The Rogue Less Traveled

My sister handed me a copy of a new magazine. My reaction was, "Oh no! Not another one."

Magazines do come and go and I'm not quite sure about this one getting far. There are dozens of titles in the magazine stand, very much like those you see in movies scenes on the sidewalks of Manhattan with a newstand in the backgroiund. The difference is that in Manila, you can always go for the back issues section where you can get magazines at 3 for P100, or even less. It's a fire sale and seemingly desperate attempt to recover whatever they can for the printing costs.

Anyway, back to Rogue. I googled it and found that it was a men's magazine in the US back in the 60's as a sort of alternative to Playboy. Like Playboy with class, if you can imagine it. (Google it and read more). This Rogue version in the Philippines is indeed going for the alternative. I just browsed through it. Nice printing and heavy paper are all I can say for now.

Most magazines when they are launched in Manila always carry the line, "We're better than..." When Maxim was launched, they said that they're better than FHM, the leading men's magazine. Rogue Philippines says men's lifestyle on the edge. My response is, "Good Luck!" It's not easy fighting for magazine stand space and for the tight advertiser budget. I hope this Rogue does have legs. My sister is a contributor.