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ow pages; spine taped
Kurtzman vampire cover; Wood, Davis art; Lone Ranger parody
To American kids reading MAD was a rite of passage while growing up from the 1950s to the modern-day, almost every preteen had a stack of MADs lying around their bedroom or rec room, and the influence of the comics/magazines would reverberate throughout their lives. Maybe some would not fully understand everything they read at first, being drawn to the simpler attractions like Don Martin, Spy Vs. Spy or Sergio Aragones’ mini toons in the corners of the pages, but from the very start MAD began laying the groundwork to make young minds think for themselves. By skewering the popular culture kids were absorbing daily, MAD’s writers and artists were educating readers about the absurdity and banality of everyday life, and the entertainment they were being spoon-fed. Whether readers knew it or not, they were being taught to think independently, and as MAD slowly started working on more serious subject matter, their fans grew up with the book, and it is as much of a historical record as any other long-running publication, just with more laughs. Each issue of MAD has something interesting or enriching to experience, and the early days, where the publishers were just starting to establish their footing are some of the most interesting issues in the run. #3 shows the title reaching beyond comics for inspiration, aiming their sights toward the Lone Ranger, Dragnet, and V-V-Vampires!