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Utterly Mad
Here, in simple words and fantastically complicated pictures, is the fearlessly outspoken expose that rips the lid off the pressing problems of these times.
154 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 26, 2016
What a gas from the past! When I was a little kid I, like most kids, loved comics - not just superhero comics, but Sunday funnies, single panel cartoons, Edward Gorey, Gahan Wilson, etc. etc. Heck, I even had a collection of single-panel cartoons from PUNCH magazine (notorious in my memory because it had a few naked ladies in it!) I loved studying the drawings and made many unsuccessful attempts to learn to draw.
One of those things that I think any smart alec kid who liked comics went through in their youth was a MAD MAGAZINE phase - in my case, I was visiting my Grandmother in Brooklyn in the late 70s, with only the local library to keep me occupied outside of television. Luckily, said library had quite a nice current collection of MAD MAGAZINES and I soon learned the sarcastic ins and outs of "snappy answers to stupid questions, "shut ups", Spy vs. Spy, marginalia and all the rest.
I would also occasionally run across some of the many MAD PAPERBACKS that were available at the time (I remember a Don Martin one had me in stitches for a whole weekend). But when I picked up this one at a flea market, I was instantly struck by how different it was. The comedy was less quippy and popular-culture referencing. The art - my God the art was incredible - so detailed and FUNNY!
Later I would realize that this was material from MAD'S early heyday - the EC years - but at the time I studied it closely. Not all of it worked for me - some of the parodies and references meant almost nothing to me at the time - but some of it was just amazing. In particular BOOK! MOVIE!, FRANK N. STEIN, G.I. SCHMOE, THE RAVEN and especially SUPERMARKETS really rocked my young world. Reading it again, I'm amazed at how certain jokes lodged in my memory ("I gave you life, boy!"or "Blood (pant), the ceiling (pant), the walls (pant), the floor (pant), my suit (pant), my pant (suit), my coat (tie)...BLOOD!"), how sexy some of the women were and, still, how funny SUPERMARKETS is because instead of being a parody, I intrinsically understood that I was reading about something being made fun of when it was new but by the time I was reading it had now become a part of everyone's life. Also, a lot of the comics in here are quite good illustrations of how to handle comic timing when presenting cartoon humor.
A very funny collection. With an adult's knowledge, I especially appreciated the jabs at LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE'S fiscal concerns!
One of those things that I think any smart alec kid who liked comics went through in their youth was a MAD MAGAZINE phase - in my case, I was visiting my Grandmother in Brooklyn in the late 70s, with only the local library to keep me occupied outside of television. Luckily, said library had quite a nice current collection of MAD MAGAZINES and I soon learned the sarcastic ins and outs of "snappy answers to stupid questions, "shut ups", Spy vs. Spy, marginalia and all the rest.
I would also occasionally run across some of the many MAD PAPERBACKS that were available at the time (I remember a Don Martin one had me in stitches for a whole weekend). But when I picked up this one at a flea market, I was instantly struck by how different it was. The comedy was less quippy and popular-culture referencing. The art - my God the art was incredible - so detailed and FUNNY!
Later I would realize that this was material from MAD'S early heyday - the EC years - but at the time I studied it closely. Not all of it worked for me - some of the parodies and references meant almost nothing to me at the time - but some of it was just amazing. In particular BOOK! MOVIE!, FRANK N. STEIN, G.I. SCHMOE, THE RAVEN and especially SUPERMARKETS really rocked my young world. Reading it again, I'm amazed at how certain jokes lodged in my memory ("I gave you life, boy!"or "Blood (pant), the ceiling (pant), the walls (pant), the floor (pant), my suit (pant), my pant (suit), my coat (tie)...BLOOD!"), how sexy some of the women were and, still, how funny SUPERMARKETS is because instead of being a parody, I intrinsically understood that I was reading about something being made fun of when it was new but by the time I was reading it had now become a part of everyone's life. Also, a lot of the comics in here are quite good illustrations of how to handle comic timing when presenting cartoon humor.
