by Alina Prikhodko
The New York City subway now has its own unofficial magazine. According to New York Post, the only way to get your hands on one is to ride the subway until you find a copy.
Public Transport Magazine is a free publication that publishes stories and cartoons of such famous people. "The Simpsons" writer Steve Young and New Yorker cartoonist Edward Steed provide the illustrations and copy, and the magazine's creator, comedian Al Mullen, independently distributes it throughout the subway system.
The video editor and comedian wanted to reach a wider and more diverse audience than the one he usually sees at his stand-up shows. This week the fourth episode appeared on the stations. I just thought, “I wonder if I can find a way to bring my comedy to the masses in a unique way?” Mullen said.
He creates the DIY edition in his Bed-Stuy apartment, then leaves copies at stations around the city: on train cars, on platform benches, and even next to public art, such as the bronze sculptures of Tom Otterness at 14th Street Station. L. He placed issues in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens and suspects they made it to the Bronx by train.
Each issue has its own theme, and the latest one is dedicated to dirt in all its forms. It includes a message of lost opportunity from Vanity Fair writer Mike Sachs, “Excerpts from My Own Sordid Hall of Shame” from renowned cartoonist Emily Flake, and cover art from Steed, who also created the cover for Father John Misty's “Pure Comedy” album, which received a Grammy in 2017.
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“When creating Public Transport, I wanted it to have an element of madness. But at the same time, the people who participate in the project are really successful, accomplished individuals,” says Mullen.
He released the edition in May 2022 with a print run of 200 copies and was supported by fan feedback. Mullen has since increased the print run to 5 copies, costing him about $000 out of pocket. The magazine does not advertise.
According to the creator, audience reactions range from fascinated to confused. He remembers MTA workers picking up copies and looking at them with bewilderment. Their faces said, “Wow, okay, another weird thing. This is New York."
Costume designer Annie Yonge spotted the magazine sticking out of the advertising slot in January 2023, but it was taken away right in front of her nose. On her next trip on the A train to Penn Station, the girl finally found her copy. Yonge then approached Mullen about participating in the project—and now she is a volunteer distributor.
“It just became a game for me,” Jonge says. “It makes my commute more enjoyable.” While Mullen's goal of "losing less money" with the magazine remains distant, Public Transport has already fulfilled one of his dreams: "I wanted to randomly find someone and make them happy."
MAGAZINENEW YORK SUBWAY