Completely Mad: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Publisher Bill Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman produced the first issue of Mad magazine in 1956 and American satirical humor has never been the same since. Beginning with the comic book company founded by his father, Max, Gaines transformed his father's wholesome comics lines into EC Comics, the profitable publisher of classic 1950s' horror comics, and later introduced Mad and its mascot, the "What Me Worry" kid, Alfred E. Neuman. Although basically celebratory and uncritical, art historian Reidelbach's detailed history of Mad mentions recent criticisms of sexist and homophobic material in the magazine as well as Mad 's (and the comics industry's) contested policies on the ownership of commissioned artwork. Most amusing are descriptions of Gaines--who continues to run the profitable magazine as a "benevolent dictatorship"--and his idiosyncratic management theories ( Mad accepts no advertising, has never conducted a reader survey and does little merchandising). The book is chock-full of Mad material--the usual "trash," as Mad always describes its own contents--as well as information on the many freelance artists and writers who have worked for the magazine.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A zany celebration of 40 years of MAD that should please ardent fans and attract browsers with its madcap illustrations that include reproductions of every cover since 1952.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (P); 3rd Pntg edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316738913
• ISBN-13: 978-0316738910
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #934,367 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must-read for fans of mad, October 9, 1998

By	"fathertoasisterofthought" (Victoria, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Completely Mad: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine (Hardcover)

This book is a must-read for fans of the magazine or comic books in general. It has lots of samples from older issues, pictures of every cover, and a complete history of not only Mad, but the factors that influenced it, and the early days of comic books. The chapter on the history of Alfred E. Neuman is excellent.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boy! This SHOULD have been better!, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

COMPLETELY MAD is a fairly thorough, albeit superficial, treatment of the MAD phenomenon. A biased perspective leaves much unsaid. Too much a valentine to Gaines and company. I would have enjoyed more material from the MAD comic book. Much of the information about the "usual gang of idiots" is extremely sketchy, bland and/or uninteresting, meaning that Ms. Reidelbach did not go very far beyond MAD's offices for information; i.e., a superficial and pretty lousy job of research. There was so much opportunity here!

5.0 out of 5 stars What - me sentimental??, October 8, 2007

By	J.D. Guinness (Kelowna, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

It seems grossly inappropriate to get so sentimental about something as UNsentimental as Mad, but that's how I feel. This is SUCH an entertaining book; a very well-told history of Mad spanning its first forty years (1952-1992). The excerpts are generous, many of them in colour on nice glossy paper. Ms. Reidelbach successfully conveys how the times influenced Mad and vice versa. Excellent, CLEAR writing. Maria, if you're reading this, please speak to Mad about updating your book? It's wonderful!