There's nothing like a good controversial cover to get interest sparked in a magazine. Hachette Filipacchi's Shock seemed to be following this mantra when their little buzzed about first issue earned some attention via lawsuit.

You all know that photog Michael Yon claimed that Shock stole his photo for their cover, and the mag responded by blaming the shady photo agency who sold it to them. And in the midst of Yon's psychotic determination to tear down the magazine (a.k.a. creating press) the level-headed lawyers reached an agreement.

But the two parties reached a settlement late this evening. In a statement, Hachette said, "Yon is satisfied that there has been a misunderstanding and that Hachette acted in good faith in procuring rights from Polaris to use [his] photograph in Shock magazine. They acknowledge that we have worked responsibly to find a solution, and, after discussions, we have agreed to pay Yon a licensing fee for the photograph that is on the cover of Shock and to make a contribution to Fisher House, a charitable organization dedicated to providing low-cost lodging to veterans and military families."

And in turn, Shock is officially naming June 4th Michael Yon Day and celebrating the fact that without him, nobody would have ever talked about this magazine.

'Shock' Reaches Settlement With Photographer [Ken Wheaton and Nat Ives]
Earlier: Shock's Schlocky Debut