the control of the contents of the publication succeeds, in 1956, with a final interruption of collaboration between Kurtzman and EC. Comics. It is Albert Feldstein who takes the direction of the newspaper starting from number 29 (August 1956).

Although there were precedents as well in the press as with the radio or in films, at the time MAD was single in its kind, a paving stone agitated well in the quiet pond of its time.

During the Years 1950, MAD was the image even of the parody of the American pop culture, illustrated by artists such as Jack Davis, Bill Elder and Wally Wood, each one in a style which was clean for him. They mixed the sentimental affection for the American family culture (For example archie, or Superman) with a malicious pleasure to expose trickery behind the image (For example Starchies or Superduperman) (Superduper can result about in " more than Super" thus More-that-Superman)

International imitations and editions

Many newspapers tried to be placed in the wake of Mad Magazine, with a variable success: Panic grass (imitation “ autorisée ” because having the same editor), Sick , Whack , Cracked (made of " sécessionistes" magazine, which survived longest and which one is on the point of making reappear) Crazy or Eh dig this crazy comic to quote only more connus.
In France, the Icy newspaper Fluid forever hidden its debt towards Mad, whose draftsmen have remainder provided a time some pages to Pilote. With the Quebec, the newspaper Safarir is him also placed on the crenel of humor and the parodie.

Current not-American editions (2005)

Germany, of 1968 with 1993 then of 1998 with today
Brazil, of 1974 with today
Finland, of 1970 with 1971 then of 1981 with today
Australia, of 1980 with today
South Africa, of 1991 with today
Hungary, of 1997 with today
India, of 1999 with today

Old not-American editions

Great Britain of 1959 with 1994
Sweden, of 1960 with 1992, and of 1996 with 2002
Denmark, of 1962 at 1971, 1979 with 1997 and of 1998 with 2002
Netherlands, of 1964 with 1996
France, in 1965 and 1992
Argentinian, of 1970 with 1975
Norway, of 1971 with 1972, of 1981 with 1993, in 1995 and of 2002 with 2003
Italy, in 1971, 1984 and 1992
Mexico, of 1977 with 1983, of 1984 with 1986, and of 1993 with 1998
the Caribbean, of 1977 with 1983
Greece, of 1978 with 1985 and of 1995 with 1999
Iceland , in 1985
Taiwan, China, in 1990
Israel, in 1994 and 1995
Turkey, of 2000 with 2003

In connection with the French editions

Mad made the object of two successive attempts at translation in French, one by Ives Trevian and the other in collaboration with the team of Hara-Kiri. The adaptation often appeared difficult for French, little with the fact of the culture states-unienne, or very awkward: let us quote for example a caricature of Elvis Presley (well-known in France) which introduced the singer under the name of Johnny Hallyday.
Many collections of cartoons resulting from Mad were published in French, by the editions of Cheese, the Neptune editions and the editions Albin Michel.

Mad resisted a long time the Publicité S in its pages, which enabled him to spit excesses of a culture materialist without fear of reprisals on behalf of the advertisers. The magazine often parodied the American publicity campaigns of its time. During the Years 1960, MAD considers subjects such as the Hippie S, the Guerre of Vietnam or the abuse Drogue S. the magazine spent as much time to criticize drugs like the cannabis than drugs like alcohol and the tobacco. Although one can to consider tone of MAD as being “liberal” (what one can translated by “gauchist”), the magazine saved neither the Républicains nor the Démocrates. Contrary to some of its competitors like the National Lampoon and contrary to some as of its foreign editions, Mad always avoided very contained being able to be judged like obscene.

In wink in the famous central page dépliable of the magazine Playboy, each number of MAD since 1964 contains an external page " pliable" , due to the artist Al Jaffee. On each one of these pages, a question is put, illustrated by an image which occupies the width of the page. But when one folds back the page while following the indications given, a new image and a new text, which answer the text of origin, appear.

Other recurring parts of the magazines include " The Lighter Side off… " (the more luminous side of…), by Dave Berg, which often caricatured the lifestyle of the suburbs, indescribable the " Spy vs Spy " (Spy against Spy) of Antonio Prohias which describes the war without end that the white spy and the black spy carry out themselves (so much " without fin" that it lasted longer than the Cold war of which it was inspired). Gift Martin which was described as the most insane artist of MAD (MAD' S Maddest Artist), regularly drew a page putting in scene characters??? the poor, tramps and vulgraires which one could see the articulated feet. They were visual gags which often ended in a whole of onomatopoeias such as GLORK, PATWANG-FEE or GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA. Sergio Aragones, whose work quiet, is almost uniformly written and draws " Looks At… " (" Glances on… ") since more than 40 years. Aragones also carries out the " MAD Marginals" : small images gag which appear a little partour in the magazine, the corners, the margins, free spaces.

Alfred E. Neuman

The icon of Mad Magazine is Alfred E. Neuman, a boy with the undulated hair, who it misses a tooth and which requires: “ What, me worry? ” , that one can translate by “ What do I have some to make? ” , “ What? me, anxious? ” (delivery with unconcern, nonchalance and a happy smile).

The portrait of Alfred is posted as a cover for magazine as of its first years of publication after being appeared in a small portion of a former specimen. The original idea of a boy without name with a happy smile was popular many years before MAD adopts it. She had been used by the racist propaganda of the Nazi like Jewish stereotype.

The character holds his name of Alfred Newman, celebrates it type-setter, of which the inopportune appearances with the radio had amused Kurtzman much a few years earlier.

Some authors of Mad

Scenario writers

Dick DeBartolo
Desmond Devlin
Stan Binder
Frank Jacobs
Tom Koch
Arnie Kogen
Jack Rickard
Larry Siegel
Lou Silverstone
Mike Snider

Scenario writers/Draftsmen

Sergio Aragones
Dave Berg (… looks At American people )
John Caldwell
Gift Edwing
Al Jaffee
Gift Martin
Paul Peter Porges
Antonio Prohias ( Spy vs. spy )

Draftsmen

Bob Clarke
Paul Coker, Jr.
Jack Davis
Dead Drucker
Jack Rickard
Angelo Torres
Wally Wood
George Woodbridge

Impact on the Popular culture

Many scenario writers and cartoonists drew their inspiration there.

In the series Simpson S, Bart is subscribed there. A wink of Matt Groening.

External bond

the official site of Mad - at its current editor, cd.

Simple: MAD Magazine

Random links:

Mad