Beloved comedy publication The Onion has started back up with a paper-and-ink print edition for the first time in over ten years. As announced on the comedy institution’s website and in a story in The New York Times, The Onion has decided to return to their roots as a newsprint, fish-wrappable, fire-starting paper. For $5 a month, The Onion plans to mail out a new edition every month. If you can’t wait though, you can also grab a copy of the first printing next week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The Onion got its start as a physical paper in the ‘80s on college campuses and later in newspaper boxes in a few cities. Online, the publication found a ravenous fanbase for its sharp satire and jokes, later branching out into videos and more. More recently, The Onion has endured a series of abusive acquisitions by large companies and private equiteers, before being bought by a group of investors who seem, finally, to have an interest in the publication’s success.
In addition to a newspaper you can hold and fold, The Onion is also planning live events, an archive of old print editions, as well as other new projects. It’s an exciting turn of events for comedy fans like me, but this return to print is not to be missed for anyone who likes comedy, satire, or is simply a fan of the continued existence of print publications.
