Weird Fiction Review #12 (Centipede Press, October 2022). Front and back covers by Stephen Fabian

Weird Fiction Review, edited by John Pelan and published annually by Centipede Press, has gradually established itself as the premier magazine of modern dark fantasy. It’s published a dozen issues so far and has included fiction by Simon Strantzas, Steve Rasnic Tem, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Laird Barron, Victor LaValle, Stephen Graham Jones, Marc Laidlaw, Joseph S. Pulver, Brian Stableford, Darrell Schweitzer, John Shirley, and many, many more.

But I think the reason I love this mag — aside from its incredible production values and huge size (issues typically run around 400 pages) — is the excellent non-fiction. It brings genuine scholarship to fascinating topics, with lengthy and entertaining articles on things like a history of the legendary Gnome Press by Stefan Dziemianowicz, a brief history of Mexican Horror Comic Books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a survey of The Horror Pulps 1933-1940 by Robert Weinberg, an essay on EC Comics by E. B. Boatner, Collecting Karl Edward Wagner’s Carcosa by Ron Clinton, 90 Years of Amazing Stories by Joseph Wrzos, and a regular column on Forgotten Masters of the Weird Tale by editor John Pelan that has covered Nictzin Dyalhis, Paul Ernst, Arthur Leo Zagat, Sax Rohmer, C. Hall Thompson, Walter Owen, Edmund Snell, and Wyatt Blassingame.

The latest issue features fiction by Caitlin R. Kiernan, Laird Barron, Victor LaValle, Stephen Graham Jones, Scott Bradfield and others, plus a full-color Stephen Fabian Art Gallery, an appreciation of the film Let’s Scare Jessica to Death by John Llewellyn Probert, an interview with Weirdbook publisher W. Paul Ganley by Darrell Schweitzer, an article on William F. Nolan by Jason V. Brock, an interview with Graham Masterton by Dave Roberts — and a celebration of the life and work of Weird Fiction Review’s editor John Pelan, who tragically past away on April 11, 2021.

[Click the images to review Weirder versions.]

Weird Fiction Review #11 (Centipede Press, May 2021). Cover by John Tedrick

Another fascinating thing about Weird Fiction Review? It’s highly collectible. By which I mean, back issues cost a fortune.

Weird Fiction Review is published by Jerad Walters’ Centipede Press, the Lakewood, Colorado small press publisher. They specialize in deluxe limited editions and cater to the collector’s market, and most of their books have very limited print runs.

They bring the same high production values and attention to detail to the magazine, and the same collector’s mindset — issues are typically limited to a print run of 500 copies. Even though it’s priced the same way many of their books are (single issues cost $35), it typically sells out in months or even weeks.

Centipede Press editions enjoy a thriving life in the aftermarket, with copies of the signed limited editions frequently commanding prices of $3,000 and more. Back issues of Weird Fiction Review don’t sell for anywhere near those lofty heights. But nonetheless, it’s very unusual to see recent back issues of a genre magazine — even one with a limited print run — offered for $200 – $600 on eBay (and to actually sell for those amounts).

Below are some recently completed eBay listings for back issues of Weird Fiction Review. Most sell for well over $100, and the older ones sell for considerably more.

Recent copies of Weird Fiction Review sold on eBay for well above cover price

Here’s the publisher’s description for the latest issue.

The Weird Fiction Review is an annual periodical devoted to the study of weird and supernatural fiction. This 12th issue contains fiction, poetry, and reviews from leading writers and promising newcomers. This issue features fiction by John Langan, William F. Nolan, Graham Masterton, Ramsey Campbell, Mark Howard Jones, and others, and articles by Ron Clinton (a collector’s guide to Necessary Evil Press), John Probert on film, an interview with Graham Masterton, a lengthy, illustrated article on pinball artist Greg Freres, a tribute to small press publisher W. Paul Ganley, an article on Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, a lengthy illustrated essay on Ray Bradbury and Chas. Addams by John Tibbetts, and a tribute to John Pelan by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, as well as other essays. The front and back cover, and inside covers, and a special interview and portfolio inside, are by legendary artist Stephen Fabian. The list price on this item is $35 and is bargain priced for 400 pages. .

