"Most of it seemed to make some kind of sense at the time".
SFX #1
June 1995
Price: £3 of your Earth money
Cover: Lori Petty as Tank Girl
Spine line: "I had to drink a lot of beer to get the feel of Tank Girl" - Lori Petty
Staff: Editor Matt Bielby
Deputy Editor Dave Golder
Staff Writer MJ Simpson
Production Editor Dan Goodleff
Art Editor Matt Williams
SFX Beer of the month: Guiness
NEWS
Strange Tales: * 'Why is there so little SF on British TV?' ponders the continued fish-faced indifference of UK TV execs, at least at the four major channels, towards investing in new genre programming, despite the huge popularity of The X-Files, and a corresponding resurgance of interest in SF in both mainstream media and public consciousness. A "Victorian X-Files" from Carlton is mooted, and SFX begins roughly ten years of plaintive speculation regarding the possible resurrection of Doctor Who. 'SFX SAYS' recommends someone take the initiative and purchase the small screen rights to DC/Vertigo Comics' Hellblazer.
* A one-page pictoral shows stills from the imminent Judge Dredd movie, ahead of a full article in SFX #2.
* Sigourney Weaver discusses plans for the upcoming Alien 4 in a short interview.
* New Brit sci-fi action-horror flick, Proteus, starring the then semi-hot shit Craig Fairbrass, is described as an Aliens/The Thing/Die Hard/The Hidden hybrid!
* 'So who is...Larry Niven?' boxout profiles the author and his famous works.
* New TV series, Sliders soon to make it's debut on UK Sky TV
* The tempestuous production history of the ill-fated SeaQuest is reviewed ("Voyage to the bottom of the ratings!")
* Editor Matt Bielby gives the lowdown on Space Precinct, and the accompanying toy range from Vivid Imaginations.
* SFX nails it's tribbles to the wall with 'Star Trek captains compared'; all the time-honoured jokes about Shatner being bald, DS9 being boring, and so on are trotted out in one short feature. We're in safe hands!
* 'Don't quote us!' notes Kevin Costner rumoured to be playing Indiana Jones's brother in new movie sequel, plus a lavish new Sherlock Holmes flick to possibly star Alan Rickman, and US Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) movie on the cards.
* The inaugural 'Objets d'arse' covers the infamous, 18-inch Alien action figure, released in 1979 by Mattel.
* Other news: Forrest Gump trumps Star Wars as third biggest ever grossing film in the USA, audio book versions of Doctor Who novelisations to be released, Zombie God Squad (about zombie Salvation Army workers) movie cancelled following the death of star Peter Cook, Ghost In The Shell to be released in October, Manga movies to be shown in select cinemas around the UK, Superman vs. Aliens comic released, HG Wells commemerative postage stamps produced to mark centenary of The Time Machine, first issue of X-Files comic now chaging hands for £40 or more, David Duchovny's "erotic"thriller series, The Red Shoe Diaries, showing on UK satellite TV (not that that's remotely SF, but just to remind us all how insanely popular The X-Files was) ...
Production Hell: Upcoming attractions listed that eventually made it into cinemas 'on schedule' include Alien 4 ( "long-touted script for an Aliens vs Predator movie has since been superseded by a Joss Whedon story in which the Aliens (at last!) come to Earth." *Released as Alien Resurrection, set entirely in space. ) Apollo 13, Barb Wire, Batman Forever, Congo, Contact, Crash, Deep Impact ( "Prd...Stephen Spielberg. Based on Arthur C Clarke's well-known novel The Hammer of God". *The film ultimately had nothing in common with the book besides the concept of a world-threatening asteroid, although Spielberg had optioned the film rights to the book ), Dragonheart, Escape From Los Angeles (sic) ( "...it's a long way off." *Film actually came out in 1996 ), First Knight, Godzilla ( *SFX reports Jan de Bont departing the production, as his vision for the film would have cost $130 million; "TriStar wants to keep the budget to $100 million." Final film did indeed have a budget of $130 million. ), GoldenEye, Hackers ( "mostly unknown cast of teenagers" *Amongst them Angelina Jolie ), Independence Day, The Indian In The Cupboard, The Island Of Doctor Moreau ( "St Marlon Brando, Gary Oldman" *Made with Brando and Val Kilmer ), Johnny Mnemonic, Jumanji, The Killer Tongue, Lawnmower Man 2, Matilda, Men In Black, Mosquito ( "St Gunnar Hansen" ) Mortal Kombat, Net (sic) ( *Released as The Net ), The Nutty Professor ( "St Eddie Murphy, Jerry Lewis" *Made without producer Lewis )The Phantom ( "Cameron Diaz also stars" *Made without Diaz ), Species, the second Star Trek: The Next Generation movie ( "already has a tentative November 1996 release date" ), Starship Troopers, Strange Days, 12 Monkeys, Virtuosity and Waterworld ( "the most expensive film ever" ).
