When a wild, irreverent, and brash publication named Mad debuted in August 1952, it did so as a standard-issue comic book, employing the traditional format which today has come to be retronymically called a "floppy" or "pamphlet." With issue 24, Mad retooled, becoming an actual magazine, and not long thereafter birthed a legion of imitators. This second-stage horde of competitors -- Sick, Crazy, Trash, Cracked, among others -- constitute a well-known phenomenon, and sample work from their pages, as well as actual issues, have been generally available for discussion among afficionados.