Mad #462

MAD #462 (February 2006) puts Alfred E. Neuman front and center — microphone in hand, gap-toothed grin in full effect — as he confidently performs in front of the American Idol logo while a crowd of caricatured contestants and judges react with expressions ranging from open-mouthed horror to grudging approval. The cover, signed by Mort Drucker, is a wonderfully detailed send-up of the era's most-watched TV talent show, with every exaggerated face in the surrounding mob telling its own little story. Rounding out the issue's targets, the bottom banner promises MAD's trademark takedown of TV's House — a packed February 2006 package for fans of sharp pop-culture satire.