National Lampoon — August 1971, "What, My Lai?" Issue, Kelly Freas Cover (Vintage Magazine)
National Lampoon — August 1971, "What, My Lai?" Issue, Kelly Freas Cover (Vintage Magazine)
Original August 1971 issue of National Lampoon — the seventeenth issue overall. Cover art by Kelly Freas — one of the most celebrated illustrators in American science fiction and magazine history. The cover depicts Lt. William Calley rendered as Alfred E. Neuman: the same gap-toothed grin, the same vacant eyes, dressed in full military uniform with his name tag reading CALLEY. The headline: What, My Lai? Teasers: Bummer Issue: Calley-Manson Computer Fight · Jane Fonda Movie Kit · Ralph Nader Report on Consumers · Canada: Consider the Alternative. Original cover price: 75¢.
The My Lai massacre trial was ongoing when this issue hit newsstands. The cover is a direct, unflinching piece of political satire — using the most recognizable face in American pop culture to indict a man on trial for war crimes. It remains one of the most historically significant covers in the Lampoon’s entire run. Kelly Freas’s technical mastery makes it as beautiful as it is devastating. Stored in a protective sleeve. Sold as found.
Details
- National Lampoon, August 1971
- Cover: “What, My Lai?” — Lt. Calley as Alfred E. Neuman
- Cover art: Kelly Freas
- Teasers: Calley-Manson Computer Fight · Jane Fonda Movie Kit · Ralph Nader Report
- Original cover price: 75¢
- Second year of publication — seventeenth issue overall
- One of the most politically significant covers in the Lampoon’s history
- Stored in protective sleeve
- Sold as found — vintage condition
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