The Top 10 Everything of 2008

10. Mad, September 2008

Mad? Mad, you say? Hear me out on this one. First of all, can you be stupid and smart at the same time? Corny and truly funny? Yes, I believe, to both. You don't have to read Mad to applaud its rich tradition of skillful caricature and good-natured cultural commentary. I can't look at this cover without laughing, no matter how many times I do. The magazine has been up to this for years, and like all publications, there have been periods of fallow. But in the past few years, Mad's covers have been back on their game, as this cover amply demonstrates. Its fictional mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, has has had a far longer run than Martha Stewart or Oprah as the face of a magazine, and I bet he'll still be grinning at us long after they depart the scene.

Connect to this TIME Story