National Lampoon Magazine #7/1985

"Joe's First Job Interview" is a quietly unsettling short story from the 1985 issue of National Lampoon Magazine, written and illustrated by John Jonik, whose distinctive art brings a surreal edge to a seemingly simple bedtime scene. A young boy, clutching his teddy bear, finds something unexpected inside—only to be drawn into a moment of quiet, strange intimacy that lingers long after the lights go out. The cover by John Jonik adds a layer of dry, deadpan humor to the whole unsettling vignette.