1997: STAR WARS HEROES POSTER MAGAZINE from TITAN MAGAZINES

From 1997: As part of the STAR WARS 20th anniversary celebrations (read: marketing opportunity) the UK's Titan Magazines published two POSTER MAGAZINES: HEROES (see below) and VILLAINS (future post teaser).

I skipped these at the time (I've never been much of a Poster magazine fan) but spotted both recently whilst out-of-town and decided to grab them for STARLOGGED.

1999: XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (TITAN MAGAZINES)

From November 1999: the first issue of Titan Magazine's XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS MAGAZINE, based (of course) on the fun syndicated action show.

I'm not sure how long this ran for... some online sources suggest 25 issues, which isn't a bad run for a licensed magazine... especially one from Titan.

Xena fans looking for another perspective on the show should seek out the documentary THE XENAPHILES which turned up on Channel Four back in the day. It looks at Xena's fandom... particularly within the gay community. The burly bloke cosplaying (before the word even existed) is a sight to behold,

1999: STAR WARS COMIC ISSUE 1 (TITAN MAGAZINES)

From July 1999: the first issue of Titan's STAR WARS COMIC, a reprint vehicle (beginning inevitably with the adaptation of THE PHANTOM MENACE) for the myriad of US Dark Horse strips.

The first issue stayed on sale for a fortnight which allowed Titan to cover flash the second issue as "the first weekly issue"... unobservent collectors take note as I've seen at least one dealer trying to sell it as issue one!

This was a bit of a landmark as it was the first time that a regular WARS comic had appeared in the UK since the ill-fated Dark Horse International monthly at the beginning of the decade. Titan had, however, already been publishing the magazine (which initially featured some comics reprints) for several years.

I didn't follow the fortunes of the comic after this because the film was such a crushing disapointment (I was however surprised to find that I had some copies in storage which I must have acquired at some point) but I am aware there's been numerous reboots and relaunches over the next seventeen-odd years, usually coinciding with the next development in the screen life of the franchise.

1994: STAR TREK MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 UNUSED COVER (TITAN MAGAZINES)

From December 1994: an advert for the monthly Diamond-published phone book thickness (especially at the height of the 1990s boom when it was at its thickest AND included assorted bound-in trading cards and other promotional items to catch the eye of retailers and punters) PREVIEWS.

It's of note because it includes a dummy cover for the launch issue of Titan's upcoming STAR TREK mag. The publisher was presumably using this mock-up to drum up interest pre-launch. The published version used a publicity still of Patrick Stewart as Picard as it's main cover image.

2002: THE X-FILES UK MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (Titan Magazines)

From April 2002: the first issue of Titan's THE X-FILES MAGAZINE.

This replaced their long-running comic/ magazine hybrid which was originally launched by Manga and subsequently acquired by Titan when the video distributor bailed out of publishing.

The show's older demographic, not to mention a lack of new Topps strips coming from the States, dictated that the format be changed.

Of course, by the time of the relaunch, the show was way past its cultural highpoint and had jettisoned audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Titan have just issued a new book that appears to pull together material first published in the magazine. The layouts are good and consistent (have they been reworked?) but the screengrabs look murky and blurred as if they were swiped (as they probably were) from an NTSC VHS. I picked up a copy from Forbidden Planet just before the Christmas break.

1995: STAR TREK GENERATIONS OFFICIAL MOVIE MAGAZINE (Titan)

From 1995: the British edition of the official STAR TREK GENERATIONS movie magazine.

By mid-decade, the TREK license had moved again... This time beaming down on its new perminant home: Titan Magazines.

I saw the movie again this year for the first time since its original cinema release. I was still underwhelmed. It doesn't do the remnants of the original cast any favours and they certainly feel like they are playing second fiddle to the upscaled TV Trekkers. That said, it's far from a total disaster (in fairness, even the lowest rung Trek features are watchable) and worth a second look. 

This one-shot appeared just before Titan launched the regular Trek magazine (it gets a two-page plug at the back) which, although initially a British title (with some overseas sales) managed to outlast all the other sundry magazines (including the Starlog licensed mags and the fan club derived COMMUNICATOR) to become last title standing in a once confusingly crowded market. 

