Mad 499

One issue to go until number 500 and then Mad goes quarterly. I wish I could say this was a great lead-in for number 500, but I'm not going to lie. Here is what I am talking about.

The Fundalini Pages by various writers and artists.
This was the worst one I have seen. It was a total waste of 3 pages. LOSE.

What The Heck Is The Difference?
I always like seeing this. I enjoy puzzles and they do make these challenging. The cover they used was from Mad 213. WIN.

Botchmen. Writer Desmond Devlin. Artist Tom Richmond.
I have read the comic book and watched the movie. This parody captures all the right elements and is hilarious. In my review of Mad 498 I said I really like Tom Richmond's art. I forgot to mention I also read his blog. You can check it out here. WIN.

Sergio Aragones Presents A Mad Look At Trade Schools. Writer and artist Sergio Aragones.(You were expecting Picasso?)
As I have stated before Sergio rarely disappoints. My favorite gag is a look at nursing school. Three students are talking why they are there. The first wants to work with newborns. The second in an operating room. The third wants to meet a doctor for marriage. WIN.

Digital TV FAQs. Writer Jeff Kruse.
Out of 10 questions I thought 2 of them were funny. The best I can say about this is this is funnier than the Fundalini Pages. LOSE.

The Decided Disadvantages Of An Online Education. Writer and artist John Caldwell.
Out of 8 cartoons 6 of them worked. My favorite is basically a recycled gag about the dangers of online dating. Predictable but still funny. WIN.

The Darker Side Of The Lighter Side. The Lighter Side writer and artist Dave Berg. The Darker Side writer unknown. (I wouldn't claim it either.)
I have previously stated this is a bad idea. The good is you get some classic Dave Berg panels. If that is all there was it would be a winner, but since they don't want to do that it loses. LOSE.

Untitled. Writer Dick DeBartolo.
This is a letter written to the American People from the financial institutions concerning the bail out money they just received. This is brilliant and very funny. It probably is closer to the truth then those involved and Congress would ever admit to. WIN.

Mad's Unheroic Watchmen Outtakes. Writer unknown. Pictures from The Watchmen.
I have read several of these through the years and this one ranks in the top 5. It is hard to pick a favorite. An example is Dr Manhattan when he reappeared in the cafeteria saying "Whatever you do, don't eat the Salisbury steak!!! Win.

The Story Of Deathbed Donkey...And The Rage Of Sorrow. Writer Brian McConnachie. Artist Rick Geary.
I have no clue what the purpose of this story was other than to fill two pages. I would rather have seen two blank pages. They would have made more sense. LOSE.

Unabridged Sports Cliches. Writer Jacob Lambert. Artist Paul Coker.
This gives you the cliches, then what is really meant by it. They had 11 cliches. I didn't smile once. LOSE.

The Strip Club. Various artists and writers.
There are seven comic strips printed here. One I found mildly amusing, the rest were bad. LOSE.

Spy Vs Spy. Writer and Artist Peter Kuper.
There are two different little tales here. Neither was funny. LOSE.

President Obama--The Promise vs. The Reality. Writer Desmond Devlin. Artist Leonardo Rodriguez and Kevin Pope.
Another seven gags that gagged me. LOSE.

Mad Fold-In by Al Jaffee.
At least the issue ended on a high note. WIN.

Mad had been on a roll. This was definitely a step back. I liked seven articles, but that was overshadowed by the eight I didn't. Final score 47.
My friend Mike was right. A shamrock is also known as clover. Also quoting Bugs Bunny shows just how truly classy Mike is. You can't beat Bugs. Incidentally, I have two friends named Mike. This one lives in England. That is one thing I like about the internet. You get to meet interesting people from all over the world.
Today's question is Grade 2/Cultural Studies.

The leaf of what tree is on the Canadian national flag?

I knew this one. 53-12.