The British satirical magazine Private Eye is 50 years old this year. To celebrate, The Guardian recently picked its best ten covers.
A quick note for humor obsessives: The photo-with-speech-balloon technique is called “fumetti,” and was originally used in Italian photo comics—photos being cheaper and easier than illustrations. It was first used in humor magazines by MAD creator Harvey Kurtzman, in his short-lived early 60s magazine Help! For Tired Minds. From there it was swiped by Private Eye. Which in turn was regularly ripped off by National Lampoon (“Mrs. Agnew’s Diary”).
There is no honor among thieves…or humor magazines.
