This Month's Mad Issue

[Daffy Dork]

This month's Mad parodied Adult Swim Nonstop.

The main feature is 2(!) Family Guy Parodies! But they are aimed more at Fox and calling it a big Simpsons rip.

In one of the Parodies, they mention that because we watch Aqua Teens, we would watch anything...:mad: They should have seen all the negative season 4 comments here...

Then in the fall preview, they completely trash Aqua Teens nonstop for half a page. However, I do agree the DVD's should have more episodes...

Then in their Go Fetch! section, they mention how stupid Dangerdoom is going to be because nothing rhymes with Meatwad... The comment isn't as funny as it sounds because it comes off as rude.

Has anyone checked out the issue yet? It's almost like the Adult Swim Issue...

I have a feeling this one will sell a lot just for having Family Guy on the Cover...

[Tienshin]

I have a feeling this one will sell a lot just for having Family Guy on the Cover...

And that's the hook.

I haven't read MAD Magazine since I was 13 so I can safely say I won't be picking up that or any other edition. Sounds interesting though.

[The Landstander]

But is it National Lampoon level satire?

[Tienshin]

But is it National Lampoon level satire?

Probably, but with less "damns" and "cigarettes".

[livingfruitvirus]

Then in their Go Fetch! section, they mention how stupid Dangerdoom is going to be because nothing rhymes with Meatwad... The comment isn't as funny as it sounds because it comes off as rude.
This is a rather irrelevant point to parody. How many people actually know when Danger Doom is coming out, let alone know what the hell it is? I don't know anybody IRL who's aware of either of those, and those who do know online don't care.

[SirLemming]

I could go on and on about how idiotic it is to label anyone except Peter & Lois as being anywhere even close to a ripoff of their Simpsons counterparts... but I won't.

Their jab at American Dad is also pretty shortsighted, since the series could barely have had more than about 6 episodes when they did this. And because their criticism of it is that it seems to be using rejected Family Guy scripts, even though that really just... doesn't seem to be a flaw of the show, objectively speaking.

You can see an excerpt of it at

http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/4527_x.pdf

The best part is their cutaway parody.

[Mr.E]

They basically hit the nail on the head with the cover, Seth also ripped off All in the Family and I think Dilbert also.

[Zorak Masaki]

To play Devil's advocate here,,its Mad Magazine! EVERYTHING is slammed,,thats the beauty of it. I mean, they ripped into some of the greatest films of the 70s (godfather, easy rider, superman, the exorcist, star wars). Doesnt mean they dont like them, theyre just another target for satire. In fact, they claimed that simpsons was just a ripoff of the flintstones back in 1990. Im sure that several of the Mad staff are fans of FG, AD, and ATHF,,but that doesnt mean they cant make fun of those shows.

[Scorpio_G]

Maggie makes a cute Stewie!:anime:

Is this issue out already or is it for next month?

[tigerrunner]

MAD Magazine's really not that funny, so I could care less about what they have to say about Adult Swim. The least they could've done was refrained from the usual "Family Guy is a knockoff of The Simpsons" complaint.

[Daikun]

Well, this parody DOES have one plus to it: We finally get to see the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover that fans have been asking for, even if it is just in print form. :D

MAD did what Fox should've done long ago.

[Delthayre]

First The National Lampoon, now MAD? Something must surely be wrong with AS since only unfunny has-been publications whose talent and cultural worth passed years ago seem interested in taking shots at it.

Then again, there is such a depressing abundance of such deadened former cultural edifices. I suppose Saturday Night Live will soon enough turn its milky-white, cataract-ridden 'satiric' eye toward the block.

[Happy]

Yeah, Mad used to be good, but I look at them now and think, "Whats the point?"

[SirLemming]

To play Devil's advocate here,,its Mad Magazine! EVERYTHING is slammed,,thats the beauty of it. I mean, they ripped into some of the greatest films of the 70s (godfather, easy rider, superman, the exorcist, star wars). Doesnt mean they dont like them, theyre just another target for satire. In fact, they claimed that simpsons was just a ripoff of the flintstones back in 1990. Im sure that several of the Mad staff are fans of FG, AD, and ATHF,,but that doesnt mean they cant make fun of those shows. I just wish they took shots that made sense, even in a good-natured way. Like, it's funny to poke fun at George W. Bush for being a bad public speaker even if you like him, but it's not funny to poke fun at him for... being half-human and half-spider. Because he isn't.

They basically hit the nail on the head with the cover Yeah, because Stewie is SO much like Maggie... :shrug:

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

It's funny how people get upset over a mean-spirited parody of a show which is itself built on mean-spirited parodies anyway.

[shoujoaifan]

If you look at the link SirLemming posted, Mad TV actually makes fun of itself as well-

(-ALTHOUGH alot of it was saying that while they suck, FG/AD/Seth sucks more.....and they ripped Brian off of SNOOPY, asking if they got the idea of a dog a "...100 times smarter than it owner..." from the Peanuts, only for another guy to say they got if from the White House. Now, I appreciate a good George W. Bush joke for reasons that are political and can only be posted on that separate off-site forum, but that was NOT a good Bush joke.)

