Mad #202

Mad #202 (October 1978) arrives with a cover by Jack Rickard that sets the tone perfectly: three hapless shower-room figures — armed with a popsicle, a back brush, a sponge, and flying soap — react to the chaos of communal bathing with wide-eyed alarm. The headline promises MAD's signature brand of gleeful destruction, taking aim at "Coma," summer camps, bubble gum cards, summer resorts, and "The Love Boat" all in one issue. At a self-proclaimed "cheap" 60 cents, it's a snapshot of late-'70s satire firing on all cylinders.