This bit of news has me thoroughly depressed now. Starlog magazine, a longtime running magazine devoted to the latest news in Sci-fi and fantasy is sadly ceasing publication after 33 years and 374 issues. In a recent posting to the magazine's website, the following announcement was made.
It is also at this time that we announce the temporary cessation of the current run of STARLOG as a print magazine. After 33 years, and considering the present state of the economy, we feel its time for a major revamp and will be temporarily discontinuing publication while the model and redesign of the magazine are contemplated and executed.
The last print issue available for the time being is #374, while issue #375 will be available exclusively as a digital edition on the network in the very near future.
We're looking forward to bringing you more of the best of sci-fi in the months ahead. Thank you for your continued support and your understanding in this matter.
Man, this really has me bummed out. I first discovered Starlog magazine at a Star Trek convention when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I absolutely loved the book. To the child aged Patrick, it was as close as one could come to the perfect monthly title. In the days before the internet (and even before Wizard magazine), Starlog was my #1 source for Sci-fi and fantasy information. It regularly featured news on Star Trek and Star wars, it had tons of cool color photos, and the magazine consistently introduced me to new films and franchises I'd never heard of before. It's because of Starlog that I was first introduced to films like Blade Runner and Total Recall and to Japanese animation through films like Akira and the Robotech series.
Even during the dark times for Star Wars fans during the late 80's and early 90's when it seemed like the franchise was dead and gone, Starlog kept the hope alive in me with its constant rumors of more Star Wars films and talks of new toy lines and new books.
Starlog helped me to become the geek I am today. I read every issue of the magazine that came out from between the ages of 10 and about 21 or 22. There were always a couple of copies of the magazine floating around my room somewhere as I was growing up, and they were usually read multiple times.
I guess it makes sense that the Magazine is going away though. In today's world, kids aren't reading magazines anymore. They're going online for the latest and greatest sci-fi news. Printed publications couldn't hope to keep up with something like that, especially when its core audience are people who tend to spend a lot of time online. I know I'm just an old fogey, but even though I had stopped reading the magazine as I got older, I had always figured new groups of kids were getting introduced to the book and were taking my place. Sadly, it looks like I was wrong.
Well, at the very least Starlog will still be around as a website and blog. That's better than nothing I guess, but I'm still really sad that such a major part of my childhood has gone the way of the Dodo. Kids today have no idea what they're missing. Opening up that book and pouring over its pages on a Saturday morning after cartoons was pretty much heaven as far as I was concerned when I was a kid. Now, no one does that anymore . . . . . and I am sad.
(Via SciFi Wire)
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