'Vogue' King Kong Cover Thuds on Newsstand

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Mixed Media

by Jeff Bercovici

Main

'NYT' Writer Opens a Can of Truth on... Late Breaks: 'WaPo,' 'WSJ,' 'Sportin...

Jul 7 2008 10:58AM EDT

lebron%20and%20gorilla.jpg

Courting controversy is usually a pretty reliable way of selling magazines, but it didn't work for Vogue's April issue. That was the one, you'll recall, that featured African-American NBA star LeBron James captured by photographer Annie Leibovitz in a pose meant to evoke King Kong. (Okay, "apparently meant to evoke King Kong," but come on.)

The issue sold 350,000 copies on the newsstand, according to ABC Rapid Report, well below last year's first-half average of 452,207. It's Vogue's worst-selling April issue since 2001; the month is usually an above-average one for sales thanks to the annual "Shape Issue."

But it's not quite the worst seller of the year so far. That honor belongs to the May issue, with Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover, which sold 310,000 newsstand copies.

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