Another Century: The Starlog Project, Starlog 200, March 1994

Even though publishing 200 editions of a magazine is a huge achievement, it just doesn’t have the same celebratory sense of accomplishment as publishing the first 100. It’s not rational, really; magazine publishing has always been a risky business, so the longer you can keep going, the bigger the achievement.

Nonetheless, Starlog probably didn’t help itself with this special 100-page issue by basically repeating the formula of issue 100: The core of the magazine is made up of short profiles of the “200 most important people” in science fiction and fantasy. Not a bad idea, but after issue 100, not an original one, either. (It's a formula the magazine would repeat in issue #300.) The 200 referenced in that name actually refers to brief recaps of those first 100 people, then longer (though still short) profiles of VIPs 101-200.

Starlog #200
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $6.95

So what happened in the years since the company published Starlog 100? Quite a lot, really. The United States went from having basically three commercial broadcast networks plus public television and a smattering of cable to having four commercial networks plus public, lots of cable (including a science-fiction channel all to itself), burgeoning numbers of independent stations, and an expanding international market. All of that means there was greater demand for content, or, in the words of Hollywood money people, “product.” As a result, Starlog and other SF mags had a lot more genre programs (and movies) to write about.

Starlog itself had changed quite a bit over those 100 issues, though not as much as it had from issue 1 through 100. By March 1994, Starlog was still the core of a multi-title magazine publishing company, but many of those sister titles had changed. The page count of Starlog was higher, the cover price higher, the paper quality better, and many of the names on the masthead different – most significantly, arguably, was the departure from the company of co-founder Kerry O’Quinn, who had sold his share of the business and taken on a consultant's role.

The mid-1980s, when Starlog 100 was published, was a time when people weren’t sure where the economy was going. Things were still on an upswing from the brutal early 1980s recession, and that decade saw constant changes and uncertainty. But by the mid-1990s, when #200 was published, Starlog was in the middle of a solid decade of very low inflation (so no constant cover price increases every year or two) and apparently strong circulation and readership.

The rundown: The cover is a shiny standout that probably caught eyes on the newsstand, so in that sense, it might be a success. But as a well-designed cover, it just doesn’t make it; the Starlog logo is hard to see, the photos at the bottom of the cover aren’t the people listed right above the photos who are interviewed inside; and the background really serves no purpose other than to catch the eye – it’s not as if it’s a science-fictiony design. It’s just shiny. As for the contents page, it’s actually kind of cool: a large Frank Frazetta Barsoom painting sprawls over one full page and edges onto the next.

David McDonnell kicks off the celebratory section with an introduction to the 200 most etc., etc., etc. First we get the brief overviews of the first 100 folks; then begins the many, many pages devoted to the second 100 people, which fills up much of the remainder of the magazine, interspersed with a few normal articles (about which more in a moment).

There are some obvious choices on the 100 new additions to this list, of course, but the real pleasure of going through the profiles is finding people about whom you know nothing; never heard of them. For example, before you read the following name, August W. Derleth, had you ever heard of him? Before re-examining this issue, neither had I. But I was pleased to find that he came from my former home state of Wisconsin and was something of a pioneering editor, publisher, and writer. So I immediately began looking for his work and for information about him online. Philip Wylie, Arch Oboler, and John P. Fulton are other names on the list that might have sparked an interest among other readers. Taken together, this list can help enrich your appreciation of the history and breadth of science fiction and fantasy.

There can be an endless but sometimes fun game played with the list of the genre’s most important people. Who deserved to be on the list but was left off? I would add Starlog’s own former columnist David Gerrold, for one. Or you can go negative and ask who was on the list but shouldn’t be.

Such lists are inherently subjective, of course, but if they’re done well, they can burnish the publication’s authority. One of Starlog’s assets through much of its life was its assumed role as a standard-bearer of establishment SF; it helped define important topics, trends, and people. So, even with my basic skepticism about featuring a big list for a second time in Starlog’s every-100-issues tradition, the editors and writers have acquitted themselves well.

In other content this issue, Kerry O’Quinn uses his From the Bridge column to recount a speech he gave to a Mexican university, where he found a lot of Starlog readers. Stan Nicholls interviews longtime Starlog favorite Arthur C. Clarke, who discusses his latest novel, The Hammer of God, and some of his other works, including the Rama books. Bill Warren profiles filmmaker Joe Dante, who talks at length about the craze for remakes (and big-screen reinventions of old TV shows). And Kim Howard Johnson talks with director Terry Gilliam about films – live action and animated.

Marc Shapiro checks in with producer Gale Anne Hurd about Penal Colony, though she also discusses her work on Aliens and the Terminator series. James Mitchell contributes his first Starlog article, an interview with filmmaker Tim Burton; they discuss Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cabin Boy, and his upcoming Ed Wood, among other projects. Stan Nicholls talks with writer/editor/science-evangelist Ben Bova. And another first-time contributor, J. Stephen Bolhafner, interviews author William Gibson, who talks all things cyberpunk (including his experiences with and about Billy Idol).

