| 0 | Save 20 Cents on This Issue | cover | 1 | letters: typeset | |
| 1 | May the Farce Be with You! | promo (ad from the publisher) | 1 | letters: typeset | |
| 2 | - | table of contents | 1 | letters: typeset | |
| 3 | - | letters page | 0.7 | letters: ?; typeset | |
| 4 | - | statement of ownership | 0.3 | script: William M. Gaines | |
| 5 | Paltry Guise | comic story | 7 | script: Arnie Kogen; pencils: Jack Davis; inks: Jack Davis | Craig T. Nelson [as Heave Feeling]; JoBeth Williams [as Dyin Feeling]; Heather O'Rourke [as Caro Anne]; Oliver Robins [as Blobbie Feeling]; Dominique Dunne [as Tana Feeling] |
| 6 | One Fine Day in Fairbanks, Alaska | comic story | 1 | script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin | |
| 7 | Drawn Out Dramas | cartoon | 0 | script: Sergio Aragonés; pencils: Sergio Aragonés; inks: Sergio Aragonés | |
| 8 | If Famous Poets had to Make a Living Today | comic story | 4 | script: Frank Jacobs; pencils: Jack Rickard; inks: Jack Rickard | |
| 9 | Further Additions to Mad's Little-Known and Very Useless Weights, Measures & Distances | comic story | 2 | script: John Ficarra; pencils: Bob Clarke; inks: Bob Clarke | |
| 10 | The 1982 Mad Yearbook | photo story | 3 | script: Lou Silverstone | |
| 11 | How to Read an Airline Menu | text story | 1 | script: Dick DeBartolo | |
| 12 | The Lighter Side of... | comic story | 5 | script: Dave Berg; pencils: Dave Berg; inks: Dave Berg | |
| 13 | One Fine Day in Chicago, Illinois | comic story | 1 | script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin | |
| 14 | If They Passed Other "Truth In..." Laws | comic story | 4 | script: Stan Hart; pencils: Harry North; inks: Harry North | |
| 15 | Little-Known and Rarely Diagnosed Mad Ailments Contracted at Airports | comic story | 2 | script: Don Edwing; pencils: Don Edwing; inks: Don Edwing | |
| 16 | Spy Vs. Spy | comic story | 1 | script: Antonio Prohías; pencils: Antonio Prohías; inks: Antonio Prohías | The Black Spy; The White Spy |
| 17 | Mad's School Teacher of the Year | comic story | 4 | script: Lou Silverstone; pencils: Paul Coker Jr.; inks: Paul Coker Jr. | |
| 18 | One Fine Day in Rochester, New York | comic story | 1 | script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin | |
| 19 | Some Simple Laws that Make Sense Out of Soap Operas | comic story | 3 | script: Mark Dressler; pencils: Angelo Torres; inks: Angelo Torres | |
| 20 | A Foreign Traveler's Guide to the United States | comic story | 6 | script: Larry Siegel; pencils: George Woodbridge; inks: George Woodbridge | |
| 21 | How Will Our Military Budget Result in Bloodshed? | illustration | 1 | script: Al Jaffee; pencils: Al Jaffee; inks: Al Jaffee; colors: Al Jaffee | |
| 22 | The Treasure Hunters | comic story | 1 | script: Sergio Aragonés; pencils: Jack Davis; inks: Jack Davis; colors: Jack Davis | |