ONLINE DIMEBOX BLASTER - PART 6

 I LOVE MAD MAGAZINE. I HAVE A MOSTLY COMPLETE SET OF THE 1992 SERIES TWO MAD MAGAZINE SET. I SEARCHED FOR MAD MAGAZINE CARDS HOPING TO FINISH IT. I ONLY FOUND SERIES ONE CARDS. GOOD NEWS! I NEED ALMOST THAT ENTIRE SET. I STARTED WITH ONE FIFTH OF THE SET, ELEVEN CARDS. AND HERE THEY ARE!

#282 OCTOBER 1988

CATEGORY - BASEBALL DEPT.

I WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO SIMPLY BUY ALL THE CARDS SO I CHOSE THE CARDS I BOUGHT BY LOOKING AT THE SET IN TCDB AND PICKING THE COOL ONES. WHEN I SAW THIS IT WAS THE AUTOMATIC FIRST CHOICE. I WASN'T RELIGIOUSLY BUYING MAD MAGAZINES EVERY MONTH BY 1988 BUT I REMEMBER I HAD TO PICK THIS ONE UP FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. THIS IS A CLUE ABOUT JUST HOW MUCH IN THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS BASEBALL CARDS WERE IN THE LATE 80S THAT THEY COULD GET A FRIGGIN MAGAZINE COVER. THE BACK HAD A SET OF ALL-STAR FLOPPS CARDS YOU COULD CUT OUT IF YOU DIDN'T MIND DESTROYING THE FOLD-IN. THERE WAS A SECOND SERIES IN 1990 WITH PETE ROSE!

#2 DEC-JAN 1952-53

CATEGORY - VINTAGE BASEBALL DEPT.

THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE COMIC HAD A GREAT BASEBALL COVER BY JACK DAVIS. THE COMPOSITION OF THIS IMAGE IS INSANELY GOOD. THE WILD KINETIC CONTORTIONS OF THE PLAYER, THE EVIL-EYE GAZER RIGHT UNDERNEATH AND THE WAY THE TITLE FITS IN PERFECTLY IS WILD ENOUGH AND THEN YOU NOTICE THE CROWD. SO MUCH DETAIL IN ONE PICTURE! THE ACTUAL STORY IS A CLASSIC TOO, I HAD REPRINTS OF THE FIRST FEW ISSUES OF THE COMIC WHEN I WAS A KID AND REREAD THEM OVER AND OVER

BACKS HAVE EITHER A FULL PAGE COMIC GAG, A TWO PIECE FOLD-IN PUZZLE OR ONE OF THE ADS REPRINTED. SOME BACKS WORK MUCH BETTER THAN OTHERS AS THE TEXT GETS REALLY SQUISHED. NICE BIG IMAGES LIKE THIS CROSS PROMOTION OF THEIR SCI-FI COMICS WORK THE BEST SO I'M GOING TO SAVE SOME IMAGES AND ONLY POST THE GOOD BACKS

#1 OCT-NOV 1952

CATEGORY - ROOKIE CARD DEPT.

ISSUE NUMBER ONE! THE FIRST TWENTY-THREE ISSUES WERE IN COMIC BOOK FORMAT AND WERE MOSTLY PARODIES OF THEIR OWN COMIC STORIES UNTIL THEY STARTED MAKING FUN OF OTHER COMICS, MOVIES AND TV. IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE LEGEND HARVEY KURTZMAN AND FEATURED EC'S GREATEST ARTISTS. THE FIRST STORY IN THE COMIC IS A HORROR PARODY CALLED HOOHAH! DRAWN BY JACK DAVIS WHICH HAS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST COMIC PANELS I'VE EVER SEEN. THERE'S ALSO A SCI-FI STORY FROM WALLY WOOD THAT I FEEL THE WRITERS OF WALL-E WERE FAMILIAR WITH, A DETECTIVE PARODY FROM WILL ELDER AND A COWBOY STORY FROM JOHN SEVERIN. IT'S WAY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT MAD WOULD BECOME BUT IT'S A GREAT READ IF YOU CAN DIG UP A COPY

#6 AUG-SEPT 1953

CATEGORY - MONKEYING AROUND DEPT.

