(Escape started life in February 1978 as a "bar rag" type format magazine, named The Milwaukee Calendar. That early publication was bought by the publishers of Gay Chicago magazine in 1980 and became Gay Milwaukee for about one year before being morphed into Wisconsin's Escape magazine. The issues of the one year that Wisconsin's Escape existed as a small "bar rag" type format magazine are shown at this link. Then, early in October 1982, Escape became affiliated with Chicago's GayLife newspaper: numbering was restarted as "Volume 1", and it was converted into first a magazine size (8.5"x11"); and later a newspaper format, which was inserted as "Part B" in Wisconsin area distributions of GayLife newspaper. All new "Volume 1" issues we have been able to locate are shown on this page.)

Volume 1 -- October 1982 to December 1982 (Interim size: 8.5" wide x 11" tall (11x17 sheets folded and stapled in center)
vol.1-no.01 October 7, 1982 View full issue as PDF	vol.1-no.02 October 21, 1982 View full issue as PDF	vol.1-no.04 November 18, 1982 View full issue as PDF	vol.1-no.05 December 2, 1982 View full issue as PDF

Volume 1 -- January 1983 to July? 1983 (newspaper size)
vol.1-no.16 May 5, 1983 View select pages	vol.1-no.17 May 19, 1983
	vol.1-no.20 June 30, 1983 View select pages

(Escape started life in February 1978 as a "bar rag" type format magazine, named The Milwaukee Calendar. That early publication was bought by the publishers of Gay Chicago magazine in 1980 and became Gay Milwaukee for about one year before being morphed into Wisconsin's Escape magazine. The issues of the one year that Wisconsin's Escape existed as a small "bar rag" type format magazine are shown at this link. Then, early in October 1982, Escape became affiliated with Chicago's GayLife newspaper: numbering was restarted as "Volume 1", and it was converted into first a magazine size (8.5"x11"); and later a newspaper format, which was inserted as "Part B" in Wisconsin area distributions of GayLife newspaper. All new "Volume 1" issues we have been able to locate are shown on this page.)

Go to:     <--Covers of Wisconsin's Escape, bar-rag magazine format

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Disclaimer-- Any publications reproduced here are shown without release because we have been unable to locate the copyright holder, if any. Their reproduction is intended to document and honor those who made such early contributions to the community and with full desire to include proper credit, if known. We will remove any reproductions immediately upon notification of or from any valid copyright holder.

Credits: All cover images and text from Escape copyrighted;
Copies of issues for v01-01, 02, 04, 05 from Ron Thate (Rona) collection.
Page design and format by Don Schwamb.
Last updated: April-2024.

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