Mad #455

Mad Magazine's July 2005 issue zeroes in on Batman Begins with a cover by Mark Fredrickson that's equal parts impressive and absurd: a dead-serious, close-up Batman cowl dominates the frame, while a grinning, googly-faced bat creature perches triumphantly on top of his head — having left an unmistakable souvenir behind. Beyond the "Battyman, Begone!" Batman parody, the issue also promises Star Wars stupidity, summer camp misery, parental idiocy, and the introduction of the Mad Strip Club, making this one of two collector's covers that captures the magazine at its cheerfully irreverent 2005 best.