Mad. (2009). NY: E.C. Publications.
Plot Summary: Plot? There’s never any plot, though lots of controversy, humor and even court cases throughout the sordid and sundry history of this magazine. It’s a quarterly collection of satirical pieces that mix words, images, comic illustrations that poke fun at everything. No one is safe from their jabs: entertainment celebrities, sports figures, politicians, fads, advertising and popular culture are all targets for their spoofs and comic parodies. Every issue includes appearances of their mascot character, Alfred E. Newman, or the Spy vs. Spy cartoon, Dave Berg’s The Darker Side of The Lighter Side, Sergio Aragones comics, fake ads and Al Jaffe’s Fold-In activity on the back cover.
Critical Evaluation: As America’s longest-running humor magazine, Mad is still funny, silly, stupid and absolutely the best read while on the toilet or on the phone with a boring aunt. It’s a classic that continues to be a crowd pleaser, even if it’s now owned by a corporation and all of their writers and artists are older than our grandparents. There’s not as much buzz about this tired brand of a magazine as their once was, but for Pete’s sake, you’d be tired, too, if you had to entertain legions of young adults for over five decades. I looked at a few recent issues and aside from the digital enhancements and cheesy glossy paper it’s printed on (oh, and the fact that it costs $4.99/issue these days), it’s still a worthy read and one that teens will still laugh at (or with). At this time, their circulation exceeds 2 million subscribers and distribution outlets.
Reader’s Annotation:
Ask your Dad if he knows about this magazine. Even though he does, don’t hold it against us. We’re here to brighten up your boring day at school.
Information About the Author:
The current editor is John Ficarra. This magazine is published by E.C. Publications, who merged with the well-known DC comics, which has become a subsidiary of Warner Bros., who is in turn owned by Time Warner. And once I figured all that out, I decided to put down my reference librarian hat for a few minutes. At least I discovered that their cast of regular contributors still includes Mork Drucker and Don Martin. The also accept submissions from freelance cartoonists and writers.
Genre:
Contemporary Life: Humor
Alternative Formats: Mixed Formats
Curriculum Ties: Art class, Drama class, Creative Writing class, History class, Social Studies class, Book clubs, Recommendations for Young Adult Reluctant Readers
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) Why is this magazine funny?
2.) The use of humor in teen life
3.) The use of illustration to communcate
4.) Would you rather read this or other books/magazine?
5.) The history of funny that his magazine has had for generations
Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 6-adult
Challenge Issues/Defenses:
Potential Challenges:
• Negative, Sexist, Racist and Satirical portraits of, well, just about anyone
• Depictions of sexual behavior
• Adult Language
• Content includes references to drinking, drug use and smoking
• Depictions of violence
Defense Strategy:
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp
• Provide book reviews by actual readers on a publicly accessible website:
http://www.pamf.org/preteen/share/magazines/mad.html
http://www.epinions.com/reviews/mags-MAD_Magazine
http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-MAD-Magazine-50-Years/dp/B000HKMQ64
• Provide articles by parents of how MAD magazine got their child interested in reading:
http://www.todaysparent.com/education/aboutreading/article.jsp?content=1704&page=1
Why This Book Was Included: Teens need to laugh. Enough said.
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