1998: BABYLON FIVE MAGAZINE VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

From July 1998: Another first issue for Titan's BABYLON FIVE MAGAZINE.

Now distributed globally, the relaunch (all but identical to the previous nine issues) reflected the cast changes to the fifth season (now bankrolled by TNT in the States) by spotlighting B-movie star (and occasional Scream Queen) Tracy Scoggins, an actress that split her time fairly evenly between straight-to-tape movies and TV shows. Her finest hour (DANTE'S COVE not withstanding) was surely the Aerobics Snuff Movie episode of TJ HOOKER. 

Volume 2 ran for 24 issues (the last boasting an extended page count to mop up the last of the outstanding business) and charted the end of the TV show, the TNT-backed TV movies (which ran from Quite Good to Quite Bad) and the CRUSADE space wreck that saw the production team fall out with the cable station so badly that the show was retooled and then cancelled before a single episode ever aired. 

With no new screen product of note on the horizon (several B5 relaunches stalled after pilots were shot) and sales flagging, Titan declined to renew the license. 

1997: BABYLON FIVE MAGAZINE VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

From August 1997: the first issue of the first volume of the ongoing BABYLON FIVE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE, published by Titan.

Although this was the first of the ongoing run of UK originated magazines, there had already been an American one-shot which Tiutan picked up for the UK and published with a new (and not very creative) cover. I've posted the one-shot in the past.

Titan must have been impressed with the sales figures as they then launched this: a British magazine with all-new content, initially edited (as was many a media tie-in) by John Freeman. 

The show itself had just wrapped its penultimate season in '97 and although perennially marginal in terms of future survival (partly because of structural changes in the broadcast industry, reducing demand and timeslots for first-run drama not offered by the networks or the next generation of quasi-networks), it did look like its fortunes were on the upswing thanks to a deal with Warner-owned cable outfit TNT to air the fifth season, spin-offs movies and a second TV series (the doomed-before-it-aired CRUSADE). So Titan must have felt confident that there was some longevity in the format. 

Freeman looked back to his past on DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE and STAR TREK for his formula: the bulk of each issue was new editorial, supplemented by a comic strip licensed from DC in the States. The US issues had only limited distribution in the UK several years earlier so these were a good fit for the bulk of the readership. 

The reprints were possible because Titan only officially had the license to publish the magazine in the UK with little or no international distribution. The deal went global the following year and rather than retain the existing numbering, Volume 1 was cancelled... And immediately replaced by the all-but-identical (save for the comic strips) Volume 2. The first volume ran for nine issues. 

1995: STAR TREK MAGAZINE Launch Ad (Titan Magazines)

From 1995: the launch advert for Titan's long-running (although now less frequently published) STAR TREK MAGAZINE.

Titan used the release of STAR TREK GENERATIONS (the crossover movie that killed Kirk as it handed the movie franchise to the Next Gen crew) as the hook to launch the magazine (this two-page spread appeared on the final spread at the back of the one-shot movie tie-in) at a time when the franchise was looking in rude health (although DS9 and its successors never captured the mainstream imagination, or ratings, to the same degree).

The magazine started out as a British (and certain overseas territories) venture and slotted in alongside several other licensed (and several more unlicensed but Trek-centric) players, mostly in the States.

Over time, Titan's version has become last crewman standing and is now distinguished, as far as I can tell, by being the only English language ST mag still running.

Comparing current issues (and long-running office companion STAR WARS INSIDER) highlights how much more material was crammed into each issue at their peaks. The issues currently on sale in WH Smith (that's something to be celebrated: they are still deemed worthy of shelf space by a retailer that's visibly slashed its commitment to print in favour of fancy stationary and greetings cards... Sales amongst their high street branches have, yet again, dropped a few more percentage points according to figures out this week) are, while still worth grabbing, are considerably less packed to the rafters.

