Weird Tales
Aug. 24th, 2011 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiI'm kind of stunned by this. On the one hand, I might now be able to dismiss his decision to write "authorized" Zelazny fanfic for money as the worst thing Betancourt had ever done, but on the other, I don't think it needed to be topped.
Ann VanderMeer has done an amazing job on Weird Tales, turning it into of the best magazines on the market. If Kaye had bought it just because he wanted to be the publisher, that'd be fine, but buying it just to gut it of its staff and concept seems pointless. Based on initial rumblings of the new direction, it would have made more sense for Kaye to buy H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror (which Betancourt also owned, and which Kaye had already edited).
I don't have a problem with Kaye's past editorial choices. His anthologies are solid, and you can still download the final issue of HPLMoH for free, complete with nifty tales by nifty folks. I just don't see the need to get rid of one of the most consistently impressive markets simply to acquire a name with some historical resonance.
Also, anyone downloading that freebie might notice this text: "Wildside Press regrets to announce that the print edition of H.P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror has been suspended indefinitely. Subscriptions have been taken over by the new and improved Weird Tales, which is full of Lovecraftian horrors and the very best eerie storytelling. More information is available online at www.WeirdTalesMagazine.com."
I guess the "very best eerie storytelling" wasn't cutting it.
Ann VanderMeer has done an amazing job on Weird Tales, turning it into of the best magazines on the market. If Kaye had bought it just because he wanted to be the publisher, that'd be fine, but buying it just to gut it of its staff and concept seems pointless. Based on initial rumblings of the new direction, it would have made more sense for Kaye to buy H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror (which Betancourt also owned, and which Kaye had already edited).
I don't have a problem with Kaye's past editorial choices. His anthologies are solid, and you can still download the final issue of HPLMoH for free, complete with nifty tales by nifty folks. I just don't see the need to get rid of one of the most consistently impressive markets simply to acquire a name with some historical resonance.
Also, anyone downloading that freebie might notice this text: "Wildside Press regrets to announce that the print edition of H.P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror has been suspended indefinitely. Subscriptions have been taken over by the new and improved Weird Tales, which is full of Lovecraftian horrors and the very best eerie storytelling. More information is available online at www.WeirdTalesMagazine.com."
I guess the "very best eerie storytelling" wasn't cutting it.