Nickelodeon Magazine

Nickelodeon Magazine was a children's magazine published by the television network of the same name. It was first published in 1990 at a cover price of $1.95, but also had free distribution with a purchase from participating Pizza Hut restaurants; this first version of the magazine only saw two issues of release. The magazine returned to production in Summer 1993. Originally published on a quarterly basis, it switched to bi-monthly with February/March 1994 issue. It then went to 10 times per year starting March 1995, with the bi-monthly December/January and June/July issue; it continued a monthly schedule up through the magazine's closure in December 2009.

As of November 2008, Nickelodeon Magazine has had 151 published issues.

In spite of being related to the network it is named after, Nickelodeon Magazine covered all sorts of topics for kids, whether inside the network or outside (though with an obvious preference for Nickelodeon programming over that of competitor networks such as the Disney Channel and Cartoon Network). It contained informative non-fiction pieces, humor, interviews, comics, pranks, and recipes (such as green slime cake or pranks containg slime).

The magazine's mascot was Zelda Van Gutters, a Lakeland Terrier dog who appeared throughout the magazine with snarky commentary about the contents of each page. On the table of contents, Zelda usually showed up to introduce herself as the magazine's "roving reporter". She was also the star of the magazine's regular photo comic strip "Ruffing It".

In May 2006, the magazine received a makeover in the form of a new logo but the insides such as the comic book stayed the same.

On June 3, 2009, the Magazine Group division of Nickelodeon announced the discontinuation of the magazine "by the end of 2009", along with sister publication Nick Jr. Magazine ^[1]^[2], due to economic conditions and the declining influence of magazines for children and teenagers. ^[3] During the months leading up to the magazine's demise, the magazine suffered from falling circulation and advertising numbers.^[4]

In 2015, it was announced that Nickelodeon Magazine would resume publication under management of Papercutz.^[5]

The Comic Book

Every issue of Nickelodeon Magazine included a section called "The Comic Book". Usually, this insert featured regular comic strips from underground artists. The original editor of the section was Anne D. Bernstein. Since 1997 the comics editor was Chris Duffy, who was joined by Dave Roman a few years later. Among the comics featured in Nickelodeon Magazine's Comic Book:

Scene But Not Heard by Sam Henderson- The going-ons of a pink man and a bear, who compulsively pull pranks on each other. As the strip's name suggests, the comic is made entirely of pictures with no dialogue or sound.
Southern Fried Fugitives by Simon and Kim Deitch- The continuing adventures of a quartet of fried chicken pieces brought to life by a thunderstorm. This strip ended in December 1999.
Sam Hill & Ray-9 by Mark Martin - A boy and his robot dog.
Underpants-On-His-Head Man by Michael Kupperman- Originally appeared as one of "the worst comic book superheroes ever". He is a businessman who, as his name suggests, wears his underwear on his head. His archenemy is his coworker, Pants-On-His-Head Man.
Patty-Cake by Scott Roberts- A bossy little blonde with a flower in her hair.
Fiona of the Felines by Terry LaBan- A girl who is raised by cats. Her strips are occasionally accompanied by a similar strip titled Warren of the Worms.
Impy & Wormer by James Kochalka - These marginal comic strips (featured at the bottom of the pages, under the regular strips) feature a dim-witted bug who does not speak proper English and constantly bothers a grouchy worm.
Cody by Bobby London- This strip's title character is often misled by the fibs told by his grandfather, Poppy.
Grampa and Julie, Shark Hunters by Jef Czekaj- This strip's titular pair of a girl and her dim-witted grandfather started out searching for Stephen, the Largest Shark in the World. Their first few story arcs were reprinted in a graphic novel in 2006.
"Teeny Weeny, the Tiniest Hot Dog in the World" by Mark Martin - A miniature hot dog with lots of enthusiasm.
"Karmopolis" by Nick Bertozzi--Adventure strip in a world where everyone and everything is on wheels.
"The Gag Station" by various. One panel gags, often featuring cartoonists such as Johnny Ryan, Mark Newgarden, Ellen Forney, Steve Weissman, Felipe Galindo, Ian Baker, and Mark Martin.

In addition, Nickelodeon Magazine's Comic Book also featured comics from characters of the network's programming, which usually appeared just before a season premiere or special movie event for the property on the actual series. Among the Nicktoons that have been featured in the Comic Book:

Rocket Power
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
As Told By Ginger
The Fairly OddParents
ChalkZone
All Grown Up
My Life as a Teenage Robot
Danny Phantom
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Catscratch

Specials

Main article: Nickelodeon Magazine Presents

Nickelodeon Magazine Presents, later retitled Nickelodeon Comics, was a series of one-shot special issues put out by Nickelodeon Magazine. The specials often prominently featured a selected Nicktoon, usually to promote a special episode of the show that was about to air. These magazines mainly contained comics, either newly-made stories or two-page shorts reprinted from Nick Magazine, but also featured articles, puzzles, and poster inserts.