The Spring 2017 issue of Fly Fusion is set to hit newsstands on Feb 21st, 2017.

Fly Fusion is one of the few niche magazines in Canada that has managed to become a top contender in its category in the USA.

For the 10th year in a row, Fly Fusion’s sales in the USA have increased.  In 2016, sales were up 6%.

The Spring 2017 issue of Prairies North features an iconic image from Saskatchewan’s rural landscape.

Art Director Lionel Hughes chose this cover image from a short list of winners of a photo contest the magazine sponsored.

Like many regional magazines, images that celebrate the “home land” are often winners.

The cover price has been raised from $6.95 to $7.99.  The last time the cover price increased was in 2005, from $5.95 to $6.95.

The Feb 13th, 2017 issue of the New Yorker is the 92nd  Anniversary issue.

According to their website, the annual anniversary issue “would feature some version of Rea Irvin’s classic image of the monocled dandy Eustace Tilley.”

However, the site goes on to say, “This year, as a response to the opening weeks of the Trump Administration, particularly the executive order on immigration, we feature John W. Tomac’s dark, unwelcoming image, “Liberty’s Flameout.” “It used to be that the Statue of Liberty, and her shining torch, was the vision that welcomed new immigrants. And, at the same time, it was the symbol of American values,” Tomac says. “Now it seems that we are turning off the light.”

It will be interesting to see how this dark, depressing cover sells.  I’m sure it has a good chance of success in New York, New York, and in Hollywood, California, but doubt it will work in the so-called “fly over states” in between.  It will be interesting to see how it sells in Canada.

I’ll Check Up on it later in the year.

The February issue of VILLAGE magazine (out of Dublin, Ireland) is creating quite a buzz.  It shows crosshairs on Donald Trump’s head, with the provocative words “Why Not?”, raising the question: is assassinating the President of the Untied States worth considering?

This disturbing cover created a social media backlash against the magazine.  But Editor Michael Smith has strongly denied the allegation that the cover is supporting the assassination of President Trump.   Apparently, the article concludes, after considering arguments both pro and con, that such a solution is not a good idea.

One of my 36 Cover Rules is, Rule #6:  Be Controversial.

But perhaps the cover isn’t as controversial as critics might think.  After all, musicians such as Madonna and Big Sean have mused about taking out Trump.  Madonna gave a speech where she said that she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”   And Big Sean rapped on a live radio show the following words, ” I might just kill ISIS with the same icepick / That I murder Donald Trump in the same night with.”  And apparently, according to an article on Mashable, there are over 12,000 tweets on Twitter that have called for the new president’s assassination.

Perhaps the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity still applies in the era of “click bait”.

Look for it on newsstands February 27th, 2017.

Publisher Jennifer Anstey says, “Horse Canada has had the same logo since it launched in 2001, and needed a fresh look to match its vibe. The contents, fonts, and presentation have been updated over the years, but we realized that the package wasn’t complete without a new logo. The new style reflects the friendly yet authoritative tone of the magazine, keeping horses and Canada front and center.”

The Art Director is Sieu Truong.