Nineteen ninety-eight was undoubtedly the year of the fanzinethe magazine for teen fans.

Unfamiliar with them? These magazines claim to be up close, exclusive special collector's editions that give you the hottest inside information.

Name a teen idol, and there was probably a magazine devoted to him. From Dawson's Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Spice Girls and NSync, fanzines were unstoppable. Others featured subjects like The Backstreet Boys, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hanson and LeAnn Rimes.

Their multi-colored covers were splashed with the faces of the hottest teen stars. Inside, full-page color pictures and pull-out posters were hot.

Question and answer interviews seemed to be the favored form of editorial contentwhen there was some. Finding out what the stars like and dislike, especially in a mate, had teen girls swooning.

Hit Sensations Presents was one of the largest publishers of these types of magazines last year. And with the addition of Time's Teen People, fanzines exploded.

Here's a sample of what's inside Hit Sensations' Presents Dawson's Creek that includes exclusive news from Capeside: "Perhaps a souvenir postcard reading 'Wish You Were Here' best sums up the sentiment most viewers feel when they become intertwined in the lives of the charming cast of the popular drama series Dawson's Creek."

One minute it's Dawson's Creek that's hot, the next . . .who knows?