MAD MAGAZINES

FOUND A PILE OF VINTAGE MAD MAGAZINES

Mad Magazines

It's not surprising that I was looking through the used books at the thrift store, but I've never seen Mad magazines there before. What a find! At only a quarter each I picked up the entire pile...all five. They were a mixed bag of issues from as early as 1977, to as late as 1981. I was drawn to them, not because I read them back in the day...no I was more of the spin off CRACKED magazine kind of guy...but I have been known to read a Mad every once in awhile (usually at the pharmacy while waiting for a prescription or something...I'd never actually buy the magazine, it's ridiculously priced, and why buy the cow when you can read it for free at the store?!)

I can tell you that Mad was just as pointed back in the late 70s. 

Mad Magazine salutes the coffee break - what a cover!

Reading through these old magazines I came to the conclusion that Mad was a bit like a historical textbook - they took on some pretty big topics of the day.

Hoarding this issue of MAD!

Everything from the oil crisis...

To the CB Radio.

Mad magazine used to be 60 cents!

Mostly the magazine poked fun at the pop culture of the day.

Movies and TV were main fodder for the jokes.

Mad makes fun of Popeye

Advertising, and their sneaky ways of manipulating people, also seemed to be a huge topic. Mad points out how dumb people are when it comes to being manipulated by slick words and flashy TV ads.

They also play on the idiotic ways of some people.

Anyone have the MAD magazine board game - like monopoly but you wanted to lose money!

Super special MAD issue

I thought that MAD had gone out of business or something since I haven't seen a new issue at my pharmacy in the past few years...however, after I bought these books I saw one! An issue mocking Star Wars. I picked it up, but quickly put it down when I saw the price $14.99. For a magazine. What are they MAD?!

 Strange Planet

Strange Planet

- Nathan Pyle -

I laugh heartily at humour of this sort - a different perspective on the behaviours of humans.
This book takes you through common moments in the lives of us humans, the only difference is that it is told through the eyes of Aliens...which points out how absurd some of our behaviours and customs are. Like putting open flames in the face of a child to celebrate their birthday. The Aliens go through the routine of lighting candles on a birthday cake and then blowing them out. But when you change the words around, thesaurus style, it seems hilarious - bring a confection of flaming wax cylinders to celebrate another planetary rotation. Then exhaled upon the cake and we will consume it!

Strange Planet Birthday Cake

Most of the book is full of similar jokes. Which, funny enough, are often just recycled jokes from the past. 
The one example I can think of is how the aliens find a pet (aka animal companion) cat and it starts to purr. They comment that it appeared to have turned on. 

Cat joke - new age

Well, I remember laughing at a comic from The Family Circus Comics when I was eight years old (so many many moons ago) where one of the kids puts his ear to the cat and says, "Mom, the cat's motor is running". Very similar joke. Very funny. 

Cat Joke - old age

Timeless humour. Taking a human experience and putting a spin on it. It's been done over and over, and Strange Planet seems to be a great example of the latest spin for this generation.

I've been a big fan of humour like this since I was a kid. Like I mentioned I remember being young and reading Family Circus books and having a good laugh. I moved on to The Far Side by Gary Larson, which now that I look at it, seems to be very similar humour. 

While Family Circus took a funny take on life through the misinterpretations of children...like the cat's motor running.

The Far Side took a similar twist on human experiences. I always liked the one where the basketball pops and the players ask 'what do we do now'...a situation you can relate to, however, it was placed on a deserted island with nothing else around. That twist makes it funny.

Or the real reason dinosaurs went extinct...taking a human experience and putting it into a different context/species makes it seem funny.

Far side dinos acting like humans

Long story, Strange planet does a great job, just as great at Family Circus or The Far Side, of making fun of our human experience. And, what's more fun than laughing at ourselves? Laughing at animals behaving like us? Laughing at Aliens behaving like us? What's next robots having emotions...now that's funny! 

I would say, take this book for a spin. It was rated the best humour book of the year 2020 on Goodread.com, which is what inspired me to pick it up . I can't argue that it was funny and original take on life. I would have liked to see more...but, I guess I can't really complain, there is a book #2.

The Far Side Gallery 2

THE FAR SIDE GALLERY 2

- Gary Larson -

From start to finish all laughs. Which is good, because that is the point of this 'book' right? The odds are good you'll find a good chuckle on every page, seeing as there are on average 4 comics per page. What I found interesting was over the hundereds of 'funnies' in the collection, there was really only a small range of humour; animals in human situations (funny), violence or implied violence (funny), & cruel situations (funniest)...actually, if you take a step back this does not sound funny at all. That's the sign of a good humour, it can skate the line the between rude and just plain mean and split your gut hilarious.

While reading this book I found out how hard it is to describe a 'funny' situation without making is sound horrible. This happened when my five year old asked what I was reading (and laughing at). So, I tried to explain, "you see this? These guys are stuck on a deserted island with only a basketball hoop and ball. Now, look, there ball has popped. Isn't that funny?"

"Oh this is another funny one. See all the people in the airplane are scared b/c they think they are going to crash..."

From the eyes of a five year old these 'jokes' must look very different.

This brings me to the deeper meaning of the book. It is obvious now that this is a very critical view of humanity and our view as being a superior being. It brings to light the fact that our world is full of violence and unjust situations. Larson conveys this message in the best possible way - humour. Thanks oh wise one Gary!

Rating: READ*

*A perk to this book is that there is no plot to follow, which means you can read a page here, a page there, and never feel like your lost.