Mad #317 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Rollerblading Issue - March 1993

The popularity of rollerblading (aka inline skating) peaked during the 1990s.  Artist/writer Al Jaffee was given the assignment to make fun of this new sport.  His attempt ("A Mad Report on Rollerblading") is OK but there really is not anything here to separate this trend from its predecessor - roller skating.  Alfred E. Neuman on the cover is the happy blader in a body cast as drawn by James Warhola.  The truth is that any sport involving speed can cause bodily injuries.  The Mad editors often try to attract their younger readers by showcasing their latest fad.  However, we all know that it is the classic humor and art that sells magazines.  Warhola's drawing of "The Apartment You're Considering May Have Belonged to a Serial Killer If ..." by Dennis Snee is closer to the Mad humor that we expect. [JAM 3/28/2012]

Look for The Three Stooges in "The Apartment ..."

Departments:
Rentally Disturbed - Smellgross Place
Tales From the Duck Side - The Villainous Vending Victimization; The Sanguinary Serengetti [sic] Screw-Up; The Eccentric Emergency Engagement
Equal Slime - Deviant Editorial Responses to Widely Held Opinions
All Jaffee - A Mad Report on Roller Blading
A Room with a View to a Kill - The Apartment You're Considering May Have Belonged to a Serial Killer If
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Assault on Battery - Energizer Rabbit Commercials That Were Never Completed
Frank on a Roll - When Country-Western Goes Rap
On the Err - TV Bloopers We'd Really Like to See
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
On a Scale of One to Tension - Mad Charts the Hidden Emotional Costs of Things
Wayan's World - Entertainment Too Light visits In Livid Color
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Endangered Species
The Boy Toys of Summer - A League to Bemoan

Fold-In - Diapers (not Alfred E. Neuman)