Mad #10
(April 1954)

EC, 1952 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
Monthly
On-sale Date
1954-01-01
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Educational Comics Inc.
Brand
EC An Entertaining Comic
Editing
Harvey Kurtzman (credited) (editor)

Issue Notes

On sale date as listed in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Periodicals, January-June 1954, page 92, registration number B456838.

The Face upon the Floor (Table of Contents)

cover / 1 page (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman (signed as H.Kurtz(figure of a man))
Pencils
Harvey Kurtzman (signed as H.Kurtz(figure of a man))
Inks
Harvey Kurtzman (signed as H.Kurtz(figure of a man))
Colors
Harvey Kurtzman (see notes); Marie Severin ? (coding for separations)
Letters
Ben Oda ?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
...Another drink and with chalk in hand...
Genre
humor
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Marie Severin addressed on at least two occasions the coloring of art created or edited by Harvey Kurtzman. In remarks published in 1995, she said “Kurtzman colored his own art, especially on covers.” And in response to a 1986 question about Kurtzman and MAD covers, she said “Now I might have interpreted, but I don’t remember. I think he did every one of them. I might have helped out with some production or something, but it’s all Harvey” (Ringgenberg 2016, 88).
_________
References:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. “The Artists of EC Comics” (reprinting Severin 1995). In Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. 46–47. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Ringgenberg, Steven. 2016. “Marie Severin.” In The Comics Journal Library Vol. 10: The EC Artists Part 2, edited by Michael Dean, 84–95. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books.

Ringgenberg, Steven. [2016] 2018. “An Interview with Marie Severin.” The Comics Journal, September 5. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.tcj.com/an-interview-with-marie-severin.

Severin, Marie (John Province, transcriber [uncredited]). 1995. “Mostly about Color.” In CFA-APA 36, January.

I Dreamed I Went to a Fraternity Smoker in My Panic Magazine! (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Panic / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

G.I. Shmoe! (Table of Contents: 2)

War Comics Dept. / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Wally Wood (signed as Wood)
Inks
Wally Wood (signed as Wood)
Colors
Marie Severin
Letters
Ben Oda

First Line of Dialogue or Text
War Comics Dept.: The truce has been signed in Korea!
Genre
humor; satire-parody; war
Characters
Galusha Iggy Shmoe [G. I. Shmoe]; Sgt. Squirt; Comrade Commander
Reprints
Keywords
chewing gum

Indexer Notes

Every woman in the story uses the line, "...Hey Joe!...You got chewing gum?"

Parody of the G.I. Joe comic published by Ziff-Davis (https://www.comics.org/series/781/ and https://www.comics.org/series/848/). G.I. Schmoe wears a flower on his helmet and uses his rifle as a club, both of which are characteristic of the Ziff-Davis comic.

Sane! (Table of Contents: 3)

Western Dept. / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
John Severin (signed as Severin)
Inks
John Severin (signed as Severin)
Colors
Marie Severin
Letters
Ben Oda

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Western Dept.:... western Hollywood, that is!
Genre
humor; satire-parody; western-frontier
Characters
Sane; Paw; Maw; Joey; Wilson
Synopsis
Sane beats Wilson in a gun battle through trickery.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Parody of the Alan Ladd 1953 film "Shane."

[Operation Under-the-Ground Chapter 35 [Chapter 4]] (Table of Contents: 4)

Cloak-And-Dagger Dept. / text story / 0.67 page (report information)

Script
Jerry De Fuccio ?; Harvey Kurtzman ? (see notes)
Pencils
Harvey Kurtzman ? (illustration)
Inks
Harvey Kurtzman ? (illustration)
Colors
Marie Severin ?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Cloak and Dagger Dept.: And now, chapter thirty-five in the fantastic...
Genre
humor; spy
Characters
Five Fingers Jones; Floppova Movova; Lavrenti Buried
Synopsis
Five Fingers is captured by the Soviet BVD.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Labeled as Chapter 35.

Script: Sources vary. De Fuccio credit is from The Mad Archives (DC, 2002 series) #2; previous indexer had 'Harvey Kurtzman ?'. Kitchen and Buhle assert that “Harvey Kurtzman wrote every word from front to back” of this issue (2009, 83).
_________
Reference:

Kitchen, Denis, and Paul Buhle. 2009. The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics. New York: Abrams ComicArts.

