Cracked #250
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeCracked #250 (December 1989) is the magazine's milestone 250th-issue anniversary number, published at the peak of editor Michael Delle-Femine's (a.k.a. Mort Todd) energetic Globe Communications era — the same stretch in which Cracked had successfully recruited Don Martin away from Mad and was mounting its most aggressive challenge to its rival in decades. As an anniversary edition, it assembled the broadest cross-section of the Globe-era talent pool in a single issue, making it a useful snapshot of where the magazine stood artistically and editorially in the final year of Delle-Femine's tenure. The issue also lands at a culturally rich moment: Batman had just exploded at the box office, Tales from the Crypt had returned to television, and Ghostbusters II was in theaters, all of which the issue directly spoofed — anchoring it as a document of late-1980s pop-culture satire.
"Calling All Hands" in Cracked #250 (1989) delivers a delightfully meta twist as the comic’s own characters, Hudd and Dini, storm the office demanding to meet their creator—only to find the man they’re seeking is playing dress-up as a security guard. Written, drawn, and inked by Vic Martin, this self-aware gag showcases the artist’s signature wit, with a cover by John Severin that perfectly captures the chaotic energy of the moment.
In "Breaking into Cracked's Offices," Hudd and Dini stage a break-in at the magazine’s headquarters, demanding a meeting with their creator, Vic Martin—only to find the man in charge is wearing a convincing disguise. The twist blurs the line between creator and creation in this self-aware, irreverent two-pager from Cracked #250.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Globe Communications acquired Cracked from Major Publications founder Robert C. Sproul in 1985, relocating operations and installing the 23-year-old Michael Delle-Femine (who worked under the pen name Mort Todd) as editor-in-chief — a hire recommended through Larry Hama's circle. Delle-Femine ran the magazine from 1985 until departing in 1990 over a contract dispute, meaning issue #250 landed in his penultimate year at the helm. During this window Globe had pulled off the coup of signing Don Martin — who had just ended a 32-year association with Mad — and billed him prominently as 'Cracked's Crackedest Artist,' giving the book a genuine star contributor whose presence in the #250 lineup was part of the ongoing rivalry with Mad.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 1989 by Globe Communications Corp.; editor credited as Michael Delle-Femine (a.k.a. Mort Todd).
- Explicitly designated an anniversary issue — the 250th number of the flagship Cracked series, which had run continuously since 1958.
- Cover and interior art by John Severin, Cracked's decades-long house cartoonist who illustrated virtually all of the magazine's covers during his nearly 40-year association with the title.
- Interior art contributors include Don Martin, Walter Brogan, Vic Martin, Don Orehek, Bill Wray, Bill Ward, Henry Boltinoff, and Pat Boyette — the full bench of the Globe-era roster.
- Parody subjects include Batman & the Joker, Ghostbusters II, Tales from the Crypt, and Baseball Cards, reflecting the dominant pop-culture touchstones of late 1989.
- Features the ongoing 'Superswine' story, one of Cracked's recurring superhero-spoof characters.
- Falls within the most competitive period of the Mad vs. Cracked rivalry: Globe had signed Don Martin from Mad in 1987, and Delle-Femine openly stated he wanted to 'get under Mad's skin,' making this anniversary number part of a deliberate long-game editorial strategy.
- A full scan of the 52-page issue is preserved and publicly accessible via the Internet Archive (identifier: cracked250), uploaded January 2021.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Cracked Party Pack #4 (1990), Super Cracked #4 (1990), Cracked Collectors' Edition #84 (1990), Cracked Collectors' Edition #86 (1991), Cracked Blockbuster #5 (1991), Cracked Collectors' Edition #88 (1991), Cracked Summer Special #2 (1992), Cracked Collectors' Edition #95 (1993), Cracked Collectors' Edition #99 (1994), Cracked Monster Party #24 (1994), Cracked Blockbuster #9 (1995), Cracked Summer Special #5 (1995), Cracked Monster Party #29 (1995), Super Cracked #12 (1996), Cracked Blockbuster #10 (1996), Cracked Summer Special #7 (1997), Super Cracked #13 (1997), Cracked Monster Party #37 (1997), Cracked Summer Special #8 (1998), Cracked Collectors' Edition #117 (1999), Cracked Collectors' Edition #118 (1999), Cracked Blockbuster #13 (1999)
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