National Lampoon Magazine — October 1979 (Comedy Issue)

The October 1979 "Comedy Issue" of National Lampoon features one of the magazine's most self-aware and perfectly executed covers: a terrified little girl in a school uniform backing away from a leering, red-wigged clown holding a red balloon — "COMEDY" spelled out in block letters across the top like a warning label.

The cover callout makes it: NOT IN THIS ISSUE: John Belushi, Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin. In October 1979, that was the entire Mount Rushmore of American comedy. The Lampoon is bragging about their absence — implying it doesn't need them, or that real comedy is something else entirely. It's a perfect piece of meta-humor from a magazine that had been defining the form for nearly a decade.

Original subscriber copy with honest wear. A genuinely funny and culturally sharp issue. Sold as-is.

• National Lampoon, October 1979
• "The Humor Magazine for Adults" — $1.50 cover price
• Original subscriber copy with mailing label
• Vintage collectible magazine, sold as-is