MAD MAGAZINE LAUNCHES TWO NEW MAGAZINES, LOADS OF PROMOTION

[MattBrady]

One of the most venerable brands in comics is getting an expansion in the coming months. MAD Magazine will see two new series launch, as well as numerous tie-ins and cross promotions through the remainder of 2005 and into 2006.

According to the company, the magazine is seeing a 42% increase in ad revenue this year versus 2004, as well as higher visibility due to the use of its Spy vs. Spy in advertisements, as well as being named by The Chicago Tribune as one of the nation’s top 50 magazines.

In characteristic MAD fashion, editor John Ficarra said of the plans: "It's an exciting time for us. And we're excited about all the excitement. Yes, I think it would be fair to say that we're experiencing an unusually high level of excitation. It's exciting."

The two new spin off magazines from Mad will be the recently released MAD Classics and the November launching MAD Kids.

Classics runs 100 pages per issue, and is slated for an 8 issue a year publishing schedule. The issues will consist mostly of MAD’s parodies and satire, and is aimed at existing readers of the magazine.

MAD Kids, on the other hand, will target the 6-11 year old audience with classic MAD material, as well as new content, such as Spy vs. Spy Jr. and other age-targeted stories. The November issue is projected to have a print run of 200,000 copies, and will move to a quarterly publication schedule in 2006. DC’s “Johnny DC” titles will carry advertisements supporting MAD Kids this fall.

Newsarama spoke with Ficarra about MAD Kids and its implications…in a MAD fashion.

Newsarama: So - so far 2005 has been a banner year for MAD...people are talking about you, the Chicago papers love you, revenue is up, and the President has been compared to Alfred E Neuman, even. Why expand now? Why not rest on your laurels, hire some cabana boys, and live the high life?

John Ficarra: We didn’t know resting on our laurels, hiring some cabana boys and living the high life was an option!

Damn!

NRAMA: Let’s try this on the more serious side, if we can - how long have the plans for the two new magazines been in the works?

JF: For at least five years. Unfortunately, the two new mags were Boating for Horses and Teen Rabbi. When financing for these titles fell through, we were forced to fall back on the two second rate ideas of MAD Classics and MAD Kids. Strangely, the editorial content and focus didn’t change all that much.

NRAMA: What was the spark under the creation of MAD Kids? What, kids’ books are good, but just don't have enough irreverent humor? You want the under ten crowd introduced to the genius of Don Martin?

JF: We were going to say money, but we like your answer better so we’ll go with that. Yeah, we love kids, Kids are good.

NRAMA: Glad to help. Again, slightly more serious - what's the difference between creating content for the regular MAD vs. MAD Kids? Will anyone even be able to tell the difference?

JF: Again, slightly less serious: Goat, wrench, rug, pontificating gyroscope, toupee philandering in sauce. Fa fa fa.

NRAMA: Alright then – we can play this your way. MAD Kids is set at a base run of 200,000 copies. Of that number, how many, and how soon do you anticipate these copies being confiscated by elementary school teachers?

JF: Confiscation by elementary school teachers is an on-going pesky problem, which is why we strongly encourage readers to buy multiple copies of each issue to thwart this abhorrent practice!

NRAMA: Children are the future...what's the ultimate goal of MAD Kids in that context?

JF: To encourage a new generation of readers that celebrates love, harmony and fart jokes.

Along with promotion in DC’s “Johnny DC” titles, MAD is partnering with Action Performance Companies and Great Clips to push MAD Kids as well. The promotion with the two partners will see the #38 NASCAR Busch Racing Cup car driven by Kasey Kahne painted in a MAD Kids scheme with Spy vs. Spy Jr. catchphrases. Action Performance will also manufacture premium di-cast cars and MAD Kids racing products. Additionally, the debut issue of the magazine will be featured at all 2400 Great Clips hair salons across the country throughout the launch period, and will contain a special coupon for discounting haircuts. MAD Kids and Great Clips are also sponsoring a national contest, which will see the winner illustrated in a future issue of MAD Kids

Continuing the sponsorship lineup, MAD is a major sponsor of this summer’s Warped Music Tour, and a promotion with White Castle will run between August 15th and September 15th. Mini magazines will be included with sacks of ten WC burgers, while October’s issue will feature a coupon for free White Castle burgers.

The announced plans fall in line behind DC who, earlier this year, announced a major rebranding initiative which saw it’s properties, brands and corporate identity strengthened throughout the Time Warner family of companies.

[daredevil_666]

Whats the point of Mad Kids? Most of Mad's audience today are already children.

[The Formula]

Originally posted by daredevil_666
Whats the point of Mad Kids? Most of Mad's audience today are already children.

Yeah, the whole idea seems quite ... mad.

[OcCaM]

I haven't read mad in a couple decades but I distinctly remember reading mad when I was 6 or 7.

Has the content changed that much that kids can't read it?

It smacks of commercialism and it is quite mad!

[xdemon]

I had flipped through one on the stands a couple of months ago (I hadn't read one in years) and was shocked to see they had real advertisements in it. I'm not sure when they stopped being commercial-free.

[agentx13]

Originally posted by daredevil_666
Whats the point of Mad Kids? Most of Mad's audience today are already children.

Well in all honesty, the freebie Mad they gave away at Wizard World-Chicago wasn't too kid friendly.

Nothing like hearing your 9 year old laughing at Mr. Fantastic and Invisble Woman having sex or giggling at the word "porno."

[Brian Pearce]

Originally posted by OcCaM
I haven't read mad in a couple decades but I distinctly remember reading mad when I was 6 or 7.

Has the content changed that much that kids can't read it?

That depends on your notion of what's appropriate at what age -- but I would say so. At the time the magazine was last "relaunched" (this must have been five or six years ago, before they started placing paid advertising), the material became much more crude -- and much less funny -- and all the clever subversion I remember seems to have been all but abandoned.

At that point, I wouldn't have felt comfortable giving Mad to anyone younger than 13 or 14. (Certainly not the 6-11 year old audience they're trying to deliver to advertisers with Mad Kids.)

Sad to say, I don't think Mad will ever again have the impact it had on my generation -- not just because it has paid advertising, but because it seems more crass than clever these days.

[Kumar]

MAD is packed with sex and politics.

I too read it as a kid, and I remember the thrill I used to get out of it thinking I was reading something aimed at adults, because I couldn't get half the jokes and there was so much text. I had to hide it from my parents.

Also, a lot of the artwork in MAD (Drucker's my favorite) is really sophisticated, and I don't know that kids could really appreciate that.

My point is, basically: Yes, a lot of kids read the magazine, but I don't think the writers / artists aim it at anyone by themselves.

I think the mag got a bit soft around the early-mid 90s, but I seem to recall a news story about someone at DC kicking their butt back into gear so it had more bite again. This was a few years back--maybe someone has a better recollection than I do. So nowadays, despite the real ads and the color, the magazine is not bad (especially since they've got Peter Bagge on board now too!).


KS

[Lex]

This has got to be the greatest interview in Newsarama's history. Ficarra pretty much ignored everything Matt asked him and was just silly. What fun!

[saulres]

MMm... White Castle coupons. Those'll be so useful here in Colorado, or in any of the other 40 or so states that don't have a White Castle.

[BillReed]

Free White Castle...! Damn! If only there were White Castles in Pennsylvania anymore.

[Mr Wesley]

I hear they're planning on killing off Alfred E. Neuman because he isn't hitting their younger demographics and replacing him with a younger, hipper, Alfie F (for Foshizzle) Neuman.

This will all take place in the new, universe-changing special: Infinite Mad.

[Amoebas]

I picked up an issue at the airport a while back (needed something to read and I could always give it to my 12 year old son when I was done).

BUT - I quickly saw that was not my father's MAD. Nor was it mine.

The sex jokes where aplenty. And they weren't that funny. Some of the stuff was good, (glad to see al Jaffee still gets the inside back cover) but overall the mag stunk.

Based on that one issue only, it needs this overhaul.

[Ectocooler]

Mad's just as good as it ever was. I think the majority of people buying mad right now are actually older people who grew up with it, and teens. That's probably why they're doing Mad Kids.

I really only bought it for Sergio's "a mad look at..." because the rest of the mag was hit or miss (besides the fold in cover which almost always excellent) but now the whole mag is getting better and I really look forward to Mad every month. Sure the Fantastic Four issue was a bit lame, and they seem to have Star Wars ep 3 parodies every issue, but otherwise it's still good.

[Jacob Gilbert]

Originally posted by xdemon
I had flipped through one on the stands a couple of months ago (I hadn't read one in years) and was shocked to see they had real advertisements in it. I'm not sure when they stopped being commercial-free.

Maybe it happened when Time-Warner (DC's parent company) took over? Makes sense to me.

[Spaz_Monkey]

I may try out Mad Kids, just because Mad has become so goddam terrible. Color, ads, bad writing, horrible art, and jokes that aren't funny. Sad......

[Guy_DuBlanc]

You guys are so right. Back in the days when MAD was black & white and had no ads, it was funny, witty, and clever.

Now, with color and ads, and tons of sex jokes and "adult" humor, the magazine is pathetic and barely resembles its former self. It's not funny and not worth looking at.

MAD KIDS is a good idea. Hopefully that will be a return to form. I think I will actually pick it up.

[apop32]

This will all take place in the new, universe-changing special: Infinite Mad.

I think the funniest thing ever would be if they put the OMAC Tie In logo on an issue of MAD!


BTW, I've been buying MAD since I was a kid (I'm 28 now), and I still love it. I think my age is right in line with where they stopped being kid-friendly (they always had some political content, but it got heavier as I myself became more interested in politics [it also doesn't hurt that I'm fairly left wing{or maybe I just started reading the political stuff as I got older}]).

Also, I just grabbed a stack, and Dec. 2000 is issue #400, and is in color, but has no ads, and March 2001 has ads, (and lo and behold, I just opened it, and ther is an editor's note that says this is the first issue with full color and ads, [I suppose #400's color was a special thing]).

[Steve J.]

Originally posted by BillReed
Free White Castle...! Damn! If only there were White Castles in Pennsylvania anymore.

They have White Castle in Michigan, and I rarely go...gastrointestinal distress is not my idea of fun.

Yeah, Mad and White Castle. How appropriate! There's a diarrhea joke there somewhere.

[AnimalMan#1-26]

Originally posted by Ectocooler
Mad's just as good as it ever was.

I'm just taking a wild guess here so forgive me if I am wrong, but you haven't read the Harvey Kurtzman era Mad's have you?

[AnimalMan#1-26]

Ah, nothing like using comics and character branding to encourage kids to overconsume foods that promote obesity. So hey, who cares if heart disease, obesity, and cancer, all linked to a fast-food, meat-centered diet are among the biggest causes of death in the country? Who cares if childhood obesity rates are a growing problem? Why let that stand in the way of profit?

I heard an interview with former DC honcho Irving Donenfeld lamenting Marlboro product placement in a Superman movie (after his time).

Sad to see that DC has sunk even lower...

And for that matter, its fairly nauseating to see a company publish something like Grant Morrison's Animal Man run, with that classic scene where Buddy very compellingly chides his son for eating a burger (remember Brian Bolland's back cover to Animal Man #26-- my fave single issue of a comic ever, i think?) Yeah, I get that "the opinions expressed were not necessarily those of DC," but it still basically says "we will print anything that turns a buck and be fine with whatever message it puts out, but don't expect US to adhere to any kind of ethical priniciples."

[Ectocooler]

Dude chill out, no one is forcing them to use the white castle coupons, I mean if we go by your (flawed) logic then the newspaper encourages every type of sin ever. Coupons for fast food, grocery stores, target (their promoting corporate world take over) etc....
Just chill out, this is nothing to get upset about. If this is for kids, then the parents have to take them there, and if they have an eating disorder then the parent will be like "No we're not going" that is if they are in fact good parents and know about healthy eating habits. If they don't, well then is one coupon/trip to white castle going to make the kid have a huge lifestyle change and decide he wants to die fat?

