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"Many years ago Al Jaffee n C came in with a piece that h' used the word 'schmuck: and there was a big debate about whether the magazine should include that word. Today it would be nothing. rr

072 Desmond Devlin, who has contributed to Mad since 1984, agrees. "Culturally, Mad's impact has been immense, especially back when it was the foremost one-stop source of mockery and criticism;' he says."Mad synthesized the nagging doubts that millions of Americans had about their society, and it demonstrated that iconoclasm would sell to a mass audience. Readers had their suspicions confirmed, and were introduced to new suspicions. "It isn't as if presidents had never betrayed their oaths before, and it isn't as if advertising suddenly got amoral in 1955;' Devlin adds. "But the package Mad has put out, and the attitude it promoted, has long since become a norm:' Mad entered this world in 1952 as a comic book. conceived, written and edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published by ECComics. The first few issues of Mad satirized the era's most popular comic books and comic strips, then Kurtzman started expanding his focus to include other aspects of popular culture, such as supermarkets, restaurant dining, motion pictures and television. Kurtzman delighted in experimenting with style and design, especially on Mad's covers. The cover for issue 19, for example, looks just like a horse-racing form, while the cover of issue 20 is an exact replica of a black composition notebook. For the cover of issue 23, the last as a comic book, Kurtzman offered only the Mad logo and a single word: Think. Publisher William Gaines decided to change Mad from a comic book to a magazine for a variety of reasons. Kurtzman desperately wanted to get out of comics, and when Pageant magazine Dubya is only the latest in a long line of offered him a job, Gaines suggested the new on a more consistent schedule. Among his initial unlucky American Presidents to suffer the format as a way of keeping Kurtzman happy. In hires were writers and artists who would define wrath of Mad. addition, turning Mad into a magazine meant it Mad Magazine for years to come, including no longer had to seek the approval of the Comics Frank Jacobs, Arnie Kogen, Tom Koch, Bob Code Authority, an industry censoring board that Clarke, George Woodbridge and Don Martin. "Bill Gaines wasn't much of a fan of change, had made things difficult for Gaines' comic books. "Despite being an atheist;' Feldstein says,"I must but Nick and I recognized that the magazine However, Kurtzman didn't stay long as the say that each of their arrivals was a godsend:' needed updating;' says Ficarra. "At the same time, editor of Mad magazine. In 1956, he engineered Mad flourished under Feldstein's direction, we never wanted to nuke the magazine and his own firing by demanding 51% ownership in and the "Usual Gang of Idiots;' as the writers alienate our core loyal readers. One of the best the magazine (Gaines let him go on the spot) and artists were affectionately known on the things Nick and I ever did was establish the Mad and immediately accepted a job from Hugh masthead, worked hard to keep the magazine's intern program. Most of the writers and staff hires Hefner to edit a slick, more mature humor satire culturally aware and socially relevant. The now at Mad have grown out of that program. magazine titled Trump. He then added insult 1960s, for example, saw Frank Jacobs"'East Side Likewise, we've had art hires, both staff and to injury by raiding Mad's staff and luring away Story;' a deft parody of West Side Story featuring freelance, as a result ofthe art intern program. Will Elder and Jack Davis. However, Gaines the United States and the Soviet Union as rival "In later years, when we moved over to DC, got the last laugh when Hefner killed the new gangs set against the United Nations. More we were able to make more substantive changes magazine after just two money-losing issues. recently, Mad mocked the presidential election more quickly. [Publisher] Jenette Kahn was very Gaines feared that Mad would fail without with a cover featuring Alfred E.Neuman as Barack supportive and charged us with trying different Kurtzman to guide it, but his wife, Nancy, Obama holding a sign reading "Yes we can't:' things. Color-and accepting advertising to and his closest friends suggested he simply Feldstein held the reins of Mad for 28 years, pay for the color-was a big change. The Mad bring back AI Feldstein, who had made retiring in 1985. He was replaced by John Ficarra 20 [a mainstay of every January issue] also was ECs comic books a remarkable success. and Nick Meglin, who edited the magazine jointly born, which I think is usually the best overall Feldstein faced a host of challenges during until Meglin's retirement in 2004. Today, Ficarra sits issue of the year, both for writing and art:' his first months as editor, including rebuilding alone in the editor's chair, assisted by senior editors Mad's circulation has declined considerably Mad's creative staff and producing the magazine Jonathan Bresman, Charlie Kadau and Joe Raiola. since its heyday in the mid-1970s, a victim