ISSUE NUMBER 6 HAD A JUNGLE THEME WITH TARZAN AND KING KONG PARODIES. THERE'S ALSO AN INTERVIEW WITH A BASKETBALL PLAYER AND MAD'S TAKE ON CASEY AT THE BAT. THIS IS A GREAT COVER FROM HARVEY KURTZMAN. THE COMIC ISSUES GET A GOLD (BADLY CROPPED) BORDER WHILE THE MAGAZINE ISSUES GET A RED BORDER

#154 OCTOBER 1972

CATEGORY - CORNY COVER DEPT.

BOUGHT THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE DATE, YOU CAN PROBABLY GUESS WHY. ALTHOUGH THIS ISSUE WAS PROBABLY RELEASED IN JULY OR AUGUST, THE ONE THAT WAS OUT ON THE ACTUAL DATE WAS PROBABLY THE GODFATHER ISSUE FROM DECEMBER. THIS WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES I SWIPED FROM MY UNCLE WHEN I WAS A KID. THERE WERE MOVIE PARODIES OF JOHN WAYNE AND ROBERT REDFORD FOR FILMS I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT BUT THE PAUL COKER MOTHER GOOSE ECOLOGY AND AL JAFFEE CAR HATE BOOK STUCK WITH ME. BY FAR THE BEST GAG IN THE BOOK COMES FROM THE MAD GUIDE TO POLITICAL TYPES WHERE EVERY CATEGORY HAS THE DESCRIPTION 'DISTRUST NIXON'

#51 DECEMBER 1959

CATEGORY - POTRZEBIE DEPT.

THIS IS AN ISSUE I'VE NEVER READ BUT THE COVER IS FANTASTIC. POTRZEBIE WAS THE COMPUTER NAME OF MY OLD LAPTOP AND I LIKE SEEING THE MAD MEME IN ACTION. IT'S A GREAT GAG TO GIVE THE DRUM A BLACK EYE AND IT ALSO ANSWERS THE QUESTION OF WHAT A GENDERSWAPPED VERSION OF ALFRED (FREDA?) WOULD LOOK LIKE

I SAID THE COMICS DON'T WORK GREAT SQUISHED ON THE BACK OF THE CARD BUT SPY VS. SPY HAS NO TEXT TO GET TINIED SO ENJOY. THERE ARE ALSO LOTS OF SERGIO ARAGONES' MARGINAL GAGS ON THE BACK WHICH IS DELIGHTFUL

#26 NOVEMBER 1955 

CATEGORY - VINTAGE BASKETBALL DEPT.

VERY EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE MAGAZINE THE COVERS HAD THIS KIND OF DETAILED BORDER WHICH WORKS GREAT ON A MAGAZINE BUT NOT SO MUCH ON A TRADING CARD. THIS ENTIRE DOESN'T REALLY WORK BUT THE GIST OF IT IS: IF YOU WANT A SATELLITE THE SIZE OF A BASKETBALL, JUST LAUNCH A BASKETBALL. I DIDN'T GET THIS CARD FOR THE FRONT ANYWAY I GOT IT FOR THIS:

ONE OF THE BEST BACK COVERS OF ALL TIME COMMEMORATING THREE MILE ISLAND. THIS ONE GOT WELL LODGED INTO MY BRAIN AS A KID

#123 DECEMBER 1968

CATEGORY - SERIAL NUMBERED DEPT.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC GAG, SERIAL NUMBERING MAGAZINE ISSUES. THERE WERE FOUR DIFFERENT COVERS ON THE ORIGINAL ISSUE BUT I ONLY THINK THERE'S ONE ON THE CARD. MAKE THIS SET TODAY, AND YOU'LL GET REAL SERIAL NUMBERS AND RUIN THE JOKE

#113 SEPTEMBER 1967

CATEGORY - SURPRISE DEPT.

