BEM, originally known as Bemusing Magazine, was a British fanzine focused on comic books which was published from 1973 to 1982. The brainchild of Martin Lock and billed as "The Comics News Fanzine," BEM featured American and British comics industry news and gossip, interviews, comic reviews, essays, columns, and comic strips.
Over the years, BEM transitioned into a professionally produced comics magazine, and was the recipient of multiple Eagle Awards (as well as for publisher Lock). As time went on, the fanzine also became more of a "strip-zine," with original comics content — some of it written by Lock — increasing year by year. Notable artist contributors to BEM over the years included Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon, Bryan Talbot,[1]Chris Ash, and Dave Harwood.
Publication history
Lock launched Bemusing Magazine on November 17, 1973, and he sold early issues to customers waiting outside the frequent comic marts held in London,[1] as well as the annual edition of the British Comic Art Convention ("Comicon"). After producing the first three issues of Bemusing by himself, Lock began accepting contributions from others with issue #4 (Feb. 1975). Nige Edwards became Bemusing's assistant editor with issue #4, staying on until mid-1977. The zine produced roughly five issues a year.
One of Bemusing Magazine's key features was its publication of U.S.-based comics industry news that Lock acquired from the long-running American fanzine The Comic Reader (TCR).[1]BEM was generally published on alternate months of Richard Burton's UK fanzine Comic Media News, which also used TCR news, thus providing a dose of monthly comic industry news for readers of both publications.[2]
Bemusing #8 (Jan. 1976) was a combined issue with issue #4 of Rob Barrow's Comic Fandom Bulletin.[3]Bemusing #9 (May 1976) was a double-issue, as it also contained the fanzine-within-a-fanzine The U.K. Heroine Addict, an attempt by Lock to increase British membership in the U.S.-based Comics Heroines Fan Club.[4]
The title of the publication officially changed from Bemusing Magazine to BEM with issue #15 (Sept. 1977).
BEM was a supporter of the Eagle Awards, which were introduced in 1977. BEM published nominating ballots in the lead-up to voting, and always posted a list of each year's Eagle Award winners. In later years, Lock polled his own readers with the "BEM Ballot."
With issue #16 (Dec. 1977), BEM began incorporating Mike Cruden's adzineFantasy Trader into its pages. Cruden at that point became the fanzine's "consulting editor," staying in that role until 1980. One of Cruden's main duties was coordinating Reaction, the lengthy and spirited letters page,[5] of BEM.[6] (The British Amateur Press Association was formed in 1977 in part due to a letter published in Reaction.)[1]
BEM #31 (Dec. 1980) was a combined issue with another fanzine, Mike Taylor's Masters of Infinity #6.[7] (Taylor became BEM's assistant editor at that time.)
By the late 1970s BEM had become the UK's leading comics zine,[5] winning the Eagle Award for Favourite Fan Publication in both 1980[8] and 1981.[9]
BEM was acquired by the U.S.-based publisher New Media Publishing (NMP) in 1981, ostensibly to distribute BEM in the U.S. and widen its readership. The changeover, however, led to production delays: issue #34 was published in July 1981 and issue #35 (NMP's first issue) didn't arrive until spring 1982. In addition, BEM's continued focus on the British comics scene led to low sales. The end came shortly when New Media Publishing went out of business in 1982.[10][1] In the end, BEM published 36 issues from November 1973 to 1982.
In 1981, as BEM wound down, Lock revived Fantasy Advertiser, a popular British fanzine dating back to 1965 which had been dormant for years. Lock incorporated the "BEM News Service" comic industry news feature into Fantasy Advertiser, which he edited until 1985,[11] putting out 20 issues.[12] Meanwhile, in 1984, Lock started his own comics publisher, Harrier Comics, which operated until 1989.
Features and columns
BEM featured a number of recurring columns by a regular stable of contributors, including Lock himself (News at BEM, Emlock Tale-Enders, and Worlds of Emlock), Ed Sallis (Fan Things), K. Williams (Sigh), Kathleen Glancy (Katholocity), Ruan Lanihorne (Made in Britain/Unamerican Activities), Rich Morrisey (Rich Morrisey's America), and Howard P. Siegel (Made in America).
Bemusings/News at BEM — Lock's introduction to each issue
Comics News — U.S. and British industry news, usually compiled by Lock
Rich Morrisey's America written by the publisher of the U.S. fanzine Batmania (issues #8–17)
Made in Americaby Howard P. Siegel — U.S. comics history
Made in Britain by Ruan Lanihorne; later became known as Unamerican Activities
Mal Burns' Unamerican Activities
Katholocity by Kathleen Glancy
Sigh by K. Williams
Fan-Things by Ed Sallis — "a column of fan news and fanzine reviews"
Review Section (later known as Bemuscene) — with contributions from various reviewers
Reaction — lengthy letters pages
Emlock Tale-Enders by Martin Lock ("M. Lock") — usually at the back of the magazine
Worlds of Emlock by Martin Lock
Comic strips
Bemusing began publishing original comic strips early on, starting with Lock's own strip Captain Nuts (produced under his alias, "Superswipe"). Issue #8 saw the introduction of a dedicated comics page, "Page Four Funnies," which lasted until issue #12, when the strips began to be distributed throughout the fanzine. Cartoonist Chris Ash was a long-time contributor to BEM in the period 1976 to 1978, with his most regular strips being Captain Frog and The Adventures of Stangroom the Woodpecker (possibly a reference to fellow fanzine artist Howard Stangroom). Issue #20 of BEM (Aug. 1978) featured a 16-page Captain Frog story by Ash that took up a large portion of the issue.
Terry Moore's Thundermole was a regular feature in BEM from issue #13 (May 1977) until issue #34 (July 1981).[13]
Starting with issue #25 (Sept. 1979) and running through the final issue was the ongoing science-fiction strip H.M.S. Conqueror, written by Lock and illustrated by Dave Harwood, with each strip often running 4-5 pages per issue. Stephen Baskerville was a guest artist on H.M.S. Conqueror with issue #30. A bonus episode of H.M.S. Conqueror, written and drawn by Paul Alexander, appeared in BEM's final issue, #36. (The stories published in BEM later made their way into the first few issues of Conqueror, the first title published by Lock when he founded Harrier Comics in 1984.)
BEM issue #25 also featured a seven-page comics story by Eddie Campbell, which was illustrated by Harwood. Other cartoonists with strips published in BEM over the years included Leslie Stannage, Philip Morton (Gleitzman), Martin Dutton, Martin Longley, Mark Casto, and J. H. Szostek. Other one-off strips were produced by the likes of Rex Dixon and Rob Davis (issues #23 & 24), Marc Baines (#14), and Dave Byrom (#14).
Regular strips in BEM over the years included:
Captain Nuts by "Superswipe," "Schwipe" or "B. L. Schwipe" (some episodes written by Mark Bryant, penciled by Malcolm Lomax, and inked by Superswipe) (issues #6–12) — a spoof of Peanuts
Nasty Comix by Mark Casto (issues #23–28, 36) — underground comix-type strip
H.M.S. Conqueror by Lockwood and Dave Harwood (issues #25–36)
The Imago by B. J. Martin and Nick Martin (issues #28, 31–34) — a strip which moved over from the defunct fanzine Graffik Sense
Notable interview subjects
Although BEM ran interviews in early issues, it began running regular interviews with comics industry figures in earnest with Dez Skinn in issue #27, March 1980.
BEM was nominated for the Eagle Award for "Favourite Fan Publication" three times, winning the award in 1980[8] and 1981.[9] The fanzine had earlier led to publisher Lock winning two Eagle Awards — the 1977 Eagle for "Favourite British Fan Personality"[14] and the 1978 Eagle for "Favourite British Writer".[15] (Lock was also nominated for the 1977 Eagle for "Favourite British Comics Writer".)[14]
A fanzine is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and first popularized within science fiction fandom, and from there the term was adopted by other communities.
BEM or Bem may refer to:
Phil Elliott is a British comic book creator who was published in Escape Magazine. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic Eagle, the awards were launched in 1977 for comics released in 1976.
Howard Eugene Day was a Canadian comics artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' Star Wars licensed series and Master of Kung Fu. He was considered a mentor by independent comic writer/artist Dave Sim.
The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with the fanzine Alter Ego magazine. The Alley is the first known comic book fan award.
Fantasy Advertiser, later abbreviated to FA, was a British fanzine focused on comic books, founded in 1965 by Frank Dobson, the "Godfather of British Fandom." Starting out as an adzine focused on the sale of primarily second-hand comics, it eventually transitioned into a true comics fanzine. FA now operates as a comics webzine.
Richard Burton is a British comic publisher and editor who had a lengthy career at IPC Magazines. While an assistant editor at 2000 AD, he became known to readers as Tharg the Mighty's bumbling assistant Burt, who appeared in a number of strips with him. Earlier in his career, Burton published the popular fanzine Comic Media News, and was a co-founder of the Eagle Awards.
Dan Steffan is an American cartoonist and writer who has contributed to both mainstream and underground publications for several decades.
Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter.
New Media Distribution/Irjax Enterprises was a comic book distributor and publisher active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1978, the company's legal actions against the dominant distributor of the era, Sea Gate Distributors, widened the field for the direct market to expand. In 1982, when Irjax's distribution arm went out of business, its processing centers and warehouses formed the basis for Diamond Comics Distributors, the now-dominant comics distributor.
The Comic Reader (TCR) was a comics news-fanzine published from 1961 to 1984. Debuting in the pre-direct market era, TCR was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine, and was able to secure many contacts from within the ranks of the larger publishers. As TCR increased in popularity and influence, it was able to attract professional artist to illustrate the covers. TCR also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom published work in the fanzine as amateurs. Contributors from the world of fandom included founding editor Jerry Bails, key editor Paul Levitz, Paul Kupperberg, Tony Isabella, Byron Preiss, Neal Pozner, Don Rosa, Carl Gafford, and Doug Hazlewood.
Harrier Comics was a British comic book publisher active in the mid-to-late 1980s. Harrier was notable for putting out black-and-white comics in a mold more similar to American comics than to typical British fare.
The British Amateur Press Association was an amateur press association created by comics fans in late 1977, following a proposal from Phil Greenaway in the letter pages of the comics fanzine BEM; the first mailing was circulated in January 1978. Greenaway was the first Central Mailer and his successors included Maureen "Mo" James, Howard Stangroom, Les Chester, and Steve Green. For most of its existence, up to thirty members of BAPA submitted multiple copies of at least two A4 pages to the central mailer every two months. BAPA was disbanded on 17 August 2004, with a final mailing distributed early in 2005. A one-off publication was also distributed under the name B-APA (sic) in 2005, in memory of Andy Roberts; a similar publication was announced in 2008, in memory of Steve Whitaker.
The British Comic Art Convention was an annual British comic book convention which was held between 1968 and 1981, usually in London. The earliest British fan convention devoted entirely to comics, it was also the birthplace of the Eagle Awards.
Rocket's Blast Comicollector (RBCC) was a comics advertising fanzine published from 1964 to 1983. The result of a merger with a similar publication, RBCC's purpose was to bring fans together for the purpose of adding to their comic book collections. It also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom corresponded and exchanged their work through RBCC, and published work in the fanzine as amateurs.
Speakeasy was a British magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. It published many interviews with both British and American comics creators.
Martin Lock is a British comic book critic, writer, and publisher. As publisher of the fanzines BEM and Fantasy Advertiser, and then publisher of Harrier Comics, he was an important figure in British comics fandom in the 1970s and 1980s.
Comics Feature was an American magazine of news, criticism, and commentary pertaining to comic books, comic strips, and animation. Published by New Media Publishing, it produced 57 issues between 1980 and 1987.
Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by the British Comic Art Convention. Comic Mart began in London, eventually expanding to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by Rob Barrow and Nick Landau; eventually they split up to produce competing versions of the event, and were joined by other regional organizers.
↑ Lock. Martin. "News at BEM," BEM #15 (Sept. 1977), p. 2.
↑ Comic Fandom Bulletin and Bemusing Magazine #8 (Jan. 1976).
↑ Lock, Martin. "The Heroine Addict". Fanlore. Retrieved 16 February 2023. ...I was the same Martin Lock who had been involved with the Comics Heroines Fan Club back in, gulp, the 1970s.... I'd been a member of the team under Al Tanner and later Steven R. Johnson ... and had masterminded the first 'UK Heroine Addict' as a cunning ploy to increase the club's British membership. There was a second UK issue too, but that was made in America, with rather less involvement from me, but in Britain the first THA-UK went out to all the subscribers to BEM ... and thanks to the international mail system, it went to the main US membership of the club too.
1 2 "Fan Press," The Comics Journal #50 (Oct. 1979), p. 19.
↑ Lock, Martin. "News at BEM," BEM #30 (Nov. 1980), p. 2.
↑ Lock, Martin. "News at BEM," BEM #31 (Dec. 1980), p. 2.
1 2 "The Eagle Awards 1979," BEM #31 (Dec. 1980), p. 32.
1 2 "Marvel's X-Men Sweep British Eagle Awards". The Comics Journal. No.69. December 1981.
↑ "Newswatch: New Media Distribution out of Business". The Comics Journal. No.72. May 1982. p.16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
