John Ficarra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Ficarra
Ficarra at a signing for Inside Mad at a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Editor, Publisher
Notable works	Mad magazine

John Ficarra, born around 1956, is an American who worked in publishing. He became an assistant editor at Mad magazine in 1980. Before that, he had started writing for the magazine. In 1985, he became the editor-in-chief. He shared this job with Nick Meglin until 2004. Ficarra stayed as editor until 2018.

John Ficarra's Time at Mad Magazine

John Ficarra was a very important person at Mad magazine for many years. He helped shape the magazine's content and direction. He worked there for over three decades.

How Ficarra Was Shown in Mad

The cartoonist Dave Berg often drew John Ficarra in his comics. These drawings showed Ficarra and other Mad staff members in an office setting. This happened from the late 1980s until 2002. Ficarra was usually drawn as a young man with glasses, curly dark hair, and a beard.

Explaining Mad's Creative Process

John Ficarra often spoke about how Mad magazine was made. In March 2013, he was interviewed by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. He explained how Mad created its special movie-parody issues each year.

In July 2014, Ficarra talked to Nerd Reactor. He discussed the changes being made to Mad magazine. These changes aimed to make the magazine more interesting for people in the 21st century. In August 2014, he also took part in a Warner Brothers interview. There, he explained the creative process behind Mad's funny content.

Standing Up for Cartoonists' Freedom

On January 11, 2015, John Ficarra appeared on the TV show CBS Sunday Morning. He spoke about an event that affected a French magazine. He explained how such events made cartoonists feel less free to express their ideas. He talked about the importance of freedom of expression for artists.

In December 2015, Ficarra was interviewed by MStars News. He shared details about how the magazine created its yearly "20 Dumbest People, Events & Things of 20xx" issue.

Ficarra's Retirement from Mad

John Ficarra retired from Mad magazine with issue #550. This issue was dated April 2018. He had been the editor of Mad for 34 years. Issue #550 was also the last issue of the first volume of the magazine. Mad first started at EC Comics in 1952. It was later taken over by DC Comics.

After Ficarra's retirement, Mad magazine started fresh with a new #1 issue. This new issue was dated June 2018. The magazine also got a new look. Bill Morrison, an illustrator and comic book artist, became the new editor. The Mad offices also moved from Manhattan to Los Angeles, California. For many decades, the magazine had been located in New York City.