Mad Magazine

When I was a kid, Mad magazine was one of my favourite things – I blame it for my somewhat twisted sense of humour. But to paraphrase another famous book, when I became an adult, I put away what I thought of as childish things and so it’s been a very long time since I read it. However, when I saw Mad About Trump: A Brilliant Look at Our Brainless President, how could I resist – I mean, it’s Mad and Trump which, let’s face it, seems like the perfect combination. Happily and show more hilariously, it skewers everything from all the candidates for election (Ben Carson in a purple onesie is worth the price by itself) to Trump’s reality TV show and his rather, shall we say, unorthodox presidenting. But, it isn’t totally biased - Hilary comes in for a share of the barbs too. So, if like me, you’re already sick of it all and if it’s true that laughter really is the best medicine, then this is like a hefty shot of penicillin to help ward off Sad Trump Derangements.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

Look, you either love Mad Magazine or you don’t. You either grew up with Mad Magazine or you didn’t. You either have a 13-year-old boy living inside you or you don’t. (Which, given the theme of this book, could have a whole different meaning than I intended.) This book is for those of us who do, who did, and who do.

It is really just a good excuse to go back through some of the history of Mad and remember the fun of reading them. The focus on monsters, horror, and others of that ilk show more means you won’t necessarily get the very best. But, in its own Mad way, it is very good.

Two things it did well for me. First was to truly represent the full gamut of what Mad has been over the fifty years. It starts with pieces from its very beginning, when it was more of a comic spoofing the comics that existed at that time. (Particular mention needs to go to the piece “Outer Sanctum” which does a perfect job of reflecting, and spoofing, the work that was being done then.) And it goes all the way to more recent fare, including an episode of “Monroe”, a series that always seemed uncomfortable and painful, and was still funny. And there are some pieces in between that I vividly remember reading the first time they were printed.

And that is the second thing it did well. It included some of those pieces I read over and over as I read and reread all the Mad Magazines I owned.

Again, if you aren’t a fan of Mad, this won’t make you one. However, if you aren’t a fan…what’s wrong with you anyway?! show less

MAD about Trump is a rock and rolling, hits it in the ballpark, no holds barred satire about Trump and the other ninnies who ran for office in the 2016 term. MAD, as usual, found that sweet spot of targeting and mocking Trump and showing him in all his glory, I mean stupidity. There are so many favorites. Seeing Trump and his conquests, I mean other presidential candidates, modeling clothes, my favorite being Ben Carson in his purple pj's ready for a good sleep (daytime) and us wide awake. show more For those of us who are parents, a take-off on the book No, David showing Trump (No, Doanld!!) as being the acting-out infant-child that he is and a movie poster replica of Blah Blah Land with Kellyanne Conway (in the beautiful yellow dress) and Donald Trump dancing and prancing the night away. The drawings, photos, type face are the usual MAD style, bold in your face and easy to read. Buy this book to have a good laugh and keep your sanity. I can't wait for the next MAD satire about his glory days in office and impeachment. show less

I'm biased: this books shaped my sense of humor. It was my dad's and was around the house when I was growing up. If you know MAD magazine, you know what's in this book: parody and absurd humor carried to an idiotic extreme. I can make myself giggle by simply thinking of some of the illustrations, like the mattress ad with a woman sleeping surrounded by drinks with ice, ashtrays with burning cigars, beakers of acid, etc. This is worth a thousand words.