Archie's Mad House
Encyclopedia
Archie's Mad House was a comic book
published by Archie Comics
from 1959 to 1982. The series went through a number of overhauls and name changes. Classic stories have occasionally appeared in digest
magazines.
. For a time, it would focus on stories with what were intended to be one-off characters. There were, however, exceptions to this rule. If a character became popular enough, he or she would appear again.
Perhaps the most noteworthy installment was issue 22 when Sabrina the Teenage Witch was introduced, with art by Archie mainstay Dan Decarlo
. This issue has become one of the most sought after Archie issues of the Silver Age. Sabrina began making intermittent appearances through issue 74, and then transitioned over to other titles, such as Archie's TV Laugh-Out
and her own Sabrina title. Other recurring characters included a bungling but victorious superhero named Captain Sprocket and a hippie named Clyde Didit (occasionally spelled Diddit) who served as a mascot for a while.
Shortly before Sabrina's departure, the title began a seies of name changes, morphing into Madhouse Ma-ad Jokes, Madhouse Ma-ad Freakout, and Madhouse Glads. Issues #95-97 were published under the Red Circle Comics Group
logo and published horror. It was renamed Madhouse Comics for issue 98-130 and returned to humor. The Madhouse Glads run introduced yet another "gang" into the Archie universe, but much like the "gang" introduced in That Wilkin Boy
, several years earlier, the "Madhouse Glads" gang never caught on with fans like the Josie gang did. Madhouse then returned to the series' irregular, nonsensical style before finally being discontinued.
, the comic went through a major overhaul due to the impact of hippie
s, mod
s and rock and roll
on popular culture. Clyde Didit, originally a mascot, and occasionally in featuring within the comics, originally had unkempt brown hair and sunglasses, though he also appeared in Josie
for a few issues with an orange Afro. The series was renamed Mad House Ma-ad starting with issue #66. At this point, Clyde and his friends took over the series, and it became more the typical style of that Archie used in the early 1970s
. Thus, many stories focused more on adventure than humor, with a somewhat more serious tone.
Clyde was given a more clean-cut appearance and black hair. He and his gang continued into Mad House Glads (which started with Issue #73). At this time, Clyde and three his brothers Dippy Didit (orange hair), Dick Didit (brown hair) and Dan Didit (blonde hair) had a teenaged band called the Madhouse Glads (originally called the Madhouse Ma-ads), which somewhat resembled The Monkees
. Clyde played the drums, while the other three each played a guitar. Other characters included the brothers' frustrated father Mr. Didit; a narcissistic, fashion-obsessed mod known as Rod the Mod; Bippy the Hippie; a weird, freaked -out hippie, and the band's crazed groupie Fran the Fan who dated both Clyde and Rod. As the series progressed, Dippy and Dan were relegated to supporting roles, while Fran and Rod grew in prominence. Dick, however, being Clyde's best friend, remained as involved in the storylines as ever until the gang was dropped from the series.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
from 1959 to 1982. The series went through a number of overhauls and name changes. Classic stories have occasionally appeared in digest
Digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
magazines.
History
The first 18 issues featured the "Archie gang" in stories that were a bit more "off the wall" than the normal Archie series. The idea was to produce stories that made no sense. The title Mad House was written as two words instead of one to suggest a false connection to MAD Magazine and recapture its success. Beginning with issue 19, the Archie gang was dropped (though it was still called Archie's Mad House), and the title began featuring monsters, space stories and other wacky short stories. The gags in the comics often parodied the latest fads and popular culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
. For a time, it would focus on stories with what were intended to be one-off characters. There were, however, exceptions to this rule. If a character became popular enough, he or she would appear again.
Perhaps the most noteworthy installment was issue 22 when Sabrina the Teenage Witch was introduced, with art by Archie mainstay Dan Decarlo
Dan DeCarlo
Daniel S. DeCarlo was an American cartoonist best known as the artist who developed the look of Archie Comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, modernizing the characters to their contemporary appearance and establishing the publisher's house style...
