And they can KEEP their crummy paperbacks!

One of the finest magazines this nation has ever produced, "Mad," is going quarterly, as Mark Evanier discussed earlier this week. This is one of those magazines that should be around in some form forever, just like "Life," "The Saturday Evening Post," and "Spicy Adventure Stories."

Conversation I had with myself after reading the news:

ME: Hey, "Mad" is only gonna be a quarterly now. What a shame. It should be on the stands every month.
MYSELF: I know. I grew up reading it. If that magazine can't make it, which one can?
ME: I grew up reading it, too, you know. But it's tough for print mags these days. Hey, when was the last time YOU bought a new issue?
MYSELF: Uh...er...well, it's been a while.
ME: Yeah, a long while. And it had been even longer before you bought THAT issue!
MYSELF: Hey, I could say the same of you, pal.
I: Hey, neither of you supported "Mad" in years, so neither of you should be complaining about this.
ME AND MYSELF: Ah, shaddap!

I guess I kind of took "Mad Magazine" for granted for a long time, even though whenever I saw a copy in recent years, I was pleasantly surprised to find it still funny. We should all have a chance to pick up a new issue when we want one, though I must admit that maybe nothing compares to the joy of being a young'un discovering the irreverent brand of humor from the Usual Gang of Idiots.

With this great publication on the decline, where are kids today getting their wit from? The Internet? BAH! Kids can't take the Internet into their classrooms, can they?

They can? Who the heck gave kids all these computers, anyway?

Getting back to the original point, I may not have bought it much lately, but I'd sure hate to see "Mad" go. It was bad enough to see the end of those cheap paperback collections they sold through bookstores and gave away as subscription premiums. Don't let the crummy magazine go away, too!