With the Internet taking over the media world, it's pretty gutsy nowadays to start up a new magazine. Jane Magazine, a branch of Conde Nast Publications, recently folded in July of 2007, and since then it's been rumored by the New York Post that Teen Vogue is next.
There are a few courageous individuals, though, who have taken it upon themselves to push forward in the print industry. The following magazines are all within their first 15 issues of publication, and they can be found at the Penn State Bookstore, or either one of the local McLanahan's, 414 E. College Ave. or 116 S. Allen Street.
NEED Magazine
Its identity: a humanitarian magazine. Its mission statement: "We're not out to save the world -- only to tell the stories of those who are." Its name: NEED.
NEED, a brand-new quarterly magazine, focuses on the life-changing efforts made by fellow humanitarians and social activists around the world. With in-depth articles on international nonprofits, and absolutely breath-taking photography, the new publication creates an excellent sense of awareness without exploiting those they are trying to help. The photojournalism is reason enough to pick up the magazine in the first place, let alone the inspiring stories that fill the pages in between picture layouts.
Some articles in the most recent issue included a profile of RugMark, a nonprofit organization battling against child labor in the rug-making industry in Nepal, India and Pakistan; a feature that reported on several organizations and communities developing strategies to help the world's water crisis; and an article describing the 200,000 street children living in Kolkata, India, and the people trying to help the situation.
Mean Magazine
Mean Magazine was a popular music mag from 1997 until 2001, when it shut down and underwent a complete content re-design. In 2005, the bi-monthly magazine re-launched as a national lifestyle publication.
Although editor Kashy Khaledi told the Los Angeles Business Journal before Mean's re-launch that his intended audience was men, the magazine seems pretty neutral in its content choices.
Mean covers a various range of pop culture, but it focuses on art, cinema and fashion. It showcases everything from celebrity interviews and profiles to film reviews and fashion layouts, with photography that covers almost entire spreads.
Mean's latest issue was a Collector's edition, with three different covers, all copies circulating around different parts of the world. Their 2007 front-page celebrities included Emile Hirsch, from the film Into the Wild; Ewan McGregor, from Star Wars; and Javier Bardem, one of the stars in the Academy Award-nominated film No Country for Old Men.
Missbehave Magazine
"Missbehave holds nothing back!"
That's the tagline for this brand-new metropolitan magazine, based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Fabulously female-geared, Missbehave covers mostly pop culture, fashion and music. Their target demographic seems to lean toward girls between the ages 18 and 30 who don't like what the more mainstream magazines tend to offer. Missbehave tunes into the city lifestyle, and although State College may be in the middle of nowhere, it's still home to many American Apparel-wearing women who wished they lived in Greenwich Village with the rest of the urbane.
With a psychedelic layout, and witty commentary, Missbehave is almost guaranteed to be popular among students. The first few pages of the newest issue bear a gold mine: "You know what I love? Daft Punk. You know what I love even more? Watching Daft Punk on mushrooms at Coney Island this summer."
The rest of the issue features profiles on a variety of pop-culture personalities, including fashion designer Heatherette, actress Jena Malone, and YouTube celebrity Liam Sullivan, who was recently at Penn State for a comedy show. There's also a "Guide to Strippers" feature, among other ... less important things.
DEATH + TAXES
To all you music elitists out there, say hello to your new bible. Death+Taxes, an up-and-coming music mag, is breaking out and rising up with the best of new music and emerging cultural events.
Published bi-monthly, this magazine is probably more for the record collectors and hipsters who are into the indie/emo/hardcore scene -- however, everyone is welcomed to be enlightened.
The company is still trying to get up and running, because while the magazine looks organized and comprehensible, the Web site lacks the same quality. Then again, the magazine's MySpace.com page says they're looking for a Web Design intern, so that problem will be fixed soon. The Myspace is almost acting in lieu of an actual Web site, but with "Time to Pretend" by MGMT playing on their space, it's hard to even care.
Death+Tax's newest issue featured Justice on the cover, with in-depth articles on Grizzly Bear, Battles and Les Savy Fav. The rest of the 100-page color magazine included a gift-giving holiday guide, music reviews and a "Best of 2007" list. With Arcade Fire listed as Best Band of 2007, and Radiohead's In Rainbows album as the Best (and most obvious) Landmark Release, it seems that the new music mag knows its stuff.
To make it even the better, every article is dripping with rebellious cynicism. There were at least three uses of the f-bomb within the editor's letter, and who doesn't love that?
GOOD Magazine
GOOD may be one of the best magazines to hit the market in a long, long time. Established nearly three years ago, and produced by Al Gore III (the son of former Vice President Al Gore), GOOD Magazine is witty, charitable and green. When readers apply for a subscription, 100 percent of the money goes to a nonprofit organization of the reader's choice.
Speaking in words that preach to the environmentally friendly, GOOD is all about recycling and existing in harmony. All the ads in the magazine are consciously driven, but don't let this throw you off, because it's definitely not a magazine for tree-hugging hippies. While a right-wing extremist probably shouldn't pick this one off the newsstand, GOOD is primarily for the tech savvy. They say it best with their mission statement: "GOOD is for people who give a damn. It's an entertaining magazine about things that matter."
Recent articles include an A-Z feature on people and ideas that will shape the reader's future, complete with witty commentary; an article that discusses a group of Vermonters who hope for the possibilities of modern-day secession; and a profile on a young chief foreign correspondent for CBS who has reported from the minefields of Afghanistan to the war zone in Iraq.
