Former editors and cartoonists are reacting to reports that MAD Magazine will effectively shutter in the fall, after a 67-year publication run.
On Twitter, MAD writer-cartoonists and appeared to confirm the news on Wednesday night. Both later clarified they werenāt speaking on behalf of the publication.
MADās former editor Allie Goertz ā who had the role until last month -- āI am proud of what the new team accomplished, am such a fan of the team before us, and am forever in awe of the original gang of idiots."
The once-highly influential satirical magazine will cease publishing issues with new material after Augustās edition, according to a statement from publisher DC.
"After issue #10 this fall, there will no longer be new content -- except for the end-of-year specials which will always be all new," . "So starting with issue #11, the magazine will feature classic, best-of and nostalgic content from the last 67 years."
At that time, the magazine will no longer publish editions for newsstands and will only republish existing content with new covers, which will be sent to subscribers and comic shops.
Many others also shared their disappointment at reports of the magazineās demise, including satirical musician āWeird Alā Yankovic, who he felt āprofoundly sadā upon hearing the news.
āI canāt begin to describe the impact it had on me as a young kid ā itās pretty much the reason I turned out weird,ā the one-time guest editor wrote.
āThe Lego Movieā director Chris Miller also took to Twitter to share his connection with MAD, saying heād been an intern there in 1994.
āI had no apt in NY so I kept my belongings in the archives & took a daypack & crashed on couches for 3 months. In the writers room they had a drum kit to do rim shots on bad jokes. Great memories. Iāll miss it," he wrote.
MAD founded in 1952 as a comic book
MAD Magazine, which started out as a comic book, was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Three years later, it was changed to a magazine format.
The satirical publication ushered in a wave of competitors, including Cracked, all of which thumbed their noses at pop culture, politicians and authority figures.
MAD Magazine rose to prominence after editor Al Feldstein took over and ran it for nearly 30 years. He would go on to make it a household name in the U.S. and around the world during the 1970s.
During its apex in the early 1970s, MAD Magazineās circulation surpassed two million, according to . But as of 2017, the circulation was only approximately 140,000.
In total, MAD published 550 issues before April 2018, when MAD editors launched a reboot, which they jokingly called their first edition. The most recent edition was published on June 12.
The magazine famously features the grinning face of character Alfred E. Neuman on its covers and was recently referenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump, who has been a decades-long target for MAD writers, tweeted that Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg resembled Neuman.
"I'll be honest, I had to Google that," the 37-year-old Buttigieg said. "I guess it's a generational thing. I didn't get the reference. It's kind of funny, I guess, but he's also the president of the United States and I'm surprised he's not spending more time trying to salvage this China [trade] deal."
