BEAR is back in print, and publisher Richard Jones shares all the exciting details of what’s to come

BEAR, the iconic magazine that defined a generation of rugged, furry masculinity, is returning to print this September after 15 years away. Pre-orders open soon, giving fans the chance to reserve the first issue and right now Early Bird Subscriptions are available for the lowest prices they’ll ever be offered. The new quarterly BEAR will also be available to buy online, at major bear events and in limited retail stores.

The original Bear Magazine was founded in 1987 in San Francisco by partners Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson, and quickly became a defining visual and cultural touchstone for a then-fringe corner of queer life — an aesthetic that still shapes bear culture globally today. After ceasing publication in 2002, the title was revived in 2008 for a further two years in print before moving online in the 2010s, eventually fading out altogether and leaving a bear-shaped hole in the global community.

In 2024, ownership passed to Richard Jones, an experienced LGBTQ+ media publisher who had also founded and published the hugely successful Bear World Magazine. He quickly began formulating plans for a triumphant return for the magazine and in the interim launched a website to begin to ensure the iconic brand was not lost to time completely. 

Now, after nearly two years of work and refinement, building a team of photographers, writers and designers, Richard is ready to bring back the iconic title – BEAR is a lovingly reimagined version of the classic Bear Magazine, bringing over the classic features including beautifully shot beefy models, sexy stories and even the classic personal ads, reimagined for a new age. Fans of the original Bear Magazine will be able to clearly see the lineage in the new BEAR, while newcomers to the title will experience a magazine fit for the 21st Century.

I was really excited to sit down with Richard to talk about BEAR and his plans for the historic relaunch.

Bryce Quartz: Hey there, Richard, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today! I’m excited to chat about all the hard work you’ve been putting into BEAR lately. How have you been doing lately?

Richard Jones: Bryce it’s great to talk, I’ve been doing great thank you. It’s been so crazy to even be thinking about a print magazine, my friends and colleagues will tell you I have avoided the mention of print for so many years, but I think the way the world is, the way the social media platforms are and the resurgence of physical media we’re seeing, not just magazines, but films, music and even Atari relaunching its original console, that the time is perfect to bring it back to life. 

Bryce: To get some background, can you tell our readers a little bit about BEAR and share some highlights of it’s history for those who don’t know what it is?

Richard: Oh gosh its a long story and for a full-ish history the best thing to do is check out its Wikipedia. Bear Magazine was launched in San Francisco in 1987 by Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson – the original first edition is very rare as it was basically photocopied and was there were only 45 copies. It grew into something so very iconic and by 2002, it was part of a thriving bigger business that also created other niche magazines aimed at other parts of the gay male community. Then the IRS shut them down and the brand was acquired by Butch Media in 2006 who ran a sort of second incarnation of the magazine until roughly 2012. Then the brand passed on to an anonymous business benefactor who I acquired it from. 

Bryce: You recently announced some very exciting news for BEAR; physical print editions are coming back after 15 years! What initially sparked the idea to start printing physical editions of this historic XXX magazine again?

Richard: A number of things, with the ownership of the brand fully passing to me I wanted to see how we could bring it back to life. We started with the website which I just didn’t have enough time to truly make work the way I wanted, but my ultimate goal is to save and preserve the archive. With all the changes and different owners of Bear over the years, there are no digital records of any part of it, no photos or model releases, so it’s very difficult to reprint in any way. So I thought that with the ownership of the brand and logo, why not recreate it! I talked to photographers like Mack Sturgis and John at Real Men Real Life who jumped at the chance to be part of the rebirth and it sort of snowballed from there. 

Bryce: Running a magazine, whether digitally or physically, requires a lot of time and effort that goes beyond just one person being able to manage everything. What does your BEAR team look like and who can we expect to be contributing to it? 

Richard: Well yes you are correct, I am just a conductor of an orchestra of very very talented people! The launch cover features Jason Morris shot by Mack Sturgis, and we have more models inside photographed by John Orbit of Real Men Real Life, Jeremiah Damian, and Tristan Sutphin. Our Fashion Shoot is by Catalin Stelian, with models John Hernandez, Avery O’Leach and Richard Rider; our erotic story is actually a real life account of a bear orgy at Ptown Bear Week by Zach Zane, with an Illustration by Justin T Russo; and we have an advice column called Daddy Knows Best by Cody Daigle-Orians. We also have features on Syluss Fortay, Maxwell Christen, Bear Pad, and the Fashion shoot is featuring clothing by Devious Saint. I am also honored to say that we have a beautiful article by Les K Wright, the talented Bear Historian who used to write for the original Bear Magazine.

Bryce: What kind of content can we expect to see on BEAR Magazine and will there be exclusive content specifically for the print editions only?

Richard: The content will be really varied over the issues ahead – we will have erotic bear photography showcasing hot bears from around the US and possibly the world. These shoots will be fully nude honoring the classic Bear Magazine. We will also have all kinds of features & interviews on various bears, locations, history, and bear culture.

You really need to get your hands a copy, it will be different every time, One thing we are making sure to include every edition is recommendations of other physical media, so other magazines, music, books and films that are all available to physically own, to further promote the resurgence of physical media. We will not recommend anything that can only be streamed, it has to be available to buy in a store or online at the artists’ own site. I’m also excited that we’ll be recommending other queer magazines too that we think the bears will like to help promote our fellow print titles.

Bryce: With the continued rise in demand for physical media, I’m anticipating these to sell out quickly. Where can we get a copy, how much will the print editions be, and can they be purchased outside of the United States or in person?

Richard: Great question and we have many ways to buy. First off you can subscribe on our site over at thebearmag.com/print. As other options open up, like the pre-orders, this page will list them out. It will be $25 per issue plus shipping and handling fees (and tax if you live in certain States). The magazines will be delivered all over the world to countries we can legally mail it too, and they’ll be sent in discreet plain packaging.

We will also be in some retailers around the world, and we already have a few signed up in the US, Australia, Scotland, and possibly South Africa.

I will also be taking the magazine on the road as well to various bear events and bear nights around the US. We are already confirmed to be vending at Urban Bear in September in NYC, IBC in Feb next year, and we are actively planning events in Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, and we will also be a sponsor of Key West Bear Weekend 2026 too where all pass holders will get a free copy of the launch edition. Vending and annual subscriptions will attract discounts too so look out for those that are currently running till the end of August. 

Bryce: Although I am very excited for the print editions of BEAR, I am curious if people will be able to purchase digital editions or if there will also be exclusive content digitally?

Richard: We will still be running the website and this will be home to news stories and features that aren’t in the printed issue, plus we just launched the new BEAR Calendar where anyone can list their bear event for free. But the printed content of the magazine will not be fully reproduced on the site – to see all that exclusive content you will have to buy the magazine.

Bryce: Speaking of what will be published digitally, will there eventually be an archive of the vintage print editions of BEAR Magazine?

Richard: It’s very complicated to do that with the missing paperwork – my goal once we are up and running is to fully investigate the legal requirement to reproduce the older magazines in some way – watch this space!

Bryce: Since the re-launch in 2023, the BEAR Magazine Twitter and BlueSky accounts have consistently supported all kinds of NSFW content creators by resharing, commenting, and liking posts. Will this still be a major focus of those socials moving forward and what can we expect to see from BEAR Magazine across all social media platforms?

Richard: Short answer YES – we will promote all kinds of bears and bear creators on our social as well as all of our own content. We will share highlights of the BEAR Calendar of course and I am sure we will do collabs and posts of all kinds of things we know our bears love. 

Bryce: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today, Richard! You’ve shared a lot of exciting news here, and I can’t help but be giddy inside about it all. Are there any other secrets or hints to the future you’d like to share here or should we just follow BEAR Magazine’s social media for all the updates?

Richard: Thanks Bryce, and of course I must mention that you are contributing to BEAR with your ‘Music To F*ck To’ column and helping in the background as well, so it’s great to shout about your contributions too!

Follow BEAR on all socials and sign up for the newsletter for all the latest updates ahead of pre-orders opening: linktr.ee/thebearmag