Mad #306 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Nick Meglin Issue - October 1991

Mad artists love to poke fun at their editors.  Nick Meglin participated in the production of over 400 issues of the magazine from issue number 31 in 1957 when he was known as "Nick Megliola" until his retirement as co-editor in 2004.  True Mad fans know that Meglin's favorite hobby is tennis.  In Mad #306, Duck Edwing put Meglin and his tennis racket in the jury box with other Mad staffer.  Dave Berg put him in "The Office" with the staff watching publisher Gaines making a joke at the expense of associate editor Joe Raiola.  And, Sergio Aragones, who often finds a place for Meglin in a marginal drawing, put him on the tennis court as the other player not advertising "Fruit of the Loom" and "Preparation H."  These inside jokes are part of the charm of the magazine.  Nick Meglin was an important cog in the Mad machine.

Mad writer Dan Birtcher made an early reference to "global warming" on page 31 ("Cause or Coincidence??"). [JAM 2/2/2012]

Departments:
Cowa-Bunglers - Teen-rage Moolah Nitwit Turtles II
Tales From the Duck Side - The Jaundiced Jury's Judgment; The Chilling Chopper Chapter; The Ingenious Indian Incursion
Veep Throat - Future Dan Quayle Quotes We Can Expect to Hear
Fatal Distractions - Making Games More Dangerous
Parallel Barbs - The Startling Similarities Between Ancient Mythology and Modern Rock
Out of Sight, Out of Line - Only When You're Sure No One Is Watching
Jocks Trapped - Why Sports Life Is Harder Than Real Life
An Embarrassment of Richard's - Salesmen's Claims and Come-Ons that Should Set You Running
Ripping Van Winkle - Mad's Create-Your-Own Vanilla Ice Biography
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Applying for a Scholar-Snip - The Prescott University of Unlearning Adult Education Courses
A Massive Chart Attack - Cause or Coincidence?
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Frank on a Roll - I Sent a Letter Through the Mail
Antennas, Anyone? - Other Uses for Satellite Dishes
Getting an Exploit Opinion - Mad's Merchandiser of the Year
The Past, Present And Futile - Once Upon a Time
Slaying the Plot Machines - The Mad Soap Opera Update

Fold-In - Nancy Reagan (not Saddam Hussein)