Ultimately 'delayed' productions listed are A.I. ( *Stanley Kubrick's long-standing pet project "been in development since '89". Finally completed by Stephen Spielberg, released 2001 ), Catwoman ( "Dir Tim Burton. Scr Dan Waters. Michelle Pfeiffer will reprise her role from Batman Returns." *Released in 2004 with none of the above involved, and no connection to any Batman production ), Fantastic Four ( "Dir Chris Columbus" *FF movie finally made in 2005, dir Tim Story ), Indiana Jones 4 ( "Should be ready for Summer '96" *Not quite. SFX would speculate on potential Indy 4 movies for the next 12 years ), The Mask 2 ( "Jim Carey...will reprise his role as Stanley Ipkiss this Summer." *Made as Son Of The Mask, 2005, with only actor Ben Stein appearing from the first film ), Matrix (sic) ( *released 1999 ), Mutant Chronicles ( "Dir Stephen Norrington" * Finally made 2008, dir Simon Hunter ), Planet Of The Apes ( "Prd Oliver Stone...To star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps." *Tim Burton film, released 2001 without Stone or Schwarzenegger ), Predator 3 ( "Fox has recently added this to its project list." *Alien vs. Predator released 2004. Predators in production, 2009 ), Spider-Man ( "Dir/Scr/Prd James Cameron...should go into pre-production in 1995 for a 1996 release." *Cameron's production ultimately shelved. Spider-Man, dir Sam Raimi, released 2002 ), Star Wars: The Clone Wars trilogy ( "The first film...provisional release date of 1998" *Star Wars Episode I, released 1999 ), Superman Reborn ( "Christopher Reeves (sic) left the project, claiming he didn't like Cary Bates' script." *Superman Lives/Reborn concept eventually abandonned. Superman Returns, dir Bryan Singer, released 2006 ), Terminator 3 ( "Dir. James Cameron. St Arnold Schwarzenegger." *Made without Cameron's involvement, 2003 ), V For Vendetta ( "Dir Brett Leonard or Kenneth Brannagh. Scr Hilary Henkin." *Final film directed by James McTeigue, scripted by the Wachowski brothers, 2005 ), Virus ( "Based on the Dark Horse comic." *Released 1999 )
Other movies listed, that remain 'trapped in Hell'; Afterlife ( *Joss Whedon screenplay "cost the studio $1.5 million" remains unproduced ), Battletech ( "Live-action SF based on the role-playing game" ), Concrete ( *Another comic character from Dark Horse "Script has been around for several years now. Should go into production in 1995." ), The Chrysalids ( "Based on the (excellent) novel by John Wyndham" ), Day Of The Triffids ( *Another Wyndham novel "gets the big budget treatment" ), The Day The Earth Caught Fire ( "Dir Jan de Bont...Remake of the 1962 Val Guest classic...Backed by 20th Century Fox, the film has a $40 million budget and should begin shooting in 1996, after de Bont's Twister." ), Dinotopia ( "Based on the best-selling picture novel by James Gurney" *A Dinotopia TV miniseries was made in 2002, followed by a full series lasting one season ), Farenheit 451 ( "A remake, but this time scripted by Ray Bradbury" ), Flash Gordon ( "David S. Goyer has already written the first draft of the script" ), Forbidden Planet ( "Dir Irwin Kershner...This remake...was due to start production in London on 31 October 1994. Date has since drifted." ), Foundation ( "David Henry Hwang's adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic series" ), Jonny Quest ( "Due Summer 1996" ), Legacy ( "A remake of Hammer Horror's 1968 Quatermass And The Pit, and backed by MGM" ), Luke Cage ( "Dir John Singleton...Based on Marvel character, Power Man" ), Manslayer ( "Based on Jay R. Bronaninga's novel, The Black Mariah, about a female psychiatrist who mophs into a comic book character" ) Plastic Man ( "names have been suggested, including Tim Robbins, Bruce Willis and Michael Jackson" *You what?! ), The Quatermass Experiment ( "Hammer/Donner-Shuler Donner Productions" ), The Stars My Destination ( "Dir Paul Anderson...$50 million adaptation of Alfred Bester's classic novel. The flim is set to roll this year" ), Stranger In A Strange Land ( "(*adaptation of) Robert Heinlein novel has Tom Hanks in the lead role" ), The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch ( "Prd Francis Ford Coppola...Based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick...Budget may reach $30 million...Expected to shoot in the UK" ), Total Recall 2 ( "A script exists..." ).
FEATURES
'Big guns, kangaroos and Spunk beer- Tank Girl: An insider's story' (8 pages) by Garry Marshall, assistant editor of Deadline magazine.
As thorough, even-handed and satisfying a BTS article as one could hope for, with input from creators Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. The origins of the character and her rise to fame are explained ( "It seemed the world had just been waiting for a foul-mouthed, lager-swilling, suede-headed ultra-bitch to kick it in the nuts") , as is the struggle to sell Hollywood on the movie. The film-makers certainly seem to have been committed to making something unique and 'cult-y'.
Blue Print spotlights Tank Girl's tank ( "a girl's best friend" ). Art Director Simon Murton and star Lori Petty contribute their thoughts on the genuine WW2 light tank, heavily customized to include rocket thrusters, machine guns, the rear half of a '69 Cadillac, and, of course, lawn furniture!
Editor Matt Bielby talks about the origins of SFX in the very first Neutral Zone (1 page), and fanzine writer Suzi 9mm talks Star Wars, and lusting for Han Solo, in 'SFXCELLENT!'
Dave Langford talks 'The Book on the Edge of Forever', Harlan Ellison's legendary The Last Dangerous Visions, an anthology meant to have seen print in 1972 and which remains in limbo to this day.
John Grant's 'Fantasy at 26 Frames per second' examines the decline of great fantasy literature, versus the boom in great fantasy movies. Like Last Action Hero.
'Whose Who?' by Dave Golder (9 pages), a timeline of events from Doctor Who's cancellation in 1989 onwards, is superb. Witty, comprehensive, written with a fans' passion without the opinion ever overwhelming the story, it's sets the benchmark for many SFX articles to follow.
Also includes one-page stories on glossy, fan-made video productions, The Stranger (starring Colin Baker), Shakedown (featuring the Sontarans) and Downtime (starring Nicholas Courtney, Deborah Watling and the Yeti), as well as the famous, aborted anniversary production, The Dark Dimension.
The SFX Interview: Iain M. Banks by Mary Branscombe (8 pages) is a thoroughly entertaining insight into the Culture series' frank, unpretentious author, who asserts "I regard myself very much as a science fiction writer", but will probably always be remembered first and foremost as the 'mainstream' Iain Banks. 'Iain M. Banks ON Iain M. Banks' covers the 13 SF novels Banks produced since 1984, with the authors brief, idiosyncratic remarks ("Definitely a coke addict!", he says of Complicity, 1993), and a boxout details his next two books. Reading this, one feels guilty at not having actually read any of them!
Behind the scenes at the Creature Shop (4 pages), text by MJ Simpson, includes over 30 behind-the-scenes photos and concept illustrations from the Jim Henson Creature Shop in (surprisingly) Camden, North London, with 'monsters' from The Dark Crystal to the Flinstones movie.
