Longtime MAD contributor Sergio Aragonés just can’t imagine a world without MAD.
Aragonés sees MAD as a way of presenting people’s foibles and the world’s problems with humor.
“Instead of crying, you laugh at it,” he said, suggesting the magazine’s influence has reached a swath of humanity that includes politicians lampooned in its pages. “They say, ‘They’re making fun of me, I better change that.'”
The impact helps explain why Aragonés rejects the speculation the magazine is retiring. There is another reason. When the magazine’s art director called to tell him of the changes, there was no farewell, no pink slip, no reason to think nearly six decades in the margins was coming to end.
“They haven’t dismissed us or anything,” he said, declining to speculate on how long the partnership will continue. “Whatever it lasts, I’ll be there.”
The Ventura County Star discusses the madness of no MAD with Sergio.
Mentioned in the Ventura County Star article is Al Jaffee. Al and Sergio together add up to 120 years of contributing to MAD, including the current issue. So here’s Al from three years ago discussing the origins of the Fold-In on video:
hat tip to Doug for paperback cover images.