# Punk (magazine)

Punk was a music magazine and fanzine created by cartoonist John Holmstrom, publisher Ged Dunn, and "resident punk" Legs McNeil in 1975. Its use of the term "punk rock", coined by writers for Creem magazine a few years earlier to describe the simplistic and crude style of '60s garage rock bands, further popularized the term. The founders were influenced by their affection for comic books and the music of The Stooges, the New York Dolls, and The Dictators. Holmstrom later called it "the print version of The Ramones". It was also the first publication to popularize the CBGB scene.
Punk published 15 issues between 1976 and 1979, as well as a special issue in 1981 (The D.O.A. Filmbook), a 25th anniversary special in 2001 and 3 final issues in 2007.
Punk was a vehicle for examining the underground music scene in New York, and primarily for punk rock as found in clubs like CBGB, Zeppz, and Max's Kansas City. It mixed Mad Magazine-style cartooning by Holmstrom, Bobby London and a young Peter Bagge with the more straightforward pop journalism of the kind found in Creem. It also provided an outlet for female writers, artists and photographers who had been shut out of a male-dominated underground publishing scene.
Punk magazine was home to (many of whom were being published for the first time) writers Mary Harron, Steve Taylor, Lester Bangs, Pam Brown, artists Buz Vaultz, Anya Phillips, and Screaming Mad George, and photographers Bob Gruen, Barak Berkowitz, Roberta Bayley and David Godlis. After Dunn left in early 1977 and McNeil quit shortly afterwards, Bruce Carleton (art director, 1977–1979), Ken Weiner (contributor, 1977–79), and Elin Wilder, one of few African Americans involved in the early CBGB/punk rock scene, were added to the staff.
Between April 1976 and June 1979, Chris Stein of Blondie was a contributing photographer. Consequently, the band were regularly featured and Debbie Harry would frequently appear as one of the characters in the photo-stories.

## Issues

A complete list of issues
| Volume | Number | Title | Cover | Date |
| 1 | 1 | Lou Reed | Lou Reed | January 1976 |
| 1 | 2 | Patti Smith | The Two Faces of Patti Smith | March 1976 |
| 1 | 3 | The Ramones | Joey Ramone | April 1976 |
| 1 | 4 | Iggy Pop | The Incredible Iggy | July 1976 |
| 1 | 5 | The Monkees | Micky Dolenz chases Jane | August 1976 |
| 1 | 6 | The Legend of Nick Detroit | Debbie Harry, Judy LaPilusa and Richard Hell | October 1976 |
| 1 | 7 | Patti Smith | Rock'n'roll Patti | February 1977 |
| 1 | 8 | The Sex Pistols | The Sex Pistols | March 1977 |
| 1 | 10 | Blondie | Debbie Harry onstage! | Summer 1977 |
| 1 | 11 | The Dictators | Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators | October/November 1977 |
| 1 | 12 | Robert Gordon | Robert Gordon is Red Hot! | January 1978 |
| 1 | 14 | The Sex Pistols | Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious puppets: Live and in concert! | May/June 1978 |
| 1 | 15 | Mutant Monster Beach Party | The movie poster for Mutant Monster Beach Party | July/August 1978 |
| 1 | 16 | Disco Maniac | Disco sucks! | March/April 1979 |
| 1 | 17 | The Clash | The Clash in a clash | May/June 1979 |
| Special | 1 | D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage The Official Filmbook | Johnny, Sid, Steve and Paul. | April 1981 |
| 2 | 0 | Special 25th Anniversary Issue | | Winter 2001 |
| 1 | 19 | Johnny Heff and The Bullys | Johnny Heff and The Bullys | Winter 2007 |
| 1 | 20 | Sid + Nancy | Sid + Nancy | Summer 2007 |
| 1 | 21 | A Tribute to CBGB | | Fall 2007 |
| 1 | 22 | Iggy Pop - Every Loser | Iggy Pop | Jan 2023 |
| 1 | 23 | Battle Of The Bands | The Misfits | Fall 2024 |
There were no issues 9, 13 or 18