Couch Potato: Star Trek: Voyager sees Matt and Dave, plus friends Clare and Maff (and a cameo by Dave's flatmate, Rich) sittting down with the first six episodes of the latest Trek spin-off series, ahead of its UK television premiere. The general consensus is that the pilot, Caretaker, is excellent, but any goodwill it may have generated has completely evaporated by the fifth episode, at which point Clare and Maff makes their excuses and leave. Happily, Matt and Dave are impressed enough to give the show the benefit of the doubt.
Viewing schedule: 7pm "Caretaker", 9.09pm "Parallax", 10.01pm "Time and Again", 10.53pm "The Phage", 11.45pm "The Cloud", 12.38pm "Eye of the Needle"
Yesterday's Heroes: The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-78) by Jon Abbot, reveals that the fondly remembered action series, based on Cyborg by Martin Caidin, was "primarily conceived as a way of doing Superman on TV without resorting to rights and licensing fees", and that despite its huge popularity, lost much of its bite after the pilot movie, treading the safe, predictable waters of most family fare being made for TV in the '70's.
REVIEWS
Film:
Tank Girl (18), reviewed by Matt Bielby (C+) and Dave Golder (B-)
Two reviews, one from Tank Girl fan Matt, the other from Dave, who's never read the original comic strip. Matt is somewhat disappointed ("no 'roo shagging, for example, and Petty never gets her kit off"), but says "ultimately the film wins you over, despite whatever fears you might have about it being hopelessly bad during the first hour. (And you will think this- at times the film seems almost perversely determined to be shit, but constantly rescues itself at the last moment").
Dave, on the other hand, enjoys the picture far more than he was expecting "Sure, there's the odd stale, lagery whiff of desperation about it in places, but overall it comes up smelling of roses, albeit thorny, greefly-ravaged ones."
Both admit the film is schizophrenic and incoherent, but each finds something to enjoy.
* For the record, the film tanked (fittingly), the Tank Girl creators hated it, and it pretty much killed Deadline magazine.
The Mangler (18), reviewed by Matt Bielby (C)
Based on a Stephen King story about a giant, demonic laundry press with a tendency to mince people, this unsurprisingly turns out to be throw-away schlock, from Texas Chain Saw director Tobe Hooper. "It does the job- but only just"
Outbreak (15), reviewed by Matt Bielby (A-)
Matt was pleasantly surprised by this "pacey, efficient thriller", starring Dustin Hoffman and an all-star cast. "Not a great film, perhaps, but certainly a very good one"
Street Fighter (12), reviewed by Dave Golder (D-)
Raul Julia's last film ("but, God, what an epitaph"), this "monumentally dire" video-game adaptation co-stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue, and is "streets ahead of all contenders for the title of Worst Film Of The Year So Far"
This Month in Film:
Stargate (PG), by Matt Bielby (D-)
It seems the whole SFX team are befuddled by the huge success of a film that's, "at best, a half-baked hodge-podge of ideas based on everything from Spielberg to Lawrence Of Arabia... How has Stargate got away with it?"
Star Trek: Generations (PG), by Dave Golder (C+)
The seventh Star Trek movie offers "much to enjoy...but to get the most out of it you're really going to have to shut off the side of your brain that tries to make sense of the thing. Completely." Interview With The Vampire (18), by Dan Goodleff (B+)
"Not your typical horror film- it's an intelligent, glorious-looking, romantic arthouse movie, based on a bestseller, that just happens to be packed with big stars."
SF Movie Box Office number 1: Outbreak
NEWS
Strange Tales: * 'Why is there so little SF on British TV?' ponders the continued fish-faced indifference of UK TV execs, at least at the four major channels, towards investing in new genre programming, despite the huge popularity of The X-Files, and a corresponding resurgance of interest in SF in both mainstream media and public consciousness. A "Victorian X-Files" from Carlton is mooted, and SFX begins roughly ten years of plaintive speculation regarding the possible resurrection of Doctor Who. 'SFX SAYS' recommends someone take the initiative and purchase the small screen rights to DC/Vertigo Comics' Hellblazer.
* A one-page pictoral shows stills from the imminent Judge Dredd movie, ahead of a full article in SFX #2.
* Sigourney Weaver discusses plans for the upcoming Alien 4 in a short interview.
* New Brit sci-fi action-horror flick, Proteus, starring the then semi-hot shit Craig Fairbrass, is described as an Aliens/The Thing/Die Hard/The Hidden hybrid!
* 'So who is...Larry Niven?' boxout profiles the author and his famous works.
* New TV series, Sliders soon to make it's debut on UK Sky TV
* The tempestuous production history of the ill-fated SeaQuest is reviewed ("Voyage to the bottom of the ratings!")
* Editor Matt Bielby gives the lowdown on Space Precinct, and the accompanying toy range from Vivid Imaginations.
* SFX nails it's tribbles to the wall with 'Star Trek captains compared'; all the time-honoured jokes about Shatner being bald, DS9 being boring, and so on are trotted out in one short feature. We're in safe hands!
* 'Don't quote us!' notes Kevin Costner rumoured to be playing Indiana Jones's brother in new movie sequel, plus a lavish new Sherlock Holmes flick to possibly star Alan Rickman, and US Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) movie on the cards.
* The inaugural 'Objets d'arse' covers the infamous, 18-inch Alien action figure, released in 1979 by Mattel.
* Other news: Forrest Gump trumps Star Wars as third biggest ever grossing film in the USA, audio book versions of Doctor Who novelisations to be released, Zombie God Squad (about zombie Salvation Army workers) movie cancelled following the death of star Peter Cook, Ghost In The Shell to be released in October, Manga movies to be shown in select cinemas around the UK, Superman vs. Aliens comic released, HG Wells commemerative postage stamps produced to mark centenary of The Time Machine, first issue of X-Files comic now chaging hands for £40 or more, David Duchovny's "erotic"thriller series, The Red Shoe Diaries, showing on UK satellite TV (not that that's remotely SF, but just to remind us all how insanely popular The X-Files was) ...
