• by Fern Siegel , June 7, 2006

When I was a kid, Mad was required reading. We thought it was funny, clever and probably subversive, though none of us could use "subversive" in a sentence. It wasn't a casual delight; it was a cautionary tale about the adult world and a send-up of pop culture. Sharp and biting, Mad reigned supreme in childhood as my favorite literary escape. The June issue is proof positive that its pleasures remain.

Rereading Mad after a long hiatus is like watching the best of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," since both traffic in brilliant satire: cultural, political, and sexual. Mad's early iconoclasm is thanks to its founder, William Gaines, whose EC Comics, known for Tales From The Crypt and Weird Science, published the first issue in 1952. With its distinctive graphics, its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, "Spy vs. Spy" and "The Lighter Side," Mad became, to quote its Web site, "a staple of bedrooms, living rooms, dorm rooms and recycling bins. ... Mad's history is rivaled only by that of our own country--but with slightly fewer intern-related scandals."

The magazine is geared to the youth market, with a catch: it works best for those who know James Frey's AMillion Little Pieces, have read the The Da Vinci Codeand enjoy more than a passing acquaintance with current affairs.I howled at "Other Hidden Messages in The Last Supper," in which Mad finds secret clues in the famous painting. Two standouts: Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers and had children, the first of whom they named "Butch." Then there's the reason Simon the Zealot gestures with both hands toward Jesus: "The significance, according to restaurant scholars, is to make sure the waiter gives Christ the check." Irreverent? Absolutely. Edgy? Blessedly.

In a media world dominated by ranting talk-show hosts and Katie Couric, Mad's barbed delivery is downright refreshing. The writing is crisp and on target; if only prime-time TV was this good. The "Clueless Outtakes From the 'Da Vinci Code'" shows Tom Hanks racing down a street with the caption: "Run, Forrest, run!" And who could resist the Planet Tad blog? I like Tad's take on the Donner Party, which he claims would make the best episode of "Little House on the Prairie." Mad specializes in layered humor.

The magazineis an essential lesson in comedy's ability to pierce pretensions and jab the powerful. Consider it a bulwark against tyranny. Happily, no one alerted Dick Cheney to "Ask Lynne Cheney"--I suspect he would not be amused. When a "troubled teen" worries that he likes bullying a 9^th-grader too much, she suggests utilizing his "proclivities" at Gitmo, a "breathtaking stretch of beachfront property" where people need to be "strenuously persuaded."

Ever hip, Mad's "Queer as Folk Dept." lists the advantages and disadvantages of gay parents. Kudos to Mad for noting that parents are difficult, period--gay parents are no exception. Yes, the religious right would probably scream liberal bias, but the rest of us get the message: Stereotypes can be fun without being malicious. But don't fret, Mrs. Cheney; the left gets bashed, too. What's the big problem with casting a woman as the most important figure in history in "The Da Vinci Code"? It will spur Hillary Clinton's "idiotic, ill-fated presidential campaign."

Fifty-four years is an impressive run, and like all good marketers, Mad has capitalized on its brand appeal. Linda Lavin starred in "The Mad Show," an off-Broadway comedy, in 1966, and in 1995, the comedy sketch show "Mad TV," currently in its 11^th season, debuted on Fox. But the coup de grace came in 2001 when the Mad offices wereblown to smithereens on "The Simpsons." The magazine's editors called it "an homage." Crazy? We should all be this nuts. Mad's genius was finding its niche and sticking to it. Decade after decade, it has spectacularly parodied movies, TV and news. Some of its contributors, known on the masthead as "the usual gang of idiots," have been there for 30 years. You can't argue with success. Instead, I'm renewing my subscription.