Mad #172
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMad #172 marks a genuinely measurable milestone in the magazine's publishing history: it is the first issue to carry a 50-cent cover price, reflecting the economic realities of mid-1970s inflation at the very moment the magazine was transitioning off its all-time circulation peak. That cover price shift is a concrete dividing line collectors use to demarcate eras of the run. The issue also arrived squarely within Al Feldstein's editorial prime, when the 'Usual Gang of Idiots' was deploying virtually every major house talent simultaneously — Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Dave Berg, Sergio Aragones, Angelo Torres, and Al Jaffee — making it an unusually dense showcase of the magazine's mature house style. Its two main parody targets, 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and 'The Great Gatsby' film, were among the biggest pop-culture touchstones of the 1974–75 season, demonstrating Mad's continued editorial speed and cultural relevance.
In "The Great Gasbag," a parody of The Six Million Dollar Man, an astronaut rebuilt with bionic parts must go on a high-stakes mission to save the surgeon who gave him new life—now held captive by Soviet agents. Written by Lou Silverstone and brought to life with sharp, expressive art by Angelo Torres, this 1975 EC classic blends sci-fi satire with classic adventure. The cover, by Norman Mingo, captures the absurdity and urgency of the tale in bold, dynamic lines.
In a deadpan satire of *The Great Gatsby*, a dull socialite finds herself entangled with a man whose past is as unremarkable as his present, and together they navigate a world where even extravagance feels utterly, hilariously mundane.
In a satirical twist on the popular "Six Million Dollar Man" trope, an astronaut rebuilt with bionic parts must track down the surgeon who gave him new life—only to find the man has been kidnapped by Soviet agents. Written with sharp wit and rendered in Mad’s signature deadpan style, this seven-page parody turns sci-fi heroics into a gleefully absurd mission of mistaken identity and Cold War farce.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was published in January 1975 under editor Al Feldstein, who had built Mad's readership to more than two million during the 1973–1974 circulation peak. The Christmas cover was painted by Norman Mingo, who had returned to the magazine in 1962 after a hiatus and remained its primary cover artist through 1976, producing a painted Alfred E. Neuman image that served as the definitive visual standard all other Mad artists were expected to match. The cover's holiday framing — Alfred as a stand-in for a cash-strapped Santa — was captioned by Sergio Aragones and illustrated by Jack Rickard on the interior splash. The issue's content was assembled from the magazine's full stable of contributors, with scripts from Lou Silverstone, Stan Hart, Frank Jacobs, and Feldstein himself alongside art from the magazine's top draftsmen.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First issue of Mad to carry a 50-cent cover price, a publishing landmark that marks the boundary between the early-Bronze-Age and mid-Bronze-Age runs of the magazine.
- Cover painted by Norman Mingo (signed), depicting Alfred E. Neuman in a Christmas-themed composition; the cover gag was written by Sergio Aragones and the interior holiday page ('Yes, Virginia — Due to the High Cost of Living, There Is No Santa Claus This Year!') was illustrated by Jack Rickard.
- Lead parody: 'The Great Gasbag,' a seven-page send-up of the 1974 Paramount film The Great Gatsby, scripted by Stan Hart with art by Mort Drucker; caricatured cast includes Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Bruce Dern, and Lois Chiles.
- Second major parody: 'The Six Million Dollars, Man,' scripted by Lou Silverstone with art by Angelo Torres, spoofing the then-current ABC television series The Six Million Dollar Man; reprinted in Mad Super Special #27 (1978).
- Sergio Aragones contributed a two-page wordless gag strip, 'More Powerful Than a Locomotive...', featuring Superman; it was later reprinted in Mad Super Special #36 (Fall 1981).
- Al Jaffee contributed both a collaborative piece on picture road signs (with Frank Jacobs, art by Bob Clarke) and the issue's Fold-In on the inside back cover.
- The letters column includes a response from actor Dennis Weaver (with photo) commenting on a previous Mad parody of his TV series McCloud.
- Multiple features from this issue were reprinted across at least four separate collections: the BSV-Williams German edition (1975), Mad Super Special #27 (1978), A Mad Carnival (Warner Books, 1982), and the 2018-series Mad #23 (February 2022), indicating the material's durability.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Mad #72 (1975), Mad #73 (1975), Mad #190 (1977), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #27 (1978), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #25 (1978), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #34 (1981), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #36 (1981), Norsk Mad #4/1981 (1981), The Eggs-Rated Mad #58 (1981), A Mad Carnival #59 (1982), Mad's Sergio Aragonés on Parade #14 (1982), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #45 (1983), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #42 (1983), A Mad Big Book [Mad Zaps The Human Race!] #[nn] (1984), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #47 (1984), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #50 (1985), Mad About Super Heroes #[1] (2002), Mad about Super Heroes #[nn] (2006), Mad's Greatest Artists: Sergio Aragonès #[nn] (2010), Mad #14 (2020), Mad #15 (2020), Mad #23 (2022), Mad #24 (2022), Mad Magazine Special Edition 2024 #[nn] (2024) + 2 more
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