Production Hell: Upcoming attractions listed that eventually made it into cinemas 'on schedule' include Alien 4 ( "long-touted script for an Aliens vs Predator movie has since been superseded by a Joss Whedon story in which the Aliens (at last!) come to Earth." *Released as Alien Resurrection, set entirely in space. ) Apollo 13, Barb Wire, Batman Forever, Congo, Contact, Crash, Deep Impact ( "Prd...Stephen Spielberg. Based on Arthur C Clarke's well-known novel The Hammer of God". *The film ultimately had nothing in common with the book besides the concept of a world-threatening asteroid, although Spielberg had optioned the film rights to the book ), Dragonheart, Escape From Los Angeles (sic) ( "...it's a long way off." *Film actually came out in 1996 ), First Knight, Godzilla ( *SFX reports Jan de Bont departing the production, as his vision for the film would have cost $130 million; "TriStar wants to keep the budget to $100 million." Final film did indeed have a budget of $130 million. ), GoldenEye, Hackers ( "mostly unknown cast of teenagers" *Amongst them Angelina Jolie ), Independence Day, The Indian In The Cupboard, The Island Of Doctor Moreau ( "St Marlon Brando, Gary Oldman" *Made with Brando and Val Kilmer ), Johnny Mnemonic, Jumanji, The Killer Tongue, Lawnmower Man 2, Matilda, Men In Black, Mosquito ( "St Gunnar Hansen" ) Mortal Kombat, Net (sic) ( *Released as The Net ), The Nutty Professor ( "St Eddie Murphy, Jerry Lewis" *Made without producer Lewis )The Phantom ( "Cameron Diaz also stars" *Made without Diaz ), Species, the second Star Trek: The Next Generation movie ( "already has a tentative November 1996 release date" ), Starship Troopers, Strange Days, 12 Monkeys, Virtuosity and Waterworld ( "the most expensive film ever" ).
Ultimately 'delayed' productions listed are A.I. ( *Stanley Kubrick's long-standing pet project "been in development since '89". Finally completed by Stephen Spielberg, released 2001 ), Catwoman ( "Dir Tim Burton. Scr Dan Waters. Michelle Pfeiffer will reprise her role from Batman Returns." *Released in 2004 with none of the above involved, and no connection to any Batman production ), Fantastic Four ( "Dir Chris Columbus" *FF movie finally made in 2005, dir Tim Story ), Indiana Jones 4 ( "Should be ready for Summer '96" *Not quite. SFX would speculate on potential Indy 4 movies for the next 12 years ), The Mask 2 ( "Jim Carey...will reprise his role as Stanley Ipkiss this Summer." *Made as Son Of The Mask, 2005, with only actor Ben Stein appearing from the first film ), Matrix (sic) ( *released 1999 ), Mutant Chronicles ( "Dir Stephen Norrington" * Finally made 2008, dir Simon Hunter ), Planet Of The Apes ( "Prd Oliver Stone...To star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps." *Tim Burton film, released 2001 without Stone or Schwarzenegger ), Predator 3 ( "Fox has recently added this to its project list." *Alien vs. Predator released 2004. Predators in production, 2009 ), Spider-Man ( "Dir/Scr/Prd James Cameron...should go into pre-production in 1995 for a 1996 release." *Cameron's production ultimately shelved. Spider-Man, dir Sam Raimi, released 2002 ), Star Wars: The Clone Wars trilogy ( "The first film...provisional release date of 1998" *Star Wars Episode I, released 1999 ), Superman Reborn ( "Christopher Reeves (sic) left the project, claiming he didn't like Cary Bates' script." *Superman Lives/Reborn concept eventually abandonned. Superman Returns, dir Bryan Singer, released 2006 ), Terminator 3 ( "Dir. James Cameron. St Arnold Schwarzenegger." *Made without Cameron's involvement, 2003 ), V For Vendetta ( "Dir Brett Leonard or Kenneth Brannagh. Scr Hilary Henkin." *Final film directed by James McTeigue, scripted by the Wachowski brothers, 2005 ), Virus ( "Based on the Dark Horse comic." *Released 1999 )
Other movies listed, that remain 'trapped in Hell'; Afterlife ( *Joss Whedon screenplay "cost the studio $1.5 million" remains unproduced ), Battletech ( "Live-action SF based on the role-playing game" ), Concrete ( *Another comic character from Dark Horse "Script has been around for several years now. Should go into production in 1995." ), The Chrysalids ( "Based on the (excellent) novel by John Wyndham" ), Day Of The Triffids ( *Another Wyndham novel "gets the big budget treatment" ), The Day The Earth Caught Fire ( "Dir Jan de Bont...Remake of the 1962 Val Guest classic...Backed by 20th Century Fox, the film has a $40 million budget and should begin shooting in 1996, after de Bont's Twister." ), Dinotopia ( "Based on the best-selling picture novel by James Gurney" *A Dinotopia TV miniseries was made in 2002, followed by a full series lasting one season ), Farenheit 451 ( "A remake, but this time scripted by Ray Bradbury" ), Flash Gordon ( "David S. Goyer has already written the first draft of the script" ), Forbidden Planet ( "Dir Irwin Kershner...This remake...was due to start production in London on 31 October 1994. Date has since drifted." ), Foundation ( "David Henry Hwang's adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic series" ), Jonny Quest ( "Due Summer 1996" ), Legacy ( "A remake of Hammer Horror's 1968 Quatermass And The Pit, and backed by MGM" ), Luke Cage ( "Dir John Singleton...Based on Marvel character, Power Man" ), Manslayer ( "Based on Jay R. Bronaninga's novel, The Black Mariah, about a female psychiatrist who mophs into a comic book character" ) Plastic Man ( "names have been suggested, including Tim Robbins, Bruce Willis and Michael Jackson" *You what?! ), The Quatermass Experiment ( "Hammer/Donner-Shuler Donner Productions" ), The Stars My Destination ( "Dir Paul Anderson...$50 million adaptation of Alfred Bester's classic novel. The flim is set to roll this year" ), Stranger In A Strange Land ( "(*adaptation of) Robert Heinlein novel has Tom Hanks in the lead role" ), The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch ( "Prd Francis Ford Coppola...Based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick...Budget may reach $30 million...Expected to shoot in the UK" ), Total Recall 2 ( "A script exists..." ).
