SAD MAD News
With the Daily Coronacature going the last 100 days I have hardly posted any news or other stuff… I’ve been too busy drawing! So, it’s time to address the latest MAD news, which is not all that good.
MAD #15 is due to be released in August and will contain some new material. Back in late May MAD stopped accepting solicitations for new work “for the rest of the year”. That includes the year end issue, which is traditionally the “MAD 20 Dumbest People, Events, and Things” of the year. Projects already in the pipeline would be completed, but nothing new would be commissioned except for a new cover each issue. I’ve also been told recently that there will be a new Fold-In every issue, now done by the brilliant Johnny Sampson since Al Jaffee started laying down on the job at a spritely 99 years old. (and he was just getting the hang of it). From #16 onward, MAD will be basically 100% reprint material. The exceptions will be a smattering of new stuff that had already been commissioned or is paid for and languishing in the “evergreen” drawer.
Perhaps the optimistic operative phrase here is “for the rest of the year”, meaning 2020. DC is saying this is part of their response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which insinuates that once the pandemic is over and the company is back to “normal” things may change. I’d like to think that is the case, but considering they had been scaling back on MAD long before anyone had ever heard of coronavirus, I am less than confident that MAD will return to even the 25-ish% new material format.
I am currently wrapping up a two pager for MAD #15 today. Unless things change this will be my last interior work for the magazine. I turned in my first job for MAD in June of 2000, so I made it exactly 20 years as one of “The Usual Gang of Idiots”. I’m not ready to write a eulogy for my MAD career quite yet, but let’s just say I’m thinking of an opening line.
As much as I love a good Spiro Agnew gag, let’s hope someone at DC changes their minds in 2021 and puts MAD Magazine back in the business of making fun of the current world. The current world deserves to be made fun of, and we could all use the laughs.
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Sad but somewhat hopeful, I guess. The world needs this kind of humor more than ever, and I gotta think the market for it is stronger than ever too. Let’s hope DC gives it another shot.
Wow… thanks Tom for the information on what’s going on with Mad. Really quite a shame. Like many people, I grew up reading this awesome ( in my eyes anyways ) magazine, and to see it slowly get phased out makes me sad…
Like you said – maybe once this zombie apocalypse goes away, they’ll flourish again.
In any case, thanks for your great art work over the years!
Sincerely,
Jeff – a fan
Tom, Thank you for your wonderful work for Mad Magazine. I’ve enjoyed seeing your work when I recieve the issues. It’s been nice to see your work improve over the years. I was delighted to see your take on Mr. Rogers. I don’t mind the reprints at all. It gives me a chance to not touch the older issues. I wish you well with your book project featuring movie parodies. Regards, Andreas
Maybe your new book with Desmond Devlin will turn things around.
Nah. The art will be good, but that Devlin guy’s a stiff!
I stumbled upon an international “MAD” on a Facebook page. It’s called UNMAD(seriously). It’s been going on since 1978 as an homage to MAD magazine. It’s published in India.Only problem it’s in their language. I asked them if they had an English version. Hoping for a response of some kind.
I wish that those suckers at DC star publshing MAD in Brazil again too..
Dang. I hope I’m wrong but I feel it’s over. It was a good – no GREAT – run. It brought me much happiness over the years.
The current world doesn’t want to be made fun off.
Oh, everyone’s so sensitive. Lighten up!