1994: RED DWARF SMEGAZINE VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 (FLEETWAY)

From January 1994: the last issue of the last volume of Fleetway's RED DWARF SMEGAZINE: Volume 2, issue 9.

At least the publisher had the good grace to actually publish a finale. An extended 64-page goodbye no less. This was, no doubt, to ensure that all material commissioned and completed for issue 10 and beyond was actually published rather than written off when the license was dropped. Gone were the days when Marvel would tart up an old Tarzan tale as an issue of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

The cancellation wss probably down to the adult (and teens) property sitting uncomfortably in Fleetway's portfolio of titles pitched at a much younger audience. Its magazine/ comic hybrid status probably didn't help. That said, it's surprising that Marvel UK (who did, after all, grab THE GLAM METAL DETECTIVES) didn't add the property to their briefly booming line of licensed magazines.

RED DWARF continued on TV of course. Although I'm not a fan so I wasn't watching.

1993: RED DWARF SMEGAZINE VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 (FLEETWAY)

From May 1993: The RED DWARF SMEGAZINE blasts back with a rebooted second volume which capitalised on the transition from comic to magazine (with comic strips) that took place across the first fourteen issues.

This boasts one of the most unfortunate (in retrospect) cover lines to grace a genre mag.

It came with a couple of free postcards... which had long-since parted company from this 20p back issue.

1993: RED DWARF SMEGAZINE ISSUE 14 (FLEETWAY)

From April 1993: the first volume of the RED DWARF SMEGAZINE (formally MAGAZINE) bows out after 14 issues. But it wasnt't the end... a reboot was on the way.

1992: RED DWARF MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (FLEETWAY)

From March 1992: the first issue of Fleetway's RED DWARF MAGAZINE.

The cureent issue of SFX boasts a loosely-inserted RD "magazine"/ puff-piece to promote the show's return (today?) to UKTV with another run of new first-run episodes. I use inverted commas becuase - lets be honest - booklet (or leaflet) would be more accuate. Buyer beware: it may have already fallen out of your copy before you even pick it up off the shelf.

Anyhow, this seemed like a good hook to dredge up the first issue of the real magazine. This - and its successor the Smegazine - was an odd (and sometimes uncomfortable) mix of humour, comic strip and behind-the-scenes reportage more akin to thst found in genre mags covering drama.

Despite the show's continued presence during this period - and a boom in VHS, book and merchandising sales - Fleetway couldn't quite get this to work. The first volume (which became the RD Smegazine from the third outing) clocked up 14 issues. A reboot added a further nine issues (including an extended goodbye to ensure all commissioned inventory saw print) for a total of 23 editions. Sales were apparently healthy but the contents and the readership didn't sit well with the publisher's new priority of targeting the younger end of the market with licensed properties.

I was never a massive fan of the show (although I saw all the early episodes thanks to my friend's VHS collction and a few more when I was at Uni) so i didn't grab any issues of this at the time. I've stumbled across a few since (this battered copy set me back 20p) and picked them up to add to the STARLOGGED vault.