Two different subscription ads, one for Heavy Metal and one for National Lampoon.

The Heavy Metal ad underlines the fact that the cover price is going up (this issue cost $1.50), but a canny subscriber can lock in the current price for three years. What nobody knew at the time is that Heavy Metal would switch from a monthly format to a quarterly format in 1986, so the three year subscription plan is completely worthless.

Like most of the National Lampoon subscription ads, this one is built around a joke. Here, it’s the facetious comparison between a magazine sub and a Trident missile sub. Ha ha.

(Heavy Metal issue #84, March 1984 – Inside Front Cover Heavy Metal subscription ad and Page 3 National Lampoon subscription ad)

#house ad #ad