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- Written by: Jonathan Bresman
- Publisher: Del Rey
- Rating: Teen (13+)
- Price: $21.95
MAD About Star Wars: Thirty Years of Classic Parodies
By
Nadia Oxford
October 07, 2007
MAD About Star Wars: Thirty Years of Classic Parodies by Jonathan Bresman
© Del Rey
When a father is high on the thrill of watching his first born come into the world, he might babble about looking forward to teaching the lad how to lace his shoes and ride a bike. But what he's really thinking about watching Star Wars for the first time with his progeny and giggling over issues of MAD magazine like his father did with him. Traditions might not hold as much worth as they used to, but the story of Luke Skywalker and the glossy, idiotic smile of Alfred E Neuman are two that have endured for decades. It's not surprising that they blend so well in a collection that will thrill geeky schmucks both young and old.
With MAD Magazine's long, busy history of satirizing pop culture and Star Wars having produced enough movies, toys and TV specials to enthrall two generations of aspiring Jedi Knights, MAD About Star Wars: Thirty Years of Classic Parodies has a lot of territory to cover in its 150 full-colour pages. Happily, it's all here, and not only the movie parodies of the original trilogy published long, long ago. Every teensy scrap is re-visited, from old covers (and alternate covers) to fold-ins and right down to Sergio Aragone's silent visits to the corners of the Star Wars universe never even considered by the rational thinking fan. Most pages contain side bar trivia about the history of the various published pieces as well as the movies themselves. George W Bush, for example, broke the hearts of MAD Magazine's editors when he said he was thrilled to be featured on their 2003 poster for "Clone of the Attack" (a commentary on the then-simmering conflict in Iraq).
Similar tidbits strung throughout the book make it worth owning, but what's most interesting about MAD About Star Wars that it acts--unintentionally--as a sort of racing programme that measures these two cultural phenomena side by side. MAD has always maintained a very close stable of freelance artists and writers who have given flavour to the magazine over its long lifespan. Reading the parody of the original film and then skipping straight to the parody of 'Revenge of the Sith' is a smooth transition. The same cheesy dialogue and detailed background gags apply; the jokes themselves might seem a little dated, but the delivery is comfortingly familiar.
Star Wars, on the other hand, has been criticised for veering sharply from one movie to the next. The dark and brooding Empire Strikes Back is followed by the fuzzy and cute Return of the Jedi, and the prequels will always be known for delivering mixed reviews at best. In what's probably the most telling criticism of Lucas' writing, MAD long ago published silly predictions and revelations for the Clone Wars saga--and more than a few came startlingly close to being true.
Lucas himself is in excellent humour over the existence of the MAD About Star Wars, and he's even contributed a foreword. Pick up the collection ($21.95 cheap) for a good long read on the john, but consider this warning: The blank back cover isn't a secret fold-in, moron!
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