As my friend Jason Killingsworth says, “Print is dead…sexy.” Though we were forced to suspend our print edition this year, we’re still believers in beautiful images and words printed on paper. There’s nothing that compares to standing opposite a newsstand full of magazines on every topic you could—or would want to—imagine. One of the aspects of my print job I’ll most miss was joining top editors from nearly every major magazine each year to judge the National Magazine Awards. Each time, I’d discover new titles finding creative ways to delight and surprise their respective audiences.
So while we no longer publish print, we certainly still cherish it, and these magazines are the biggest reason why. Of course, our bias towards subjects we’re most interested in is probably apparent. Here, then, we celebrate our 20 favorite magazines of 2010.
20. Decibel
Decibel covers heavy rock ‘n’ roll authoritatively and without ever taking itself too seriously. (It’s worth noting that GWAR is on the magazine’s cover this month, and that a few issues back it was a comic-book-stylized, sword-wielding Glenn Danzig riding a wolf). The result is the best metal magazine on the newsstand, rife with great writing and refreshing features like the excellently titled Brewtal Truth beer column. As a bonus, Decibel recently announced its Flexi Series, wherein subscribers will henceforth receive a limited-edition vinyl record (filled with exclusive tracks from Decibel-covered artists) with every issue of the monthly magazine. Austin L. Ray
19. Garden & Gun
With a name like Garden & Gun and a decidedly Old-South gentility, this regional title might have found few fans outside of Charleston and Savannah under the age of 50. But with stunning photography and engaging writing, the magazine has exceeded every expectation. I was once in a room with other magazine editors in New York seeing G&G for the first time, and I enjoyed watching their attitudes change from condescension to admiration as they flipped through its pages. It warmed my Southern heart. Josh Jackson
18. Afar
My first big freelance assignment out of college was a cover story for a short-lived travel ‘zine called Big World. Its mission was to offer an alternative to luxury, service-oriented publications who treated travel like a birthright and tell the stories of adventure-loving wanderers. Afar is its glossier torch-bearer for braver, down-to-earth travel. By giving importance to the people we meet on our journey beyond those giving massages or serving lobster, it’s more a magazine about travel stories than pampered retreats. Josh Jackson
17. Make
If you have a desire to not only understand how everything works, but learn how to do it yourself, Make is your new Bible. From bamboo bicycles to a high-resolution spectograph (allowing you to determine chemical components by analyzing the light they emit—for those of you not already subscribing), the five-year-old title has out popular-mechanic-ed Popular Mechanics.
