In 1993, Blackburn formed AEG to publish Shadis as a quality small-press magazine, and brought on John Zinser and David Seay as partners.

Many readers were also drawn to a small comic strip, Knights of the Dinner Table,[1] which was initially a filler, intended to fill a blank spot in the magazine, but later took on a life of its own.

[5] In drawing lessons from this magazine's demise, Wolfgang Baur, the editor-in-chief of Kobold Quarterly, thought it was a mistake for Shadis to rely too heavily on content that was not focused on fantasy in general and Dungeons & Dragons in particular.

[7] In addition to Knights of the Dinner Table, comic strips Fineous Fingers and Bright Future also proved to be very popular.

[8] In the August 1994 edition of Dragon (Issue 208), Lester Smith wrote a favourable review, saying "A truly independent publication, it covers a wide range of topics in the gaming hobby, and always entertains.