Mad #71 (Albert Feldstein) - Mickey Bitsko Issue - June 1962

Number 71 contains one of the saddest chapters in the history of Mad.  Editor Feldstein joined the anti-Communist propaganda machine of the 1960s when he authorized the five-page "A Mad Guide to Russia."  This article by Phil Hahn was not funny or even satirical.  It was just awful.  Joe Orlando's drawings were mean-spirited and also not funny.  Fortunately, there were probably not many twelve-year-old boys who would read so many unfunny words.  The theme was continued on page 48 (Berlin Wall) and on the back cover (Stalin).  This issue really suffered when Larry Siegel became a television writer.

On the positive side, we were treated to some excellent caricatures by Wood ("Mad Investigates the Sordid Business of Gambling") and Drucker ("South Chicago").  Don Martin displayed his unique style with six pages in Sherwood Forest. [MADlog #13]

"Mickey Bitsko" appears in five places.

Departments:
The Wagers of Sin - Gambling
Padding and Pencil - Famous Test Papers
Bitter-Patter - The Lighter Side of Rain
Joke and Dagger - Spy Vs. Spy
Better Read Than Dread - A Mad Guide to Russia
Robin Hood-Winked - Don Martin in Sherwood Forest
Chairman of the Broad - Celebrities' Wallets (Frank Sinatra's)
Up for Adaption - Future Physical Afflictions
Artificial Dissemination - The Birth of a Brand Name
Dames and Doze - Dream Girls
Cops and Robbers - South Chicago
Berlin Airlift - The Big Bad Wall