BLACK: Australian Dark Culture Magazine was conceived by Angela Challis (Editor-in-Chief) and Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Editor and political reporter) as a means of catering to the increasing demand for dark-themed entertainment - an aspect of popular culture that had all but been ignored by Australian magazine publishers. In a 2008 Specusphere article publicising the forthcoming first issue Cummings articulates that 'the magazine is a vehicle to explore the darker side of the human spirit, as well as pop culture and entertainment' (18 June).
Following the publication of Issue No 3 in 2009 BLACK was put into a hiatus period so that it could be relaunched as an online portal for Australian dark culture. Challis and Cummings announced that a key component of this plan was to merge Black with Brimstone Press' award-winning HorrorScope website, which publishes book and movie reviews and acts as the news source for the Australian Horror Writers Association. They also indicated that Black Online would continue to publish many of the feature interviews, articles, and regular columns that appeared in the print edition. Although this relaunching was planned to occur in late 2009, as of August 2010 this has not eventuated.
BLACK covered a wide variety of popular culture and entertainment forms including movies, music and books, fashion, comics, gaming. It also addresses serious social issues that many consider taboo like alternative lifestyles, euthanasia, and political censorship, and offers interviews with celebrities, authors, musicians, and artists. Columns covered additional issues such as witchcraft, bizarre medical cases, while fiction is represented by dark short stories, true crime, bizarre medical cases and dark fantasy.
The magazine also included a classified section called 'Black Market,' a space devoted to creative professionals (i.e. writers, editors, musicians, artists, illustrators, film techs, creative groups) who would like to advertise their services or promote competitions and special events etc.
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