Long time non-political subversive publication, Mad Magazine ceases publication

Mad Magazine, the U.S. humor magazine that many people grew up on and read monthly has announced that it no longer going to be published.

Mad started out in 1952 as a comic book that spoofed/parodied popular culture and politics from its inception all the way up to it's last issue.

For three years it was published in comic book form until 1955, when it changed it's format from a comic book to an "Illustrated humor magazine".

The style of humor in Mad was sometimes referred to as "Borscht Belt Humor", mainly because the publisher, editor, and most of the writers, and some illustrators were Jewish. (This was meant as a COMPLIMENT, NOT A SLUR!)

Consciously, and unconsciously, Mad magazine was very influential in humor and pop culture. As far as entertainment is concerned, would Mel Brooks have had a career if there were no Mad Magazine? How about publications like National Lampoon? (Which, unfortunately, went out of business in the 1990s, and only exists as a film company to put out another Chevy Chase Vacation vehicle)

Without Mad Magazine, would punk rock exist? Could a band like The Ramones even exist without the influence of Mad Magazine? The Descendents? and other silly punk bands with a whacky, irreverent sense of humor?

Or even serious, politically bent punk bands with sarcastic tongue in cheek lyrics? (Jello Biafra/Dead Kennedys, I'm looking your way)

And what about television shows like Saturday Night Live, Second City Television, The Daily Show, or The Colbert Report? Or cartoons like The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, Bob's Burgers, Archer, and Spongebob Squarepants? Or sitcoms like Mama's Family, Roseanne, Married With Children, and, (And I know this is a bit of a stretch) Murphy Brown?

If it hadn't been for Mad Magazine,would any of this have been possible? I think not.

Mad magazine had a rather askewed view of the world we live in, took the truth as they saw it, turned it on it's ear, and let the readers decide for themselves.

With a few exceptions, almost NOTHING was off limits to Mad when it came to spoofing and parodying the modern world, holding a mirror to it, and daring the reflection to laugh at itself.

Mad Magazine, although would make socio-political statements with their humor did NOT choose sides. EVERYBODY was fair game: Republicans, Democrats, Capitalists, Socialists, Communists, were all grist for the mill.

Not just politics/politicians, but musicians, actors/actresses, other celebrities of sorts, and that's just the HUMAN aspect.

Mad also spoofed/parodied advertisements for popular products, as well as the world of entertainment.

I would go so far that many young people learned to question ALL authority from reading Mad Magazine, while having a good laugh at the same time.

In 1977, The New York Times had written an article about the 25th anniversary of Mad stating, "Month after month, and edition after edition, in a relentlessly kind manner, MAD tells us that everything was crooked, that there were lies in advertising, that other comic books lied, that television and movies lied, and that adults, in general, when faced with the unknown, lied."

Patti Smith once said, "After MAD, drugs were nothing!"

It is, indeed, an end of an era that will never pass this way again.