Scott Bradfield

Nothing was off-limits for ‘the usual gang of idiots’ at Mad

First published in 1952, the satirical magazine helped free the American youth of Vietnam War era of some of the stupidest beliefs they were supposed to hold about their country

Portrait of William Gaines, Mad’s publisher, by Drew Friedman. [Illustration by Drew Friedman] 
issue 21 September 2024
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  • The MAD Files: Writers and Cartoonists on the Magazine that Warped America’s Brain

    David Mikics

    Library of America, pp. 200, £19

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