200. Gay Charles Atlas Ad Parody

March 4, 2010

Q: Do you know what issue or where I can find the spoof ad of “the insult that made a man out of Mac?” The parody comic starts the same as the original until Mac returns to the beach. Rather than punching the bully, he kicks him in the junk. Mac seems to feel sorry for the bully and they start to bond. With the girl friend looking on in disgust, they begin to develop a gay attraction. The closing scene is Mac and the bully embracing on the beach in the sunset. I’m almost sure this was a Lampoon parody.

A: They did do a few parodies of those ads, but I’m not remembering this one. If you, dear reader, know the answer, please post it in a comment.

Comments

You might be thinking of the fake ad in 'First Homosexual Experience Comics' (Gay Ish, May '77) in which Ted (=Mac) is dumped by his girl for wearing his watch backwards. His muscular pal Butch advises him to send for Anita Bryant's 10-day homosexuality cure. Ted does so and, a real man at last, beats up an effeminate passerby, cheered on by Butch and the girl. That isn't exactly the plot you outlined. EC's Panic comic ran a Charles Atlas parody in Dec 1955 (reprinted June 98). This one ends with Herman (=Mac) punching out the girl. Then he and the bully admire each others' physique which suggests strong male bonding, if not an overt gay attraction. Could you be remembering a blend of these two ads?

—Charlene Atlas

March 11, 2010 4:10 am

The parody comic starts the same as the original until Mac returns to the beach. Rather than punching the bully, he kicks him in the junk. Mac seems to feel sorry for the bully and they start to bond. With the girl friend looking on in disgust, they begin to develop a gay attraction. The closing scene is Mac and the bully embracing on the beach in the sunset Actually I remember a Parody EXACTLY like this and will research this further Give me a couple weeks

—Duane Reland Richardson

January 7, 2011 1:46 am

Found the parody after all these years. It wasn't in National Lampoon (believe me, I've looked), but in Playboy, November 1977. It was by Lou Brooks and might have been reproduced elsewhere. Here's a link: https://ukjarry.blogspot.com/2012/07/447-charles-atlas.html

—K-Man

November 7, 2019 3:30 am

So there was one in the late '80s where it was the classic guy and girl on the beach, sand kicked in the face, and the cure is a strongman program called Secretin Gland Jupiter. This is after homophobic insults are leveled on the weaker guy, but he of course gets back thanks to the he-man solution.

—John Manning

February 3, 2023 10:21 am

200. Gay Charles Atlas Ad Parody

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