Mad #430

Mad's June 2003 issue zeroes in on the summer's big mutant blockbuster with a cover by Mark Stutzman that replaces the X-Men 2 cast with six gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman faces — each morphed into a different X-character, complete with Wolverine's claws, Cyclops's red optic blast, a blue patterned Mystique-like figure, and a suited Professor X stand-in. It's a genuinely clever piece of painted parody that captures the moody, steel-blue palette of the film's promotional art while thoroughly Neuman-izing every hero in sight. Inside, Peter Kuper tackles the "$-Men 2" send-up, and the cover also teases shots at Matrix Reloaded, gay proms, fat kids, and your mother — a full lineup of 2003 pop-culture targets.