Mad #364 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Seinfeld Issue - December 1997
This was no accident. For the second of three consecutive issues, Mad was published with and without a cover border. Apparently, there was a newsstand sales boost from subscribers who received borderless issues. It worked for me since I have two copies of each. The Mad editors did not try to parody the wildly popular Seinfeld television show (1989-1998). Instead, they dispatched writers/editors Raiola and Shayne to identify seven of "NBC's Desperate Plans for Seinfeld Spinoffs." The drawings by Drew Friedman are excellent. Friedman was able to show a bit of his flexibility with the spinoffs that include an animated series and "Newman PI." Jerry Seinfeld is also the subject of the page-48 "Cause-of-Death Betting Odds" by Snider and Fluharty. I believe that they underestimated the odds of him dying of poverty. As co-owner of the show, Seinfeld is yet raking in the dough from syndication deals.
The best article is "The Droop Carey Show" that effectively parodies a sitcom (The Drew Carey Show - also 1989-1998) that was already a parody of sitcoms. The worst article in this issue and the worst in memory is "Sadistic 'Simon Says'." I did not need to see this one. [JAM 6/18/2013]
There appeared to be a shortage of marginals by Sergio Aragones in Mad #363. Some were reprinted from previous issues and none could be found from page 21 to page 37 that included the "Berg's-Eye View Department" that is usually loaded with jokes in the margins.
Look for the Mad staff standing in line for the "Acme Metal Detector" in "Air Farce One."
Departments:
Jerry-Mandering - NBC's Desperate Plans for Seinfeld Spinoffs
Angster's Paradise - Monroe & ... The Big Party
Plane Nonsense - Air Farce One
An Embarrassment of Richard's - Product Instructions for a Dumbed-Down America
Bias Beware - Newspaper Stories You May See After Future Anti-Discrimination
Lawsuits
Tales From the Duck Side - The Beer Hunter
A Rocket Full of Miracles - Important Lessons Learned from the Mars Pathfinder
Mission
No Pain, No Game - Mad-sterpiece Theatre Presents: Sadistic "Simon Says"
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Airports
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Show Me the Bunny - Playboy's Newsstand Spectacles
Software's the Beef? - Microsoft: What We're Doing to You Today
The Fright Stuff - Still Even More Chilling Thoughts
Meanwhile, Back at the Raunch - Adult Novelties for Losers
Play That Chunky Music, Fat Boy - The Droop Carey Show
Grieving Las Vegas - Mad's Celebrity Cause-of-Death Betting Odds
Fold-In - Joe Camel