Calvin's Canadian Cave of Coolness: Before The Internet There Was Starlog Magazine

Monday, June 24, 2013

Before The Internet There Was Starlog Magazine

9 comments:

david_b said...: Starlog was the BEST EVER.. I vividly recall seeing the first issue at the local magazine/gift shop. I went NUTS.

After years of cheap 'space trek' type magazines, this was pure class. Especially with Space:1999 starting it's 2nd year, it was such a dream mag to have.

'Course ish 6 had to report 1999's cancellation, which really ticked me off for years, but a small film called Star Wars was about to premiere.

Eh, I missed the Eagles, but the X-Wings were alright.

I stuck with Starlog until it reached the 40's, after my first yr of college in the early 80s. Except for Empire Strikes Back, then Wrath of Khan, I wasn't interested in any of the film/television coverage any longer and funds were tight, so there wasn't much interest in Starlog remaining...

Just an awesome magazine back in the day. Color, glossy pages of sci-fi stuff, who'da thunk..?; June 24, 2013 at 4:08 PM
Wings1295 said...: I was an occasional reader, but always loved it. That Oscar Goldman cover is amazing!; June 24, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Jordan said...: God, those take me back!

My friend Andrew was one of those enviable guys who had everything (I don't thin his parents ever said "no" when he asked, "Can I have that?). He had a Starlog subscription, and I vividly remember the excitement of going to his house and then into his room (with the dozens of action figures and posters and comics and everything else) and making a beeline for Starlog, to see what was really going on. It was like an adult diving for the newspaper.; June 24, 2013 at 6:49 PM
Will said...: Issue 6 was the first issue I ever bought and have the run up to the early 80s; June 24, 2013 at 7:28 PM
david_b said...: LOVE the old painted covers of the first half dozen Starlogs the best.

THOSE were classy..; June 25, 2013 at 5:16 AM
Erik Johnson Illustrator said...: I've never read Starlog but I imagine I'd have eaten this up when I was a kid. Like you said, this was before the Internet so I doubt we'll get anything like it ever again.

I've heard a lot of adults wax nostalgically about Mad Magazine and Famous Monsters of Filmland, were either of those a blip on your radar?; June 25, 2013 at 7:40 AM
Kal said...: Always read Mad Magazine but never CRACKED. That was low rent. I even had many of the paperback books from the cartoonists of mad and the Snappy Answers to Stupid Question books where you could add your own at the end.

Famous Monsters - not until I got online did I know that one even existed.

I liked Heavy Metal and those Conan and Vampirella mags too.; June 25, 2013 at 7:43 AM
Kal said...: I have their removable guide and review of the ENTIRE Twilight Zone series. I kept that one by my TV for years. In plastic of course.; June 25, 2013 at 7:44 AM
M. D. Jackson said...: I was a Starlog junkie right from issue two. I quickly ordered issue #1 from the company and my collection was begun. I collected it for years. I can't remember when I stopped, but I have boxes full of Starlog magazines in my garage.

Before that I was a Famous Monsters fan. The high point of my life was meeting and hanging out with Forrest J. Ackerman.

But Starlog was always my favorite.; June 25, 2013 at 10:01 PM

Calvin's Canadian Cave Of Cool Manifesto

I forever stand vigilant to protect this planet from the myriad of forces that are always against us. Be it the octopus, zombies, aliens or the robots my team of human agents, and our feline allies, circle the globe in a never ending struggle for human freedom.

I learn all I can on every subject that interests me. I especially enjoy ancient history because in the past there are valuable lessons to be found. Also, if I ever get my time machine to work properly, it would be good to know a bit about possible destinations and what to expect when I get there.

I greatly appreciate beautiful design. Be it manufactured or found naturally I am fascinated by the process of invention. I am attracted to the unique, the strange, the haunted. I like to share what I find on this blog.

And not let us forget the 'Cephalopod Menace' who, if allowed to, would wrap their tentacles around all that is good and pure in this life and crush it until it remained no more. They are creatures of pure spite. Hate is all they know. Death is all they do. They are our most ruthless and determined enemy.

So we fight. Selena has the celebrity contacts, the cat is ruthless and without pity, Roosevelt's ghost has the experience and I do the wetwork.

Fighting for the future of the planet doesn't have to be a chore, however. We can take the time to appreciate all that is cool in this world even as we cut the octopus into bite sized chunks.

This is the reason there has always been and must forever be, a Cave of Cool. Be sure to wipe your feet before you enter.