Mad #491 (John Ficarra) - Narnia Issue - July 2008

Has anyone else noticed that the covers of Mad summer issues (June, July & August) almost always reflect the major motion pictures being released during those summers?

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) wrote seven Chronicles of Narnia from 1949 to 1954.  At the same time, J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was completing his Lord of the Rings trilogy.  After the first Narnia movie (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) grossed $745 million after its release in 2005, Mad editors decided to use the second movie (Prince Caspian) as one of its summer covers.  In addition to the scary Mark Fredrickson cover, Desmond Devlin. Hermann Mejia and Jacob Lambert created "Mad's Helpful Guide to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian".  Artist Mejia added the Hogwarts wizards, Oz flying monkeys and rodent chef Ratatouille to the shish-kabob splash page.  Lambert's Narnia map is very instructive.  Also, there are outtakes.  Back to the real world, Frank Jacobs and Art Director Sam Viviano (aka Jack Syracuse) speculated on the effects of Rev. Wright's sermon ("G*d Damn America") on the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama.  It did not help but President Obama won in a landslide anyway.  [JAM 12/9/2014]

Departments:
Random Acts of Mindless - The Fundalini Pages
Pulpit Friction - G*d Damn America
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Going Green
Clicks Are for Kids - Dr. Seuss for the Digital Age
Domicile Maniacs - The Pros and Cons of Working at Home!
When You Diss upon a Star - Now That Anyone Can Become a Celebrity
Berg's-Eye Askew - The Darker Side of ... The Lighter Side of ...
Behind the Nominate Ball - Things We'd Like to See at This Year's Political Conventions
Hire Learning - What's Being Taught at Other Corporate Colleges
Getting Their Shoot Together - Guide to Proper Paparazzi Etiquette
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Angster's Paradise - Monroe and ... Teen Obesity
Unidentified Dying Objects - Mad's Hospice Bingo  [fake department]
Pen And Stink - The Mad Strip Club
B.S. Lewis - Mad's Helpful Guide to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
A Kick in the Aslan - Mad's Bewitching Prince Caspian Outtakes
Observation Dreck - What the Heck is the Difference?

Fold-In - Classroom