Of course, the Trek mag had the benefit of at least four new episodes (excluding rerun weeks and the summer hiatus) a month to write about, cast and crew on tap on the studio lot and a fully geared up studio publicity machine. Now they just have a movie every few years and a Hollywood marketing strategy which micromanages every utterance, whisper and still. And things must be even tougher across the corridor with the INSIDER just another cog in Disney's coordinated marketing blitzkrieg.

1994: STAR WARS GALAXY Issue 1 (Topps)

From the last quarter of 1994: the launch issue of TOPPS' STAR WARS GALAXY magazine.

The mid-nineties saw a profusion of officially licensed STAR WARS magazines as different publishers, in different territories, tried to grab a slice of the resurgent interest in the franchise (and, no doubt, hoped to be at the front of the line when liceses related to the impending new movies were dished out). 

The existing LUCASFILM FAN CLUB (companion company to the Official Trek outfit) had been publishing a flimsy wraparound for their mail order business since 1986 (which, in turn, had replaced the equally flimsy but less glossy Bantha Tracks published by the Star Wars Fan Club).  They started to offer better value for money, and chase shop sales, by rebooting as the STAR WARS INSIDER, from issue 23, in 1994.

The selection widened again in 1996, at least if you lived in the UK, when Titan Magazines added a SW title to their existing Trek offering.  The UK edition shared a lot of material with the US title and Titan eventually took over publication in 2007.  It's still going today.

Sitting in the midst of this, Card makers Topps took advantage of their existing (dating back to 1977) relationship with Lucasfilm to launch this magazine, borrowing the title from the card sets they'd published since 1993.

Topps, witnessing comicdom's expansion into the card business (at one point Marvel owned Fleer, Skybox and Panini), pushed back with an ambitious move into publishing.  But, they couldn't nab (although I'm sure they hoped to) the SW license from Dark Horse so they settled for the next best thing: a comicbook-sized magazine devoted to the saga and spin-off merchandise.  Following the tried-and-tested DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE formula, they commissioned new SW strips from Dark Horse anyway.  Although I'm sure Topps hoped for the day that the license would come up for renewal and they'd have a chance to use their history, commitment to the brand and experience with other Hollywood franchises (notably THE X-FILES) to wrestle the rights away.  

Published quarterly, it ran for thirteen issues between late 1994 and late 1997.  Then, possibly to define its niche amongst the other licensed magazines, it relaunched as STAR WARS GALAXY COLLECTOR MAGAZINE with a larger format and, as the name suggests, a new emphasis on SW merchandise and collectibles.  They certainly had A LOT to write about during this period.  Eight issues appeared between February 1998 and December 1999.  

Each issue of original SWG maximized the synergy wrought by the Topps connection and came polybagged with trading cards.  Another highlight was the original illustrated covers, another benefit of the card art connection.  

The magazine is not to be confused with Titan's 2010 launch of the same name which reprinted US Dark Horse strips for the British market.  Despite a handsome format (the 'Collector's Edition format pioneered by Marvel UK/ Panini and subsequently adopted by Titan for their DC reprints), it closed after 24 issues. 

1996: STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE POSTER MAGAZINE Issue 0 (Titan)

From August 1996: A preview issue, presented free with the regular Titan STAR TREK MAGAZINE (the eighteenth issue) to tease the impending launch of the standalone STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - THE OFFICIAL POSTER MAGAZINE.  

Visual Imagination had been publishing a NEXT GEN Poster Mag (a rare dalliance into actually acquiring the license to something) since 1991 so it seems that, by mid-decade, their rivals had started to notice and launch their own "me too" incarnations.  Titan had this and Marvel had their DOCTOR WHO and BLAKE'S SEVEN versions.  

Titan had dabbled with a spin-off STAR TREK GENERATIONS poster magazine in 1995.  It ran for four issues.  

The format was the usual features on one side/ giant poster on the reverse formula.  

Only fourteen regular issues appeared before Titan called time.  Presumably sales didn't amount to much or the costs or terms of the license, going into the second year, changed or were too great.  

It was edited by the ubiquitous John Freeman.   

