Mad #369 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Titanic Issue- May 1998

Number 368 contains the classic magazine parody that reminds me of a Harvard Lampoon production.  Newcomer Scott Brooks made a big impression with his 12-page effort.  How can he top that one?

The issue devoted several pages to aliens and screamers, but the best movie parody was "Mad Look at Titanic" by Sergio Aragones.  Sergio's article belongs in issue 369 but the fastest pen in the west just could not wait.

The best cover of the three [Nos. 368-370] was the reprint of the "Poseidon" (Mad #161) cover by Mick McGinty, featuring the red tennis shoes of Alfred E. Neuman.  I liked Sam Viviano's lifeboat scenes in number 369's feature article but the parody was not as good as Sergio's.

The most clever offering was the "Body Modification Trends of the Future" by first-time writers Brian and Sean Farrelly.  The issue also provided excellent drawings by new artist Lennie Mace and (as always) by Rick Tulka.

Gotsilly has a tattoo.  Al Gore is Dr. Frankenstein's monster.  There are some Barney jokes, tic-tac-toe as art, and a soccer bomb.  Issue 370, with five different artists' views of a bad movie, was not one of the best efforts by the usual gang of idiots.

The "Mad Pop Off Video" feature can die an early death as far as I am concerned.  Any page that does not use the talent of a Mad artist gets very little of my attention.

The best drawing of the three issues was Rick Tulka's Al Gore as Frankenstein's monster.  [MADlog #11 - July 1998]

 

Departments:
The Ship Hits the Fans - Trypanic
Sick Willie - White House Internship Official Application
Angster's Paradise - Monroe & ... Space Camp
Voted Most Likely to Conceive - Prom Mom
The Youth is out There - The Generation X-Files
Tales From the Duck Side - A Tomb with a View
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Las Vegas
Planet of the Gapes - Mad's Guide to Who's Who Outside The Today Show Window
Caution! Reconstruction Ahead - Body Modification Trends of the Future
The Commander-in-Heat - How Many Bimbos Can You Find in This Oval Office Picture?
Up Skit's Creek - Mad TV vs. Saturday Night Live: The Score So Far
Hard Learned - Mad Examines the High Costs of Education
New Kids on the Schlock - Letters to Hanson
The Schmucks Stop Here - Melvin & Jenkins' Guide to Party Going
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Behind the Duplicate Ball - COPies
VH-Dumb - Mad's Pop Off Video Preview
Grieving Las Vegas - Mad's Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds

Fold-In - Hand