Comical comics
Comical comics |
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Page 28 of 34  'Bob and Carnal and Tad and Alas', Mad (1970), a movie parody. Art: Mort Drucker. The Mad formula that developed in time included a self-mocking mix of strips, cartoons and fake adverts, all delighting in sending up the status quo. However, for some members of the establishment, it went too far. Mad was so cutting edge that it got caught up in the censorship campaign surrounding horror comics in the mid-1950s. This resulted in a Code being introduced in 1955 which imposed a suffocating set of standards designed to curtail adult themes. Most comedy comics survived unscathed (Dell did not even have to submit their titles for inspection), but Mad had to change its format. From 1954 onwards it was a black-and-white magazine. Although the change from comic to magazine was a risky one in a commercial sense, Mad went from strength to strength in the 1960s. It added new creators to the team, most notably Don Martin ('Mad's maddest artist'). There was also a monthly British version of the title from 1959, which anglicized some of the more obtuse American gags and increasingly added material by British creators. As a magazine, Mad's satire in the 1960s and early 1970s became more focused, and occasionally more cynical, with many bitter references to the war in Vietnam. It is arguable whether it was ever politically subversive, but there is no question that its influence on the revolutionary 'underground' comics was profound. |