Mad #13 (Harvey Kurtzman) - Small Title Issue - 1954

Kurtzman took a step backwards with this issue.  In place of the fourth artists, he filled six pages with captioned photographs that could have appeared in any newspaper Sunday supplement.  Stories for Wood ("Prince Violent!") and Elder ("Robinson Crusoe!") were good but the article for Davis ("Book!/Movie!") was weak.

The cover drawing for number 13 was similar to covers for 1 through 10 except that it was reduced by 90% and placed in the upper left corner.  Faced with a monthly deadline, Kurtzman put little effort into this one.  In his first post-Mad (Trump - 1957), Kurtzman also seriously underestimated the importance of the cover.  The newsstand sales must have been poor because publisher Hefner abruptly ended the experiment. [PSA1]

Look for the amazing cloud formation.  ("Robinson Crusoe!") - page 4

Departments:
Romance (Not the Sexy Kind) - Prince Violent! (Wood)
Literature/Cinema - Book!/Movie! (Davis)
Photography - Baby Quips!
Classic-Type Comics - Robinson Crusoe! (Elder)