Mad 44

If ever there was a finer magazine…

Alfred E. Neuman and the usual gang of idiots bid farewell to the 1950s with the final issue of 1959. Short of the cover the only seasonal offering are three pages of Custom Made Christmas Cards satirizing the era.

MAD magazine was a staple for the times for over three decades. Still in publication the book has lost some of its teeth even buckling to economic demands and sporting legitimate advertising. But, in its day MAD had no equal. It was the benchmark against which society was judged and no cow was sacred. God rest ye, William Gaines.

When I was growing up I worked on a horse farm in Virginia. They didn’t act like this.

That said I gotta admit the book wasn’t bad. Like a Pixar film many of the jokes are aimed at both the young and old alike. While I don’t see myself becoming a Bronie, I would recommend this as a stocker stuffer.

Twilight is snow-bound at the train station en route to Pinkie Pie’s Hearth Warming Eve party. To pass the time stories loosely related to Rudolph, The Nutcracker Suite and Twas the Night Before Christmas are read. Of course there’s a happy ending.

Recently, David Santiago shared a heartfelt message with the Back Issue Magazine Facebook Group.  With his permission, we’ve reprinted it here.

Thank you, David, and Merry Christmas.

When you’re a kid who grew up in a family where money was tight and sometimes Christmas was just a regular meal, you tend to appreciate the holiday and some of the little joys that come from it. One Christmas, we were struggling to pay bills and just put food on the table. There were no presents and certainly no one was in the mood for ornaments or even a beat up tree that came from Charlie Brown’s house. One night, I went to my room and stayed quiet as I looked out the window. I could sulk, at least. While feeling bad that there was nothing to do to help alleviate the families’ financial straits except worry (I was only 13 and I had an ulcer), I decided to pull out my comics and let my mind flow into a world of fantasy, and a world where I didn’t have to worry or be scared about what might happen tomorrow. The first comic I pulled was a Christmas comic digest. It was full of stories that were corny, but also filled me with hope. That is what Christmas is about, hope and faith. I pulled out every Christmas comic I had and had my own little Christmas, one just for me with no fears of where we’d find the money to pay the bills. As with all things, the bills got paid, and thanks to a bonus my dad got, we had a smaller than usual Christmas, but still one of the best. I lost many of my comics by the time I got to high school, but I would find this comic a few years later in a marked down box of comics. It was titled Christmas With The Superheroes, and it had many of the stories I read that night. To this day, I keep a copy near me on my desk. It helps to remind me that even when everything feels like it is falling in and there’s nothing to look forward to, there’s always hope, and hope comes to us in different forms, even as a comic book. 🙂

It’s impossible to deny the charm of Mike Maihack’s Supergirl & Batgirl team-up comic strip. Balancing a cheerful, impulsive Supergirl with a serious, more sullen Batgirl, the strip provides some fun, light-hearted holiday stories well worth reading. Be sure to visit Mike’s website for more of his art and comic work.

Scripter Mark Evanier, best known for Groo the Wanderer and the television series Garfield and Friends, provides the holiday tale for the festive feline who barely has to lift a paw for a happy ending in “The Never-Ending Tale of Santa Mouse.”

No mention of Christmas in the second story, “Snow Problem!” Just a record snowfall that prompts Jon and Odie to build a 30-foot snowman that Garfield magically brings to life.

Nuthin’s ever easy in Easy Company. Not even Christmas.

For three decades Sgt. Rock and Easy slogged their way up from Africa to Italy and onto the beaches of Normandy. By issue 414 the Pittsburgh-born Top Kick was nearing the end of his tour of duty; the series concluded with issue 422. Fittingly creator Robert Kanigher, with art from Andy Kubert, gave readers a Christmas story in the final days of World War II.

In “The Shining Star” Rock witnesses a Christmas miracle and at least one day without death.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose is more likely to be found in a stocking hung from the bedpost rather than the chimney.

Not a reader of the title my best description would be what if Russ Meyer wrote a comic book about wiccans, witches and supernatural creatures. A titillating title where the characters don’t remind you their eyes are, “up here.”

Odds are if you’re reading this book you’re already on the naughty list.

Two years after his first appearance Superman was a phenomenon. If you believe the documentaries the Man of Steel was bigger than Beatlemania.

Superman’s Christmas Adventure (1940)

True or not he was already schilling for Madison Ave. by 1940 with Superman’s Christmas Adventure, dated 1940. Surprisingly there is no indicia citing Superman as a character of National Periodicals.

The copy pictured was a give-away for Bailey’s Department Store, but the issue was also available through Nehi drinks, Ivey-Keith Co., Kennedy’s Boys Shops and Boston Store.

Inside Superman saves Lois, Santa and Christmas even pulling the sleigh when villains Doctor Grouch and Mister Meaney gas the reindeer. By the final panel all is right with the world and Superman wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Spider-Man’s Christmas (1984)

Spider-Man’s Christmas, a Super-Size Coloring Book, was released in 1984 presumably as companion book to the Marvel Super-Heroes’ Christmas. Aspiring artists were invited to color a story featuring Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Aunt May and the Green Goblin.

An oddity with the book is the fact there are two editions. One is 32-pages in length and another 24 pages.

Hanging 10 on the ‘Net it looks as if the 32-page book has a gold binding and the abbreviated 24-page version has a red binding. Don’t hold me to this, but the descriptions on eBay seem to prove that theory out.

Note the shameless Secret Wars plug

Marvel was on the marketing move in 1984. In addition to its Secret Wars line the company licensed the rights to color its creations with a couple activity books including this one. The only thing rarer than seeing the Rhino peeking through the holly is finding an edition untouched.