Fighting Mad

by Albert Feldstein (editor)

The 11th volume in the MAD Readers series. Continuing ibooks' hit publishing program that reintroduces the classic material that made an internationally recognized name of MAD Magazine

Genres: Humor, Comics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was first published in 1957, so you can expect the humor to be a bit dated, but still, a fun read. This spoofs detective fiction (very well!), the seven 'blunders' of the world (timeless!), TV scenes we would like to see, some Shakespeare (updated!), home improvements, and much more. These make great bathroom readers!

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nearly gave this book two stars for the humor has really not dated well, but a few pages are brighter than others and there are two very interesting pieces near the end. "Getting Rid of Guests" features a party at which the hosts have attached a series of comic strips to the wall. Reading these in sequence takes you to the door where your coat will be handed to you so you may depart. It is significant because it is one of the first uses of PEANUTS and Charley Brown by another comic creator, for it is a strip very like PEANUTS that is attached to the wall. The other is "Shakespeare Up to Date," a hep-cat version of the balcony scene from ROMEO AND JULIET, 2.2. This is fascinating for all kinds of reasons that will not interest most of the people reading this, so I'll spare you, just note it has antecedents in the Hollywood "big broadcast" films, comedy routines on the radio, Steve Allen's BOP FABLES, and my hero Al "Jazzbeau" Collins.

[Asser Mattar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess the 1970's humour is kind of obsolete nowadays.

[FranklinTV · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think these were a way for MAD to republish stuff from the 50s and 60s in the 70s. So, to a young teen, a lot of the cultural references didn't (and some still don't) make sense. Still, some amusing stuff, with my favourite being the 'Nobody has any fun at parties!' which made me laugh so much when I was young (a single joke with such a long setup, where the joke is not the punchline but the actual long setup - brilliant).