Comments on: Starlog Shifts to the Web

By: Vel Jaeger

Vel Jaeger — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 22:35:18 +0000

I am so dismayed to just now hear of Starlog’s absence from the print medium. I began subscribing when I saw the first issue at our neighborhood BX at Camp Lejeune. It was perfectly timed in those early years when Star Wars & CE3rdK relaunched Sci Fi in the theaters. I had begun publishing a small Trek zine, and was thrilled to have some of my artwork published in their fan contribution page. As we moved around the country Starlog’s appearance was a wonderful escape. I finally let it lapse somewhere in the late 200s issue, as I had stressful issues to deal with, but I will always have fond memories of its glory years.

By: Nelson Ribeiro

Nelson Ribeiro — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:19:31 +0000

I am a suspect person to say good things about Starlog, Fnagoria, Teen Idols and all the wrestling magazines published by Starlog. I was part of it. I worked for the company back in 1986 under the supervision of a great art director named Emily Sleeves. All I can say we were laborious people doing our best to have great products.
Good luck to all!!!

By: Lee Davis

Lee Davis — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:34:33 +0000

Maybe I grew away from it as an adult or found its lack of distribution here in the UK a factor in the latter years, but as a kid growing up in the dreary and mundane London suburbs, Starlog was a godsend. Well-written, fun and gloriously in-depth.
I fell in love with the mag for a decade, from the Empire Strikes Back summer of 1980 and the mag’s fantastic fourth anniversary ish right through to the Bat-summer of ’89.
Gonna miss seeing the ‘Log in print but thankfully it’ll be on the web and it ought to implement Bob’s ideas asap.
Clear Skies, Starlog may the ‘rumblings’ never cease!!

Lee

By: Rick Keating

Rick Keating — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:19:38 +0000

I read Starlog every month from C. 1985 to 1994; first via newsstand copies, and then by subscription (I also have a smattering of pre-1985 issues). I enjoyed reading it every month, and still have those copies. In fact, I recently brought them out of storage and put them on a bookshelf in my home office.

But something about the magazine must have changed near the end, because I not only didn’t renew my subscription, but I also never picked up another issue from the newsstand.

Ironically, I glanced at an issue in the library sometime within the last decade, commented about an item in that issue, and had my first and only letter to the editor published– long after I’d stopped being a regular reader and subscriber.

I don’t recall my overall reaction to the quality of that Starlog issue, but I obviously wasn’t motivated to either subscribe again or pick up issues on a case-by-case basis. I guess too much time had passed. As the cliche goes, that (star)ship had sailed.

And that’s too bad. Like I said, I used to enjoy Starlog. Not every article interested me, but each month there was usually something that appealed. And sometimes, if something caught my attention that I’d previously been unaware of (say re-runs of an SF show I’d missed), I’d vaguely remember having seen a piece in the magazine. And I’d go back to find and read that article.

On another front, I’d have loved to have written for Starlog, but once I learned they bought all rights I didn’t bother to ever query them.

Rick

By: ComicMix Quick Picks - April 16, 2009 | Special Comic

ComicMix Quick Picks - April 16, 2009 | Special Comic — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:52:55 +0000

[...] three decades, Starlog shifts to the Web exclusively. That link points to ComicMix’s Bob Greenberger, who put in his time there and recalls what [...]

By: John Freeman

John Freeman — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:40:18 +0000

Sad to hear about Starlog but your observations on the title are right on the mark.

As for UK magazines such as SFX and DeathRay still being on the new stand, that’s more down to their continued success on the UK news stand rather than success in the US. When I edited Doctor Who Magazine in the 1980s its continued publication depended on UK sales, not US presence, which was seen as a bonus in terms of overall profits. It was also only on sale by direct sale in the US.

Maintaining a presence on the US news stand is a very costly business, and wastage – unsold copies – must be huge simply to ensure any magazine is on display in every major city.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:31:15 +0000

Starlog gave me first writing credit. It has been my primary “litmus test” to see whether or not any newsstand is quality.

It always had surprises in it. How many magazines hide fun news tidbits within the copyright statement?

Although my readership has varied over the years, I have been a reader since issue one and cannot imagine a world without it in some tactile form.

By: The Sci-Fi Cast ·

The Sci-Fi Cast · — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:59:24 +0000

[...] comes this week that Starlog Magazine is folding up shop and moving 100% to the web which will allow them to stay alive in the form of a web portal. [...]

By: Carr D'Angelo

Carr D'Angelo — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:22:24 +0000

Bob:

Well-said. Your transition to DC helped create the opportunity in 1984 when I joined Starlog for 9k a year! I learned a lot from Dave and enjoyed being a freelancer when I left New York for LA.

I am going to miss those copies in the mail.

By: john Zipperer

john Zipperer — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:39:16 +0000

I agree about the mag’s high standards. I remember when a slew of competitors came out in the early 1990s: Sci Fi Entertainment, Sci Fi Universe, Cinescape. I expected them to light a fire under Starlog and offer something new, but none of them did; they offered nothing that changed the game plan of the genre newsstand. Starlog largely ground them into dust (except for Sci Fi, which has the channel-formerly-known-as-Sci-Fi behind it). If the well-funded British competition had come a decade earlier, when Starlog still had the giant audience (and presumably revenues) to do battle, things might have turned out very differently.