Mad #212 (Albert Feldstein) - Alien Taxi Issue - January 1980

There was nothing special about this issue and, no fold-in at the end.  The parodies ("Alias" and "Taxing") were rather dull.  Mort Drucker did add his touch making the Alien silly-looking instead of scary.  Don Martin poked fun at the Stan Lee/Marvel Spider-Man, 20+ years before the first movie.  Jack Davis found room for Jimmy Carter, Frankenstein's monster and Mad Production Director Leonard Brenner in "The Mad Running Primer."  Ten Dave Berg characters got angry or hurt in "The Lighter Side of Toys."  Stan Hart couldn't find much to parody about the television show, Taxi but I like Angelo Torres' version of brain surgery.  And, for only the third time since Mad #86 (April 1964), there was no clever Al Jaffee fold-in on the inside back cover.  Instead, we got a lightning joke.  [JAM 10/24/2010]

That might be Mad Editor Al Feldstein on the back cover.

There is a floating word bubble on page 43.

Departments:
Eating Out - Alias
Don Martin - Don Martin Looks at "Spider-Man"
Jogger-Nuts - The Mad Running Primer
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of Toys
Ad Nausea - TV Ads We'd Like To See
Bygone Buy-Gones - More Yellow Pages Through History (Ancient Rome)
Fate Acompli - You're a Victim of Bad Timing When ...
Givin' 'Em a Ribbin' - Mad Medals of the Issue (Students)
Alms Race - Appeals From Charities Through History
Kiddie Litter - Mad's "Children's Movie Producer" of the Year
Wishful Inking - Newspaper Stories We'll Never Get to See
No Confidence Game - More How Can You Trust ...?
Corn on the Cab - Taxing

Fold-In - (none)