Mad #442 (John Ficarra) - Star Shrek Issue - June 2004

Only the mind of Desmond Devlin would think of combining the Shrek cast with the original crew of Star Trek.  It is just a three-page double-parody but most definitely the best of the issue with drawings by Hermann Mejia.  Spock helps Hansel & Gretel.  Uhura quizzes the three pigs.  Capt. Kirk professes his penchant for "green chicks".  Etc.  The Shrek franchise consists of three movies to date - 2001, 2004 and 2007.  It is all based on a 32-page children's book (Shrek!) written by William Steig (1907-2003) in 1990.  Mr. Steig wrote 50 books and produced over 2,600 cartoons for The New Yorker magazine. 

The other notable article in the issue is "The O.D.", a parody of another crappy television series (The O.C.) that I never watched.  The distinguishing feature of the Mad article is the eye-catching double-splash-page by artist Tom Richmond who has carried on the tradition of background humor from the likes of Will Elder, Wallace Wood and Mort Drucker from the 1950s Mad.  In addition to the eleven main characters who introduce themselves, the observant reader can find four cast members of  90210, a shark attack, a dollar-sign tattoo, bikini money, a bitten surfboard, a Martha Stewart fan, Los Angeles smog, a Max Korn tattoo, an untied bikini top and a beanie.  Mad purists appreciate the Richmond touch.  [JAM 6/24/2014]

Color Pages: 40 of 56 pages (71%)
Humorous Content: 48 of 56 pages (86%)

Departments:
Random Acts of Mindless - The Fundalini Pages  [Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds - Joe Rogan]
Californicators - The O.D.
The Translate Show - Yao Ming's Chinese-English Phrasebook
The Green Smile - Mad's Monstrously Ogre-Rated Shrek 2 Outtakes
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Braces
It's a Good Zing - Our Letter on Behalf of Martha Stewart
Creed It And Weep - If Corporate "Mission Statements" Told the Truth
Space: The Final Affront Here - Star Shrek
Angster's Paradise - Monroe and ... The Zoo
Jail, Jail the Gang's All Here - Mad Ranks the Top Celebrity Prisons
1600 Transylvania Ave. - What if John Kerry Picked Dracula as His Running Mate  [fake department]
Coming to a Teaching Halt - Tell-Tale Signs Your Parents Have Hired You the Wrong Tutor
Corn on the Bob - The Prize Is Slight
Cultures Clubbed - Similarities Between the Middle East and the U.S.A.
Hogwarts And All - Harry Potter and the Outtakes of Azkaban
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Do's And Donates - There are Just Some Things You Shouldn't Give the Homeless

Fold-In - O.J. Simpson