PRINTGood Bad Ugly
Like the spaghetti western from which its name derives, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has become a classic — at least to us. For our anniversary, Vox turns its critical gaze upon itself. Ten years provide plenty of time to screw up ...
May 15, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Good
One of our nation’s darkest hours provided one of Vox’s brightest moments. After the tragedy of Sept. 11, Vox interrupted its planned schedule and eschewed its standard departments to provide a definitively local look at a tragedy with worldwide ramifications.
In 2004, we cribbed the oft-used “30 Under 30” magazine motif and applied it to Columbia. Between the first incarnation and the 2007 version, we’ve brought you a grand total of 60 culturally relevant young’uns. Judging by its popularity, there’ll be 90 soon enough.
Along with political issues such as the war in Iraq and skyrocketing gas prices taking center stage, gay marriage jumped back into in the national debate with the proposal of legislation to legalize it. In 2005, Vox examined Missouri’s state law and shed some light on how the issue directly affected Columbians.
Bad
In our introductory issue, no fewer than three pages were devoted to 1998’s disaster remake of Godzilla. If you’d grown sick of all the official Godzilla Web sites, Vox suggested you try Barry’s Temple of Godzilla (now defunct, sadly). Looks as though we were dispensing helpful advice from the beginning.
We like to think we’re on the cusp of current culture, but maybe we occasionally jump too enthusiastically onto the ol’ bandwagon. Case in point: our eight-page cover story on bingo. “In the world of bingo, there is no mercy” reads one line — same goes for the mag industry.
Theme issues are an interesting opportunity for cohesive, provocative packaging and design. Take this sterling package, for example. An entire issue revolving around cheese, on the other hand, could probably stand another trip to the drawing board.
Ugly
Over the years, we’ve foolishly given a lot of movies our highest rating. But none of those come close to the trash bin we told you to rent in June 1999: Spice World. The movie, nominated for 6 Razzies and winner of the worst new actress award, is not even justifiable as a guilty pleasure.
Vox ran a photo of a beer-soaked frat boy at a professional wrestling event. His intense look and lazy eye provided one of the most unsettling pictures to ever run and makes one wonder who is crazier: the guys in the ring with the tacks in their backs or the screaming lunatics outside?
Vox supported the most catastrophic foreign policy decision in recent history! In a piece about invading Iraq, our columnist dismissed Rep. Dick Gephardt’s request to not invade Iraq without a viable escape plan as a plot “to arrest the question of military intervention so (he) can draft plans for a democratic paradise.”