Anyway, to the person who asked if I've read older generations of Mad, yes I have and they were great. Funny yes, perfect no. Changing something from black and white to color is only an improvement for the magainze. Sure issues lately have been a little off, but the magazine is changing with the times like everything should.

Imagine if superman was stuck in the silver age rather than progressing to where he is now. Sure silver age Supes was great, but modern age is just as good and he's moving with the times.

Mad is just as good as it ever was.

[mitchell2020]

I stopped reading Mad since they took in ads. I tried an issue or two but it was just not the same.

Mad died when Bill Gaines died. So I will just read my old issues, the Cochran reprints of the comic run and wait for the re-release of the entire series on DVD Rom.

[AnimalMan#1-26]

Originally posted by Ectocooler
Dude chill out, no one is forcing them to use the white castle coupons, I mean if we go by your (flawed) logic then the newspaper encourages every type of sin ever. Coupons for fast food, grocery stores, target (their promoting corporate world take over) etc....

Umm, no. Newspapers aren't targetted at kids. Critical difference.

[i]
Just chill out, this is nothing to get upset about. If this is for kids, then the parents have to take them there, and if they have an eating disorder then the parent will be like "No we're not going" that is if they are in fact good parents and know about healthy eating habits[/b]

You should do a little reading on marketing. It's standard corporate markenting strategy to agreessively market to kids to recruit them to influence their parents via nagging.


Consider these witness statements from the famous McLibel trial in the UK:
http://www.mcspotlight.org/people/wi.../dibb_sue.html and
http://www.mcspotlight.org/people/wi...ey_juliet.html

[i] If they don't, well then is one coupon/trip to white castle going to make the kid have a huge lifestyle change and decide he wants to die fat?[/b]

By this argument we should allow tobacco ads in the mag because one pack of cigs isn't gonna kill a kid.

[i]Anyway, to the person who asked if I've read older generations of Mad, yes I have and they were great. Funny yes, perfect no. Changing something from black and white to color is only an improvement for the magainze. Sure issues lately have been a little off, but the magazine is changing with the times like everything should.
[/b]

Umm, the old Mad was color. It was a comic book. Published by EC. In the fifties Way better than the much weaker material that followed for decades. I think Alan Moore has described it as the best comic ever. (Can anyone provide a citation on that? Or am I just making that up?)

[i]Imagine if superman was stuck in the silver age rather than progressing to where he is now. Sure silver age Supes was great, but modern age is just as good and he's moving with the times.[/b]

Personally, my favorite Superman is Golden Age (esp. early golden age --1938-1940 or so), back when Siegel and Shuster were still involved and Supes was more of a social crusader than a supervillian fighter. My next favorite period is the Bronze Age Superman-- the era of Elliot S! Maggin and Cary Bates-- intelligent, creative, heartfelt, nostalgic STORIES - not just endless continuity and subplots a la Marvel, but actual stories with a premise, a beginning, middle, and end, and some clever conceipt. I came into comics at the very tail end of this era (summer of 1985) but still have fond memories of this era. Modern Superman? Blehhhh.

[i]Mad is just as good as it ever was. [/b]

Yeah, who needs those hacks like Wally Wood and Harvey Kurtzman anyway?

[m_melvin_m]

Sorry, guys, but I don’t agree that the Kurtzman comic-book MAD was somehow better than that edited by Al Feldstein.

Feldstein has been grossly underrated, and – if we are to believe what he says (and I do) – some of the suggestions that pointed Kurtzman’s MAD in the right direction (like Superduperman, the first MAD to sell well) came from Al.

I agree that Harvey’s was the initial creative spark for that type of humour, and that Elder, Wood and others did very well, but Kurtzman’s stuff (purely HK, that is, without the support of Gaines, Feldstein, etc.) never sold well, whereas Feldstein got MAD up to 2 million.

It’s also a mistake to suggest that the contents that we remember from our own MAD-reading days are automatically better than the current crop (were Jacobs and Drucker more talented, then, than they are now?) And Tom Richmond is ****ing excellent.

Thanks for Listening
Dave