FEATURES
'Big guns, kangaroos and Spunk beer- Tank Girl: An insider's story' (8 pages) by Garry Marshall, assistant editor of Deadline magazine.
As thorough, even-handed and satisfying a BTS article as one could hope for, with input from creators Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. The origins of the character and her rise to fame are explained ( "It seemed the world had just been waiting for a foul-mouthed, lager-swilling, suede-headed ultra-bitch to kick it in the nuts") , as is the struggle to sell Hollywood on the movie. The film-makers certainly seem to have been committed to making something unique and 'cult-y'.
Blue Print spotlights Tank Girl's tank ( "a girl's best friend" ). Art Director Simon Murton and star Lori Petty contribute their thoughts on the genuine WW2 light tank, heavily customized to include rocket thrusters, machine guns, the rear half of a '69 Cadillac, and, of course, lawn furniture!
Editor Matt Bielby talks about the origins of SFX in the very first Neutral Zone (1 page), and fanzine writer Suzi 9mm talks Star Wars, and lusting for Han Solo, in 'SFXCELLENT!'
Dave Langford talks 'The Book on the Edge of Forever', Harlan Ellison's legendary The Last Dangerous Visions, an anthology meant to have seen print in 1972 and which remains in limbo to this day.
John Grant's 'Fantasy at 26 Frames per second' examines the decline of great fantasy literature, versus the boom in great fantasy movies. Like Last Action Hero.
'Whose Who?' by Dave Golder (9 pages), a timeline of events from Doctor Who's cancellation in 1989 onwards, is superb. Witty, comprehensive, written with a fans' passion without the opinion ever overwhelming the story, it's sets the benchmark for many SFX articles to follow.
Also includes one-page stories on glossy, fan-made video productions, The Stranger (starring Colin Baker), Shakedown (featuring the Sontarans) and Downtime (starring Nicholas Courtney, Deborah Watling and the Yeti), as well as the famous, aborted anniversary production, The Dark Dimension.
The SFX Interview: Iain M. Banks by Mary Branscombe (8 pages) is a thoroughly entertaining insight into the Culture series' frank, unpretentious author, who asserts "I regard myself very much as a science fiction writer", but will probably always be remembered first and foremost as the 'mainstream' Iain Banks. 'Iain M. Banks ON Iain M. Banks' covers the 13 SF novels Banks produced since 1984, with the authors brief, idiosyncratic remarks ("Definitely a coke addict!", he says of Complicity, 1993), and a boxout details his next two books. Reading this, one feels guilty at not having actually read any of them!
Behind the scenes at the Creature Shop (4 pages), text by MJ Simpson, includes over 30 behind-the-scenes photos and concept illustrations from the Jim Henson Creature Shop in (surprisingly) Camden, North London, with 'monsters' from The Dark Crystal to the Flinstones movie.
Couch Potato: Star Trek: Voyager sees Matt and Dave, plus friends Clare and Maff (and a cameo by Dave's flatmate, Rich) sittting down with the first six episodes of the latest Trek spin-off series, ahead of its UK television premiere. The general consensus is that the pilot, Caretaker, is excellent, but any goodwill it may have generated has completely evaporated by the fifth episode, at which point Clare and Maff makes their excuses and leave. Happily, Matt and Dave are impressed enough to give the show the benefit of the doubt.
Viewing schedule: 7pm "Caretaker", 9.09pm "Parallax", 10.01pm "Time and Again", 10.53pm "The Phage", 11.45pm "The Cloud", 12.38pm "Eye of the Needle"
Yesterday's Heroes: The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-78) by Jon Abbot, reveals that the fondly remembered action series, based on Cyborg by Martin Caidin, was "primarily conceived as a way of doing Superman on TV without resorting to rights and licensing fees", and that despite its huge popularity, lost much of its bite after the pilot movie, treading the safe, predictable waters of most family fare being made for TV in the '70's.
REVIEWS
Film:
Tank Girl (18), reviewed by Matt Bielby (C+) and Dave Golder (B-)
Two reviews, one from Tank Girl fan Matt, the other from Dave, who's never read the original comic strip. Matt is somewhat disappointed ("no 'roo shagging, for example, and Petty never gets her kit off"), but says "ultimately the film wins you over, despite whatever fears you might have about it being hopelessly bad during the first hour. (And you will think this- at times the film seems almost perversely determined to be shit, but constantly rescues itself at the last moment").
Dave, on the other hand, enjoys the picture far more than he was expecting "Sure, there's the odd stale, lagery whiff of desperation about it in places, but overall it comes up smelling of roses, albeit thorny, greefly-ravaged ones."
Both admit the film is schizophrenic and incoherent, but each finds something to enjoy.
* For the record, the film tanked (fittingly), the Tank Girl creators hated it, and it pretty much killed Deadline magazine.
The Mangler (18), reviewed by Matt Bielby (C)
Based on a Stephen King story about a giant, demonic laundry press with a tendency to mince people, this unsurprisingly turns out to be throw-away schlock, from Texas Chain Saw director Tobe Hooper. "It does the job- but only just"
Outbreak (15), reviewed by Matt Bielby (A-)
Matt was pleasantly surprised by this "pacey, efficient thriller", starring Dustin Hoffman and an all-star cast. "Not a great film, perhaps, but certainly a very good one"
Street Fighter (12), reviewed by Dave Golder (D-)
Raul Julia's last film ("but, God, what an epitaph"), this "monumentally dire" video-game adaptation co-stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue, and is "streets ahead of all contenders for the title of Worst Film Of The Year So Far"
This Month in Film:
Stargate (PG), by Matt Bielby (D-)
It seems the whole SFX team are befuddled by the huge success of a film that's, "at best, a half-baked hodge-podge of ideas based on everything from Spielberg to Lawrence Of Arabia... How has Stargate got away with it?"
