It’s been a while since I bought my last issue of MAD Magazine proper. Sure, I’ve bought compilations of their movie parodies and the great Serigo Aragones’ recent hardcover, but the individual issues haven’t made their way into my hands lately. After hearing that this issue was going to have a MAD MEN parody, I decided to pick up an actual issue.

Doing so was a great choice. The magazine itself hasn’t changed much since I last read it. Many of the familiar departments were still where I’d last left them. Spy Vs. Spy, the letters page, Aragones’ Marginals and “A Mad Look At…” were all there. The newer “Strip Club” feature had some rather dark humor, which may have been a slight tonal shift since I last picked up an issue, but I was fine with it.

The MAD MEN parody was as good as I hoped it was. Tom Richmond’s charactures were spot-on and Arnie Kogen’s gentle mocking of the series was enjoyable. My favorite joke was Roger Sterling’s excitement over a high ball glass that came attached to a cigarette lighter which would save him and Don “hours of time.” It was a silly little joke that worked thanks to a well executed image.

Perhaps most incredibly of all, this issue featured Obama being compared to all previous 42 Presidents of the United States. It’s a dense two pages of just joke after joke. Even if you don’t find every comparison funny, you’ve got to be impressed that the attempt was made.

Sure, not every joke landed in the issue, but with the amount of humor per page, the $5.99 price tag is totally justifiable. This is getting added to my pull list from now on.

Man, I love Sergio’s work.