Mad #196 (Albert Feldstein) - Star Wars Issue - January 1978

The editors of Mad knew that Star Wars was a transformational movie when it was released in 1977.  They put two of their best writers (Dick DeBartolo and Larry Siegel) on the story ("Star Roars"), but curiously chose second-banana, English caricaturist Harry North, Esq. for the drawings.  Jack Rickard drew the cover.  Mort Drucker was absent from the issue.  North's drawings are excellent and he found room for some traditional hidden humor in his drawings.  Robot "Bar-Stool" (R2-D2) is sometimes a mail box and sometimes a slot machine.  One of the stormtroopers has a vacuum cleaner on his back.  "Ham Yoyo" (Han Solo) has a toilet paper roller on his belt.  George Lucas makes a cameo appearance as an electric company employee.  Space trash includes a T.V. dinner box.  And, the "Galactic Empire Death Ship Space Station" has a series of arrows on it guiding the enemy spaceships to the location to "destroy evil galactic empire."  I was not pleased with the use of the term "fag" to describe robot "Cree-Pio" (C-3PO).  The derogatory term "faggot" also appeared in "He's Company."  The Mad writers of 1977 still had much to learn about sensitive sexual identities.  [JAM 8/2/2010]

Clark Kent is waiting in line at the telephone booth (page 41).

Departments:
Galactickle - Star Roars
Don Martin - Early One Morning in South America; Late One Afternoon in South Dakota; Early One Evening in Atlantic City
Mad's "Realistic" Board Games - Hospital
Taking Another Tact - Mad Diplomacy
Star Chores - If Celebrities Answered Their Own Fan Mail
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of Water
Civilized Servants - If Public Services Were Run Like Private Enterprises
The Shape of Zings to Come - Mishaps of the Future
Book Worms - Mad's Literary Agent of the Year
Class Struggle - A Mad Look at a Modern High School
Necessity for That Mother - Inventions We'd Like to See
Switch Hit - He's Company

Fold-In - Poor House