Significant Collection of 43 Issues of PLANET HOMO [with] 9 Issue Run of YES!

52 issues: 8 3/4 x 7 inches or 11 x 7 inches. Various paginations. Stapled wrappers, with black-and-white illustrations. Minor wear to a few corners; else very good or better overall. A significant collection of Planet Homo, an irreverent, bi-monthly guide to L.A.'s underground LGBTQ+ entertainment scene, together with a near complete run of its successor publication, Yes! The collection includes the following issues: Planet Homo (L.A.): 024, 030, 033, 040-058, 060-081 Yes!: 082-88, 90-91. Devoted throughout these issues primarily to LGBTQ nightlife, Planet Homo and, later, Yes!, nevertheless developed noticeably over the course of its brief publication history, becoming a source of important and often acidly funny LGBTQ+ cultural critique of the 1990s. In the earlier issues offered here it is a rather thin publication marketed as "L.A.'s Pocket Party Guide" and includes the expected short listings of LGBTQ+ dance clubs, bars, theatre performances, music concerts, movies, etc., accompanied by classifieds, a "letters to the editor" section, a "resources" section, and a section aptly titled "Dish", which provides a gossipy account of goings on about town. However, by issue #030, the "pocket party guide" tagline was dropped from the cover, and long feature interviews with musicians and actors vie with club listings for space; by issue #056, the magazine has quite literally grown, from 8 3/4 inches tall to 11 inches tall. It also includes regular columns, substantive articles, and a horoscope section, alongside the usual entertainment listings, classifieds, and plethora of phone sex ads. Subjects of notable cultural critique include the introduction of LGBTQ+ themes into contemporary cartoons, the LGBTQ+ advocacy of stand-up comedian Margaret Cho, drug use in the LGBTQ+ community, John Waters' films, the O.J. Simpson trial ("Heterocide: The Tragic Straight Lifestyle"), drag performances, gay bashing, and much, much more. Covers range from offbeat and quirky to the provocative "Hey Fag Read This" (#062). All in all, an important collection documenting not only L.A.'s LGBTQ+ nightlife, but the way a certain segment of the LGBTQ+ community chose to confront, celebrate, and fight to change the cultural legacy of the 1990s.