Mad #25

This September 1955 issue marks The New MAD magazine's arrival in its famous format, with a bold yellow border framing a striking black-and-white illustration adapted from Thomas Nast's celebrated Boss Tweed cartoons — the rotund, scheming Tweed surrounded by his corrupt cohorts, captioned "Boss Tweed: 'Let us prey.'" The cover, rendered by Nast and Harvey Kurtzman, promises that MAD "fearlessly exposes the Tweed Ring," and the irreverent satirical spirit practically leaps off the page. Inside, Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood deliver their own brand of sharp comedic commentary, making this a wonderfully representative slice of MAD at its most confidently provocative.