Author:
Title: MAD No. 7
Place Published:
Publisher:EC [Indicia: Educational Comics Inc.]
Date Published: August-September, 1953
Description: CGC certified: Fine+ (6.5). Off-white pages. Grader notes: Spine stress lines breaks color; light creasing to cover.

CGC Census: 130 graded copies (126 Universal, 1 Qualified, 3 Restored).

GPAnalysis: A 6.5 sold for $388 in 1/18; a 6.0 sold for $250 in 8/23.

Credits: Cover: Harvey Kurtzman. Scripts: Harvey Kurtzman and Jerry De Fuccio? Art: Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, John Severin, Bill Elder.MAD Millions: Classic Kurtzman cover, with Sherlock Holmes and Watson hot on the tail – er, trail – of a promising suspect. By the time this ish hit the stands, Kurtzman and company were on fire. MAD was well on the way to redefining American humor – as Adam Gopnik wrote in the New Yorker, "Almost all American satire today follows a formula that Harvey Kurtzman thought up" – and sales were soaring to almost unheard-of heights.

"When the reports came in on MAD #6 and MAD #7, in the second half of 1953, Gaines and Kurtzman discovered they had a book that wasn't merely profitable, but one that was taking off like a rocket. MAD's print run was increased. By the end of the year, Gaines wrote, 'Today, the print order on MAD is 750,000 and on the way to a million. The monthly is selling eighty-six percent.' This meant that sales of MAD left Gaines's horror titles (with print runs of 400,000 to 450,000) in the dust.... Kurtzman's comic book was becoming one of the most successful comic books ever published." – Bill Schelly, Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America. Fantagraphics: 2015, pp. 268-269______________________________________________________________

A limited edition of ten hardcover catalogues is available, in addition to a few dozen softcovers. Fun reference, great keepsake, fully illustrated, chockablock with obscure facts, gags, bon mots. Softcovers are $40, deluxe hardcovers with dust jackets and limitation plates are $200. These books always go fast so don't delay. To order, contact ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Consignments welcome for PBA's Summer 2024 Comic Book sale. Top prices for Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age, Silver Age, original art and ephemera. Find out why PBA is the new fan-fave of funnybook fiends. "This is some of the best commentary I've yet seen on the quality of the content of comic books... Priceless." – R. Crumb. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.

Coming Soon: The DC Universe Collection Part 3: The Golden Age (August 2024) and Weird Tales and Amazing Stories: The PBA Pulp Sale (September 2024). Contact ivan@pbagalleries.com to get on the notifications list.