And since a text description doesn’t nearly do it justice, here’s a snapshot of the table of contents, illustrated by the amazing Stephen Fabian.

Table of Contents for Weird Fiction Review 12

Here’s the complete fiction contents.

“A Late Encounter Beside the Chocolate Fountain” by John Langan
“Down the Long Night” by William F. Nolan
“Upon the Stair” by Lisa Tuttle
“Changeling” by Graham Masterton (Hot Blood: Tales of Provocative Horror, May 1989)
“Recognizing What’s Important; or, A Tale of Freneticism” by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
“All Around the Garden” by Ramsey Campbell
“The Book of Tombs” by Mark Howard Jones

And here’s all the non-fiction.

The Catacombs of Film: How Jessica Scared Us All to Death, by John Llewellyn Probert
Connecticut Haunts, by Richard Denzer
Heavens Blaze Forth Upon the Death of Princes, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
William F. Nolan: The Roots of a Master, by Jason V. Brock
Silver Ball Sorcerer: The Prodigious Pinball Art of Greg Freres, by Chad Hensley
Anatomy of a Pinball Machine, by uncredited
Playfields of Possession in Haruki Murakami’s Spirit Games, by Danel Olson
Death by Flippers, by Michael Scheiss
Weird Fiction Interview: Graham Masterton, by Dave Roberts
W. Paul Ganley: Editor, Publisher, Fictioneer, Poet, by Darrell Schweitzer
W. Paul Ganley: Publisher, by Stephen Fabian
Stephen Fabian Art Gallery, by Stephen Fabian
Collecting the Modern Macabre: Necessary Evil Press, by Ron Clinton
A Korean Gothic: Phrogging, Dehumanization, and the Class Divide in Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, by Chenxi Chen and Danel Olson
The Outsider Next Door: The American Gothic Family in Bradbury, Addams, Capote, and Kuttner, by John C. Tibbetts

Here’s a look at that amazing Stephen Fabian Art Gallery, which spans 19 pages.

The Stephen Fabian Art Gallery in Weird Fiction Review 12

 

Sample pages from the Stephen Fabian Art Gallery in Weird Fiction Review 12

To really appreciate what it’s like to hold this gorgeous magazine in your hands, you need to see it.

I’ve snapped some photos of the interiors of the mag (thanks the Alice for holding the book open for me while I struggled with the camera).

Click the images to embiggen.

Connecticut Haunts, by Richard Denzer

 

The Catacombs of Film: How Jessica Scared Us All to Death, by John Llewellyn Probert

 

Weird Fiction Interview: Graham Masterton, by Dave Roberts

 

Weird Fiction Interview: Graham Masterton, by Dave Roberts

 

William F. Nolan: The Roots of a Master, by Jason V. Brock

 

Anatomy of a Pinball Machine

 

The Outsider Next Door: The American Gothic Family in Bradbury, Addams, Capote, and Kuttner, by John C. Tibbetts

Our previous coverage of Weird Fiction Review includes:

Weird Fiction Review #1 (2011)
New Treasures: Weird Fiction Review 3 (2013)
Weird Fiction Review #4 Now On Sale (2014)
Weird Fiction Review #5 Now On Sale (2015)
Weird Fiction Review #6 Now On Sale (2016)
Weird Fiction Review #7 Now On Sale (2016)
Best Of The Small Magazines: The Digest Enthusiast #11, Pulp Modern: Tech Noir, and Weird Fiction Review #9 (2020)

Weird Fiction Review #12 was published in October 2022 by Centipede Press. It is 400 pages, priced at $35 in perfect bound format. There is no digital edition. The cover is by Stephen Fabian. Past issues have typically been limited to a print run of 500 copies; I don’t know what the run for this one was. Copies are still available; order directly from the Centipede Press website.

See all our recent magazine coverage here.