ISIS, UK

      Editor Derek Barker, with Tracy Barker.

      Established in 1985, ISIS (called 'DYLAN NEWS ISIS' until #8, then 'ISIS - DYLAN NEWS' until issue 124) ran as a printed fanzine during 37 years till its final paper issue #218 in July 2022. Professionally produced, large A4 format, glossy colour publication, "the magazine provides Dylan enthusiasts with a wide-ranging collection of writings on Bob Dylan."
     In issue #200 (December 2018), Derek Barker wrote:"The first 17 issues were little more than newsletters that I sent free of charge to my ever-expanding circle of Dylan acquaintances, until the photocopying got out of hand and postage became prohibitive". From issue #18, Isis became a real fanzine, made available to subscribers.
     ISIS was published approximately every two months, on glossy paper from issue #41, with a full colour cover from #73.
     #50 was a 70-page special issue ('50th Anniversary Edition').

      Mostly in the 1990s, there was a time when subscribers to ISIS got a News update tucked in with some copies of the magazine. These inserts consisted of four A5 pages on a folded A4 sheet; they were fairly informal and intended to fill the gap between the printing of the magazine and its distribution. These ISIS INSERTS are gathered here.

     Due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the printing of Spring 2020 #207 was delayed; to 'help negate the lenghly delivery times', a 78-page bumper issue #207-8 was published in June 2020.
     Another bumper issue, #212-13 was published in March 2021.

     As annonced in issue 214, "a solution to escalading postal costs is to produce bigger/thicker magazines with more pages but with fewer mailings": four 'bumper issues' will therefore be produced in 2021-2022. This started with issue 215.

     As a consequence of the Brexit and the very confusing situation about VAT collected by EU countries (from nothing to 20€), a possibility to receive Isis as a printable .pdf file was offered to subscribers in September 2021.

     Unfortunately Brexit finally succeeded in killing the printed-on-paper ISIS: in a sad message on 18 July 2022, Derek Barker announced the end of the fanzine, after 37 years of activity: "issue 218 is the last magazine of this subscription year and the final magazine ever. It has been a tough decision, but events of the past two years – Covid, Brexit, and soaring costs worsened by Putin’s war – have combined to make running any subscription-based venture an absolute nightmare. Brexit has made it extremely difficult for us to sell to the EU, but all our reasons for quitting are explained in detail to our subscribers in the latest mag."

     ...but ISIS was not really dead, as it became an e-fanzine from its issue 219. This was announced on 22 August 2022. The digital issues are not noted on CW&C, 'the Bob Dylan Paper Site', but the e-version keeps the same high level of quality as the printed one. The front covers are now all identical, showing a painting by Brian West.

     ISIS was initially (#1 September 1985 - #17 December 1987) a rather confidential 5-page newsletter called 'DYLAN NEWS ISIS', then 'ISIS DYLAN NEWS', and finally just 'ISIS'. There were 17 issues and 2 supplements: one called #16 Supplement, and the other called Temples In Flames Tour Supplement.

#01, September 1985	#02, October 1985	#03, November 1985
#04, Xmas 85, Dec-January	#05, March 1986	#06, March-April 1986
#07, May June 1986	#08, July-August 1986	#09, September-October 1986
#10, Xmas 1986	#11, January 1987	#12, February-March 1987
#13, April-May 1987	#14, May-June 1987	#15, July 1987
#16, August-September 1987	'#16 Supplement', Aug-Sept 1987	#17, Xmas 1987
'Temples In Flames Tour Supplement', late 1987

    The 17 first issues were later (1990-1991) re-published as ISIS DYLAN NEWS REVISITED #1/7, #8/9, #10/11, #12/13, #14/15 and #16/17, in order to make them available to the new subscribers:

#1/7 [Sept 1985-June 1986] June 1991	#8/9 [July-Oct 1986] June 1991	#10/11 [Xmas 1986-June 1987] October 1990
#12/13 [Feb 1987-June 1987] October 1990	#14/15 [May-July 1987] June 1990	#16/17 [August-Xmas 1987] June 1990

     It is only from issue #18 that ISIS became a real fanzine made available to subscribers, starting with a monochrome front cover with drawings and ending with full-colour photos on glossy paper.
     The subtitle 'DYLAN NEWS' disappeared after issue #124; from #51 to #124, it was on a vertical stripe on the left of the front cover with the issue number.
     After issue #172, the date was no more noted on the inner front cover; the reason is that ISIS used to be sold to Virgin, HMV... and as soon as the date had expired on the magazine it was removed from sale and asked for credit. The dates from issue 173 to 206, noted (into bracelets), are therefore approximative but close to accuracy. From #207-8 the dates are those of the reception of the issues.

