Three things: first, we're very happy to release this special issue on empire and American humor. When Judith Lee first mentioned the Quarry Farm symposium that she was organizing on the topic and asked about the prospect of a special issue, we didn't have to think twice about taking her up on the opportunity. After a little discussion, we decided collectively that she should write an essay that would lay out the topic in a way that established the historical and critical premise while still

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... viding plenty of latitude for humor scholars inclined to follow the lead in directions that may not have been anticipated. The breadth and depth of her "American Humor and Matters of Empire: A Proposal and Invitation" successfully launched this multiform project. 1 The symposium in October 2020 was a day-long event, rich with diverse and deeply insightful presentations that spurred probing conversations, all of which proved the merits of Judith's vision. Her introduction here and the four articles on the topic bring that vision to fruition. Nonetheless, we hope that these efforts are not the end of the matter. We encourage our readers to continue to ponder how the complexity of American identity and its role in transnational contexts continue to provoke varieties of laughter. Second, the success of this special issue (and I don't think I'm jumping the gun in declaring it a success) bodes well for our next one, tentatively titled "Black Laughs Matter." In adopting and revising the name of the most