Mad #538 (John Ficarra) - Hoverboard Issue - April 2016

The hoverboard toy is featured on eight of the pages of this issue including Mark Fredrickson's cover and Peter Kuper's "Spy vs. Spy".  The issue slogged along with short bit after short bit until Desmond Devlin and Tom Richmond on page 45 saved the whole thing with their eight-page parody ("The Hunger Pains: Much Delay Parts 1 & 2") of the popular Hunger Games series of movies.  I admit that I have not read the books and I did not plunk down $10 (senior rate) for any of the four blockbuster movies.  However, I did see approximately 50% on the first movie on HBO.  Also, any student of modern culture would have to be a total loser not to know that this one was ripe for a full-fledged Mad movie parody.  The pre-splash page before the double-splash shows "Seizure Flackerman" (sporting costume ads for Mad, "Moxie", "Croaka-Cola", "Crapple", Trump, etc.) giving a quick background explanation of the HG world history (as if any human in the audience cared about that).  The character intros in the double-splash find "Katfood Aspercreme" (sponsored by "Brawlings" with Woody Woodpecker broach) preparing for the battle of battles.  Everybody else has a funny name almost as funny the book names.  "Iffy Stinkpit" bemoans the fact that she had to leave her "bedazzled purple Afro wig behind" and now has nothing that "goes with my lime-green ruffled arm muffs".  Look for references to "Haliburton Contractors", Angry Birds, the "Occupy" movement, the little train that couldn't, Super Mario, Exxon Valdez, British Petroleum, and Alf's red tennis shoe.  Artist Richmond channels Mort Drucker and writer Devlin establishes a new standard with one of the best movie parodies ever to appear in the pages of Mad.  In an era when Mad editors always try to have some content about current popular movie (without seeing it) in each issue (see short bits about Batman vs. Superman and Star Wars VII), this classic parody in the best tradition of Mad was worth the wait.  [JAM 2/22/2016]

Departments:
Random Acts of Mindless - The Fundalini Pages
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Required Weeding - William Shakespeare, Pothead?
Stats Entertainment - Taylor Swift Fun Facts
Rolling Blunder - 13 Things You Probably Don't Know About Hoverboards (You'll Be Shocked by #14)
Hero Intolerance Policy - The Real Reasons Batman and Superman Hat Each Other
All the Clues That's Fit to Print - Sure-Fire Ways Your Parents Will Know You Has a Party
Goods vs. Evil - Star Wars: The Sales Force Awakens
Pen And Stink - The Mad Strip Club
In Blog We Trust - Planet Tad!!!!!
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
D.I.Y. Bother - Mad's Make Your Own Batman vs. Superman Movie
Slice Guys Finish Last - Mad's Completely Honest Domino's Pizza Tracker
Nothing Lasts For Everdeen - The Hunger Pains: Much Delay, Parts 1 & 2
The Hateful Bait - Tell-Tale Signs That Worms are Trying to Kill You  [fake department]
Rotten to the Encore - The Mad Vault
Get Sick or Die Flying - How to Avoid the Filthiest Parts of Airports and Airplanes

Fold-In - Al Jaffee's April Fool Joke