Star Trek: Generations (PG), by Dave Golder (C+)
The seventh Star Trek movie offers "much to enjoy...but to get the most out of it you're really going to have to shut off the side of your brain that tries to make sense of the thing. Completely." Interview With The Vampire (18), by Dan Goodleff (B+)
"Not your typical horror film- it's an intelligent, glorious-looking, romantic arthouse movie, based on a bestseller, that just happens to be packed with big stars."
SF Movie Box Office number 1: Outbreak
TV:
RoboCop The Series (Sky One), by Jon Abbot (B-)
The family-friendly TV adaptation of the ultra-violent movie, scripted by the same screenwriters. "Anyone dismissing RoboCop: The Series as "just a kids show" is missing out on a beetter-than-average slice of action-oriented science fiction TV."
The X-Files season 2 (Sky One), by Jon Abbot (B)
The first four stories promise a season as "extraordinary" as the first, "but if the writers start focussing on the two protagonists instead of their investigations, it risks losing what makes The X-Files such compulsive viewing" He may have had a point there.
Space Precinct (Sky One), by MJ Simpson (B)
Acknowledging it to be "hokum", Gerry Anderson's most recent series, his first live-action effort since the '70's, gets a very respectable review from MJ Simpson: "Fun, exciting, and full of potential"
BUGS (BBC 1), by MJ Simpson (C)
"The main problem seems to be that it's all just a bit too, well, bland", says MJ of the popular BBC spy series, intended as an "Avengers for the 90's".
The Month in TV:
Chiller (ITV), by MJ Simpson (B-)
Low-rated ghost story anthology series that split opinion in the SFX office (Dave slammed it on pages 7 & 8). "I personally found all five dramas to be suitably creepy"
I, Camcorder (Channel 4), by MJ Simpson (B+)
Robert Llewellyn presents a six-part series on how to make home movies more interesting. "It's worth watching even if you don't have a camcorder, too"
Johnny And The Dead (ITV), by MJ Simpson (B-)
First live-action production based on a Terry Pratchett book is enjoyable, but loses "much of the charm" of Pratchett's "use of language and witty narrative"
SF TV Top Ten number 1: BUGS
Video:
The X-Files volume 1 & 2 (15), by Stuart Campbell (B, B)
Our reviewer wasn't so much immediately wowed by the first four episodes of the TV juggernaut as guardedly impressed; "neat enough tales of the unexpected, with some great lines thrown in with the often cheesy dialogue...and just enough genuine surprises to keep you interested until the next installment."
Lois And Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman volumes 1, 2 & 3 (PG), by Gary Whitta (B, C+, C+)
The first six installments for the hit US series that transfigured the world's most famous superhero story into Moonlighting-with-spandex. "(not so much) exciting weekly superhero exploits, so much as a professional and polished, snappily-written comedy/drama with a sci-fi slant. I fear, however, that there's just enough here for real Superman fans to get their teeth into"
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (15), Frankenstein (15), Frankenstein Created Woman (15), by MJ Simpson (B+, C, B)
Three very different Frankenstein movies, starting with Kenneth Brannagh's "lambasted" version, "the most faithful adaptation to date...The best thing to do is put all previous versions out of your mind, and just accept this as a rollicking good yarn"
The second, an obscure Yorkshire TV feature, starring Robert Powell, Carrie Fisher and David Warner as the monster, "slightly shuffles the events of Shelley's tale, but keeps the characters and their motivations intact. Performances, sets and costumes are all good"
Lastly, from Hammer, Frankenstein Created Woman, a Peter Cushing-starring revenge tale about doomed lovers and soul-swapping that sounds appealing bonkers; "(there isn't) any adequate explanation of why Christina's hair changes from red to blonde during the transformation, beyond Cushing's odd comment: "As I predicted!""
Babylon 5 vols 1, 2 & 3 (PG), by Maff Evans (C-, D+, C)
Six "early episodes, before the show really got into its stride" that didn't much impress the reviewer. "The final package ends up decidedly unfulfilling...more akin to expensive Gerry Anderson than classy TNG, DS9 or The X-Files fare. Happily, it gets a lot better later on"
Well, Infection was pretty dire.
The Avengers vols 1 & 2 (PG), by Dave Golder (C+, B)
Four early, black and white episodes from the classic series, starring Honor Blackman. "It's nice to see the series in its embryonic form...All in all, a bit of a treat"
The Month in Video:
Jason and the Argonauts Laserdisc (PG), by Steve Jarratt (B+)
Limited edition package from Encore Entertainment, including restored print of the film and bonus content. "Watchable- if flawed and slightly crinkly- romp that's aged well"
Godzilla Vs Mothra (PG), by Andy Stout (C+)
1992 monster mash, co-starring Battra, "gloriously dumb as ever"
The High Crusade (15), by Matt Bielby (C-)
Bizarre, cod-Python medieval comedy. "Italians playing Glaswegian aliens? Erm, yes" Actually, I'd quite like to see this!
No Escape (18), by Matt Bielby (C)
SF prison movie, starring Ray Liotta. "The level of ambition seems horrifyingly low; the potential audience small...hopelessly average"
Red Dwarf: Gunmen of the Apocalypse (15), by Matt Bielby (B+)
First volume of three episodes from much-maligned Series 6. "Not great Dwarf, perhaps, but still great telly"
The Shadow (12), by Dave Golder (B-)
Pulp adventure from Russell Mulcahy, with style "winning out over the rickety story"
T-Force (18), by Steve Holland (C)
"Hokum" Die Hard-esque SF action about killer androids.
