From January 1995 (and therefore published sometime late the previous year) the fifth and final issue of STARLOG PLATINUM EDITION.
This launched in 1993 as a premium spin-off from the monthly mag. The title was initially justified by a comic book stylee (it was all the rage) cover enhancement which presented the logo is fancy foil-type shiny stuff. The feature was dropped after the third outing and the final two just looked like bog-standard issues of the regular incarnation. Presumably a sign that sales were sagging.
The launch issue had a fascinating round table discussion by TV SF writers about the pros and cons (there were plenty of those) of writing for the small screen. It also teased, on the cover, a of-course-it-would-never-happen confrontation between Kahn and the Next Gen crew.
By this unannounced finale, it just felt like an overspill title for interviews that couldn't be accommodated in the regular magazine. It was no surprise when it didn't resurface again.
The standout page of this issue? The unintentionally camp George Takai pic, recreating his most famous moment from the original Trek, under the gossip-baiting headline "Sulu's Secrets".
this mag did actually continue but under the new title of
ReplyDeleteSTARLOG SCIENCE FICTION EXPLORER.
The numbering continued up to the 11th and final issue. A gallery of covers can be seen here :
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xstarlog+science+fiction+explorer.TRS0&_nkw=starlog+science+fiction+explorer&_sacat=0
Thanks Ed. That's interesting to know. EXPLORER wasn't as 'posh' as the PLATINUM editions. I guess Starlog was struggling to shift a premium product when the direct sales market imploded.
DeleteLooking back, its amazing just how many spin-off mags that the STARLOG group published. The one area in which they trumped their rivals were the interviews with character actors, material that you would never find in other publications.
ReplyDelete