COMPLETELY MAD: A History of the Comic...

COMPLETELY MAD: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine by Maria Reidelbach (Little, Brown: $24.95; 208 pp., illustrated). During the grim years of junior high and high school, millions of baby boomers turned to Mad for a welcome dose of irreverence. Maria Reidelbach traces the growth of the iconoclastic magazine from its origins as a comic-book parody to the journal of cultural and social satire it became during the early ‘60s. She includes mini-profiles of the contributing artists and writers as well as numerous examples of their work. An excellent holiday gift for anyone under 50 with a sense of humor.