Mad #120 (Albert Feldstein) - Fonebone Issue - July 1968

I am not the biggest fan of Don Martin.  Much of his work seems to be repetitive and one-dimensional.  My biggest gripe is that he does not seem to be one of the "Mad gang".  His cartoons could appear anywhere and he finally realized that and moved on to a competing publication.  However, I do agree that he is a clever fellow who creates distinctive, humorous drawings.  The most common name he used for his characters was "Fonebone".  On page 30 we meet the original bearer of that name.

This issue also contains a very ambitious article by super-writer Frank Jacobs.  In "Some Mad Articles You Never Got to See", Mr. Jacobs created eleven articles in the styles of various Mad writers and used eight different Mad artists, including Dave Berg with his backwards signature.  It may be true that none of the articles could stand alone but the combination of them is brilliant.  Mad has always been the first and best at spoofing itself. [JAM 10/13/2009]

Woman has a forked tongue and skull-and-crossbones earrings. (page 12)

Departments:
Escape-Goat - Blue-Eyed Kook
Vex Education - The Mad Hate Book (Vol. II)
Inside-Ouch! - A Mad Peek Behind the Scenes (At the Post Office)
Mom's the Word - Mother's Day Cards Down Through History
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of Driving
5-Ring Circus - Mad's 1968 Political Olympics
Phony-Answering Service - Bullying Your Way Through Final Exams
Don Martin - One Day at the Beach; While Strolling Through the City
Vital Feature - A Mad Public Service
Eccch-traneous Matter - Some Mad Articles You Never Got to See
High Yock-Tane - On the Road with Sergio Aragones
Capitol Letters - The Great Society Alphabet Book

Fold-In - Cannon