Viz Magazine February 2011 Issue 202 Wills Kate Royal Engagement SKU 1479

Original Viz Magazine, Issue No. 202, February 2011, with a striking red illustrated front cover built around the topical student protests/student grant theme of the period.

The main cover artwork shows a heavily equipped cartoon riot police officer chasing a student-style character, accompanied by the large headline “Life’s A Riot For Student Grant.” The cover is very much in Viz’s recognisable satirical style, combining topical British news references with its established comic characters and features.

A major feature promoted across the top of the issue is a “Free 8-Page Royal Engagement Souvenir Pullout”, presented on the cover as a tongue-in-cheek “Baffled Regal” tribute to Wills & Kate, referring to Prince William and Catherine Middleton around the time of their royal engagement. The illustrated/promotional panel shows the couple in humorous altered royal imagery and advertises an 8-page tribute. As only the front cover has been supplied, the cover confirms that this extra was originally advertised with the issue, but its presence and completeness inside this particular copy cannot be verified from the photograph.

The issue number 202 and February are clearly displayed in the yellow starburst near the top of the cover.

A substantial selection of Viz characters, strips and regular features is also advertised along the bottom, including:

• Roger Mellie
• Letterbocks
• Sid the Sexist
• Top Tips
• Finbarr Saunders
• Drunken Bakers
• Profanisaurus
• Pop Shot
• Cilla Black
• Elton John

This combination of Viz’s established characters with topical references to the royal engagement and the contemporary student protest/student funding debate gives the issue a particularly recognisable period character and may appeal to collectors of Viz, British humour magazines and early-2010s satirical publications.

Magazine / Item Details

• Publication: Viz
• Issue: No. 202
• Full date: February 2011
• Type: British adult humour / comic magazine
• Cover price: £3.20
• Bright red illustrated front cover
• Main cover theme: student protests / student grant satire
• Royal engagement feature concerning Wills & Kate
• Cover advertises a free 8-page Royal Engagement Souvenir Pullout
• Featured Viz material includes Roger Mellie, Sid the Sexist, Finbarr Saunders, Drunken Bakers, Profanisaurus, Letterbocks and Top Tips
• Cilla Black and Elton John are also named among the cover features
• Barcode and “Not For Sale To Children” notice printed at the lower-left edge

Condition

Condition assessment is based on the single supplied front-cover photograph. The back cover and interior pages are not visible, so their condition and completeness cannot be fully assessed.

This copy shows noticeable handling and storage wear, particularly around the spine and outer edges.

The left spine is the most visibly worn area, with repeated rubbing and whitening running down much of its length. There are several small nicks, splits and areas of surface/paper loss along the spine edge, together with numerous short horizontal stress marks. Wear is especially apparent around the upper and middle sections of the spine.

The top-left corner is curled/bowed, and the magazine does not sit completely flat along the top edge. There is visible waviness and light bending across the upper edge, suggesting previous storage or handling.

The front cover itself shows some light surface rippling/creasing, particularly around the large VIZ masthead and toward the outer edges. The right-hand edge is slightly bowed/curling, with light handling wear visible around the mid-right and lower-right portions.

The bottom-left corner and lower spine area also show rubbing and creasing. There is lighter general wear along the bottom edge and corners.

Despite the wear, the front cover remains bright and strongly coloured overall. The principal artwork, masthead, issue number, headlines and barcode remain clearly readable. No obvious handwritten annotations or major staining can be seen in the supplied image.

SKU 1479