Celebrating 75
August 1973 I’m on record saying I want this pipe-smoking fellow out of the archives and onto contemporary covers, like SDM ’s very-own Eustace Tilley, looking different each time. The pipe could be a vape or a taco, the tennis racquet a vinyl record or a skateboard. The potential is endless. And how bad do we all want this Mona Lisa–smiling sun illustration festooned on a t-shirt? –MH
July 1961 What a strange and mysterious scene we have here. I'm a sucker for full-bleed art on a cover and a huge fan of Phillip Kirkland's work. Many of Kirkland's illustrations for SDM were elegantly artful but edgy in their own way. There's something oddly sinister about these beings—the lack of pupils, the fish teeth, the restless paint strokes. I'm falling for their siren song nonetheless. –SL
June 2004 Before social media, magazines basically sold themselves, so covers were just icing on an already desirable cake. Laziness reigned. But this one is a head-scratcher even when considering the era. I want to go back in time to the edit meeting where the ’04 team was hyped up throwing out ideas like, “I’ve got it! A guitar. ON A BEACH. ” It does visually scream San Diego, though. I’ll give them that. –MH
May 1996 Which is the bigger offender: Creepy, toothy, stalker-vibes Joseph Wambaugh imminently poised to flash you his latest hardcover from beneath his trench? Or the fact that this cover uses no less than six type colors in one paragraph? –SL
96 AUGUST 2023
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