#18, February-March (?) 1988	#19, April-May (?) 1988	#20, June-August (?) 1988
#21, September 1988	#22, November 1988	#23, February 1989
#24, April 1989	#25, July 1989	#26, September 1989
#27, October 1989	#28, December 1989	#29, February 1990
#30, April 1990	#31, June 1990	#32, August 1990
#33, October 1990	#34, December 1990	#35, February 1991
#36, April 1991	#37, June 1991	#38, August 1991
#39, October 1991	#40, December 1991	#41, February-March 1992
#42, April-May 1992	#43, June-July 1992	#44, August-September 1992
#45, October-November 1992	#46 Dec 1992-January 1993	#47, February-March 1993
#48, April-May 1993	#49, June-July 1993	#50, August-September 1993
#51, October-November 1993	#52, December 1993-Jan 1994	#53, February-March 1994
#54, April-May 1994	#55, June-July 1994	#56, August-September 1994
#57, Oct -November 1994	#58, Dec 1994-January 1995	#59, February-March 1995
#60, April-May 1995	#61, June-July 1995	#62, August-September 1995
#63, October-November 1995	#64, Dec 1995-January 1996	#65, February -March 1996
#66, April-May 1996	#67, June-July 1996	#68, August-September 1996
#69, October-November 1996	#70, December 1996	#71, February 1997
#72, April 1997	#73, June 1997	#74, August 1997
#75, October 1997	#76, December 1997	#77, February-March 1998
#78, April-May 1998	#79, June-July 1998	#80, August-September 1998
#81, October-November 1998	#82, Dec 1998, January 1999	#83, February-March 1999
#84, April-May 1999	#85, June-July 1999	#86, August-September 1999
#87, October-November 1999	#88, Dec 1999, January 2000	#89, February-March 2000
#90, April-May 2000	#91, June-July 2000	#92, August-September 2000
#93, October-November 2000	#94, Dec 2000-January 2001	#95,February-March 2001
#96, April-May 2001	#97, June-July 2001	#98, August-September 2001
#99, October-November 2001	#100, Dec 2001- January 2002	#101, February March 2002
#102, April-May 2002	#103, June-July 2002	#104, August-September 2002
#105, October-November 2002	#106, Dec 2002-January 2003	#107, February-March 2003
#108, April-May 2003	#109, June-July 2003	#110, August-September 2003
#111, October-November 2003	#112, Dec 2003-January 2004	#113, February-March 2004
#114, April-May 2004	#115, June-July 2004	#116, August-September 2004
#117, October-November 2004	#118, Dec 2004-January 2005	#119, February-March 2005
#120, April-May 2005	#121, June-July 2005	#122, September-October 2005
#123, Nov-December 2005	#124, January-February 2006	#125, March-April 2006
#126, May-June 2006	#127,July-August 2006	#128,September-October 2006
#129, Nov-December 2006	#130, January-February 2007	#131, March-April 2007
#132, May-June 2007	#133, July-August 2007	#134, September-October 2007
#135, Nov-December 2007	#136, January-February 2008	#137, March-April 2008
#138, May-June 2008	#139, July-August 2008	#140, September-October 2008
#141, Nov-December 2008	#142, January-February 2008	#143, March-April 2009
#144, May-June 2009	#145, July-August 2009	#146, September-October 2009
#147, Nov-December 2009	#148, January-February 2010	#149, Marc-April 2010
#150, May-June 2010	#151, July-August 2010	#152, September-October 2010
#153, Nov-December 2010	#154, January-February 2011	#155, March-April-2011
#156, May-June 2011	#157, July-August 2011	#158, September-October 2011
#159, Nov-December 2011	#160, January-February 2012	#161, March-April 2012
#162, May-June 2012	#163, July-August 2012	#164, September-October 2012
#165, Nov-December 2012	#166, January-February 2013	#167, March-April 2013
#168, May-June 2013	#169, July-August 2013	#170, September-October 2013
#171, Nov-December 2013	#172, January-February 2014	#173 (April 2014)
#174 (June 2014)	#175 (July-August 2014)	#176 (September-October 2014)
#177 (Dec 2014-January 2015)	#178 (February-March 2015)	#179 (May-June 2015)
#180 (July-August 2015)	#181 (September 2015)	#182 (November 2015)
#183 (December 2015)	#184 (January 2016)	#185 (April 2016)
#186 (June 2016)	#187 (August 2016)	#188 (October 2016)
#189 (December 2016)	#190 (February 2017)	#191 (April-May 2017)
#192 (June 2017)	#193 (July 2017)	#194 (October 2017)
#195 (December 2017)	#196 (February 2018)	#197 (May 2018)
#198 (August 2018)	#199 (October 2018)	#200, (December 2018)
#201 (February 2019)	#202 (April 2019)	#203 (August 2019)
#204 (December 2019)	#205 (January-February 2020)	#206 (March-April 2020)
#207-8, June 2020	#209 August-September 2020	#210 November 2020
#211, January 2021	#212-13, March 2021	#214, June 2021
#215, September 2021	#216, December 2021	#217, March 2022
#218, July 2022 FINAL PAPER ISSUE	ISIS is now an e-fanzine, presented as a .pdf file, downloadable and printable out as a hard copy if needed.	#219 is the first as digital. Inspired by a photo, the front cover changes every fifth issue.