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BEM (magazine)
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, Chris Ash, and Dave Harwood.
Lock launched Bemusing Magazine on November 17, 1973, and he sold early issues to customers waiting outside the frequent comic marts held in London, 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). 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.
Bemusing #8 (Jan. 1976) was a combined issue with issue #4 of Rob Barrow's Comic Fandom Bulletin. 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.
The title of the publication officially changed from Bemusing Magazine to BEM with issue #15 (Sept. 1977). (An earlier fanzine called BEM was published in the UK from 1954 to 1958; that fanzine — whose publishers included Mal Ashworth and Tom White — was focused on science fiction.)
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 adzine Fantasy 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, of BEM. (The British Amateur Press Association was formed in 1977 in part due to a letter published in Reaction.)
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BEM (magazine)
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, Chris Ash, and Dave Harwood.
Lock launched Bemusing Magazine on November 17, 1973, and he sold early issues to customers waiting outside the frequent comic marts held in London, 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). 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.
Bemusing #8 (Jan. 1976) was a combined issue with issue #4 of Rob Barrow's Comic Fandom Bulletin. 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.
The title of the publication officially changed from Bemusing Magazine to BEM with issue #15 (Sept. 1977). (An earlier fanzine called BEM was published in the UK from 1954 to 1958; that fanzine — whose publishers included Mal Ashworth and Tom White — was focused on science fiction.)
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 adzine Fantasy 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, of BEM. (The British Amateur Press Association was formed in 1977 in part due to a letter published in Reaction.)