ANYWAY, while I do have problems with jokes that just aren't good (although SOME of them were, like the cutaway scene. I love those as much as the rest, but that parody is so true.), overall its comedy. Nothing's sacred in comedy. And if Seth or his shows can't stand up to criticism, parodies, and jabs that may or may not be justified and may or may not be actually funny or consistently so, then I would say they would be in trouble of their own accord.

But they're not, and FG did take that jab at MadTV once, although that may or may not be the reason they decided to parody FG now. In any case, its not like both of them haven't ripped into other people or groups before, and it all goes back to nothing being sacred in comedy.

[SirLemming]

I know nothing is sacred in comedy, but I just don't feel that they based most of their comedic jabs on valid criticisms.

[Mr.E]

Yeah, because Stewie is SO much like Maggie... :shrug:The entire set up is the same(a baby, mother, father,a sister ,a brother and a dog) I never said the personalites were. And Peter and Louis are pretty much based off Archie and Edith from All in the Family.

[LordByronius]

MAD Magazine is only funny for that brief period between when you're 11 and when you're 13.

Why are people getting so upset over this again?

[Tienshin]

I read through the preview stuff available on MAD's website and honestly it's pretty underwhelming. Family Guy being a Simpson's ripoff bit is probably the most unoriginal course they could have taken in satarizing the show, but obviously it's the easiest shot to take. Now the cutaway panel they did was spot on. That's how they should have approached the feature, by dissecting the show's predicatable tendencies. Maybe they go that route later, if so it might be worth reading.

Now I am curious about the ATHF lol bombs they tossed. :(



Why are people getting so upset over this again?

Where are people getting upset? I see alot of indifference towards MAD magazine and some comments about the material itself. I don't see anyone getting pissed though.

[Daffy Dork]

Now I am curious about the ATHF lol bombs they tossed. :(


They said it's cheaply animated, poorly written, poorly plotted, it's on at the strangest hours, and that the DVD's are rip offs.

Oh, and before I forget, there was a Space Ghost cameo

[Killtacular]

The entire set up is the same(a baby, mother, father,a sister ,a brother and a dog) I never said the personalites were. And Peter and Louis are pretty much based off Archie and Edith from All in the Family.
But noone ever seems to care about The Simpsons or Flintstones being ripoffs of the Honeymooners.

[Happy]

My dad brings up that Flintstones/Honeymooners thing whenever I talk to him about cartoons.

[Aaron_bhkk]

For god's sake, they weren't making fun of the Dangerdoom album, they were ADVERTISING it. It just included a harmless, crappy joke.

[Jon Hanson]

http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/4527_x.pdf That cover is positively grotesque, and I would say it does more to hurt their claim than help it.

[Mr.E]

But noone ever seems to care about The Simpsons or Flintstones being ripoffs of the Honeymooners.
The Simpsons ? no, The Flintsones yes, but were not talking about them.

[Delthayre]

That cover is positively grotesque, and I would say it does more to hurt their claim than help it. It took me a while to realize that Brian was supposed to be melded with Santa's Little Helper, the rest of the staring was abject horror.

Ay yi yi yi! That art is just very unpleasant to look at. I mean... blech!

The Family Guy characters are suprisingly badly drawn. Characters from The Simpsons look closer to how they did in the early seasons, but the Family Guy characters are generally very off. I'd've thought that professional artiists would've done a better job approximating the designs, unless there's some bizarre meta-joke to it that I'm missing.

Well, maybe there is with Meg. I could see that sort of hit-in-the-face-with-a-frying-pan look being an attempt to overplay her ugliness as a jab at how much Family Guy uses that joke. That's probably giving the writers and artists more credit for that than they've earned.

I'm not mad, mind you, but I thought the general weakness of the art was a particular annoyance.

The writing's pretty weak too.

[Daffy Dork]

It took me a while to realize that Brian was supposed to be melded with Santa's Little Helper, the rest of the staring was abject horror.

Quagmire doesn't look very good either. Something about the proportions on his face and positioning of his eyes is off.

Ay yi yi yi! That art is just very unpleasant to look at. I mean... blech!.
Agreed, I just looked through the Trading Spouses Family Guy/ Simpsons thing and Quagmire is completely off, something seems really wrong about Lois. And the Shape of Stewie's head is completely off...

[Zyzzybalubah]

I guess I'm the only one who found this funny...

Unlike National Lampoon's take which was a full out bash, this one did make some offensive material but it wasn't as offensive or as whiny. That's just my take.

[Mr.E]

I read the trading spouses thing,I need to see more of it, but that page was funny.
Edit: And I read that last page,that was pretty good.

[Sam Hill]

Agreed, I just looked through the Trading Spouses Family Guy/ Simpsons thing and Quagmire is completely off, something seems really wrong about Lois. And the Shape of Stewie's head is completely off...I don't think Quagmire is off at all that much. And Stewie's head is supposed to be huge. It's a caricature.

