Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #11
Published May 1954
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 36
Editing Harvey Kurtzman
Notes Character appearances, Department names and other miscellaneous info for this issue added by Donald Dale Milne, December 2008.

Cover Details - "Beautiful Girl of the Month Reads MAD"

Synopsis Parody of LIFE cover.
Genre satire; parody
Pencils Basil Wolverton (mixed media, signed)
Inks Basil Wolverton (mixed media, signed)
Letters typeset
Notes Character appearances, Department names and other miscellaneous info for this issue added by Donald Dale Milne, December 2008.
Reprinted in Mad About the Fifties (Little, Brown & Co., 1997 series) #[nn]; in Mad (EC, 1952 Series) #494 (October 2008)

1 page Mad Magazine promo (ad from the publisher) "Beware of Imitations!"

Synopsis House ad for MAD, comparing it to Life Magazine.
Genre satire; parody
Pencils Jack Davis
Inks Jack Davis
Notes Inside front cover.
Reprinted in Mad Reader, The (Ballantine Books, 1954 series) #93; in Mad About the Fifties (Little, Brown & Co., 1997 series) #[nn]

8 page Science-Fiction Dept. story "Flesh Garden!"

Characters Flesh; Dale; an alien; Dr. Noah Zark; a Zork; a Zorchton; a Zilchtron; Owlmen; Rockmen; Treemen; Grassmen; Airmen; King Mong
Synopsis Flesh defeats aliens and the champion of King Mong but refuses to return to Earth.
Genre satire; parody
Script Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils Wally Wood (signed)
Inks Wally Wood (signed)
Colors Marie Severin ?
Notes Parody of Flash Gordon.
Reprinted in Mad Reader, The (Ballantine Books, 1954 series) #93; in Mad About the Fifties (Little, Brown & Co., 1997 series) #[nn]; Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #4

6 page Special Feature Dept. story "MAD Reader!"

Synopsis Portraits of MAD readers.
Genre satire; parody
Script Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils Basil Wolverton (signed)
Inks Basil Wolverton (signed)
Colors Marie Severin ?
Reprinted in Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #4; MAD Special [MAD Super Special] (EC, 1970 series) #12

1 page Panic promo (ad from the publisher) "I Dreamed I Went to a Fraternity Smoker in My Panic Magazine!"

Synopsis House ad for subscriptions for Panic (EC, 1954 series)
Genre humor
Pencils Jack Davis (signed)
Inks Jack Davis (signed)
Colors Marie Severin ?

1 page Cloak-And-Dagger Dept. text story "Operation Under-the-Ground Chapter 87 [Chapter 5]"

Characters Five Fingers Jones; Lavrenti Buried; Floppova Movova
Synopsis Five Fingers is tortured.
Genre satire; parody
Script ?; Harvey Kurtzman
Letters typeset
Notes Listed as Chapter 87.
Reprinted in Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #4

3 page Quickie Comic Dept. story "Murder the Husband!"

Characters Walter Graham; Kenneth Martin
Synopsis A man murders his lover's husband but also manages to sink the rowboat he and the husband are in.
Genre crime
Script Bill Gaines; Al Feldstein
Pencils Jack Davis (signed)
Inks Jack Davis (signed)
Colors Marie Severin ?
Reprinted From Crime Suspenstories (EC, 1950 series) #12 (August-September 1952)

3 page story "Murder the Story!"

Characters Cracker Graham; Melvin Martin
Synopsis Humorous rescripting of a crime story.
Genre satire; parody
Script Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils Jack Davis (signed)
Inks Jack Davis (signed)
Colors Marie Severin ?
Reprinted From Crime Suspenstories (EC, 1950 series) #12 (August-September 1952) [art only]; in Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #4

1 page Mad Magazine promo (ad from the publisher) "Beware of Imitations!"

Synopsis House ad for MAD.
Pencils Jack Davis
Inks Jack Davis
Colors Marie Severin ?
Reprinted in Mad About the Fifties (Little, Brown & Co., 1997 series) #[nn]

1 page MAD Mumblings letters page "MAD Mumblings"

Synopsis Letters of comment from Ted Wagner, Madison WS; the Franz Liszt Fan Club; Shirley Lierden; Fred Weld, Santa Barbara, CA; Mrs. R.A. Griggs; Leon Grube, Louisville, KY; Don MacDougall, Tuscon, AZ; Carles Harless; Eddie Kamien, Lancaster, NY; Bernard Bonario, Houston, TX; Mrs. John L. Kramer, Pittsburgh, PA; Zogg; and E.C. Fan-Addict #141
Letters typeset

7 page Crime Dept. story "Dragged Net!"

Characters Joe Friday; Ed Saturday; Chief Mike Sunday; Shermlock Shomes (cameo); Dr. Whatsit (cameo); murderer; bank robber; Willie Elder
Synopsis Parody of the crime television series, Dragnet.
Genre satire; parody
Script Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils Will Elder
Inks Will Elder
Colors Marie Severin ?
Reprinted in Mad Reader, The (Ballantine Books, 1954 series) #93; Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #4

1 page Stuart Greetings advertisement "Extra Money"

Synopsis Ad for Stuart Greetings, Inc.
Letters typeset

1 page National Radio Institute advertisement "I Will Train You at Home for Good Pay Jobs in Radio-Television"

Characters J. E. Smith
Synopsis Ad for National Radio Institute.
Pencils ? (photograph)
Inks ? (photograph)
Letters typeset
Notes Inside back cover.

1 page Charles Atlas advertisement "Let Me Give You a New He-Man Body!"

Characters Charles Atlas
Synopsis An ad for the Charles Atlas booklet, "Everlasting Health and Strength."
Pencils ? (photograph)
Inks ? (photograph)
Letters typeset
Notes On back cover.