. This issue has become one of the most sought after Archie issues of the Silver Age. Sabrina began making intermittent appearances through issue 74, and then transitioned over to other titles, such as Archie's TV Laugh-Out
Archie's TV Laugh-Out
Archie's TV Laugh-Out was a comic book published by Archie Comics from 1969 to 1986. Sabrina the Teenage Witch appears in all 106 issues, and this title served as a transition for her from Archie's Mad House to her own title. In addition to Sabrina, the title features regular appearances by the...
and her own Sabrina title. Other recurring characters included a bungling but victorious superhero named Captain Sprocket and a hippie named Clyde Didit (occasionally spelled Diddit) who served as a mascot for a while.
Shortly before Sabrina's departure, the title began a seies of name changes, morphing into Madhouse Ma-ad Jokes, Madhouse Ma-ad Freakout, and Madhouse Glads. Issues #95-97 were published under the Red Circle Comics Group
Red Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics was an imprint used by Archie Comics Publications, Inc. to publish non-Archie characters, especially their superheroes, in the 1970s and '80s.-Phase 1: 1970s:...
logo and published horror. It was renamed Madhouse Comics for issue 98-130 and returned to humor. The Madhouse Glads run introduced yet another "gang" into the Archie universe, but much like the "gang" introduced in That Wilkin Boy
That Wilkin Boy
This article is about a spinoff series of Archie Comics.That Wilkin Boy is a comic book series about a teenage boy, Bingo Wilkin, who lives in Midville, next door to his girlfriend, Samantha Smythe...
, several years earlier, the "Madhouse Glads" gang never caught on with fans like the Josie gang did. Madhouse then returned to the series' irregular, nonsensical style before finally being discontinued.
The Madhouse Glads
In the late 1960s1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, the comic went through a major overhaul due to the impact of hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s, mod
Mod (lifestyle)
Mod is a subculture that originated in London, England, in the late 1950s and peaked in the early-to-mid 1960s.Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion ; music, including African American soul, Jamaican ska, British beat music, and R&B; and motor scooters...
s and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
on popular culture. Clyde Didit, originally a mascot, and occasionally in featuring within the comics, originally had unkempt brown hair and sunglasses, though he also appeared in Josie
Josie and the Pussycats (comic)
Josie and the Pussycats is a teen-humor comic book about a fictional rock band, created by Dan DeCarlo and published by Archie Comics. It was published from 1963 until 1982; since then, a number of one-shot issues have appeared without regularity...
for a few issues with an orange Afro. The series was renamed Mad House Ma-ad starting with issue #66. At this point, Clyde and his friends took over the series, and it became more the typical style of that Archie used in the early 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. Thus, many stories focused more on adventure than humor, with a somewhat more serious tone.
Clyde was given a more clean-cut appearance and black hair. He and his gang continued into Mad House Glads (which started with Issue #73). At this time, Clyde and three his brothers Dippy Didit (orange hair), Dick Didit (brown hair) and Dan Didit (blonde hair) had a teenaged band called the Madhouse Glads (originally called the Madhouse Ma-ads), which somewhat resembled The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
. Clyde played the drums, while the other three each played a guitar. Other characters included the brothers' frustrated father Mr. Didit; a narcissistic, fashion-obsessed mod known as Rod the Mod; Bippy the Hippie; a weird, freaked -out hippie, and the band's crazed groupie Fran the Fan who dated both Clyde and Rod. As the series progressed, Dippy and Dan were relegated to supporting roles, while Fran and Rod grew in prominence. Dick, however, being Clyde's best friend, remained as involved in the storylines as ever until the gang was dropped from the series.
Publication History
- Archie's Madhouse (66 issues, 1959-69)
- Mad House Ma-ad Jokes (4 issues, 1969)
- Madhouse Ma-ad Freakout (2 issues, 1969-70)
- Madhouse Glads (22 issues, 1970-74)
- Madhouse (36 issues, 1974-82)
- Archie's Madhouse Annual (6 issues, 1962-69)
- Madhouse Ma-ad Annual (1 issues, 1969)
- Mad House Annual (5 issues, 1970-74)
- Madhouse Comics Digest (8 issues, 1975-82)