Web posted on: Wednesday, July 29, 1998 2:56:03 PM EDT

ATLANTA (CNN) -- It is easily going to top lists as the buzzword of the year, perhaps the decade. Viagra, the first drug that cures male impotence, has -- quite literally -- skyrocketed to prominence in American discourse since it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March of this year.

And any telepsychic could have predicted the wave of jokes that would flood e-mail systems and business lunches following its, er, rise to popularity. Perhaps a sign in Texas summed up the Viagra fun best when it recently referred to the heat wave plaguing the state by reading, "Who put the Viagra in the thermometer?"

But just when you thought the world was safe from Viagra-related humor, things are just getting warmed up. Now the publishing industry is getting into the act. Specifically, HarperCollins has published a new book, "Viagra Nation."

The book of original Viagra humor and sketches was created by Bruce McCall and Lee Eisenberg in a furious two-month time frame -- the carrot being the HarperCollins payday -- shortly following Viagra's release into public consciousness.

"We got the prescription and two months later we're talking to (CNN Interactive) and smoking cigarettes," joked Eisenberg during a recent interview.

"The name itself seems to have something," says McCall of the head-turning rhetorical power of the drug. "The very word has a ring to it."

Eisenberg, an editor and contributor to "Time" magazine, and McCall say the Viagra phenomenon is a sociological turn in sexual relations that deserved to be captured in a humorous context. So they started thinking up jokes and scribbling them down.

"(Viagra) is exposing how many men admit being dysfunctional," says McCall, a humor writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in "The New Yorker," "Vanity Fair," and other magazines. "To my knowledge, I had never heard any men say that. Suddenly 37 million men can't get it up."

The book opens with a quote from Viagra's most notable pitchman, Bob Dole, who was part of the Viagra testing. "It's a great drug," the former Republican presidential candidate said.

From there, the book takes on the "great drug" from every angle. One page warns of fictional Viagra rip-offs, including "Vagira," which offers the user the "prolonged satisfaction" of being able to go to the bathroom as long he wants.

There's plenty of mock warnings listed on page after page. The low-brow humor even offers possible side effects to giving your pets the drug. One can almost see the Farrelly brothers (creators of the movie "There's Something About Mary") scribbling down that scene in their notebooks.

The "Viagra Nation" humor is complemented by McCall's illustrations. Eisenberg says he appreciates McCall's depictions of the men in the book, particulary those shown on page 76, sporting the new Viagra fashion look. The illustrations show men with goofy smiles, wearing tent-like trousers.

"These guys were drawn very early on and they remain my favorite guys," Eisenberg says. "There's really a poignancy to these guys. They are oblivious to how dorky they are."

"Dorky" might not be the word Viagra users would choose to describe themselves, but McCall and Eisenberg say the humor in "Viagra Nation" is not meant to hurt anyone. It's merely capitalizing on the buzzword, the buzz-topic, of the year.

Other stories:

• Gary Larson returns with "A Worm's Tale"
• What's brewing in the Reader's Cafe?
• Border Patrol seizes Viagra tablets
• FDA receives more reports of deaths among Viagra users
• FDA approves pill to treat impotence

Related sites:
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• HarperCollins Publishers
• Food and Drug Administration

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