MAD Magazine Is Winding Down And Fans Are Devastated

[hlthe2b]

The iconic comic has been around for nearly 70 years.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mad-magazine-winding-down_n_5d1da141e4b04c48140eed2e

MAD Magazine, the iconic comic that taught generations of kids to laugh at the absurdity of the world around them, will no longer publish monthly new content, according to reports.

The magazine known for its gap-toothed mascot Alfred E. Neuman and his “what, me worry?” slogan has been published for nearly 70 years.

Newsstand circulation will come to an end after the August issue, per The Hollywood Reporter. Subscribers and comic shops will continue to receive MAD, but starting in the fall those issues will feature old material repackaged with new covers.

In what may be a small silver lining, publisher DC plans to produce end-of-the-year editions with new material, MAD books and special collections, THR reported.

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[superpatriotman]

1. MAD magazine essentially raised me

Along with SNL, Monty Python, Wacky Packs and Saturday morning cartoons.

mortuus est satura...

[Zoonart]

3. Another icon of "when life was fun" is gone.

Loved MAD.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Same here, on all of your examples...

Gen-Xer?

[superpatriotman]

44. You know it.

But, whatever...I don’t care.

[ananda]

14. Moreretur quidem est satura.

Yes, satire is indeed dying.

[spike jones]

31. more latin words, "Num Me Vexo?" - interesting repost

From 1988
The source of a 13-year-old prank in stained glass at the University of Washington in Seattle, has been uncovered: The architect did it.
University spokesman Tom Griffin says architect David Wright is responsible for a portrait of George Washington at the school's Health Sciences cafeteria that bears the inscription, "Num Me Vexo?"For non-Latin scholars, that means, "What, Me Worry?" And, yes, it was inspired by Alfred E. Neuman, the grinning, big-eared symbol of Mad magazine. Wright was the designer of the south campus center where the stained glass portrait of Washington hangs.
Griffin's research answered questions raised by a weekly newspaper story that called "Num Me Vexo?" the strangest Latin inscription in Seattle. Griffin said the inscription came about because students wanted a picture of a revolutionary there. Washington was selected and "Num Me Vexo?" was Wright's contribution. Wright said he was pleased his joke was finally discovered.

[hlthe2b]

34. that's funny (and very much appreciated. Kudos, mr. Wright)

[superpatriotman]

45. +1

It would be just like MAD to publish an entire issue in Latin!

[Mme. Defarge]

59. Only thing that kept the mind alive

when I was a grade schooler in the sleepy little community I lived in.

I’ve be amazed throughout the years over how true it has been to its mission and standards. In its own way it played a role as a moral conscience for our society. Now I say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

[mr_lebowski]

62. You and me man! No more MAD, that SUCKS!!!

Wish I still had my Wacky Packs collection from the 70's ... bet it'd be worth something now, had a few rare ones ... lost 'em in a move somewhere (or maybe they're deep in my folks attic, not 100% on that).

[tblue37]

2. Sad indeed. nt

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. I am crushed.

I grew up in SC in the Sixties and early seventies. MAD taught me snark and satire. It saved me from the trollery of the rightwing.
I fully believe it was one of the most important publications in a tumultuous time.

“What, me worry?”
Alfred E. Neuman. 🐐

[malaise]

22. Ditto

Happy 4th sis

[Are_grits_groceries]

27. Happy Resistance Day!

[malaise]

29. Good to see you

[calimary]

37. Indeed. Happy Resistance Day. What a day. And on top of everything else, we're now losing

our monthly MAD.

BUMMER. That’s quite a cherry on top of today’s 4th-of-July shit sundae.

I loved MAD Magazine! All that artwork. All that cartooning. All those itty bitty drawings in the margins. Every back inside cover that you folded up just do - to reveal a completely different point from the original unfolded image. So damn clever!

Damn.

Just damn.

[Duppers]

35. Substitute TN in your post

And my experience was identical. (Posted below before reading the thread.)

[former9thward]

6. The young generation does not want to pay for anything.

They have been trained by the internet to think everything should be free. Countless newspapers and magazines have gone under. Mad is just one more.

[Turin_C3PO]

7. I think every generation is being trained

to think things like that should be free due to the internet. Hardly anyone is supporting magazines and newspapers anymore, young and old alike.

It’s a shame, we’re losing a lot of great writing.

[True Dough]

11. Losing a lot of coverage of municipal and state affairs

The immediacy of information has never been better but the analysis and scrutiny of what's happening at the local level is getting thinner and thinner because reporters, especially investigative reporters, are becoming an endangered species. Lack of revenue is the culprit.

[murielm99]

20. I subscribe to a paper

that is somewhat local, a daily. I need something to keep up with state and local affairs.

It is no longer owned by a local group, and has become increasingly right wing. It has a few liberal columnists who get into the paper on a somewhat regular rotation. I have not written to the paper in a long time, and that is overdue, especially with the 2020 election coming up. They publish my letters and guest columns because I am a subscriber.

I am in regular communication with the local liberal columnists, who are a married pair of retired teachers.

We need some way to keep up with local and state events. I buy our weekly local paper, too. That is not locally owned any more, either.

We can keep reading and supporting these things because we need them. But we can demand better content.

[True Dough]

23. Absolutely!

Readers play an important part in keeping print journalists (and all media) fair, balanced and accurate. That's the way it should be.

[superpatriotman]

46. Or create it ourselves!

To the mimeograph! Fight the power!

[murielm99]

52. I wish that were still a viable option.

We need social media, like it or not.

Mimeographs must be valuable antiques by now.

[True Dough]

9. True statement

and it's sad to see.

[MicaelS]

41. I am a Boomer, and I have the same feelings.

Twenty years ago, I had to have my daily Dallas Morning News. That is the way I got my news. It was 50 cents and was very thick.

Over the years the pages have shrunk in size and number. And the price has risen to $2. No way I am paying that.

IMO, most paper newspapers and magazines will cease to exist and be online only.

[Aristus]

55. More dumping on young people.

It's not young people who put the content out there for free. It was the creators of the content.

Why dump on the people who simply got used to things being a certain way?

The internet simply created a new way to monetize periodical publications. Hearst and Pulitzer created media empires not from the nominal cost of their newspapers, but by the revenue generated by selling advertising space. They only charged the 2-3 cents per edition (at the height of their newspaper empires) so the reader would feel he was getting something of value.

On-line content providers can put their publications out there for free, and still expect generous revenue from advertisers who appear on the publishers' web pages.

It's just a new way of doing the same old thing.

[former9thward]

67. Blame the victim.

"It's just a new way of doing the same old thing." Reality is otherwise. Mass numbers of newspapers and magazines have gone out of business. So the same old thing is not being done. Especially local reporting and investigative reporting. That has become practically non-existent. The internet "news" operates in 24 hour cycles. There is no way Watergate style investigative reporting which took months and years to piece together could ever happen with a internet based news operation.

[Aristus]

70. Newspapers and magazines didn't go out of business because of the availability of free content.

They went out of business when competitor publications bought them out and closed them down, the better to decrease the competition for subscribers. Also guilty are the people who repealed the media-fairness laws that prohibited a conglomerate from owning more than one television station or newspaper in a single media market.

This is all by way of saying that this still can't be laid at the door of young people who are accustomed to free online content.

[klook]

8. Nooooooo!!

They were a huge part of my life, and I still read it from time to time. They’ve published several hilarious Trump pieces, going farther into the political realm in recent years.

[superpatriotman]

47. William Gaines?

Publisher

[klook]

65. Yes - sorry, forgot to ID the pic.

To me his image is iconic, so I forgot not everyone might recognize him.

I was trying to find this hilarious picture of Gaines and one of the other principals (Harvey Kurtzman?) in a fitness ad parody where they were lying shirtless on their sides and pretending to do exercises. The sight of these two guys, not exactly gym gods, acting like they were in a Playgirl spread or something was a scream!

Here's a cover from 1971 that's once again fitting:

?w=710

[lpbk2713]

10. I've been reading since the "25 Cents - Cheap" days.

I feel particularly old right now.



But then ---- What? Me worry?

