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Mad #49 cover
Cover: Tom Richmond

Mad #49

Jun 2026 · EC · 5.99 USD
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"A Mad Look at Late Night TV" delivers a sharp, satirical snapshot of 1960s television politics through three fictional CBS memos to the Smothers Brothers, each penned in mock-poetic form and illustrated with biting humor. Written by Ronnie Nathan and drawn with biting precision by Jack Rickard—both inks and pencils—the issue captures the tension between comedy and censorship in a striking visual narrative. The cover, by Tom Richmond, completes the send-up with a vivid, bound-and-gagged image of the duo, underscoring the era’s fraught relationship with free expression.

Contains 18 stories
A Mad Look at Late Night TV
3 pp · Humor
The 38 Worst Things About Late Night TV!
5 pp · Humor
Jon StewartConan O'BrienRoss The InternDavid LettermanJohn J. DohertyGeorge LopezAndy RichterJimmy KimmelUncle Frank PotenzaJay LenoJimmy FallonJohnny CarsonEd McMahonStephen ColbertBill O'ReillyBarack ObamaCraig Ferguson
Untitled Humor story
2 pp · Humor
One Fine Day at a Television Station
1 pp · Humor
Tricks of the Trade in Local TV News
2 pp · Humor, Satire-Parody
Where Else but on TV...?
4 pp · Satire-Parody
Rock Hudson [as Stewart McMillan]Ron Howard [as Richie Cunningham]Jean Stapleton [as Edith Bunker]Telly Savalas [as Theo Kojak]William Conrad [as Frank Cannon]Buddy Ebsen [as Barnaby Jones]
TV Warnings We Really Need
2 pp · Humor
Mad Deconstructs TV Talk Shows This Month: The Colbert Report
3 pp · Satire-Parody
Stephen ColbertJon StewartJimmy Neutron (cameo)Marco Crandall
A Eulogy for Colbert's Late Show
2 pp · Satire-Parody
Mad Deconstructs TV Talk Shows This Month: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
4 pp · Satire-Parody
Nutwork
6 pp · Satire-Parody
Faye Dunaway [as Diana]William Holden [as Max]Peter Finch [as Harrowed Bile]Robert Duvall [as Hatchet]The Assassination Squad [Harry ReasonerWalter CronkiteJohn ChancellorBarbara Walters]

In "Nutwork," a disgruntled newscaster turns his TV segment into a chaotic performance art piece, staging increasingly absurd anti-social acts for the camera. When a programming executive sees viral potential, he greenlights a series based on the spectacle—turning outrage into entertainment.

Boob Tube Mash-Ups We Can't Wait to See
2 pp · Satire-Parody
Mad's Exclusive Backstage Tour of the Family Guy
3 pp · Satire-Parody
The Lighter Side of the Television Set
4 pp · Satire-Parody
Guest Types You'll See On Late Night TV
2 pp · Humor
Untitled Humor story
1 pp · Humor
The Black SpyThe White Spy
Audition Tapes of Talk Show Hosts Who Never Made It
3 pp · Humor, Satire-Parody
Macaulay CulkinOliver StoneToshiki KaifuMario CuomoMikhail GorbachevDaryl Gates
How Different Networks Would Cover the Story of a Giant Meteor Heading Toward Earth
1 pp · Satire-Parody
Script Megan O'Leary

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Full credits

writer Stan Hart
artist, inker Mort Drucker
cover pencils, inks Tom Richmond

Reprints

↩ Reprints Mad #62 (1961), Mad #66 (1961), Mad #102 (1966), Mad #122 (1968), Mad #128 (1969), Mad #185 (1976), Mad #192 (1977), Mad #254 (1985), Mad #266 (1986), Mad #280 (1988), Mad #320 (1993), Mad #334 (1995), Mad #458 (2005), Mad #467 (2006), Mad #484 (2007), Mad #503 (2010), Mad #529 (2014), Mad #6 (2019), Mad #12 (2020)

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