Dune (15), by Dave Golder (C)
David Lynch's adaptation of the complex SF novel has "nothing good on hand to balance the
ponderous, ham-fisted mess that passes as a script"
Doctor Who: The Androids of Tara (U), by Dave Golder (B-)
Part four in The Key To Time. "Not classic Dr. Who (sic), that's for sure...but fun all the same"
Doctor Who: The Stones of Blood (U), by Dave Golder (D+)
The 100th Doctor Who story, which Dave reckons is a "desperate concoction of of lame scripting, over-the-top acting, and the worst special effects since Flash Gordon flew around in a spark-farting spaceship"
Reboot (U), by Dave Golder (B)
VHS release for the first two episodes of the world's first fully computer-animated kids' series. "Stunning effects-but well dodgy scripts"
SFX Video Chart number 1: The X-Files Box Set
Books:
Everville - Clive Barker (pb), by David Langford (C+)
Latest volume from the horrormeister. "Has this albatross of unfullfilled story hanging about it's neck. And for all Barker's skill and flashes of vision, it ultimately fails to satisfy"
Soul Music - Terry Pratchett (pb), by David Langford (B)
"Maybe not the best Discworld novel to come from Pratchett's pen, but definitely a good one"
Lethe - Tricia Sullivan (hb), by Rod Lawton (B)
"Quite an intelligent, sensitive and engrossing yarn"
The X-Files: Goblins - Charles Grant (pb), by Jim Swallow (B-)
First original novel based on the TV series. "Grant pretty much comes through with the goods"
The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion - Larry Nemecek (pb) (A-)
Expanded and updated edition. "An essential reference work"
and
Captain's Log Supplemental II - Mark A Altman & Edward Gross (pb), by MJ Simpson (D-)
Similar, unauthorised volume covering the whole Trek franchise. "Pointless"
The Month in Books:
To Build Jerusalem - John Whitbourn (pb), by David Langford (B+)
"Clever and uncosy" follow-up to A Dangerous Energy.
Star Trek: Ashes Of Eden - William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens (hb), by Karen Levell (B-)
First of several Kirk adventures. "Shatner's insights are the prime focus, revealing aspects of Kirk's character that would be seen as heresy if written by anyone else"
Moths To A Flame - Sarah Ash (hb), by David Langford (B)
Debut novel from Brit author. "Definitely an author to watch"
Net Trek - Kelly Maloni, Ben Greenman, Kristin Miller & Jeff Hearn (pb?), by Clive Parker (A+)
"Impeccably researched and well put-together" guide to Star Trek content on the internet.
Permutation City - Greg Egan (pb), by David Langford (B+)
Ambitious mind-bender. "Personally, I loved it"
The Making Of Tank Girl - Frank Wynne (pb?), by Paul Thomason (B+)
"Well-written" behind-the-scenes book from the editor of Deadline magazine.
Requiem - Graham Joyce (pb), by David Langford (B)
"Rich mix of danger, mysticism and exotic sleaze...A highly disturbing read"
The Coming Of Vertumnus - Ian Watson (pb), by David Langford (B-)
Story collection."Something enjoyable for everyone, and something to annoy everyone too"
North Wind - Gwyneth Jones (pb), by David Langford *8 books in one month! (A)
Sequel to White Queen. "Jones constructs splendidly complex, thoughtful, lived-in and smelly SF worlds."
The Ships Of Merior - Janny Wurts (pb), by MJ Simpson (D)
Second volume in The War(s) Of Light And Shadow series. "There is an old rule to writing fiction: when you're finished, go back and take out 50% of the adjectives. Janny Wurts has obviously misheard this as "add 50% more adjectives""
SFX SF Book Chart number 1: The X-Files: Goblins by Charles L. Grant
Comics:
The Invisibles (DC/Vertigo) Issues 1-9 - Grant Morrison (writer),
Steve Yeowell, Jill Thompson and others (art), by Stuart Campbell (A)
"Bucks you like a bad-tempered bronco as you endeavour to negotiate its fantastic, spikey, spider's-web plotlines."
Preacher (DC/Vertigo) Issues 1 & 2 - Garth Ennis (writer), Steve Dillon (art), by Matt Bielby (A-)
"If anyone writes sharper, nastier, more effectively shocking strips than Ennis I've yet to see them"
The Month in Comics:
Bob, The Galactic Bum (DC) Issues 1-4 - Alan Grant, John Wagner (writers), Carlos Ezquera (art), by Matt Bielby (B+)
"A solid and often amusing romp" co-starring Lobo
Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor (Dark Horse) Issue 1 - Harlan Ellison and others (writers), John Byrne, Craig Elliot and others (art), by Matt Bielby (C+)
Anthology comic based on classic stories. "Too bitty and varied in content to really hold the attention"
Death Race 2020 (Roger Corman's Cosmic Comics) Issue 1 - Pat Mills, Tony Skinner (writers), Kevin O'Neill (art), by Matt Bielby (B)
Based on the cult movie. "Lots of violence, lots of good jokes- and lots of car crashes. It's a hoot"
SFX Comics Chart number 1: Batman #519 (DC)
New Media:
Bioforge (PC CD-ROM), by Andy Butcher (A-)
Offers an interactive movie experience without "contain(ing) a single frame of video"
Panzer Dragoon (Sega Saturn), by Steve Jarratt (C+)
"Involves no Panzers (tanks or otherwise) and Dragoons with only one "o"" CG animation by French artist Moebius.
The Month in Media:
Frontier: First Encounters (PC CD-ROM), by Andy Butcher (D)
"The game is horribly bugged"
Slipstream 5000 (PC CD-ROM), by Andy Butcher (B)
"The sensation of speed is phenomenal"
SFX Computer Games Chart number 1: SimCity 2000 (PC)
Models (all reviews by Mike Reccia):
6ft Enterprise-D (Hothouse Productions) (A+)
Massive, meticulously detailed model, hand-crafted to order by small, ambitious UK company. A snip at £1,499 for the complete model, or £799 for the kit. "The saucer section alone is five feet in diameter"
18 inch USS Excelsior (ERTL) (A)
"Ertl's best Trek starship kit to date"
The Month in Toys & Models:
Vinyl Bones McCoy (ERTL) (B-)
"Fairly lifelike" 12" figurine
Klaatu and Gort (Biliken) (A-)
Highly detailed model figures from The Day the Earth Stood Still. "You can even see the crease in the suit's crotch!"
