Mad #440 (John Ficarra) - Amanda Conner Issue - April 2004

Amanda Conner is a comic book artist who came over to Mad for only 16 issues from February 1999 until August 2005.  Her excellent drawing style in reminiscent of the Golden Age of Comics when the men were muscular and the women were curvy.  She is probably best known for the Power Girl series that she drew for DC Comics in 2009-2010.  Her comic book credits include over 50 titles that she drew for DC, Marvel, Archie and others.  For Mad #440, she contributed three pages of wonderful drawings for "Mad's Etiquette Guide to Spring Break" written by Butch D'Ambrosio.  Her clean lines and fresh faces are always welcome in the comic book world.

In general, this is an excellent issue for comic art.  In addition to Conner's work, the issue includes five perfect black-and-white pages from the pen of the master, Mort Drucker for the television parody, "Joan of Archaic".  Drucker's work always take me back to the late 1950s when all of the great Mad artists were in their prime.  Also of note in the issue are drawings by Hermann Mejia ("Bored of the Rings: Rehash of the Thing"), Sam Sisco ("Survivor World Leaders"), Tom Richmond ("Mad's Suggestions for Improving American Idol") & Al Jaffee (his version of Spring Break in the "Mad Fold-In"), and one great sculpture by Liz Lomax for "Chia Head of State".  [JAM 6/17/2014]

Color Pages: 33 of 52 pages (63%)
Humorous Content: 45 of 52 pages (87%)

Departments:
Weapons of Grass Destruction - The Chia Head of State
Random Acts of Mindless - The Fundalini Pages  [Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds - Simon Cowell]
Kicking the Hobbit - Bored of the Rings: Rehash of the Thing
Choose Your Daddy - Is Your Mom's New Boyfriend a Keeper ... or a Loser?
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Some Nations, Under Clods - Survivor: World Leaders
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Exams
Donald Yuck - Mad's Trumped-Up Scenes from The Apprentice
The Wizard of Odd - Duke Bissell's Tales of Undisputed Interest
Don't Have a Cowell - Mad's Suggestions for Improving American Idol
Angster's Paradise - Monroe and ... Survivor Jr. Part 3
Custer's Last Fruit Stand - If Notable Generals Worked at a Farmer's Market  [fake department]
March Manners - Mad's Etiquette Guide to Spring Break
Mad Cowell Disease - Mad's Simply Dreadful Outtakes from American Idol
Hollywood And Divine - Joan of Archaic

Fold-In - Spring Break