If you’ve watched any Canadian television during the last fifteen years, you’ll know this country’s comedy shows are in a sorry state. Humour, a point of national pride in the days of SCTV and The Kids in the Hall, is now on life support; lately, the best we’ve had to offer are Rick Mercer’s hokey political jokes and the thankfully defunct Corner Gas. But Canadian comedy ain’t dead—it just moved online. As Halifax sketch group Picnicface proves, it’s also funnier than anything you’ll find on mainstream television, eschewing Air Farce-style jokes about the Queen in favour of deadpan riffs that resonate with the wired generation. In “Going Viral," Kaitlin Fontana tracks Picnicface en route to stardom, from the comedy clubs where it got its start to the silver screen. And for this cover, photographer Aaron McKenzie Fraser captures Picnicface’s eight members as they don scrubs, snap on gloves and perform mouth-to-mouth on Canada’s terminally ill comedy scene. The doctor is (finally) in.

Also in this issue:

Madeline Coleman on why men can't write about women.

Andrew Braithwaite investigates the CFL's crackdown on fun.

Drew Nelles tells you to stop talking about your band.

Sheila Heti on making an artistic choice and sticking to it.

Pasha Malla discovers the upside of buying love.

Andreas Rutkauskas uses Google Earth to photograph the Rockies.

Abou Farman on why we travel in circles.

Julie Salverson discovers Canada's connection to the Manhattan Project.

Rahat Kurd on wearing "the hijab."

And introducing a new column, Letter From Montreal, penned this issue by Melissa Bull.

All this, plus new fiction by Anna Leventhal and Nicolas Langlier, poetry by Anita Lahey, a comic column by Michael DeForge, spot illustrations by the New Yorker's Farley Katz, the Book Room and the Music Room.

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