Cracked #227

Cold War tensions get the Cracked treatment in this April 1987 issue, with a cover by John Severin depicting two kids — one decked out in USA gear, the other sporting a Soviet fur hat and red star — pelting each other with snowballs amid towering piles of the stuff, a perfectly absurd visual metaphor for superpower rivalry. The tagline "We Heat Up the Cold War!" and the cheeky boast "Banned in Moscow" set the tone for the magazine's signature brand of satirical mischief. Inside, the humor turns to the airwaves with a sendup of Russian TV reimagining American hits like Cosby, Family Ties, and Miami Vice for a Soviet audience.