by The Twilight Zone Magazine published its inaugural issue in April 1981, six years after the death of Rod Serling, who was, of course, the man behind the award-winning series of the same name. Rod’s wife Carol Serling was at the helm of the magazine as Associate Publisher and Consulting Editor for several years, and T.E.D. Klein served as Editor-in-Chief through August 1985. Throughout the magazine’s nine-year run, the table of contents represented a “who’s who” of personalities in the horror and suspense field. The first issue featured an interview by Charles Grant with none other than Stephen King; a preview of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York; short stories by Harlan Ellison, Robert Sheckley, George R.R. Martin, Ramsey Campbell, Joyce Carol Oates, and others; plus a Books column by Theodore Sturgeon.
Over the course of its run, the biggest names in the field appeared in the magazine alongside interviews with movie-makers, writers from the original series sharing their experiences, original teleplays by Rod Serling, and assorted ephemera of interest to SF, horror, and suspense fans across the spectrum. The magazine published the early horror fiction of David Morrell, Alan Ryan, Chet Williamson, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert Crais, Richard Christian Matheson, David J. Schow, Al Sarrantonio, one of the few short stories by Michael McDowell, and the first professionally published stories by John Skipp and Dan Simmons.
The Twilight Zone Magazine began as a monthly magazine, then began publishing every other month in 1983. It ran for a total of 60 issues, wrapping up with a final issue in June 1989.
These scans are compiled with many thanks to the diligent work of the scanners of the Yahoo group Pulpscans. To search for available back issues, click here.
Thanks for the pingback!
Yours was easily the most compelling overview of TZ magazine, so thank *you*, Christopher!