Controversial Magazine Covers

Posted by admin on October 7, 2009 Leave a comment (1) Go to comments

The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time Controversial magazine covers are a big risk. They may sell more copies and even win awards, or cause embarrassment, apologies and result in the editor being fired. The Webdesigner Depot takes a look at memorable covers from the world’s most famous publications and the lessons that can be learned from them. See the full article here. Rolling Stone, January 22, 1981: John Lennon and Yoko Ono Annie Leibovitz took this shot just hours before John Lennon was shot outside of his apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City on December 8, 1980. Leibovitz originally wanted to take the shot of Lennon alone but he insisted that his wife be in the pictures. This cover was named the most popular magazine cover of the past 40 years by the American Society of Magazine Publishers. Time Magazine, April 8, 1966: Is God Dead? This cover has been called the most controversial of all time. The related article concerned the death of god movement that had sprung up in the 1960s. The cover and article enraged readers. National Lampoon, January 1973: If You Dont Buy This Magazine While this cover didnt do much more than make people laugh when it came out despite its violent overtones, Ronald G. Harris famous cover shot definitely raised a few eyebrows in pre-Photoshop days. Esquire, April 1968: The Passion of Ali This smart rendition of Muhammad Ali was created to illustrate his martyrdom to his cause after he refused to join the US military due to his religious beliefs and was subsequently stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. The piece was done after the same manner as The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, a popular theme through medieval art but most recognizable in the painting by Andrea Mantegna. Texas Monthly, January 2007: Dick Cheney Cover Issue Building on the famous 1973 Lampoon cover, Texas Monthly took a jab at the Vice-Presidents hunting accident where he shot a colleague in the face. This cover won the 2007 Best Cover Line of the Year Award from the Magazine Publishers of America. The New Yorker, March 29, 1976: Steinberg Map of New York This portrayal of a New Yorkers idea of what the rest of the United States looks like was drawn by Saul Steinberg. The artist sued Columbia Pictures over their movie poster for Moscow on the Hudson, which does seem to be derived from Steinbergs cover down to the placement of the title. Steinberg won the case. Time Magazine, January 2, 1939: Hitler as Man of the Year This cover featured an elaborate illustration of Hitler playing his hymn of hate in a desecrated cathedral while victims dangle on a St. Catherines wheel while the Nazi hierarchy looks on. Baron Rudolph Charles von Ripper was a Catholic that fled Hitlers Germany, and the artist of this disturbing piece. By 1938, Hitler had firmly seized power in Germany, taken over Austria and Czechoslovakia, and had been given a free hand in Eastern Europe by the English prime minister of the time, Neville Chamberlain. Time has had to defend this choice throughout history, and at the time defended it by stating that the Man of the Year was a title bestowed on the person who had most influenced events of the previous year.