Mad #35

In "Sadmen," a satirical twist on *Madmen*, a 1960s ad agency grapples with the growing absurdity of its clients—now hilariously doomed by the very brands they once championed. As the team scrambles to sell products from companies that would soon vanish, the real madness lies in how little any of it matters.

In "Comic Book Ads!" from Mad #35 (2024), a series of gloriously absurd parody advertisements skewer vintage comic book ads with deadpan flair—featuring everything from a dubious hypnotism guide to a cowboy carbine that doubles as a novelty item. Each page leans into the over-the-top tone of mid-century gimmicks, poking fun at the era’s promise of quick fixes and wild dreams with a perfectly straight face.

In this sharp satire from Mad #35, a mock Shell Oil commercial takes a hilariously disastrous turn when a test car, racing past competing brands’ mileage markers, careens off a cliff in a gloriously over-the-top twist on classic advertising tropes. The absurdity unfolds in a single page, with no dialogue but the sharp, deadpan typography of the typeset letters driving the joke.