Humor is dying. Preserve MAD

There is news that after 55 years as a monthly publication, MAD magazine will become a quarterly.

It is, of course, a sign of the times, if ever their were one, a sign that the magazine is continuing to struggle at the hands of newer forms of media, seven years after finally caving and including advertisements in its printed form. It’s also a sign, Jaffee adds, half jokingly, that “humor is dying.”

Reviewing Mad’s 500th issue which has a spoof on Google, Wired magazine has this to say about MAD -
Now well into its emerald anniversary, the spoof-filled magazine founded by William Gaines in 1952 has left an immeasurable stamp on global entertainment. Mad served as a comedy Bible to Monty Python auteur Terry Gilliam, taught Roger Ebert how to write film reviews and peddled parody to the masses. According to Patti Smith, it more or less replaced drugs altogether.

It is a consolation that there is a DVD compilation of over 600 issues of Mad Magazines from 1952 to 2006 - Absolutely MAD Magazine - 50+ Years available for around 30 bucks. I bought my copy a few months ago and being a amateur cartoonist I'm thrilled going through the artwork & creativity of my favorite artists, David Berg and Al Jaffee over the years.

MAD DVD

Related:
Al Jaffee's Mad Fold-Ins in Flash

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