Mad #279 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Lemon Issue - June 1988

This issue was a bit of a lemon.  The parodies of Fatal Attraction and Designing Women were below average in my opinion.  The Duck Edwing pages were OK but what's the deal with that checkerboard?  (5 by 8?)  Dave Berg's "Lighter Side" was about the same as every issue for several years now.  Am I the only one who thinks that Berg was just recycling his stale jokes?  Sergio Aragones proved that he could draw some Disney characters but his jokes were predictable as usual.  The marginals were better.  Paul Peter Porges seems to live in his own world.  Who else could think of eight silly uses for porcupines?  However, his art has not improved any after all these years.  And, I am still disappointed that the editors have not given Bob Clarke credit for drawing "Spy vs. Spy" since April 1987.  This issue was just blah after blah.  The only feature that surprised me was the back-cover ad parody ("Bulgin' Belly Burner") by Dick DeBartolo.  Publisher Bill Gaines and his friends Al Goldstein & Lyle Stuart (1922-2006) were really good sports.  "Use the Belgin' Belly Burner just 10 minutes a day for 5 years.  If you're not 100% delighted with the new 'you,' try using it 20 minutes a day for the next 10 years."  Etc. [JAM 8/21/2011]

Look for Momma, Francis, Bugs, Lucy, Linus, Fred, Barney, E.T., Peter Pan, Dumbo, Cinderella, Snow White & 7 Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Andy Capp, Miss Peach & class, Hagar, King of Id, Beetle Bailey, Snoopy, Dagwood, Cathy and Bambi.  They are not too hard to find.

Departments:
And They Call It Yuppie Love - Feeble Attraction
Tales From the Duck Side - The Frantic Fog-Filled Folly; The Befuddling Balcony Blunder; The Demonic Detector Disaster
All Jaffee - Mad Looks at Handshakes
Better Legislate Than Never - New Laws that Congress Should Pass Right Now!
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
The Envelope, Sleaze! - Mad Opens a Typical Magazine Sweepstakes Package
The Odds Must Be Crazy - That'll Be the Day
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Disney Classics
Hire Education - A Mad Guide to Making It in the Business World
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
A View to a Quill - Practical Uses for Well-Trained Porcupines
Joy-Schtick - All-Purpose Video Game Instructions Kit
The Funny Form - Tell-Tale Comic Strip Balloons II
None Dare Call It Reason - A Mad Look at Real-Life Government Logic
Catty-Shack - ReDesigning Women

Fold-In - Radio