National Lampoon Magazine — April 1977 (Ripping the Lid Off TV! Issue)

The April 1977 "Ripping the Lid Off TV!" issue of National Lampoon features one of the magazine's most conceptually elegant covers: a photo composite of the Lincoln Memorial statue — Honest Abe himself — sitting in his great marble chair with a small television set on his lap, antenna extended, watching. The cover text rails against the medium in cascading indignation: "Producers have no taste... networks make fortunes... commercials interrupt programs... sex and violence dominate the airwaves... programs cater to the lowest common denominator.... It's a disgrace!"

The joke is in the casting. Lincoln — the Great Emancipator, the most dignified figure in American iconography — reduced to a couch potato, watching the same garbage everyone else watches. The Lampoon's critique of television is also a critique of the audience. It lands on both levels simultaneously.

Reading copy with honest cover wear. A conceptually strong and visually memorable issue. Sold as-is.

• National Lampoon, April 1977
• "The Humor Magazine" — $1.00 cover price
• Reading copy condition — honest wear
• Vintage collectible magazine, sold as-is