There is strong evidence that UK comics stalwarts Mick Anglo and Denis Gifford did editorial work on very early British MAD. This front cover was adapted in-house from US MAD #30, December 1956: US elephant and donkey symbols omitted from British cover; blue background replaced by yellow. Tepee logo of the distributor (TP = Thorpe & Porter Ltd, Oadby, Leicestershire, England). Inside front cover: MAD / NUMBER ONE IN A FIELD OF ONE / CONTENTS MAD - British edition published by Strato Publications Ltd., 39 Upper Brook Street with permission of E.C. [sic] Publications Inc. N.Y. entire contents copyright. Printed by T.J. Press Ltd., 5-6 Graces Mews, Camberwell, London, S.E.5. Please address all correspondence to ‘MAD’ [sic] Strato Publications, 39, Upper Brook Street, London W.I Page 31: LETTERS DEPARTMENT: [Note: these are largely spoof letters, supposedly congratulating (or otherwise) the editors on the launch of British MAD. While the introductory text states that ‘only the first two, from [mainly radio comic Dick] Bentley and [Peter] Sellers can be guaranteed to be genuine’, it is not clear whether or not even these are original. Based largely on US Issue #30, nonetheless retains weaker material at the expense of strong items such as ‘Bowling’ and the US TV satire ‘Walt Dizzy Presents Dizzyland’. These were possibly considered ‘too American’ (Tenpin Bowling caught on slightly later in the UK). It is also not clear, with three years of American material to choose from, why specific other articles were selected (other than needing to satisfy a reduced page count in the British edition – 33, as opposed to 48 in the USA). There is a strong Jack Davis look, plus shades of Kurtzman, although both had temporarily departed for Hefner's 'Trump' and subsequent projects.
MAD Magazine #1 
