Utterly Mad (50th Anniversary Mad Reader, Book 3)

This slightly oversized paperback meant to be read sideways is a facsimile reprint of "Inside MAD," the third a new series of 50th-anniversary reprints of the early "MAD" paperbacks. The original version of "Inside MAD" was released in 1955 and followed "The MAD Reader" and "MAD Strikes Back!" All of these volumes featured reformatted material that originally appeared in the twenty-three issue run of the "MAD" comic book (are you old enough to remember when "MAD" was a color comic book rather than a black & white magazine?). The material was originally written by "MAD" creator Harvey Kurtzman and featured the core group of early "MAD" artists that included Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Bill Elder. Continuing the practice of having well-known personalities contribute introductions to the "MAD" books (Bob and Ray did the foreward for "MAD Strikes Back!"), comedian Stan Freberg was enlisted to write something similar and came up with a backward (which appears, of course, at the end of the volume). Among the classic "MAD" parodies reproduced in this volume are "Mickey Rodent," "Howdy Dooit," "Smilin' Melvin," "Mark Trade," "The Katchandhammer Kids," "Bat Boy and Rubin," and "Shermlock Shomes" (figure out how old you are by your ability to figure out what these are parodies off just from the titles). Throughout the book there are ad parodies of "Canadian Specific," "Puntiac," and "Beer Belongs," along with parts of the "Puzzle Page." Be aware that not all of the original material is reproduced faithfully here: "Slow Motion!" originally appeared in a much longer form in "MAD" #21 and now has a different opening pattern. Of course, if you have a chance to check out these "MAD" comics in one of the full-page color reproductions, that would be the preferred avenue of appreciation. But if you remember these original "MAD" paperbacks, then this format may well have nostalgic appeal.

This slightly oversized paperback meant to be read sideways is a facsimile reprint of "Inside MAD," the third a new series of 50th-anniversary reprints of the early "MAD" paperbacks. The original version of "Inside MAD" was released in 1955 and followed "The MAD Reader" and "MAD Strikes Back!" All of these volumes featured reformatted material that originally appeared in the twenty-three issue run of the "MAD" comic book (are you old enough to remember when "MAD" was a color comic book rather than a black & white magazine?). The material was originally written by "MAD" creator Harvey Kurtzman and featured the core group of early "MAD" artists that included Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Bill Elder. Continuing the practice of having well-known personalities contribute introductions to the "MAD" books (Bob and Ray did the foreward for "MAD Strikes Back!"), comedian Stan Freberg was enlisted to write something similar and came up with a backward (which appears, of course, at the end of the volume). Among the classic "MAD" parodies reproduced in this volume are "Mickey Rodent," "Howdy Dooit," "Smilin' Melvin," "Mark Trade," "The Katchandhammer Kids," "Bat Boy and Rubin," and "Shermlock Shomes" (figure out how old you are by your ability to figure out what these are parodies off just from the titles). Throughout the book there are ad parodies of "Canadian Specific," "Puntiac," and "Beer Belongs," along with parts of the "Puzzle Page." Be aware that not all of the original material is reproduced faithfully here: "Slow Motion!" originally appeared in a much longer form in "MAD" #21 and now has a different opening pattern. Of course, if you have a chance to check out these "MAD" comics in one of the full-page color reproductions, that would be the preferred avenue of appreciation. But if you remember these original "MAD" paperbacks, then this format may well have nostalgic appeal.