MAD #602 — December 2026

Article title links go to original source issues

NEW = First appearance of original material

Contents

• Contents Page — Mark Fredrickson Alfred as Mona Lisa

  MAD #466 — Mark Fredrickson cover art
  C2–1
• Drawn-Out Dramas

  Marginal Thinking Dept.

  Sergio Aragones
  (various places around the magazine — new and reprinted)
• A MAD Look at Artists

  Serge-In General Dept.

  Sergio Aragones
  2–4
• The Painter

  Paint is Thicker Than Water Dept. (Don Martin Dept. Part I)

  Don Martin
  5
• Spy vs. Spy — Rockwell-like self-portrait / guillotine chops spy's head in photo board / blown statue still has slicing arm NEW

  Joke and Dagger Dept.

  Peter Kuper
  6–7
• If the World's Great Painters Drew Comics

  "Pop" Goes the Easel Dept.

  Written by Frank Jacobs / Art by Jack Rickard
  8–11
• Subscription Ad — Antonio Prohias spies
  12
• MAD Artists' Response to a "Draw This Figure" Ad

  Art by Jack Davis, Don Martin, Jack Rickard, Paul Coker, Jr., Angelo Torres, Mort Drucker, Sergio Aragones, Al Jaffee, George Woodbridge, Antonio Prohias, Bob Clarke, and Dave Berg
  13
• Gallery of MAD Collectable Connectables

  String Theory Dept. (Wall-Nutties Dept.)

  Seven of eight pieces from the series

  • "Tin Can Phone Through Alfred's Head" — Jack Rickard
  • "Dentist's Office Door Pulls Own Tooth" — Don Martin
  • "Tarzan Hangs From Ape's Rope" — Jack Davis
  • "Noah's Ark Pulls Skunks Behind" — Bob Jones
  • "Angels and Devils Tug Of War" — Sergio Aragones
  • "Fisherman Pulled By Shark" — Angelo Torres
  • "Circus Rope Walker Slacks Into Bike Acrobats" — George Woodbridge
  14–15
• Famous Artists' Paintings of Comic Book Characters

  Different Strokes for Different Jokes Dept.

  Written by Charlie Richards / Art by Greg Theakston
  16
• MAD Tours a Typical Film School

  Getting a Reel Education Dept.

  Written by Stan Hart and Chris Hart / Art by Tom Bunk
  17–21
• Artists by Numbers NEW

  Art For Art Fakes Dept.

  Ivan Ehlers
  22–23
• Great Art Masterpieces and What They Would Be Saying Today

  Paint Misbehavin' Dept.

  Written by Adam Rust / Art by Jacques-Louis David, Francisco Goya, Edward Hopper, Gustav Klimt, Michelangelo, Edvard Munch, Myron, Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, and Georges Seurat
  24–25
• William Shakespeare…at the Post Office

  Bard to Death Dept.

  Written by Frank Jacobs / Art by Jack Rickard
  26–27
• Art Styles of the Rich & Famous NEW

  You Give Louvre a Bad Frame Dept.

  Written by Desmond Devlin / Art by Tom Richmond
  28–29
• Self-Portrait

  Al Jaffee
  30
• MAD's Rhyming Guide to the Orchestra

  Phil-Moronic Dept. (Don Martin Conducts Dept.)

  Written by Frank Jacobs / Art by Don Martin
  31–34
• Spy vs. Spy — voice breaks plane windshield

  Joke and Dagger Dept.

  Antonio Prohias / Color by Carrie Strachan
  35
• Nostalgic Statues for Tomorrow's Saps NEW

  The Last Schmaltz Dept.

  Johnny Sampson
  36
• MAD's Stress-Inducing Adult Coloring Book

  Shading-Fraud Dept.

  Art by Timothy Shamey
  37–39
• The Unscheduled Last Performance of the Bumbling Brothers Circus

  Under the Big Flop Dept.

  Written by Paul Peter Porges / Art by Al Jaffee
  40–41
• MAD's 11 Little-Known, Practical, Real Life Uses for Ballet

  The Plié's the Thing Dept.

  Written by Mike Craig / Art by Jack Syracuse
  42–43
• MAD Medals to be Presented to Deserving Actors

  Givin' 'em a Ribbin' Dept.

  Al Jaffee
  44
• Promotion — Not Dead Yet! — MAD 75th Anniversary Coming 2027
  45
• If Norman Rockwell Depicted the 21st Century

  Art by Richard Williams

  Complete series

  • "Saturday Morning at Doc Fletcher's" — Bob Bramble
  • "First Drug Test" — Bob Bramble
  • "First Day of School"
  • "Saturday Night Out With the Boys"
  • "Hopscotch"
  • "Last Parking Space at the Mall" — Mike Snider
  • "Monday Morning Pickup" — Scott Maiko
  • "The Marriage License"
  • "The Militarization of the Police Department" — Desmond Devlin
  46–47
• Now You Can Paint Like the Pros!

  Adam Rust

  Complete series

  • "Create Your Very Own Abstract Expressionist, Jackson Pollock Masterpiece"
  • "Paint Like the Masters: Norman Rockwell"
  • "Paint Like the Masters: Andy Warhol"
  • "Paint Like the Masters: Pablo Picasso"
  • "Paint Like the Masters: Vincent Van Gogh"
  • "Paint Like the Masters: Leonardo Da Vinci"
  48–49
• What Not to Say at the Art Gallery! NEW

  Arts & Crass Dept.

  Teresa Burns Parkhurst
  50–51
• The DaVinci Coma (movie satire)

  Hanks, But No Thanks Dept.

  Written by Dick DeBartolo / Art by Mort Drucker
  52–55
• The DaVinci Cold

  Written by Michael Gallagher / Art by Hermann Mejia
  56
• Fold-In — What's the most offensive thing you can see on display at a museum?

  Al Jaffee
  C3
• Back Cover — A Soho Success Story

  Written by Don (Duck) Edwing / Art by Tom Bunk
  C4