After only two issues, junior lads’ magazine Explode is beginning to implode – if this item at the top of the CBD section in the Sydney Morning Herald is anything to go by:

Suggested pick-up lines in the latest edition of mini-lad’s mag, Explode, include the following: “My dad owns Channel Seven.” The only problem with this highly witty suggestion is Channel Seven owns Pacific Magazines. For its part, Pacific Magazines publishes Explode. Ryan Stokes, the son of Seven chieftain Kerry and a company director, was not amused.

Crikey rang new Explode editor Richie Young this morning, but he wouldn’t comment – although he helped us navigate our way through the bikini clad layout by pointing out what page the cheeky pick up line was on. (see left.)

Apart from offending upper management, the boys at Explode have been suffering a few HR hiccups, with the media section of the Australian this week reporting that launch editor, Stephen “Cowboys” Farrelly, left the little lads mag after the first issue last month. Farrelly is still credited as the editor in issue two and writes in his editorial, “Thankfully we’re monkeys, and as monkeys are capable of working for near nothing for the entertainment of others, issue two is with you, and we’ve made it this far.”

Farrelly didn’t, as it turns out, and some are pointing to the prominent hole in the second issue – pages 27 and 28 had to be removed before going on sale. The official line is the misprint was in a competition item. Pacific wouldn’t comment to The Australian on suggestions that the magazine was censored because of some “unsavoury content involving bullies, porn and spiking drinks.”

Crikey understands that the rumour doing the rounds is that the offending pages had to be pulped because of a “joke” that suggested playing a trick on your mate by feeding him Viagra and tying him up in front of some “gay porn.” Rumour has it that management is also unhappy with the disproportionate number of scantily clad women. According to the rumours Farrelly was either fired or resigned very quickly after the pages were removed.

Crikey called Nick Chan of Pacific Publications to get some extra gossip on the explosions at PP and Ryan Stokes for more pick up lines, but they weren’t available for comment.