OMNI became one of the most influential science-focused magazines of the late-’70s and 1980s, helping bring science fiction and futurism into the mainstream at a time when interest in the genre was surging.
What Is It?
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine launched in 1978 by publisher Bob Guccione and Kathy Keeton. Combining serious articles about science, technology, futurism, paranormal topics, and speculative ideas with high-profile science fiction stories and striking artwork, the magazine quickly became one of the most distinctive genre publications of its era. It attracted major writers, scientists, artists, and futurists and helped bridge the gap between mainstream science reporting and speculative fiction. Published monthly through most of its run, OMNI became known for its slick presentation, eye-catching covers, and willingness to tackle both hard science and fringe concepts. During its first decade, it featured fiction from some of the biggest names in science fiction like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Harlan Ellison while also giving exposure to up-and-coming talent like George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, and William Gibson. And the magazine covered topics ranging from artificial intelligence and space exploration to genetic engineering, UFOs, psychic phenomena, robotics, and the future of computers.
Publisher: OMNI Publications International
Launched: October 1978
Created By: Bob Guccione, Kathy Keeton
First Published: October 1978
Final Print Issue: Winter 1995
Notable Editors: Ben Bova, Ellen Datlow and others
Legacy:
OMNI arrived just as the sci fi boom sparked by Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind was starting to explode, and it capitalized on a growing fascination with science, technology, and the future. The magazine stood apart from traditional sci fi publications because it was not solely focused on fiction. Instead, it mixed scientific journalism, speculative essays, interviews, and imaginative artwork with stories from major genre authors. That combination gave it crossover appeal beyond the core science fiction readership.
A Closer Look:
Back in the late-’70s, science fiction was going through a resurgence in popularity. Star Wars had become a phenomenon, Star Trek was thriving in syndication and heading toward a feature film revival, and bookstores were increasingly dedicating shelf space to sci fi and fantasy novels. At the same time, interest in science and futurism was also growing as personal computers, video games, and advances in space exploration captured the public imagination. And that was the moment at which OMNI arrived on newsstands.
Publisher Bob Guccione was best known for Penthouse magazine, but he and Kathy Keeton envisioned OMNI as something far more ambitious than a standard men’s magazine spin-off. They wanted a glossy, high-end publication that explored the future through both science and speculative fiction. The magazine immediately stood out because of its production quality, delivering covers and interior art that were both bold and surreal. The interior artwork was often stunning, and the layout looked far more modern than many of the pulp-inspired sci fi magazines still on shelves at the time.
One of the crucial decisions the magazine made was bringing in established science fiction writer Ben Bova as editor. He helped give the publication credibility within the sci fi community and attracted major talent. During its first decade, OMNI published fiction from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Harlan Ellison, William Gibson, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, Connie Willis, and many others. In fact, several notable stories first appeared in OMNI during those early years, including William Gibson’s cyberpunk classic “Burning Chrome,” which helped establish the tone and themes that would define cyberpunk fiction throughout the decade. The magazine also became an important venue for experimental and boundary-pushing speculative fiction during its run.
But the fact is that OMNI was much more than a fiction magazine. Each issue mixed short stories with articles about cutting-edge science and technology, with some topics proving remarkably prescient. The magazine discussed artificial intelligence, virtual reality, genetic engineering, robotics, and global networking years before those ideas became part of everyday conversation. Other articles leaned into more speculative territory, covering UFOs, ESP, cryptids, psychic phenomena, and fringe science. That occasionally hurt the magazine’s credibility, particularly with more skeptical readers, but it also gave OMNI a unique personality that separated it from more conservative science publications.
The artwork was another major part of the appeal. OMNI regularly featured surreal and futuristic illustrations from prominent artists such as H. R. Giger, John Berkey, Chris Moore, Robert McCall, and more, giving the magazine a visual identity unlike almost anything else on the stands. Even readers who did not care much about the articles were attracted to the magazine simply because the covers looked so striking.
During its first ten years—considered by many to be the height of the magazine’s run—OMNI captured, through its fiction and articles, the excitement and uncertainty of an era when people genuinely believed the future was arriving fast. Space colonies, advanced robotics, genetic breakthroughs, and computer revolutions all seemed just around the corner. The magazine reflected both the optimism and anxiety surrounding those possibilities and definitely made a lasting impression on those who picked it up.
Notable Stories:
Along with William Gibson’s “Burning Chrome” from 1982, which introduced many of the concepts that would become central to cyberpunk, here are some other notable stories that appeared during OMNI‘s run:
“Dogfight” (1985) By William Gibson and Michael Swanwick
One of the notable cyberpunk stories of the era, exploring virtual reality, social alienation, and future technology.
“Sandkings” (1979) By George R. R. Martin
One of Martin’s most famous science fiction works and winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. It tells the story of a collector who acquires a colony of intelligent insect-like creatures with disastrous consequences.
“Unaccompanied Sonata” (1979) By Orson Scott Card
A powerful examination of art, creativity, and social control. It remains one of Card’s most acclaimed short works.
“Schrödinger’s Kitten” (1988) By George Alec Effinger
A Hugo Award-winning story that cleverly explores alternate realities and quantum mechanics.
“The Last of the Winnebagos” (1988) By Connie Willis
A touching and often heartbreaking story set in a future transformed by disease and regulation. It won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
“Blood Music” (1983) By Greg Bear
A groundbreaking biotechnology story that later expanded into a novel. It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and helped define modern biotech science fiction.
Cancelled Too Soon?
The print edition of OMNI Magazine ran for 17 years and approximately 200 issues, so it was certainly not cancelled too soon, though many would have liked to see it continue. A webzine version was launched in September 1996, but that only lasted about one year, and the magazine ceased publication at that point.
Should It Be Rebooted?
There have been a few attempts to bring OMNI back over the last few decades, first in 2013 with “a new online project” when older, unpublished materials from the magazine were discovered. Nothing came of that, though, and in 2017 Penthouse Global Media acquired the rights to the property and put out a new print edition with a cover date of Winter 2017. No additional issues were published, and nothing is currently in the works that I am aware of. With magazines continuing to decline in popularity as the internet dominates the media scene, it seems unlikely that OMNI will make a return, but it would certainly be a welcome sight on the newsstands for myself and other sci fi fans who still appreciate print media.
Interesting Facts:
The first online version of OMNI launched on CompuServe in 1986, years before the World Wide Web became a thing. These were digital extensions of the print magazine that included selected articles, fiction, forums, chats, and archive material from the regular print publication. That was later expanded to AOL in 1993, and the original run of the magazine ended with web-exclusive content that appeared from 1996 to 1997.
The magazine often blurred the line between legitimate scientific speculation and fringe science topics with coverage of UFOs, ESP, psychic phenomena, and other paranormal subjects. That was controversial for some readers, but others appreciated OMNI‘s attempt to push the boundaries.
The magazine gave major exposure to new writers and emerging subgenres. Cyberpunk in particular benefited from OMNI‘s willingness to publish stories that felt more experimental and technologically grounded than traditional space opera.
Where Can You Read It?
A complete omnibus of the magazine has never been compiled, but several books have been published which collect articles and fiction from OMNI’s extensive run (more on those at this link). The back issues of the magazine are not unreasonably priced, so you could search those out at places like Ebay.
Further Reading:
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
