EDITOR'S COMMENT—September 2004
Hey, how come you're still reading your last copy of Skin & Ink and here comes another one? Is the postman playing tricks on you? Is it because time passes quickly when you're having fun? That well could be, but it's not the answer. Thanks to reader response, newsstand sales and the good folks at Magna Publishers, Skin & Ink will come out nine times a year, not just half a dozen. That means, every six weeks instead of eight!
We've been dreaming about this for five years. Our file cabinets are overflowing with intriguing articles and eye-popping photographs―but nowhere to put them. Not any more, baby. We have room to spread out. Plus, we're planning more like that special, 16-page bonus magazine that showcased Vinnie Amesse's photos of New York City fireman and their 9/11 tattoos in our September 2003 issue, and the 16-page, monster tattoo flash bonus that Noah gathered in May 2004.
Nine times a year means more coverage, more artists and, of course, more photographs. To kick things off, we've brought back one of your favorite features, Holly Tuesday's Diggin' the Dirt column, but this time, with Uncle Tim Heitkotter at the helm. We've also added an event calendar on our skinandink.com website, not to mention lining up some more of our trademark illustrated covers by some of the finest graphic artists in the world of tattoo.
The best part is, all the Skin & Ink columnists―Matty Jankowski, Teresa Green, C.W. Eldridge, Danielle Oberosler, Travelin' Mick, Tim Heitkotter, Tennessee Dave, C.G. Morris, Marie Baccaro, Ron White and even illustrators Bruce Litz and Greg James, are signed on and raring to go. Plus, of course, your favorite writers like Charles Gatewood, Tim Coleman, Lars Krutak, Mike McCabe, Maury Englander, Michael Laukein, Clayton Patterson, John Monroe and Suzanne Sharp. And don't forget photographers Bernard Clark, Dianne Mansfield, Ronan Spelman, Cherie Hiser, John Wyatt, Ashley Fontenot and so many others.
Okay, fine. Let's all take a deep breath and get back to work. Yes, it's time to celebrate, but it's also time to focus our efforts on maintaining the same standards of excellence that won us Folio Magazine's Eddie award and the support of thousands and thousands of readers around the world. No worries. We'll just take a deep, heady whiff of that good, good green soap and start churning 'em out like we've always done.
Bob Baxter
Editor in Chieff