Mad #282 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Star Blecch Next Degradation Issue - October 1988

Artist Mort Drucker was in fine form again with his uncanny caricatures of the "Next Generation" crew.  He also introduces "Maxwell M. Korn" ("N.D. 2010") who would become a long-running Mad joke as "Max Korn."  Dave Berg and others used the name "Korn" in past issues but I believe this is the first issue for Max.  Oliver North was perfect as the hapless Star Fleet Commander.  The excellent drawings by Drucker coincided with his receipt of the "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year" award by Charles Schulz (1922-2000) on the letters page.  Schulz also received a tribute from Drucker on page 34.

This issue also marked the first appearance of art by Rick Tulka ("Hot Albums of the 1990s ... A Look Back").  Tulka is one of the finest of the Mad artists.  His lines are clean and bold with proper shading unlike those of many of today's artists who seem to have no training at all.  I cannot remember a Tulka drawing that I did not like. [JAM 9/5/2011]

Non sequitur appearances in the issue include Cookie monster, Bugs Bunny (twice), editor Meglin (twice), Frankenstein's monster & bride, Don King, Mike Tyson, Howard Cosell (1918-1995), Morton Downey (1932-2001), the cast of L.A. Law, Peppermint Patty, Kaddafi, Fidel Castro, Marlon Brando (1924-2004), Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Yasir Arafat (1929-2004), Garfield, Sylvester and Felix.

Departments:
Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enterprise - Star Blecch: The Next Degradation
Tales from the Duck Side - The Perilous Pioneer Predicament; The Terrible Toilet Trauma
Schtick It in Your Ear - A Beginner's Guide to Cartoon Sound Effects
Rock to the Future - Hot Albums of the 1990s ... A Look Back
An Embarrassment of Richard's - The Chic Glitz Home Study Institute
Along the Snide Lines - The Mad Nasty File - Volume III
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Tail-Order Shopping - Gift Catalog or Spoiled Rotten Pets
Frank on a Roll - The Ballad of Oprah and Phil
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Staying Cool
The Maim Game - Double Damp
Catching Them off God - The Mad Guide to "Forgivable" and "Unforgivable" Sins
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
A Night at the Operatives - Mad Visits the C.I.A.
The Fur Will Fry - Alf's Celebrity Cat Cookbook
Harper's Bizarre - The Mad Index

Fold-In - Urine Sample