52 pages
August 1989
John Severin cover
written by:
George Gladir, Joe Catelano, Jerry DeFucchio, John Arcudi and others
art by:
John Severin, Don Martin, Rurik Tyler, Pat Boyette, Bill Wray, Bill Ward and others
highlights:
Three one page Don Martin gags
Cutie and the Beast, 2 pgs spoof by unknown artist (possibly Altergott)
Star Cracked, 2 pgs spoof by Richard Altergott
R.A.L.F., 2 pgs spoof by unsigned artist (probably Altergott)
PlayBot, 5 pgs magazine spoof by Bill Wray (including Betty Page pin-up)
Pat Boyette one page 'upcoming disaster' gag page
Henry Boltinogg gag page Torture in Baseball terms
Shut-Ups by Don Orehek with Disney figures (in color)
Bill Wray backcover portrait os Sylvester as Dennis Quayle (with small self portrait)
I have seen then offered between $5 and $20 on Ebay and elsewhere.
Condition: Good (cover a bit older)
Starting Price: $6
Buy Me Now at: $12
Cracked magazine is known as the best Mad magazine imitation out there. The saying was: "If you had finished your Mad and you didn't want to wait for the next one, you would go and buy Cracked. Not as good as Mad, but it kept you going for a while. In fact, sometimes it was just as good as Mad or even better. And most of those times was in the first 60 issues. These issues feature many very good artists, some who had worked at Mad or would go on to work there. The writing was sharp and an effort was made to do stuff that Mad didn't or do it in a different way. It was only later, when they decided that creating a weaker carbon copy of Mad was easier and just as profitable.
Also, from the precious issue on, Don Martin was a regular.
Notes on postage:
Postage from Europe can be a problem. I have quoted the postage for one issue at $12. You can actually have three magazines sent for $12 or five for $15. If you want to combine with my other auctions (or wait until there is more, in which case you should NOT PAY without my PERSONAL INVOICE). I can also send it as a package with track and trace, which unfortunately comes to $35 (the price has been raised from $25 last year). There is even a five kilo option for $68.