Borg Ship (Bandai) (A-)
Electronic model ship from Playmates. "A cool, if a little overpriced, piece of kit that you can terrorise the cat with no end"
Tosh:
Vertigo Tarot (DC/Vertigo), by Mary Branscombe and Tanais Fox (A-)
Tarot deck, with Vertigo Comics icons such as Morpheus, John Constantine and Tim Hunter. "Beautifully presented and packaged"
The Month in Tosh: Paradise Lost In Space (radio drama, Radio 4), by MJ Simpson (B+) SF comedy, starring Tony Robinson
The Amazing Spider-Man (audio drama, BBC), by Dave Golder (C-)
"A 150-minute endurance excercise"
The Compleat Four Seasons (music, American Gramophone), by MJ Simpson (B)
Vivaldi's masterwork, with original sonnets by the composer, read by Patrick Stewart. "The poems really give the music a new lease of life"
Live!: Confabulation: The 46th British National Science Fiction Convention, by Mary Branscombe. Guest of honour Lois McMaster Bujold.
"(Bob Shaw) ...having been thrown out of the Science Fiction Writers of America for assuming that a monomolecular layer was just a very small chicken"
Plus, MJ Simpson explains it all in 'Okay, so just what is an SF convention?' sidebar.
Competitions:
Ten sets of Macross Plus volumes 1 & 2 , Complete Iain M. Banks library (13 books), 20 copies of The Making Of Tank Girl, three sets of Key To Time videos (6 volumes, The Ribos Operation signed by Mary Tamm), plus Key To Time poster, and ten copies of the new Reboot video
SFX Archive: Classic Star Trek some quite amazingly dull, pink-tinted, clapper board shots from behind-the-scenes of Errand Of Mercy, Balance of Terror and I, Mudd
=====================
Firsts and Lasts: Well, first everything, obviously, from the fonts to the short-lived running gag of Dave's housemate Rich coming home during Couch Potato and declaring "I hate (insert name of franchise/genre/characters)" and disappearing upstairs. One interesting 'Last' though, Matt mentions a regular featurette to be included in the Neutral Zone pages, "Doing It My Way...", in which readers send in pictures of themselves with friends, restaging scenes from classic SF. Knowing sci-fi fans, they probably had at least a few entries, but nothing is ever heard of this feature again. Cut for space, perhaps?
DOES NOT COMPUTE!: Amazingly few cock-ups for a first issue, although the Sliders preview does refer to "Wade Wells as Sabrina Lloyd" (other way around, guys), but that could just as easily be an error from the press release
Do Me A Favour!: Pretty much everything in the Tank Girl coverage, from the film-makers who seem genuinely proud at having spent millions of dollars on something so audience-unfriendly, to the taken-as-read assumption that a plotless cartoon strip about a punk girl with a 'pet' tank, a kangaroo boyfriend and a fondness for 'Spunk' beer is somehow suitable for mass consumption. The story does however seem to prove that theory that Hollywood can ruin anything.
Also, in the Shakedown article, the reference to the Sontarans having to be "completely redesigned" because even the BBC wasn't sure who owned the rights. Hmm, if by "completely redesigned" you mean "lumpier, more plasticky-looking and with brown armour instead of black". Director Kevin Davies, "I think they ended up looking very Babylon 5". If you say so, mate!
Things We Learn:
* The BUGS pilot drew 12.5 million viewers in the UK
* Proteus was partially filmed behind an East London branch of Tesco
* Brit actress Emily Lloyd was at one point set to play Tank Girl
* One of the more obscure false starts in Doctor Who history was a Washington DC-set feature film, to be directed by Bob Clark and star either Albert Finney or John Cleese, at least according to US showbiz columnist Marilyn Beck, in 1990
* As a child, Matt Bileby had nightmares about being crushed by heavy machinery
Charmingly Dated: Who the fuck remembers Tank Girl?!
Funny Bits: Most of what's here is ambiently witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny, but one does have to chuckle at Clare and Maff excusing themselves from the Voyager evening: "We've, er, got to go." "Yes. Maybe we could borrow the other tapes some time. Possibly. Bye."
Trek Bashing: Practically none, but it's early days yet
Joss Whedon mentioned: 3 times
At The End Of The Day: A truly remarkable start for the World's Greatest SF Magazine, glossy, professional, devoid of pretence, full of insight and love for the material, with the mag's distinctive voice(s) loud and clear from the first page. If anything, it's a bit more reverential and willing to embrace the new that the trendy jadedness that's become the standard now. In other words, a bit more like a magazine written by fanboys, which might just have to do with not wanting to alienate any new readers.
All in all, more value for money and worthy of ones' attention than most anything else on the shelves. A new gold standard for genre journalism is set right here.
Things We Learn:
* The BUGS pilot drew 12.5 million viewers in the UK
* Proteus was partially filmed behind an East London branch of Tesco
* Brit actress Emily Lloyd was at one point set to play Tank Girl
* One of the more obscure false starts in Doctor Who history was a Washington DC-set feature film, to be directed by Bob Clark and star either Albert Finney or John Cleese, at least according to US showbiz columnist Marilyn Beck, in 1990
* As a child, Matt Bileby had nightmares about being crushed by heavy machinery
Charmingly Dated: Who the fuck remembers Tank Girl?!
Funny Bits: Most of what's here is ambiently witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny, but one does have to chuckle at Clare and Maff excusing themselves from the Voyager evening: "We've, er, got to go." "Yes. Maybe we could borrow the other tapes some time. Possibly. Bye."
Trek Bashing: Practically none, but it's early days yet
Joss Whedon mentioned: 3 times
At The End Of The Day: A truly remarkable start for the World's Greatest SF Magazine, glossy, professional, devoid of pretence, full of insight and love for the material, with the mag's distinctive voice(s) loud and clear from the first page. If anything, it's a bit more reverential and willing to embrace the new that the trendy jadedness that's become the standard now. In other words, a bit more like a magazine written by fanboys, which might just have to do with not wanting to alienate any new readers.
All in all, more value for money and worthy of ones' attention than most anything else on the shelves. A new gold standard for genre journalism is set right here.
As you can see, this was intended to be very ultimate indeed. You can also see why I stopped after one issue.
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