National Lampoon Magazine Rack

    (National Lampoon, 2006)
™ and © National Lampoon

Remember when National Lampoon was a magazine, not just a movie brand? NatLamp outlived its time, caught in a downward spiral of unfunniness, but for years it was the one to beat. In addition to comics, “True Facts,” and “Foto Funnies,” one of the great recurring features was a parody of a competing magazine (occasionally, their own).

Reprinted herein are such classic parodies as Mad, Playdead (a necrophiliac Playboy), and Real Teen. There is additional material from the National Lampoon website, including Consumed Reports and Al-Jazeera TV Guide.
Not all of the material is family-friendly — most noteworthy an adult parody of Nick Fury and the aforementioned Playdead. Readers unfamiliar with National Lampoon’s brand of humor will no doubt be tipped off by the cover’s double entendre, juxtaposing the title “Magazine Rack” with a close-up of a woman’s chest. (Don’t worry — most of the interior humor is a notch above that.)

There’s more than enough material for a second volume, as well as a collection of comics including Verman and Son o’ God. Bring ’em on!

—Jack Abramowitz
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