[Statement of Ownership] (Table of Contents: 5)

statement of ownership / 0.33 page (report information)

Script
Frank Lee (credited as Frank D. Lee) (business manager); Ettore De-Stefano (notary public)
Letters
typeset

Reprints

Indexer Notes

As of 23 September 1954 Mad magazine was owned by Educational Comics, Inc., William M. Gaines, J. K. Gaines, and V. E. MacAdie.

You, Too, Can Meet New Friends! (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

E. C. Fan-Addict Club! / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[MAD Mumblings] (Table of Contents: 7)

Mad Mumblings / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Dear Editors, I am shocked at the suggestion of some of your other...
Synopsis
Letters of comment from Clare Gottfried, "L.S./M.F.T.", Hettie Chesney, Manfred Waechter, Melvin Talipida, Larry E. Lengle, Gwynne DeCoverly, Ed Spiegel, and Roger Schenkman.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

May have the first use of the word "potrzebie" in MAD. Answer to one letter notes that Marie Severin is the colorist on ALL E.C. magazines. Also noted is that the E.C. Fan-Addict Club has about 10,000 members.

Script credit from The Mad Archives (DC, 2002 series) #2.

The Face upon the Floor! (Table of Contents: 8)

Poetry Dept. / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman (adaptation); Hugh Antoine d'Arcy (original)
Pencils
Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS); Basil Wolverton (final panel)
Inks
Jack Davis (signed as JACK DAVIS); Basil Wolverton (final panel)
Colors
Marie Severin
Letters
Ben Oda

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Poetry Dept.: There is a famous poem whose name is...
Genre
humor; satire-parody
Characters
the vagabond
Synopsis
A classic tale of the madness of a barroom set to poetry.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

This is the text of the famous poem accompanied by humorous illustrations.

Script credit from The Complete Color Mad (Russ Cochran, 1986 series) #2 (1986).

Woman Wonder! (Table of Contents: 9)

Heroine Worship Dept. / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Bill Elder (signed as llib redle)
Inks
Bill Elder (signed as llib redle)
Colors
Marie Severin
Letters
Ben Oda

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Heroine Worship Dept.: This story is the usual super type story!
Genre
humor; satire-parody; superhero
Characters
Woman Wonder [Diana Banana]; Steve Adore; Nivlem [a disguised Steve Adore]; Mickey; Spillane; Superduperman (cameo)
Synopsis
Woman Wonder rushes to the Island of Ko-Nee to foil a monstrous plot.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

A parody of DC's Wonder Woman.

Extra Money (Table of Contents: 10) (Expand) /

Stuart Greeting Cards / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

I Will Train You at Home for Good Pay Jobs in Radio-Television (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

National Radio Institute Home Study Course / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Let Me Give You a New He-Man Body! (Table of Contents: 12) (Expand) /

Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension System / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. The Face upon the Floor
  2. 1. I Dreamed I Went to a Fraternity Smoker in My Panic Magazine!
    Panic
  3. 2. G.I. Shmoe!
    War Comics Dept.
  4. 3. Sane!
    Western Dept.
  5. 4. [Operation Under-the-Ground Chapter 35 [Chapter 4]]
    Cloak-And-Dagger Dept.
  6. 5. [Statement of Ownership]
  7. 6. You, Too, Can Meet New Friends!
    E. C. Fan-Addict Club!
  8. 7. [MAD Mumblings]
    Mad Mumblings
  9. 8. The Face upon the Floor!
    Poetry Dept.
  10. 9. Woman Wonder!
    Heroine Worship Dept.
  11. 10. Extra Money
    Stuart Greeting Cards
  12. 11. I Will Train You at Home for Good Pay Jobs in Radio-Television
    National Radio Institute Home Study Course
  13. 12. Let Me Give You a New He-Man Body!
    Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension System
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • mcomics
  • Boris Ammerlaan
  • David B
  • Chris Boyko
  • Nick Caputo
  • Peter Croome
  • Bill Devine
  • Michael Hoskin
  • Darrel McCann
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Mark Q
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jim Van Dore
  • Tom Vincent