HELP! No. 26 – September 1965 – Harvey Kurtzman – Terry Gilliam – Gilbert Shelton Wonder Wart-Hog

HELP! No. 26 – September 1965 – Harvey Kurtzman – Terry Gilliam – Gilbert Shelton Wonder Wart-Hog – Final Issue

Original HELP! No. 26, dated September 1965, edited by legendary MAD co-creator Harvey Kurtzman. This was the 26th and final issue of HELP!, bringing the influential humor and satire magazine's 1960–1965 run to an end. The issue was originally priced at 35¢. Grand Comics Database

The wonderfully strange full-color photographic cover uses a sequence of images built around the repeated cry “HELP!”, perfectly capturing the magazine's offbeat mid-1960s humor.

The masthead credits Harvey Kurtzman as editor, James Warren as publisher, Terry Gilliam as associate editor, Nicky Quest as assistant editor and Harry Chester in production.

This final issue has some especially collectible contributors and features, including an early Wonder Wart-Hog story by underground-comix pioneer Gilbert Shelton, a fumetti/photo-comic featuring Steve Allen, The Beauty Contest by Arnold Roth, Thigh of the Beholder by Dave Crossley, The Marionette Murder Case by Chuck Alverson and Super Everything by Sam Cornell. 

HELP! occupies an interesting spot between Kurtzman's earlier MAD work and the emerging underground-comix movement, and the magazine gave early exposure to a number of artists and performers who later became much better known. Having Terry Gilliam on the editorial staff and Gilbert Shelton inside makes this final issue particularly interesting to collectors of alternative comics and 1960s satire. 

Condition: Nice vintage condition for its age with expected handling and surface wear from an original 1965 publication. There is age toning, light staining/soiling, edge and corner wear, and some small creases and tears. The unusual yellow photographic cover remains colorful and presents very well. Please review the photos for condition and details.