[KPN]

40. Big smile. That was perfect.

[True Dough]

12. As a child/teen, I had a captain's bed

There were three drawers in the side. Those drawers contained MAD magazines, wrestling magazines, Archie comics and Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would read every night before bed.

Of course if I were a youngster today, I'd be going to bed with a phone or tablet in hand. That's just the way it is.

[FakeNoose]

13. Well if they still publish annual books, I guess it's better than nothing

Still it's sad to see these guys stop the regular periodicals. It seems the customers are mostly the old-fogey types like us who grew up with MAD. The young kids aren't so interested, when there are so many other possibilities for entertainment. Reading MAD regularly is a challenge to keep up with news, politics, current events, social happenings etc.

[Marthe48]

15. Part of my life since the 50's

I still have the gift subscription letter Mad sent to my Dad. My Mom got it as a Christmas present for him. I hope sarcasm, irony and parody are not dead.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. im halfway through a christmas gift subscritpion. hope they refund my sis money

like everything good it goes away. and they lambasted he who shall not be named for 20 years before he became the non prez.

[RobertDevereaux]

17. My first magazine subscription, way back when...

Dear MAD Magazine, my thanks for raising us incipient renegades right!

[MineralMan]

18. I started reading MAD magazine in the 1950s.

My parents wouldn't have it in the house, and told me I was not allowed to buy it. They didn't know that the local public library subscribed to it, along with many other magazines. So, I read it at the library. When I was in high school, I asked the librarian why they subscribed to it. The answer was simple, "It is popular with library patrons and our job is to make popular publications available."

Very sensible policy, I thought.

[Auggie]

19. Years ago I bought a DVD colllection containing every MAD from 1952 thru 2005

It's in PDF form, sloppy scans (lower in resolution than they should be), but still funny and relevant today as it was 60 years ago. Brings back many memories. I'm glad I bought it.

This awesome artwork blew me away as a 12 year old. I still have the original article.

[58Sunliner]

21. MAD Magazine taught children everywhere the value of satire and the truth of hypocrisy.

Critical thinking and funny.

[no_hypocrisy]

24. Hell yea!

[IronLionZion]

25. Cracked ate their lunch

a tale of two comedy publications, both started in the 50s. Cracked ceased their print version 12 years ago and went all in on the online version. The Onion ceased their print version 6 years ago. Younger generations know Cracked, but Mayor Pete had to google who Alfred E. Neuman was to respond to Trump's insult, which fell flat because Mad fans like Alfred E. Neuman. It's generational and the economy is changing. Some of my coworkers find it ludicrous that I still buy books for travel or training when it's available online.

How many DUers subscribe to Mad magazine? I own some of their books that were from before I was born.

[thesquanderer]

28. This is what seems strange to me, MAD is doing the opposite of everyone else.

As you pointed out, there are numerous publications that have ceased the printing and distribution of paper copies, but continue to generate new content online. Mad is doing the opposite... keeping the expensive printing and distribution of hard copies, but eliminating the new content.

[Boxerfan]

26. My wife subscribes.

We also just got our favorite uncle (her big brother) a subscription.

This actually is sad news and Mad was still relevant in satire & artwork.

[Historic NY]

30. I knew the artist that did all the history stuff.....

[sellitman]

32. I've been reading them since the 60's.

Truly why I am the way I am.

Now instead of Mad I am Sad.

[Duppers]

33. Oh NO!!! 😵

It's was one of the foundation blocks of my childhood, one of the things that helped me counteract my RW family's influence. But kids today have more sites online, so there's really no excuse for any of them to grow up with RW opinions.

😞

[Honeycombe8]

36. This makes me so sad.

When I was a kid, my whole family would pass the latest MAD magazine around to each other. We all loved it, and each had our favorite parts.

[hlthe2b]

38. If even half of "fans" pledged to subscribe for the next 5 yrs, I wonder if they would reconsider

sigh

[Cirque du So-What]

39. As consolation...

Cracked magazine appears to have stepped up and provided laudable satire in recent years. I remember Cracked from my youth, which seemed a pale imitation of Mad - almost childish in its satirical attempts. I've seen some first-rate writing from them recently, however, which helps soften the blow of Mad ceasing regular publication.

