Pages

Jan 12, 2018

The 40 Years of Comics Project Friday Magazine 22: Mad #174, April 1975

https://www.comics.org/issue/93974/

Somehow, this is one of only two MAD magazines I have in my collection. I've never been a huge fan of the publication, but it still seems strange that I'd have so little of such an important comics title.

It was really quite amusing, but the humour seems to verge on cliche at times. I know that this is because MAD created the humour that became the cliche, but I wonder if sticking with something that you're good at is always the best decision. Again, I've only read this issue and one or two others, but the humour doesn't seem to change much, even in the space of 40 years. Hopefully more contemporary issues of the magazine aren't quite as sexist as this one was - the treatment of women in the 1970s was sexist, you say? I know - I'm just as shocked as you are. If there's one thing that MAD has always been very good at, it's reflecting the tenor of the times, and this issue does it well. At least it's all there to laugh at, even the sexism. But don't get me started on the subtle jabs at queer people...

I think one of the things I have to be wary of is that magazines like this one are far more focussed on contemporary events and culture than many of the comics from the 70s that I've read. And, as such, there's going to be a lot more cultural dissonance in each issue. It's not just that people don't have cell phones or the Internet - cultural values and ideologies have shifted significantly since this time. I guess the saddest part of that is when I read something in an older publication like this one and it seems like it could have been written today. Plus ca change, etc., etc.

Onward (check it out! I got a magazine posted!)

No comments: