Characters in magazine were more up-to-date (5)
I believe the answer is:
newer
'more up-to-date' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'characters in magazine were' is the wordplay.
'characters in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'NEWER' is hidden within 'magazine were'.
(Other definitions for newer that I've seen before include "More pristine or recently invented" , "Fresher, not as old" , "More current" , "More modern" , "More recent" .)