MAD about the Trump Era has exactly the same feel as the original magazines.
- One overriding belief—check.
- Various writing styles from prose, to parodies, to poetry, to short comics—check.
- Excellent artwork including easily recognizable caricatures of political and pop culture figures—check.
- More clever, and occasionally witty, than laugh-out-loud funny jokes—check.
MAD about the Trump Era definitely brings back memories of making fun of President Nixon. If anything, there is more data to mine for laughs with President Trump. Just his tweets alone could fill an entire book. The jokes are hit and miss—compare them to the sketches on Saturday Night Live. I really enjoyed Captain Red America because it works on a surface level of climate deniers. But there is a deeper self-referential humor in the R on his suit referencing Red Robin of DC Comics, which owns MAD magazine.
Obviously, if you are a MAGA hat wearing staunch supporter of the Donald, this book is not for you. However, it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for us older democrats (socialists to you, Mein President). 3 stars.
Thanks to MAD Magazine, DC Entertainment, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.