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ofthe popularity of videogames and the interest, such as the mall and school. Older, more tweens. The goal of the publication is to bring electronic age in general. However, the sophisticated readers are drawn to its humorous kids into the fold early, in the hope that they will magazine has managed to stay relevant to take on politics, government and world affairs. transition to Mad magazine asthey grow older. contemporary readers by examining these It's an unusual mix that manages to work. One avenue of potential growth in which very issues,in addition to everything else of Politically neutral, Mad has tweaked the nose of Mad has been admittedly lacking is the internet. interest to today's young geeks. (Example: A every president since Eisenhower, but it went from It has a website (madmagazine.com) that does recent parody of the Hot Topic catalog.) tweaks to roundhouse punches when George W. little to encourage visitors to return, and a page "Mad has done a lot recently to explicitly Bush took office. In fact, Mad's coverage of the on MySpace (myspace.com/worldofmad), which grab younger readers, like 'Planet Tad!' [a fake mismanagement of the Iraq war and the Bush contains, among other things, a blog from Alfred blog written in the style of a typical kid] and administration's often bizarre approach to the E.Neuman written by longtime scribe Dick 'Monroe' [a comic strip about a long-suffering war on terrorism has resulted in some of the most DeBartolo. But other than these two sites,Mad high schooler with perhaps the worst family in the scathing satire in the magazine's history. The Bush has not embraced the web to the degree that one world];' confirms Jacob Lambert, a former intern administration has provided so much fodder that might expect from such an iconic publication. who has been selling to Mad since 2000."Some in 2007 Mad published a collection of its best stuff, "I think it's inevitable that Mad will have a older readers might pine for the good old days titled The Mad War on Bush: A "Shock and Awe" much more robust presence on the web;' says of Dave Berg, but in general, I think Bill Gaines Attack on the Worst President of the 21st Century. DeBartolo, an admitted gadget freak who has would approve of the majority of the magazine:' In 2005, Mad premiered a quarterly sister practically begged his corporate overlords to let One thing Gaines might not approve of is the publication titled Mad Kids, which is aimed at him do more. "There has been some talk [from language now found in Mad. That's not to say youngsters ages 7 through 11.The humor is the editors] of moving into a better electronic that the magazine is foul-mouthed-the editors understandably lowbrow, with a lot of jokes about forum so that we can do more timely humor:' are well aware that Mad is read by parents as well bodily excretions and celebrities of interest to Mad is a survivor, and its longevity astheir kids-but words that would have been must be attributed to the remarkable verboten just a few years ago (such as"douche talent of its writers and artists. bag") are now thrown about with abandon. "There's a very high talent threshold that the "Many years ago AI Jaffee came in with creative contributors are obliged to uphold;' a piece that used the word 'schmuck; and observes Desmond Devlin. "Look at FrankJacobs. there was a big debate about whether the He started writing for Mad during Eisenhower's magazine should include that word;' recalls first term, and he recently had a song parody FrankJacobs."Today it would be nothing:' mocking Reverend Jeremiah Wright called 'God (Much worse than the word "schmuck" Damn America; sung to the tune of'God Bless was the cover for Mad NO.166, March 1974, America: It's a great piece. Frank'stalent, and those which featured a hand flipping the reader like it, are the not-so-secret secret of Mad's success." the bird and the phrase "The Number One "Personally, I believe Mad will always be EcchMagazine:' Distributors were horrified by around one way or another;' adds AI Jaffee."All the image and, fearful of offending potential print media is adjusting to the unprecedented customers, returned the issue by the box load.) onslaught that technology brings about daily. Mad has always strived to entertain two Will newspapers and magazines be around 25 distinct readerships-teenagers (predominantly years from now? Sure,but in a different form. I male) and adults ages 21 to 25. For its younger just don't see much in the way of paper in our readers,the magazine concentrates primarily future. But, hey-the trees will be happy:' on popular culture and typical areas of teenage

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