NOT THE GREATEST JOKE, HO HO THE JACK IN THE BOX IS SURPRISED BY ALFRED. I DO APPRECIATE THAT THE LIL DUDE IS A MARTIAN WITH A UFO BOX. I DIDN'T GET THESE TWO FOR THE FRONTS BUT THE BACKS:

MAD FOLD IN PUZZLE! ONE CRITICISM I HAVE ON THIS SET IS THE STUFF ON THE BACK IS OFTEN FROM WAY DIFFERENT ERAS THAN THE COVER ON THE FRONT. TWO COVERS FROM THE 60S GET A FOLD-IN FROM THE 80S SHITTING ON THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. IT'S A BIT JARRING. BEST PART ABOUT THESE CARDS IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLD ANYTHING 

BOOM! WHAT MUSICAL GROUP HAS SURPASSED THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BEATLES?

   NO 

ONE

THIS IS DOUBLE FUNNY CONSIDERING ALL THE TIMES THEY SHIT ON THE BEATLES IN THE 60S, ESPECIALLY FRANK FRAZETTA'S IMMORTAL PORTRAIT OF RINGO. AND TRIPLE FUNNY HOW IN THE CURRENT ZEITGEIST THE GENERAL OPINION IS THAT THE BEATLES ARE BORING AND SUCK. TOO BAD WARNER BROS TURNED THE MAGAZINE INTO A ZOMBIE BEFORE IT COULD GO FULL CIRCLE ON THE BEATLES

#139 DECEMBER 1970

CATEGORY - COLLEGE DEPT.

MAD WAS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MOCKER AND HIPPIES GOT IT AS BAD AS NIXON DID. THIS IS A GREAT JACK DAVIS COVER. THERE'S SO MANY AMAZING EXPRESSIONS ON ALL THE FACES AND LITTLE GAGS PEPPERED IN THROUGHOUT. YOU COULD SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING AT THE COVER THAN READING THE MAGAZINE. THE JOKE OF COURSE IS MIXED IN AMONG THE LOUD MINORITY IS ALFRED IN ANACHRONISTIC COLLEGE GARB READY TO CHEER ON A FOOTBALL GAME. MAD IS OFTEN SEEN AS BEING SUPER SUBVERSIVE BUT IT'S A LOT MORE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD IN REALITY. YOU DON'T SELL AS MANY MAGAZINES AS THEY DID WITHOUT BEING A LITTLE MAINSTREAM

#97 SEPTEMBER 1965

CATEGORY - NEUMAN GOES ELECTRIC DEPT.

THIS IS A GOOD ONE. ELECTRIC GUITARS WERE IN THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN 1965 THANKS TO BOB DYLAN. ALFRED'S TAKE IS PRETTY CLEVER. WHO NEEDS AN AMP? YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS WOULD ACTUALLY WORK IN THIS VIDEO

REMEMBER STAR WARS TECHNOLOGY? YOU WERE BORN BEFORE 1980 I SEE. IT WAS IN THE NEWS NON-STOP FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND THEN JUST DISAPPEARED, MUCH LIKE A GOOD CHUNK OF THE PENTAGON BUDGET DOES EACH YEAR. THIS FOLD-IN IS ONE WHERE YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE THE PUNCHLINE PRETTY CLEARLY EVEN BEFORE FOLDING

WHAT SAFE CHEAP "STAR WARS" TECHNOLOGY WOULD WE LIKE TO SUGGEST TO THE PENTAGON?

    REANT

THEE

           TOAPE

THIS SHOWS SOME OF THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE CARD-BASED FOLD-IN. IF THE FIRST CARD ISN'T CENTERED WELL YOU GET SOME ODD PUNCHLINES. OF COURSE THIS IS NO WORSE THAN SOME WONKY FOLDING OF THE MAGAZINE BY AN 8 YEAR OLD SO IT'S PRETTY AUTHENTIC ACTUALLY

I HAVE A FEW MORE FOLD-INS FROM THE SECOND SERIES SO EXPECT TO SEE THOSE SOME DAY

UP NEXT -  A WHOLE LOTTA INSERTS, A STICKER AND A WING