THE 16 BEST MAGAZINE COVERS OF THE DECADE

The 2000s had its ups and downs. In started out pretty lousy, then it got better, and then got crummy again.  A humorless void filled much of the first half and it wasn't until the latter part of the 00's that a roaring new golden age of comedy was under way and print began seeking out funny people for their mags.  They say in the world of business, when a CEO hits the front cover of Forbes, .  Fortunately, it doesn't always hold true in the world of comedy.  Here are the best magazine covers of the decade based on the cover's creative direction and its moment in the zeitgeist.

16) Rolling Stone - Tom Green - April |

He's been keeping busy ever since, but the Tom Green era peaked with a notorious trifecta of testicular cancer, a cult hit/box office bomb, and a marriage to Drew Barrymore.

15) Newsweek - Stephen Colbert - June |

Stephen Colbert attempted to shake the nation out of its war apathy with one of his biggest stunts yet:  a Baghdad blowdry.  His broadcasts from Iraq were the stuff that shiny television awards were made for.

14) GQ - Jimmy Kimmel - November |

Kimmel gets the double cover treatment in GQ's recasting of the election as a choice between JFK and Nixon.

13) Shape - Jenna Fischer - November |

Benign Shape magazine puts out a Maxim-worthy cover when readers get a good look at Fischer on a Casual Friday.

12) Ghettoblaster - Eugene Mirman - Spring

11) GQ - Bruno- July |

10) Bust - Amy Sedaris - June/July |

9) Rolling Stone - Jackass - February |

8) Mad - Family Guy - October |

Mad incisively zings Family Guy but the series turned out to be a juggernaut.  Four years later, a broke and desperate Marge Simpson would find herself pushing her wares in the Playboy Grotto. There's only one way to go when you're on top.

7) Time Out New York - Flight of the Conchords - January |

108 fitness tips to keep your New Year's resolutions on track--just in time for Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords.

6) Esquire - Dave Chappelle - May |

5) Entertainment Weekly - Conan O'Brien - January |

Remember the WGA strike and all those gruff, bearded late night hosts? Remember the panic and the jolt of fear that ripped through us when LOST was delayed and none of our shows were on and we all presumed we'd be living off cans of beans and YouTube forever?

4) Vanity Fair - Female Comedians - April |

Vanity Fair eats its words after Vanity Fair said that women aren't funny.

3) Rolling Stone - Borat - November |

Before Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Khazakhstan , Sacha was relatively unknown in the States beyond a fanbase of rabid HBO devotees and Internet enthusiasts. Upon its release, the film resonated so wildly that following in the grand tradition of Beavis & Butthead, SouthPark, and Austin Powers, the nation became an echo chamber for amateur impressionists.

2) Entertainment Weekly - Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert - October |

1) Vanity Fair - Tina Fey - January |

A searing, memorable cover fit for one of the decade's definitive voices.