Unconditionally Mad, Part 1 - The First Unauthorized History of Mad Magazine

Is he MAD? Mark Arnold, author of If You’re Cracked, You’re Happy, Volumes Won and Too, has done it again with the very first COMPLETE MAD history since the 1990s. He’s UNCONDITIONALLY MAD!!!

This two-volume set (Part 1 and Part B) covers the entire 70+ year history of MAD magazine.

Part 1 covers from when Max C. Gaines ventured into comic book publishing in the 1930s and eventually founded E.C. Comics. E.C. started out publishing titles for small children and Bible stories, but after an unfortunate accident, son William M. Gaines took over and created legendary comic book titles such as Tales from the Crypt and Weird Science. Bill Gaines hired Harvey Kurtzman who created Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat. Kurtzman wanted to increase his income, Gaines suggested adding a humor title and in 1952, MAD was born. In 1956, Kurtzman left and was replaced by former Crypt Editor, Al Feldstein. The story carries on through Feldstein’s 30-year tenure as the Editor of MAD.

The lawsuits, the hirings, the firings, the ghosts, the flatbugs, the spies, the FBI, the plants, the gooney birds and the celebrities are all contained here, along with many new and archival interviews with The Usual Gang of Idiots. It’s a story that’s UNCONDITIONALLY MAD!