This weekend in the PopCult Gift Guide we are going to tell you about some magazines that you can give as gifts–single issues or subscriptions–to help prolong the lifespan of print media just a bit more for the luddite or more literary-minded person on your holiday shopping list.
Today we look at some magazines centered on coolness and creativity.
The Charleston Anvil
The Charleston Anvil is Charleston, WV’s black and white showcase of admixt art and literature- equal parts indie zine, underground comic, pulp magazine, anthology collection, and the avant-garde. The magazine is intended, principally, as a forging tool, a place where anyone may have the chance to to temper their wordsmithery or hone their art making… hammer out their ideas communally.
As a communal project, the core tenet of The Anvil is inclusion – i.e., a completely level playing field, devoid of politics, nepotism, or any other special treatment or favors. Contributors are welcome no matter what their level of experience, and need not be “established” in any way. Composed entirely of volunteered works, all content within the magazine is creator owned. No one is paid, all work remains the original property of its creator or creators, and any money made in sales will be used purely to recoup the cost of printing the current issue, or used to print the next Anvil.
The third issue of The Charleston Anvil is due out any day now, and back issues and a sign-up for an email alert for new issues can be found at their website, along with information on how you can submit your work for inclusion in future issues. It’s great to have a publication like this in Charleston, and all creative-minded people in the area should support it.
The Creeps Magazine
The Creeps Magazine is a note-perfect tribute to the 1970s publications of Warren Publishing, like Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. With many Warren veterans working on new material with newer talents, and a remarkable replication of details like paper stock and even the fonts for the text pages, this book (now quarterly) is an absolute treat for fans of quick horror and science fiction stories in comic book form.
With stunning covers by Warren vets Frank Frazetta, Sanulian, Ken Kelly, Kenneth Smith and Basil Gogos, and new stories and art by Don Glut, Nicola Cuti, Roger McKenzie, Neal Adams, Rich Buckler, Alex Nino, and other greats, The Creeps Magazine manages to provide pure nostalgic glee for longtime fans while still being immensely entertaining for new readers who never experienced the original horror comics magazines of the day.
You can order back issues or subscribe to The Creeps Magazine at their website. Pre-orders of the next issue usually include a poster of the cover as a bonus.
CarToons
One of the best surprises of 2016 was the return of CARtoons Magazine. This publication was a staple of kid gearheads who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and it was great to see it back on newsstands with quite a few of its original contributors represented in its pages.
You can find CARtoons at Books A Million and other large newsstands, and it’s are supposed to be available through comic book shops soon, too, but if you visit their website you can order back issues, including the limited-edition “#0” trial issue, and you can also subscribe or order digital editions.
Brought back with style, the magazine is everything you remember with some great new additions. Chock full of cool comics strips and artwork aimed at the auto enthusiast, the Iron-On Insert is back along with the Poster Inserts.
CARtoons provides the link between fans of comic books and fans of cars, which back in the golden days of pop culture, were groups that had a pretty large overlap. This is a fun read and it’s great to see it back in action.
Non Sport Update
Okay, I’m going to be a bit self-serving here. I’ve been contributing to Non Sport Update for nineteen years now. This is the journal of non-sport trading cards and it was recently acquired by Beckett Sports Media, which will land us on even more newsstands and in more places so that you can read about the latest Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids, Star Wars cards or other cool non-sport trading card wonders.
Non-Sport Update is THE magazine for collectors of non-sport trading cards (cards that focus on movies, television, sci-fi, comics, music, etc.–anything other than sports). The magazine is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
Each issue is filled with features and departments focusing on the latest trading card releases, promotional cards, online happenings, and vintage cards. Their large, 32-page price guide lists values for the most popular card series from the 1880s through today. Articles cover new and vintage card releases. Inside the magazine, you will also find contests, a schedule of card releases, and much, much more. Each issue comes poly-bagged with sample promotional trading cards.
If you’d like to subscribe or look into ordering back issues, just visit the website and check out all the wax pack goodness.
The PopCult Gift Guide Magazine Rack continues tomorrow with lifestyles, movies and cooking magazines.
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