[dameatball]

42. Mad magazine inspired many of us to think and laugh at the same time. We only had three TV

channels in the late 50's, early 60's, but getting the latest copy of Mad was an enlightening and enriching journey behind the scenes of the life we were all meandering through, something that went beyond the usual media we were exposed to. Along with the laughs, there was never a single issue that didn't make you stop and say "Hmmmm."

[eleny]

53. +1!

I remember when my older brother brought home the first copy I ever saw. Probably one of the earliest years if not the first. My dad was outraged and confiscated it. But it didn't matter. Every month my brother bought the latest issue and I loved it from cover to cover. And I wouldn't be surprised if dad sneaked a read himself.

..... .....

[dameatball]

56. Same here as far as mom and dad. That made it even more enticing to my brother and me...:)

We bought ours at the local convenience store. I remember that it was displayed separately from the comic books which I think made parents more leery of it. Once my parents realized what it was they were fine with it.

[eleny]

61. Ours was at the local candy stores

And definitely not displayed near my beloved Little Lulu comics!

[oasis]

43. In early '60s I eagerly awaited MAD's delivery every month to

my local drug store. Without fail.

Thank you for all the gems, MAD artists and writers.

[Bradshaw3]

48. MAD and the Smothers Brothers were cultural icons for me

And many others, especially those who grew up in conservative, religious areas who valued input and satire from other sources. I think MAD was a modern version of the satirical publications that proliferated before the French Revolution. I remember my mother telling me it was Communist back in the early 60s - which of course made it rebellious to read. If you were a smartass who saw behind the BS of conformity MAD was not just funny but a guiding light. As were the Smothers Brothers a little later, and then Rolling Stone.

[JohnnyRingo]

49. Thanx for those good years Mad Magazine!

Though I "graduated" to National Lampoon in the years after high school, Mad formed the basis for my cynical sense of humor.

[yaesu]

50. loved reading the MAD stuff when I was younger but sadly haven't bought any in decades

wish I would have now.

[nolabear]

51. When snark was literally an art.

MAD was a coming-of-age tradition. Juvenile, puerile, take no prisoners and oh, so funny. Spy-vs-Spy, What Me Worry, those folding back covers, parodies of everything revered. Hiding it from the grownups was heaven.

Forget peace. Rest in Weird. ❤️

[sarge43]

54. Hail and Farewell, Mad

You taught us how to snark and calibrated our crap detectors.

You will not be forgotten.

[maddiemom]

57. I was a big fan of MAD as a teenager and college student,

(more recently,too, I'll admit). In later years, I've most remembered some of the running gags that were slyly inserted into completely unrelated parodies. For instance: when the original series "The Fugitive," was very popular, you'd often see Richard Kimble (David Janssen) sneaking by in the background or peering out from behind something...it was those little things...!

[shanti]

58. I remember

my dad used to buy Mad. My favorite toon was Spy vs Spy. I'm really surprised that they lasted this long!

[Totally Tunsie]

60. OMG! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Sure, I can fold the back page of AARP Real Possibilities, but it just won't be the same!

Alfie, how can you leave us when we need you more than evahhhh?

Yes, I'll worry!

[mr_lebowski]

63. This is some shitty 4th of July news ... I loved that mag in the 70's/Early 80's

Probably the only reading material I ever 'spent my own money on' as a 9-13 y.o. kid. I particularly remember the parody of Star Wars issue ... although I'd read other people's copies for years, I think this was the first one I bought ...

[Codeine]

64. Perhaps they'd be less devastated

if they had bothered to purchase the damned thing. I think everyone likes the IDEA of Mad Magazine but they aren’t bothering to subscribe or grab one off the rack because it’s no longer of any real cultural relevance.

[live love laugh]

66. Sad 😞. I ❤️ Mad. nt

[BigDemVoter]

68. Damn, I LOVED this magazine when I was a kid. . . And when I was older too!

[Recursion]

69. Damn. We never needed MAD more than we do now (nt)

[Rhiannon12866]

71. My Dad subscribed to MAD and my brother and I read it, too...