Sunday, January 4, 2009

Starlog and Fangoria: Still Growing in One Area



Horror seems to be the lively side of the science-fiction/horror duo that is Starlog Group. What I mean by that is that while Starlog gives ground unnecessarily (see my long post describing Starlog's challenges and suggesting remedies), Fangoria is growing and innovating.
First, there's the announcement that the company is relaunching its late-80s, early-90s horror movie magazine Gorezone. Gorezone concentrated (and reportedly will concentrate) on harder-core horror than Fangoria.
Second, the company announced the release of digital versions of the entire run of the newspaper-format horror publication The Monster Times, which was published by a different company from 1972 to 1976. Apparently a complete rights purchase has been made, because the announcement also promises new Monster Times content (whether in print, online, or both is not specified), focused in a more "family friendly" direction.
These two moves (in addition to the beginnings of the digitization of the Fangoria magazine archives, an ongoing weekly radio program, a lively web site, original videos, and comics) demonstrate that the company believes money is to be made from this magazine franchise.
All the power to them.
I just reiterate my belief that there's a lot of money and opportunity to be mined on the science-fiction side of the company. Magazines are only as dead or as weak as they make themselves.

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