[Zorak Masaki]

I think what you're all missing here is this:

Mad is published by DC comics, which is owned by warner bros., which is owned by AOL/Time Warner, which owns CN. So basically, the ATHF jokes are essentially the equivalent of a celebrity being roasted by their friends.

[Black Vulcan]

We're always saying, "If we ever get to the point where Saturday Night Live or MAD Magazine makes fun of us, we know we're famous..."

As I think someone pointed out, MAD makes fun of everyone, that's their job. So if MAD is taking almost an entire magazine to make fun of [adult swim], it only proves just how major this thing is.

The best thing to do is laugh at these ordeals. If we're laughing with them, it's not so much to make fun of. Then they'll move on to talking about Jessica Simpson or an unnecessary movie remake of "The Rockford Files" or something like that...

[SirLemming]

I think what you're all missing here is this:

Mad is published by DC comics, which is owned by warner bros., which is owned by AOL/Time Warner, which owns CN. So basically, the ATHF jokes are essentially the equivalent of a celebrity being roasted by their friends. Is anyone saying it's mean or subversive? I just think it's lame.

[PowerZord]

I read it today at Suncoast movies, I only read the crossover part, which was adsolety(or whatever is spelled) Hilarious! Quagmire wasn't really off, he was still the same horny man as always. First time ever I read a Mad Magazine

[Daikun]

http://familyguyripsoffthesimpsons.ytmnd.com

[Mr.E]

Well I read the article on the new issue, they did get it right. Everthing from constant ripping off of The Simpsons on FG, to bashing Adult Swim.

[Space Kitty]

Regardless of who they bash, Mad magazine sucks. It's even worse than if Barney the dinosaur did vaudville. I think it appeals to twelve year olds because that's their writing staff.

[Zyzzybalubah]

http://familyguyripsoffthesimpsons.ytmnd.com
Heh heh, funny because it's almost true. I still like Family Guy though, but I easily admit it's an unoriginal show. (Doesn't stop millions among millions of people from loving it.)

[candy17]

I suppose Saturday Night Live will soon enough turn its milky-white, cataract-ridden 'satiric' eye toward the block.
SNL only makes fun of old school cartoons (the Scooby Doo on Court TV sketch on the Rob Lowe/Eminem and Dido episode from season 26, the TV Funhouse where Michael Powell censors Disney and Warner Bros. cartoons due to new FCC regulations from the Colin Firth/Norah Jones episode from season 29, etc). If they ever made fun of a new school cartoon, then that means that the cartoon was so bad that it deserved it (like Loonatics), kinda like when they make fun of a movie or TV show.

Now MAD-TV is the kind of show that would make fun of Adult Swim cartoons because MAD-TV is seen as the one that's more hip than SNL. Frankly, I only think MAD-TV sucks (except for a few sketches from seasons 1, 2, 3, and 10). SNL may be boring, but MAD-TV isn't exactly an improvement.

[Mr.E]

SNL only makes fun of old school cartoons (the Scooby Doo on Court TV sketch on the Rob Lowe/Eminem and Dido episode from season 26, the TV Funhouse where Michael Powell censors Disney and Warner Bros. cartoons due to new FCC regulations from the Colin Firth/Norah Jones episode from season 29, etc). If they ever made fun of a new school cartoon, then that means that the cartoon was so bad that it deserved it (like Loonatics), kinda like when they make fun of a movie or TV show.

Now MAD-TV is the kind of show that would make fun of Adult Swim cartoons because MAD-TV is seen as the one that's more hip than SNL. Frankly, I only think MAD-TV sucks (except for a few sketches from seasons 1, 2, 3, and 10). SNL may be boring, but MAD-TV isn't exactly an improvement.Mad-Tv is better because there better at satire then anyone else and they are not baised like SNL. SNL used to be like MAD with that "take no prisoners attitude", now they're weak and there just a bunch of ultra left-wing hollywood ***-kissers.

[Delthayre]

I have no idea what Saturday Night Live's policies and habits are, the thrust was more in the, "milky white, cataract-ridden eyes," as a general lament meaning that American currently suffers from a dearth of quality, popular comics institutions. SNL, Mad, and et cetera used to be great, but they're generally awful now and newer attempts are generally underwhelming at best and end up in precipitous decline not very long after their inception anyway.

Mad-Tv is better because there better at satire then anyone else and they are not baised like SNL. SNL used to be like MAD with that "take no prisoners attitude", now they're weak and there just a bunch of ultra left-wing hollywood ***-kissers. Yeesh, again with the unrepentant, hammerfisted politicing. Oy vey, what is it with you?

[Mr.E]

Yeesh, again with the unrepentant, hammerfisted politicing. Oy vey, what is it with you?The point Iam trying to make is, SNL used to insult all sides, now, there just on the side of hollywood, idiotic and insane hollywood. Mad TV will bash anyone and anything, including themselves, thats why I think Mad Magazine is hilarious .

[The Landstander]

Pointless politicing aside, Mad TV does make fun of everything, it just was never funny while it did it. Then again SNL hasn't been funny for awhile either. :sigh:

Though I'm with Tien in that I haven't read Mad Magazine in a long time (but hey it was fine back then).