With cover blurbs ranging from “Ancient city under Giza!” and “Fractional Reserve Banking as economic parasitism” to “Early puberty linked to hormone mimics” and “Out-of-body experiences: a doorway to knowledge” who wouldn’t be moved to buy the magazine out of sheer curiosity if nothing else? That and the fact a quick thumb through revealed Nexus had a section entitled “Twilight Zone” in which a rather peculiar story about an alleged time traveler from 2036 is discussed cinched it for me. Yes, I admit it, morbid curiosity is the reason I bought this, my first copy of Nexus. Looking at it before me now I have to say that it is a rather odd little zine. Nexus has review sections for books, DVDs, and music near the back while sections on science and global news are spread out between the numerous articles. Odder still is the fact that each section has its own unique format and layout. For instance the letters to the editor section is done up in four columns, while the global news section that follows suddenly shifts to a three column format with a cartoon imbedded near the bottom of each page, that’s right I said cartoon! You remember cartoons, little bits of fluffy funny, well Nexus has its fair share. Nice change of pace from the other strange phenomena magazines I’m used to reading. That’s not all that’s unusual about Nexus either. For instance the articles all seem to have a standard two-column format with a blurbs box center page, while reviews and fluff pieces are presented in three columns sans blurb. The effect is that Nexus has a uniform appearance, a format that rather than seeming monotonous is instead a great help when casually flipping through the magazine. Nicely done.

Criticism: I only have one real complaint about this magazine and that is pertaining to the contents page. It is out of sync with the rest of the magazine. The reason, in my opinion, is probably due to something so simple as someone forgetting to take into account the fact that illustrations and variations in page layout affects pagination.

Synopsis

I really don’t know where to begin summarizing Nexus. In point of fact this was the first of three magazines I picked up recently, yet it is the last to have a review written. I think that says something for the tone and style of Nexus. It takes digesting. In a way it feels like a cross between Scientific American and Newsweek (sort of) while at the same time skirting the edges of UFO Magazine- not the UK one- or . . I’m not sure what. So let me tell you what Nexus is not. It‘s not the sort of pompous wishy-washy new age tabloid magazine full of articles written by pretentious pretenders to knowledge. Sure, it has it‘s share of dip-shit, but it‘s mixed into the loam as fertilizer where it belongs.

Rating: Nexus is a hard magazine to rate. It bills itself as a “an international bi-monthly alternative news magazine” with the top cover banner promising an eclectic mix of content ranging from stories “behind the news” to articles on health, UFOs, and future science. UFO Magazine this is not. Nexus is note even Fate. Yet it would definitely be a complimentary magazine to purchase with them. I there rate Nexus 8 out of 10 golden apples for content, layout, and being a potential spiritual successor of Omni.

Full Name: NEXUS New Times (Vol 11, No 3, May - June 2004 Issue)

Page Count: 88.

Price: $4.95 US, $6.95 CAN, $ 5.95 AUD

URL: http://www.nexusmagazine.com

Are you curious about mysterious phenomenon? Are you running a pulp adventure thriller and are looking for madcap ideas? Granted role-playing games come and go like leaves blowing on a chill autumn wind, but I really think that Nexus is the sort of magazine that anyone playing in, or running, anything remotely resembling a dark speculative fiction environment or games set in alternative versions of Earth, especially those presenting near to far future visions of our world as found in games like Call of Cthulhu, Aberrant, Conspiracy X, Dystopia, Unknown Armies, Chill, Paranoia, Timelords, or maybe even Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Are the articles that good? Not really, which isn’t to say they are bad, but there’s more than just articles to this magazine. For instance it has a number of ads for really bizarre products with great potential to be used in a RPG. For instance there is an entire page of ads for, I kid you not, “Brain Tuners” and ads for products promising to stop cancer, arthritis pain, cure AIDS, and great googly-moogly there‘s even an ad selling a “Wishing Machine”! Can’t you just picture something like that turning up in a steam punk adventure? True these are probably the sorts of devices the AMA would probably dump into the ditch labeled quackery and quickly pave over with a walk-in clinic. But, hey, for a GM they are a gold mine of crazy devices to throw at unsuspecting characters.