{"product_id":"2026100009136-secondhand-mad-magazine-no-204-january-1979","title":"Mad Magazine  No. 204, January 1979","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image. Price sticker on front cover. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew publications have skewered American pop culture with as much gleeful irreverence as MAD Magazine, and this late-1970s issue is a prime example of the legendary satirical periodical at the height of its cultural relevance. The cover — a wicked parody of Jaws II — sets the tone immediately, as a water-skiing woman is menaced by a monstrous shark, a visual gag that perfectly captures MAD's signature blend of sharp wit and slapstick absurdity. Inside, the issue takes aim at an eclectic roster of targets: the Marvel blockbuster The Hulk, the commercialism of Christmas gift-giving, the era's obsession with new-improved consumer products, and the then-hot scientific controversy surrounding human cloning.\n\nMAD Magazine was the brainchild of editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, and by the late 1970s it had become a rite of passage for generations of young American readers hungry for their first taste of real satirical commentary. With its roster of brilliantly irreverent contributors — artists and writers whose wit was matched only by their draftsmanship — the magazine holds a unique place in 20th-century American cultural history as a subversive force hiding in plain sight on newsstands everywhere. This issue is a time capsule of an era defined by blockbuster cinema, consumer excess, and Cold War anxieties — making you wonder just how much, or how little, has truly changed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49313642938587,"sku":"2026100009136-SECONDHAND","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/f26c12c2-9a80-4991-9f36-7dc9f00e8a5e.png?v=1789524889","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100009136-secondhand-mad-magazine-no-204-january-1979","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}