Confidential (magazine) Quigley Publishing that he previously worked for, the emphasis was Hollywood, but with a twist—"exposés of star secrets" became "Confidential"s prime focus. The first "Confidential" issue was dated December (released November) 1952 under the caption "The Lid Is Off!" Its circulation was 250,000 copies. But when the breakup of Marilyn Monroe's marriage to Joe DiMaggio was reported in the August 1953 issue ("Why Joe DiMaggio Is Striking Out with Marilyn Monroe!"), the circulation jumped to 800,000. The quarterly magazine then became bimonthly and was the fastest growing magazine in the US at the time. Harrison would claim its circulation reached
The Playboy a "landmark look at an artist's growth", referring to the pace with which Brown's work matured over the course of the three issues of its serialization. Brown stated that several women took offense at the book, saying it glorified pornography. Hugh Hefner sent Brown a letter after "The Playboy"s publication, showing concern that someone who grew up during the sexual revolution could still suffer such confusion and anxiety. Darcy Sullivan compared the pornography-obsessed autobiographical work of Joe Matt in "Peepshow" unfavourably to "The Playboy" in an issue of "The Comics Journal", to which Brown responded with a defence of Matt's