With this one piece of artwork, the cover of the first issue of MAD, shown here in a rough draft from the new book "The Art of Harvey Kurtzman", a new era in pop culture was ushered in, starting as a new comic book line for publisher William Gaines' EC comics which hit the streets in the Fall of 1952.
Kurtzman was the editor and creative driving force behind this new satirical voice. His next innovation was to take MAD from comic book to a standard magazine format starting with issue #24 in July 1955, a brilliant tactical maneuver to outflank the dogs of censorship that came down hard on a comic book culture perceived to be out of control by the guardians of taste and morality at that time.
Remember Dr. Frederick Wertham's scolding book "The Seduction of the Innocent"? Kurtzman and Gaines et al were right at the center of the mob of seducers he was taking aim at.
Although it seems like Harvey Kurtzman WAS Mad Magazine, in fact his tenure there was fairly brief. Kurtzman left MAD after issue #28, July 1956 and was replaced by another really cool artist, Al Feldstein with issue #29, September 1956.
The first issue of Mad comics cost a dime when it came out but sells today for over $7,500.
Perhaps one of Kurtzman's most memorable moves was to adopt and create one of the lasting icons of MAD magazine and American pop culture in what became MAD's official mascot, Alfred E. Neuman. The character's first appearance in the comic book was on the cover of Mad 21 (March 1955), as a tiny image as part of a mock ad. A rubber mask bearing his likeness with "idiot" written underneath was offered for $1.29.
Neuman's third appearance was in the illustrated border of the first magazine version of Mad #24 (July 1955) with his now-familiar signature phrase "What, me worry?" written underneath.
The best and most widely-accepted image of Alfred E. Neuman, from which all images of the goofy kid who says, What, Me Worry? are derived, is the Alfred E. Neuman for President drawing by Norman Mingo from issue #30.
william
Tomorrow: Life after MAD for Kurtzman
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