TITLE: Mad Magazine vol. 1, Issue 72
YEAR: July 1962
COMPANY: E.C. Publications, Inc.
Publisher: William M. Gaines
Editor: Albert B. Feldstein
Art Director: John Putnam
Production: Leonard Brenner
Contributing Artists and Writers: The Usual Gang of Idiots
In 1952, “Mad Magazine” was created by editor Harvey Kutzman and publisher William Gaines.
Originally launched as a comic book, it would become a magazine and it was a satirical publication that had a large readership, the largest was in 1974 with two million. And it was also known for publishing ad-free from 1957-2001.
Today, “Mad Magazine” is owned by DC Comics (Time Warner) and the magazine continues publishing to this day with 544 regular issues published, as well as a hundreds of reprints, specials, compilations and more.
I had said a lot during my post about “Cracked Magazine” and why I read more “Cracked” vs. “Mad” and it was primarily because “Mad Magazine” was hardly available on the racks, that I was left reading “Cracked Magazine”.
So, bitter I was as a youngster that I sided with Sylvester the janitor vs. the gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman, but I’m not going to lie, if I had a chance to purchase an issue of “Mad Magazine” and partake in the folding of the back cover, I did just that.
With issue 72, the main featured story is “C-Men in Action” and interesting to see President John F. Kennedy and his wife and little Caroline featured. It’s considered one of the JFK issues for collectors to get, with the issue 66 and the JFK January 1961 issue being one of the more pricier issues to find for collectors.
Included is MAD Magazine Don Martin’s “A Fisherman and His Wife”, parody ad for Hilton Hotels, “The Lighter Side of Smoking” during an era when smoking was seen as cool for men and women, a feature called “Mother’s Day Cards for Substitute Mothers” which is an interesting feature for mothers who spend less time with their children, the ever popular “Spy vs. Spy”, “A Mad Guide to Party Conversation” which feature jokes about egotistical people and major name droppers, one of my favorites titled “If Comic Strip Characters Were As Old As Their Strips” which features an older Popeye, Dick Tracy, Superman, Lil’ Abner, Dennis the Menace, Tarzan, etc., Another Mother’s Day feature with “Mad Mother’s Day Gift Suggestions”, a Mad Magazine look at prison movies, a Mad Magazine look at the “Eating Habits of Animals” and a “Mad Magazine Do-It-Yourself Guide to TV Repairs”, especially surprising is how much effort was put into this guide alone.
But overall, this was a solid issue to showcase America during a time of support for its popular President, a time when smoking was seen as cool and big love for Mother’s Day. Something you probably won’t see these days…