Mad #558 (Dan Telfer) - Big Mouth Issue - August 2019

I do not like the cover or much of the inside stuff in this worst of the eight West Coast Issues.  The movie parody ("Silly Wonky & the Town of Flavor") is not great and the fold-in is a rerun from 1972.  I never liked "Potrzebie Comics" but its replacements are not better.  Rather than list everything I did not like, the following is a list of what I did like about the issue: 1. Tom Richmond's art is always excellent; 2. It is always fun to see drawings by Sergio Aragones; 3. The robot call (Ian Hunt/Jason Chatfield) is a clever concept; 4. "Political Action Figures" (Brockton McKinney/Ed Steckley) is the best article in the issue; 5. "Travel Postures from the Future" (Pat McGreal/Matt Carlson) is sad and probably true, but well produced here; 6. I always enjoy the ideas of Teresa Burns Parkhurst ("Honest Yearbook Messages"); and, that is all. [JAM 6/8/2019]

Contents:

02 Shorts & Briefs

05 Game of Thrones Spin-Offs! (Mother of Draggin' Dept.)

09 Meanwhile ... (Second to Laugh Chance Dept.)

10 Spy vs. Spy (Joke And Dagger Dept.)

12 Glutton Gourmet

14 Silly Wonka & the Town of Flavor (Everlasting Heart-Stopper Dept.)

20 The Lighter Side of Getting Away (Bummer Vacation Dept.)

23 Hot Horror Planet (Sole Survivor Dept.)

24 Goofus and Gallant and Donald (Gallantly Screaming Dept.)

26 Then Preposterous Palpatine Plot Hole: Why Didn't the Emperor Clone Darth Vader? (Incon-Sith-Tency Dept.)

28 Bling Gardens Retired Rapper Community (MADTV Cribs Dept.)

30 The Wisenheim Museum: Bradwick McGinty (Frank-Enshrine Dept.)

31 A Mad Look at Captain Marvel (The Serge-In General Dept.)

35 The MADifesto

36 Superhero Anagrams (Welcome to the Jumble Dept.)

38 Impress Big Brother (George Or Well Dept.)

39 Embarrassing Tell-Alls We'll Soon See (Wretched Writing Dept.)

41 One Frustrating Cold Call (Emotional Hang-Ups Dept.)

42 Broscopes (Cosmo-Illogical Dept.)

44 Political Action Figures (Polled Separately Dept.)

45 "This Is Not My Beautiful Knife" and Other Flowery Expressions to Avoid Prosecution [fake content]

46 Necronomicon for Dummies (Lump Summon Dept.)

48 Travel Posters From The Future (Global Warning Dept.)

50 Honest Yearbook Messages (Write of Passage Dept.)

52 Incoming! (letters)

55 Meanwhile ... (Laugh Chance Dept.)

56 Real, Dumb

Fold-In - Doctor (rerun from Mad #153)