Customer Reviews

MAD About Politics: An Outrageous Pop-Up Political Parody

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Twenty years of political satire in a fun and expertly rendered, high

quality pop-up book. Vibrant colors, brilliant caricatures and

equally proportioned political bashing make this a hilarious package.

Not all of the jokes are hits, but the sections on Bill Clinton and

Dick Cheney will leave the reader chuckling for weeks.

Here's a fun pop-up book cobbled together from items published in MAD Magazine from the mid-'80s on through the recent McCain vs. Obama presidential race. Like most of MAD's material, it runs the gamut from sophomoric to brilliant, but it's never boring and is usually funny.

The pop-up effects range from dial-a-jokes to pull-tab surprises and a couple of clever animation effects. The Clinton-era gags should put this book off-limits to children. Most of the humor in this book would likely bore or escape pre-teen readers.

While this book doesn't contain my favorite piece of MAD presidential humor (in which pieces of candidates photos were assembled into a "the ideal candidate" [guess who?]), I got enough laughs for my money. I'll be interested to see how much of its humor survives after another three or four decades.

For any MAD fan . . . or not, this book is a MUST. It is irreverent as a MAD parody should be and is really not for kids - there is some adult content. The Pop-ups are not that elaborate, but still great none-the-less. There are also some wonderful removable collectables to top it off.

At this price, buy it . . .

This is the Mad Magazine that I (mostly) remember.

Political satire by the Usual Gang of Idiots is inspiring, if you can call it that. Perhaps, a better word might be re-inspiring. A good motto for this book might be Lived it, read about it, time to laugh about it.

That's exactly what we can do. From Bill Clinton and his wanderings, to the current campaign to replace George W Bush, the sheer idiocy of their strategies to convince voters of their integrity is highlighted. Really, the Presidential Candidate Choose Your Own Adventure Book is probably the best paste on. I only wonder exactly why Sarah Palin doesn't show up on Lance Rivers? SNL is getting old. What exactly is physically wrong with Dick Cheney? His pocket book is fine, isn't it?

I am marginally surprised that the Bush years center piece is so short. Perhaps it was either adding 20 pages of pop-ups, fold overs, and spinning wheels.

If there is any tastelessness in the book, it's focused on Bill Clinton. Any president who thinks with something other than his brain, is certain to be lampooned for his lack of integrity. The presidential portrait with the optional Lewinsky pull just pushes the boundary. (But so did Bill).

One more time, if I could vote, my write in ballot, Alfred E Newman. The most scary scenario, if Alfred won, who would make decisions for the American people??? Perhaps Al Feldstein might yet return to public service with his well developed sense of sarcasm and graphic design.

Who needs to watch the news, read Mad About Politics!

Tim Lasiuta