The venerable MAD MAGAZINE, which was, along with DC Comics staffers, hit with layoffs on Friday, will become a quarterly publication beginning with issue #500. Sister publications MAD KIDS and MAD CLASSICS will cease production immediately.Tom Richmond blogs about the news here, and promises he'll have more to say this coming week. Certainly, this is sad news for those who lost their jobs, and all who are affected by the reduced publication schedule.
I heard the news yesterday afternoon, and, just by chance, the phone rang. It was Mell Lazarus calling from California. He wasn't calling about this. He was calling about an upcoming National Cartoonists Society meeting. We talked NCS business for a minute and then chatted about things. He hadn't heard about MAD, but then he said that at least MAD is still alive.
So, there, as Mell points out, is a silver lining.
MAD isn't dead. Not yet.
So go buy a copy!
I'm tempted to say, "What, me worry?" but this story really disturbs me. I wonder if they would have been better off remaining a black and white magazine.
ReplyDeleteMAD went color when it began to accept advertising; advertisers wanted color, better paper stock, etc. I think this was maybe 10-12 years ago? I was told at the time, by a MAD editor, that without the advertiser support at the time, the mag would've gone under then.
ReplyDeleteSigh... Just throw it on the pile...
ReplyDelete