Mad is an American
humor magazine founded in 1952 by editor
Harvey Kurtzman and publisher
William Gaines, launched as a comic book before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and influential, affecting
satirical media as well as the cultural landscape of the 20th century, with editor
Al Feldstein increasing readership to more than two million during its 1974 circulation peak. As of July 6, 2015,
Mad had published a total of 537 issues.