A very funny collection. With an adult's knowledge, I especially appreciated the jabs at LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE'S fiscal concerns!
March 29, 2020
The MAD version of Frankenstein was great, but the other stories included show how the magazine was still trying to find its footing. It’s probably a matter of taste though.
December 21, 2024
A wonderful look at MAD's early years...
February 14, 2013
I’ve been a Mad reader since my teens, even had a subscription for a few years, still pick up an occasional issue at the grocery store. The magazine has, since the death of William S. Gaines some years ago (he was sort of the “founding Father”), taken on advertising (well, mostly snack food and video games – hmmm, wonder who THEIR target audience is?...)and colorized themselves, they still manage to poke lots of fun at American institutions, movies, sports and all kinds of stuff well deserving of iconoclasm.
Nonetheless, back in the 1950’s, the magazine was edgier (indeed, their subtitle was “Humor in a jugular vein”), more ‘in your face,” much of which wouldn’t be deemed acceptable in today’s society, even for a “fringy” magazine like Mad. So therefore it appealed, as today, to an adolescent/early adult, mostly male audience, rebelliousness and anti-establishment as they have always been.
This collection of articles dates from 1956, with an expanded version from 1963. I found it going through a number of boxes of books during a recent move. It takes on such icons as G. I. Joe (“G.I. Schmoe,” fresh from WWII, with patriotism, Hitler and fighting among themselves over women), the new institution of supermarkets (the first panel is replete with Superman, lots of him, including several flying near the ceiling with grocery carts, funny), Frankenstein and alternate takes on classic movie scenes. Like today’s version, you have to look at every panel closely, to see all the little “extras” the writers and artists put in, making the reading go slower, but more fun. Lot of the material is quite dated, of course, but for me, having grown up in the 1950’s, I can relate.
Nonetheless, back in the 1950’s, the magazine was edgier (indeed, their subtitle was “Humor in a jugular vein”), more ‘in your face,” much of which wouldn’t be deemed acceptable in today’s society, even for a “fringy” magazine like Mad. So therefore it appealed, as today, to an adolescent/early adult, mostly male audience, rebelliousness and anti-establishment as they have always been.
This collection of articles dates from 1956, with an expanded version from 1963. I found it going through a number of boxes of books during a recent move. It takes on such icons as G. I. Joe (“G.I. Schmoe,” fresh from WWII, with patriotism, Hitler and fighting among themselves over women), the new institution of supermarkets (the first panel is replete with Superman, lots of him, including several flying near the ceiling with grocery carts, funny), Frankenstein and alternate takes on classic movie scenes. Like today’s version, you have to look at every panel closely, to see all the little “extras” the writers and artists put in, making the reading go slower, but more fun. Lot of the material is quite dated, of course, but for me, having grown up in the 1950’s, I can relate.
January 9, 2017
Interesting how something so influential to the formation of American comedy has aged so poorly, but that's the danger of being a trailblazer. Soon, what made you such an original is diffused into the pop culture atmosphere, and you are no longer as vital as before. I can't begin to to thank the creators of MAD (the comic) and MAD MAGAZINE over the decades for infiltrating my own sense of humor, but reading these early Kurtzman tales (beautifully drawn by Jack Davis, Will Elder, Wally Wood and others) was a bit of a slog. I admired the artwork and background gags (an Elder trademark) much more than the dialogue. Others note these are now "historical" tales, and perhaps they are right ... but these days, nothing even comes close to how important MAD was once upon a time.
January 12, 2010
The humor was sophomoric, many of the cultural references to the fifties were obscure (though I learned a lot about just that by reading these things), but the art was great. At least I, an aspiring artist myself who would spend whole rainy days drawing, drawing, drawing, thought the art was great.
January 1, 2017
Its humor has aged poorly, and while certain aspects of the comic have elicited smirks from me, it has nowhere near the quality of other MAD books. I think it's because of the topical nature of this book, which has made this book ultimately forgettable.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews