MAD (Original Comics Era)

Harvey Kurtzman launched MAD as an EC comic in 1952. Its early stories spoofed comics, entertainment and public assumptions with a growing cast of artists, including Wood, Davis and Elder. The magazine format came later.

The original comics show satire developing from genre imitation into a broader distrust of solemn authority. Its jokes depend on knowing the source material well enough to expose its habits.

Parody and social satire organize the work. Its targets range from pulp formula to the manners of everyday American life.

The artists fill panels with exaggerated reactions and background gags, while Kurtzman’s timing controls the escalation. A joke often grows visually before its caption lands.