1996: STAR WARS MAGAZINE Issue 1 (Titan Magazines)

From April 1996: the first issue of Titan's (slightly too wide for my scanner) STAR WARS The Official Magazine Issue 1, edited by John (done a lot) Freeman.  

Titan continues to publish this one (as STAR WARS INSIDER, a masthead previously used by the Lucasfilm Fan Club in the days of multiple mags, all officially licensed, from different publishers), although (like its STAR TREK companion) it looks to have endured a few budget cuts over the years as the word count seems to have dipped in favor of more photos and illustrations.  

One long-gone feature of the earliest issues (and, I have no doubt, borrowed from the DWM 'successful magazine file') was a comic strip component.  This issue kicked things off with a serialized reprint of Dark Horse's solo Boba Fett adventure Bounty on Bar-Kooda (from Wagner and Kennedy). 

The magazine has continued to cover new developments in the SW universe over the years but it remains to be seen whether the arrival of the new films (and, no doubt, tweaks to the deals with existing licensees) will have any impact on the magazine other than, of course, comprehensive coverage.  

Titan branched out with a SW comic, launched to coincide with (puttup!) THE PHANTOM MENACE, reprinting assorted strips from the States.  I *think*, over time, that shifted tack to tie-in with the various animated series.  

They also had a punt at STAR WARS GALAXY, a Panini Collectors' Edition-alike companion to their DC reprints.  It didn't fare well and is now defunct. 

2001: PLANEL OF THE APES Issue 1 (Titan Magazines)

From 2001: The first issue of Titan Magazine's brief PLANET OF THE APES comic, based on the Tum Burton movie.

The series, edited by John Freeman, marked the first time that the POTA saga had enjoyed a regular slot in British comics since the strip was dropped from the pages of THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL in June 1977.  

This series ran for only a few issues before being dropped.  The film, although successful, failed to really spark the imagination and didn't encourage fans to rush out and grab the merchandise.  

The bulk of each issue reprinted strips from the US Dark Horse comics.

The terms of the license meant that neither the strips nor the accompanying text features could feature the original five films/ TV show/ animation/ comics saga.  

Across the Atlantic, the movie tie-in comics proved equally short-lived although the Apes saga has subsequently returned, from different publishers, several times.  None of those strips have been reprinted in the UK.

The recent (excellent) revival of the film franchise has seen Titan return to the saga, albeit not with comics.  They've published the hardback book EVOLUTION OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and a traditional done-in-one officially licensed magazine based on last year's film.  

The back cover above shows some of the POTA merchandise that accompanied the film. 

1997: SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND Issue 1 (Titan Magazines)

From March 1997: The first issue of Titan Magazine's SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND comic/ magazine, based on the short-lived FOX fighting-in-space TV show that spluttered to a halt after one season.

Titan must have known this monthly had a finite life before they even published this first issue (complete with a nice pin badge with the squadron logo) as the bulk of the contents came from the US comic published by Topps... and that only mustered five issues before closing.

The three-part limited series revived the old Marvel tradition of stretching an adaptation of the feature-length pilot over three issues.  The two-part follow-up, The Gauntlet, was an original adventure.  The end of the TV show, along with (presumably) low sales, meant Topps didn't publish anything else.  

The UK edition managed four issues (the three-part pilot and the first installment of the follow-up) with an announcement that the impending fifth edition would be the last.  Titan obviously had no intention of spending their own money on commissioning new material.  But the fifth issue never appeared.

Titan also issued a trade paperback collection (now long out-of-print but a regular fixture of remaindered book shops for years) which collected all five of the US issues.  

The demise of the Titan edition can probably be attributed to the show's UK scheduling.  Sky, predictably, had first bite and - as I recall - ran the show on (the soon-to-be-defunct) SKY TWO channel (which they seemed to be positioning as their home for SF and fantasy shows).  Titan launched the monthly to coincide with the terrestrial broadcast on BBC TWO... except the schedulers tucked the show away in a late Friday night slot where audiences (especially the type who would then go out and buy a comic about the show) must have been miniscule. 

The show has now been released on DVD.