Monday, Jan. 10, 2005

Vices In Vogue

By Jeremy Caplan

Mover over, penthouse. With sexy pics widely available on the Web, old-line skin magazines are suffering--and the number of porn publications launched annually has fallen more than 70% since 1997. But the publishing industry still has plenty of vices to cater to. Here's a sampling of new magazines championing formerly disreputable pastimes. --By Jeremy Caplan

DRINKING'S DELIGHTS

Modern Drunkard pays tipsy tribute to the joys of Heineken and hangovers with a brazenness likely to drive MADD mad. The 8-year-old mag has just been redesigned and expanded; next up, a spin-off book and national convention.

IN YOUR FACE

New Beauty celebrates plastic surgery (a.k.a. "aesthetic medicine") with pics of puffed-up lips, tucked-in tummies and ballooning breasts. In January's debut issue: "Botox: Your Face Was Just the Beginning."

ENVIRONMENTALISTS BE DAMNED

Gas guzzlers, rejoice! Ultimate Hummers revels in the pleasures of cars that make tree huggers cringe. Read about "anti-SUV terrorists" and the lifestyle they threaten. A recent cover line: "Diesel Fuel: Here to Save the Day?"

THEY'RE BETTING YOU BUY IT

Featuring celebrity gamblers like Ben Affleck, All In launched in the fall to cash in on the poker craze. The bimonthly recently covered a $40 million game and featured a pictorial of a poker-star babe. Find tips on how to win too.