Barry Blitt | The New Yorker

The New Yorker, long been known for its comedic covers that flirt with controversy, is taking on the firing of FBI Director James Comey and in the process comparing it to the outrage-inspiring story of the man who was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight.

The cover for the May 22 issue of the magazine shows a complacent Comey being dragged down the aisle of a plane by Attorney General Jeff Sessions who is wearing a police uniform. Looking over his shoulder is the plane's captain, President Trump.

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"It's probably a bit of a leap," said artist Barry Blitt about his drawing for the cover, which is titled Ejected. "James Comey is six feet eight — he probably would have been happy to give up his seat in a cramped cabin."

@NewYorker An early look at next week's cover, "Ejected," by Barry Blitt: http://nyer.cm/JuDVUaw

The cover instantly evokes the April 9 incident in which David Dao, a Louisville, Ky., doctor, refused to give up his seat on United flight after being involuntarily bumped. Police yanked Dao from his seat and dragged him off the plane, giving him a concussion and two lost teeth in the process.

Both the United incident and the Comey firing sparked waves of public outrage. It remains to be seen if the outcry over Comey will prove as ephemeral as that which followed Dao's rough removal.