Now that I’ve completed posting the decennial looks at the SF/F/H magazines that could be found on the news stands, I thought I take a pause and, instead of looking at things chronologically, I’d share some of my favorites.
There is no organizational structure here, nor even always an explanation as to why I find a particular cover more appealing than others, except perhaps for having a penchant for spaceships and astronomicals.
In fact, most of these “favorites” are attractive to me for reasons that go beyond the mere visuals, associational values, if you will. That may be because of a particular story found in that issue, it could be the desirability of a particular issue (I have most of, but not all of these issues in my collection). It could be the where and when of seeing it for the first time. At least one is a favorite because I provided some of the content, and at least one because I had a hand in producing it.
But regardless of the multiple reasons why these and not other covers have been raised to “favorite” status, I find all of them visually appealing for one reason or another. It may be the composition, or the elements as previously mentioned. It could be the color scheme, certainly the artistry in at least some cases. In the end, my reasons for liking these particular covers over most others is as indefinable as “art” is. Something about them just “clicks”.
I’ve started this off with the covers from some of the earlier magazines appearing in the field, and I think I’ll maintain that methodology throughout.
Here then is a gallery of my favorite magazine covers from some of the first (and most prominent) titles in the field:
