Mad #270
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMad #270 (April 1987) is a solid, representative example of the Meglin–Ficarra editorial era that steered the magazine through the mid-to-late 1980s after longtime editor Al Feldstein's retirement. The issue showcases the full arsenal of Mad's recurring satirical machinery — three simultaneous movie parodies, Spy vs. Spy, Don Martin strips, Dave Berg's 'The Lighter Side of...', Sergio Aragonés marginals, and an Al Jaffee Fold-In — demonstrating how comprehensively the magazine had systematized popular-culture mockery into a reliable, issue-to-issue formula. Its cover pairing Alfred E. Neuman with Pee-Wee Herman captures the magazine's long-running practice of using Alfred as a cultural mirror, placing him alongside whoever dominated the pop-culture conversation of the moment. While it introduces no new characters or formats, it serves as a clean time-capsule of mid-Reagan-era satire and of Mad's distinctive multi-parody-per-issue rhythm.
"Hokeywood" is a sharp, satirical dive into the quirks of modern life, rendered with Dave Berg’s signature wit and precision in both writing and art. Through a series of interconnected vignettes, the story skewers everything from TV culture to the small rituals of daily routine, all anchored in Berg’s trademark deadpan humor. The cover by Richard Williams perfectly captures the issue’s tone—wry, observant, and just a little bit absurd.
In "The Lighter Side of...", a sharp, satirical take on modern life unfolds across five pages of Mad #270, skewering everything from TV culture to the ethics of homework with a wry, typeset wit that never misses a beat. With a tone both sardonic and oddly relatable, it turns a skeptical eye on the rituals and absurdities of everyday routines—fashion, fitness, gossip, and even doctors—without ever spelling out where the punchlines land.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By April 1987, Mad was being co-edited by Nick Meglin and John Ficarra, who had assumed joint editorial leadership following Al Feldstein's retirement in the mid-1980s and would share that post for roughly two decades. Published under the E.C. Publications imprint — the corporate successor to the original EC Comics entity — the magazine had long since shed any direct connection to EC's horror and crime titles, operating as an autonomous humor brand within a Warner Communications–affiliated ownership chain. Meglin, who had been with Mad since the late 1950s as an idea man and talent scout, and Ficarra, who joined as assistant editor in 1980, maintained the no-paid-advertising policy and the black-and-white newsprint format that defined the Gaines-era aesthetic well into this period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published April 1987 by E.C. Publications; 48 pages, black-and-white, standard magazine trim (8.5" × 11").
- Co-edited by Nick Meglin and John Ficarra, who took over jointly from Al Feldstein and held the editorial reins for approximately two decades.
- The cover features Alfred E. Neuman alongside Pee-Wee Herman, exemplifying Mad's recurring device of placing its mascot opposite the era's most prominent pop-culture figures.
- Contains three movie parody features: 'Jumbled Joke Flash' (spoofing Jumpin' Jack Flash), 'The Color of Monotony' (The Color of Money), and 'Peggy Got Stewed and Married' (Peggy Sue Got Married) — all major 1986 theatrical releases.
- Recurring features present include Spy vs. Spy by Antonio Prohías, 'The Lighter Side of...' by Dave Berg, Sergio Aragonés marginals, Don Martin strips, and an Al Jaffee Fold-In.
- Additional satirical pieces include 'Banana Republic Dictator of the Year,' 'Mad's Realistic State Lottery Scratch-Off Games,' 'More Badly-Needed Warning Labels for Rock Albums,' and 'Mad's Record Book for Televised Sports — Vol. I.'
- The letters page reportedly includes a photograph of the cast of The Golden Girls reading Mad's spoof of their show, continuing the magazine's tradition of publishing celebrity reactions to their own parodies.
- No new characters or format changes debut in this issue; it is a standard installment of the established Meglin–Ficarra-era template and carries no designation as a key issue in any widely recognized collecting reference.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #86 (1993), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #87 (1993), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #89 (1993), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #92 (1994), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] #93 (1994), Mad's Greatest Artists: Don Martin #[nn] (2014)
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