Mad #375

Mad magazine's November 1998 issue throws two of late-'90s animation's most distinctive worlds into one gloriously uncomfortable therapy session — cover artist Sam Viviano renders Dr. Katz seated calmly in his armchair, dangling a golden key and reading from a purple book, while Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Kenny lie strapped in straitjackets on the couch below, looking variously defiant and alarmed. The cover promises a Dr. Katz vs. South Park showdown inside, written by Duck Edwing and illustrated by Hermann Mejia, plus an "exclusive" look at the Clinton Presidential Library for good measure. It's a characteristically chaotic Mad package that captures exactly what made the magazine such a sharp pop-culture mirror in 1998.