Mad #424

MAD #424 turns its satirical eye on the wizarding world with a cover by Mort Drucker depicting a weary, round-spectacled Harry Potter figure peeking around a doorframe while a grinning, big-eared house elf in a tattered pillowcase — sporting red sneakers — stands confidently on a bed behind him. The December 2002 issue promises "MAD Casts a Spell on Harry Potter," anchored by the parody story "Harry Plodder and the Lamest of Sequels" with writing by Desmond Devlin and art by Tom Richmond. Rounding things out is content from The Onion and a free "Politically Incorrect Poster" — a reliably entertaining package from the magazine at the height of Pottermania.