Mad #384

Mort Drucker's cover for this August 1999 issue delivers a sharp caricature of the Wild Wild West star in full frontier-agent regalia — top hat, dark suit, and an oversized steampunk-style revolver aimed straight at the reader — perfectly setting up Mad's promise to "shoot down" the summer blockbuster inside. The inset mock magazine, "Bulging Man," adds an extra layer of deadpan absurdity before you've even cracked the cover. Dick DeBartolo and Drucker team up inside for "Mild Mild Mess," and if the cover is any indication, the parody is as loaded as that comically massive pistol.