Charlie Hebdo magazine sold out just hours after going on sale Wednesday, one week after Islamic terrorists staged a deadly attack on its offices.
Surpassing its usual print run of 60,000 copies, the satire magazine published a staggering 3 million copies with assistance from other French publications. More will be printed in the coming days for an expected total of 5 million,
USA Today reported.
"Tout est pardonne," or "All is forgiven," headlines the magazine's cover, which features a crying Prophet Muhammad, who is holding a sign that reads "Je Suis Charlie," or "I am Charlie."
Muslims generally ban any depiction of Muhammad, and many adherents condemned the cover for doing so.
The cover was drawn by cartoonist Rénald Luzier — known as Luz — who gave a tearful press conference on Tuesday announcing the issue.
"I looked at Muhammad. He was crying. And then, above, I wrote 'All is forgiven,' and I wept. And there it was. We had found our cover — not the one the world wanted us to make, but the one we wanted to make," he said in his native French,
according to The Wall Street Journal.
Laurent Léger, a Charlie Hebdo reporter who survived the attack, commented on the outpouring of support the magazine has received in recent days.
"It’s been extremely moving — and also hypocritical. All of a sudden, we are supported by the entire world. Whereas for years we were completely alone," he told French radio. "We’ve spent our time — 20 years for us, 40 years for some — combating symbols. And all of a sudden, we’re the symbol."
With the magazine sold out, sites like eBay and Craigslist lit up with re-sellers looking to scalp their copies for a profit. Some bids were running as high as 12,000 euros ($14,100). Others began copying the cover image to T-shirts and other memorabilia.
Time magazine reported that Charlie Hebdo has been unavailable in the U.S. since 2010 due to low sales that coincide with a wider decline in print publications. Many U.S. magazine distributors have promised copies to independent retailers in several major cities, however.
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