1993: GHOST RIDER AND THE MIDNIGHT SONS MAGAZINE: A MARVEL AGE SPECIAL (MARVEL COMICS)

From December 1993: More Halloween scarefare... GHOST RIDER AND THE MIDNIGHT SONS MAGAZINE, a behind-the-scenes/ promotional one-shot mag spun off from the pages of MARVEL AGE.

It's a reminder of a time when Marvel's horror and supernatural books were briefly in the ascendance in the early 1990s boom times. The Bullpen, on a mission to flood the market, quickly built a family of horror books to max out reader interest in the genre sparked by the initial success of the Ghost Rider revival. Once interest waned, the line was once again slimmed down to the core books.

1986: FOREST J. ACKERMAN'S MONSTER LAND ISSUE 8

From March 1986: The 8th issue of FOREST J. ACKERMAN'S MONSTER LAND, published by NMP.

Launched in February 1985, the successor to FAMOUS MONSTERS ran for 17 regular issues (the last appearing in late 1997) followed by two annuals (a 'Fearbook' in 1988 and a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET special) and an ALIENS special.

I found this random issue in a dealer's table and grabbed it as a random example of a magazine that seems to have been all but forgotten. Copies may be plentiful in the States but this Fango wannabe seems rare in the UK.

Happy Halloween!

1994: THE UK STAR WARS FAN CLUB MAGAZINE ISSUE 10

From the summer of 1994: the tenth issue of the newsletter/ magazine published by
THE (unofficial) UK STAR WARS FAN CLUB.

 Q

2000: SCIENCE FICTION WORLD PAPERBACK 3: HORROR BOX OFFICE HITS

From 2000: Free with issue 3 of SCIENCE FICTION WORLD magazine: HORR0R BOX OFFICE HITS paperback.

1992: LOST IN SPACE ISSUE 4 (INNOVATION COMICS)

From February 1992: the Robinson's get menaced again in the 4th issue of Innovation's LOST IN SPACE comic.

Anyone familiar with the 1960s CBS series (this title was published before any of the periodic screen revivals) will know that this sort of thing just didn't gappen on the altogether more wholesome show. Blame the Nineties.

THE FIVE TIMES ISSUE 6 (THE UK BABYLON FIVE FAN CLUB)

From Summer 1995: the sixth issue of THE 5 TIMES, the newsletter of the unofficial BABYLON FIVE FAN CLUB.

From memory, I think the "missing" fifth issue was a 'bonus' issue which included a few pages of original content and a newly drawn (and rather nice) cover and binding for the first season episode guide published across the first four newsletters. 

The impressive-for-a-fanzine number of original interviews in the newsletter can partly be attributed to the club's semi-official status and the frequency of appearances by assorted cast members in the UK. In retrospect, has there ever been another US genre show with a cast and crew quite so accessible to British fans and fandom? 

1995: DOCTOR WHO POSTER MAGAZINE ISSUE 7 (MARVEL UK)

From December 1995: the penultimate issue of MARVEL UK's DOCTOR WHO POSTER MAGAZINE.

This issue abandoned the original monster-of-the-month format in favour of a new formula that shone the spotlight on one particular story. The Pryramids of Mars followed in the 8th and final issue... but that one is missing from the collection I purchased a while ago.

The change was probably prompted by soft sales in the context of internal changes within the British Bullpen prompted by the financial crisis at the parent company and restructuring within the expanded European operation.

Maybe Marvel might have had more joy if they had devoted issues to members of the supporting cast (in particular the more attractive ones) rather than the diminishing number of memorable rubber monsters.

It's unlikely that the sales figures for the reboot would have come in before the title was canned.

1992: LAUGH: THE COMEDY MAGAZINE ISSUE 1

From 1992... and Australia... the first issue of LAUGH: THE COMEDY MAGAZINE.

I found this random copy in a store. I don't know much else about it and a quick spot of Googling reveals nothing more. But I've posted it here for posterity.

1995: G-FAN SPECIAL COLLECTION ISSUE 1

From December 1995: the first issue of G-FAN SPECIAL COLLECTION ISSUE 1,

The main magazine, dedicated to Godzilla and giant stomping monsters, launched in 1993 and is still going strong.

1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE ISSUE 228 celebrates twenty years in business.

From July 1996: STARLOG MAGAZINE celebrates twenty years in print.

Ironically, it obviously wasn't a vintage year for summer blockbusters.