Mad #5

From EC Comics' irreverent 1953 run, this issue of Mad — subtitled "Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad" and proudly promising "Humor in a Jugular Vein" — delivers the anarchic sensibility the series was already perfecting. Bill Elder's cover is an absolute riot of mayhem: a red-haired femme fatale drapes herself over a hapless private eye labeled "Kane Keen, Private Eye," while a cast of ghouls, monsters, a scowling thug dangling a noose, and even a leering creature in a baby carriage crowd every inch of the frame. At just a dime, this 1953 EC gem showcases Elder's wonderfully chaotic draftsmanship at full tilt.