“[L]ife was almost wiped out on our planet many times in the past, most recently 65 million years ago, give or take a week. The current thinking is that a large meteor or comet hit the Earth, causing an ecological catastrophe–the dinosaurs and three-quarters of all other species on land, sea and air were destroyed. Now, there are lots of craters on Mars, including one so big it’s not called a crater, it’s the Plain of helos. It’s 1,000 kilometers across. If something that large hit Mars, it might very well have destroyed any life there by blowing away the atmosphere. Whatever it was sent out a shock wave so powerful that it liquified the rock as it went through. Imagine sitting down to tea when THAT happened!”
–Ben Bova, interviewed by Stan Nicholls: “The Promise of Space”

For more, click on Starlog Internet Archive Project below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent site.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #150, January 1990: The Big One-Five-Oh

Starlog #150 kicks off a new decade for the magazine. Consider where it’s been in the past 10 years. January 1980 was a 68-page, $1.95 publication, with the pages half-color, half black-and-white. A little-known movie called Star Trek – The Motion Picture was on the cover.

Ten years later, the magazine is not much bigger – 76 pages – but the cover price is about twice as much at $3.95. The quality of the paper looks and feels higher, though it has bobbed up and down through the preceding decade. The cover logo has shrunk dramatically. There’s a different editor, one of the publishers has left, we’ve had musical chairs of the art director (and the entire design staff), and much of the editorial staff is different, though David Hutchison remains in his slot. The Starlog Photo Guidebooks seem to be a moribund project, but the company has spread its wings in many other ways, with videos, conventions, poster magazines, licensed Star Trek: The Next Generation magazines, official film magazines, Scrapbook photo magazines, spinoffs, and much more.

The thing that probably matters most to readers, however, is the content of the magazine. I tend to like the personality (and occasional controversy) that columnists give to a magazine, and in January 1980, Starlog had personality to spare, with a whopping five columnists (Gerry Anderson, Jonathan Eberhart, David Gerrold, David Houston, and Susan Sackett), plus editorial columns by the editor and the publisher. Ten years later, the only columnist is that publisher – now former publisher – Kerry O’Quinn, plus the editor, David McDonnell. If five was too many (and it was, for a small magazine), then one is too few. The articles, and the article mix, remain strong. Old and new, television and movies and books, interviews and previews and retrospectives, episode guides and convention coverage.

What’s missing in the latter era is not just the columnists, it’s the space science (even the Future Life science section disappeared after a few years) as well as (an admittedly sometimes heavy-handed) devotion to inspiring the readers. But what hasn’t changed is an occasional inspirational piece (often by columnist O’Quinn), a dedication to genre journalism that outclasses all competition, and a willingness to court controversy when it comes, whether it’s the outspoken people it interviews or the willingness to be a bit bolder and franker than some readers would like.

But Trek.... Trek remains.

Starlog #150
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

This is the 150th issue of Starlog, a magazine that by most rights shouldn’t have lasted four issues, much less become the anchor for a company publishing a couple dozen titles. Unlike the 100th issue, however, this issue only trumpets its numerical significance with a cover badge and an in-passing mention in the editor’s column.

But don’t let that fool you; it’s a very strong issue, and once again it’s not the blockbuster on the cover that makes it valuable but the interviews with various creators of SF and fantasy, where writers (in particularly Ben Bova and Philip K. Dick, in a previously unpublished interview from shortly before his death) are asked intelligent questions and they’re given the space to give intelligent and sometimes extended answers. So we get Bova – a legendary presence in the writing and editing fields of science fiction – talking politics (loves missile defence, hates Walter Mondale), and Dick – a legendary and legendarily cutting-edge writer – singing the praises of the Blade Runner adaptation of his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep as well as giving great insights into his view of writing and his stories. And that doesn’t even mention the absorbing interviews with Richard Matheson, Kurt Siodmak, and the first part of the Charles H. Schneer interview.

This is what magazines do best, when they do it well. They provide the types of in-depth articles that make you put your feet up on the desk or lie down on the couch and settle in to get some great entertainment and intellectual stimulation.

So, happy 150th, Starlog.

The rundown: Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly returns to the screen in the Back to the Future sequel, and BTTF II takes its second consecutive cover of Starlog; meanwhile, the contents page feature photo is Blade Runner’s Harrison Ford, who is described by Dick as being “fabulous ... absolutely incredible” in his role as Rick Deckard. Communications letters include a Smithsonian employee who thanks Kerry O’Quinn for his recent column on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and offers some corrections to details in the column, plus readers chime in with their opinions on Batman and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; and David McDonnell’s Medialog column notes that Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering which of many sequels to take part in: Twins II, Commando II, Predator II, Terminator II, and Conan III. Scuttlebutt has it that he’s most keen on returning to the Conan world, with the possibility of directing (yes), and “Shwarzenegger ... calls his participation in a Terminator II unlikely.”

Edward Gross picks up from Marc Shapiro last issue and talks to Kenneth Johnson about his new TV series Alien Nation; David Hutchison’s Videolog looks at the Christmas-timed release of the Batman video; T.W. Knowles provides a Q&A with veteran writer Ben Bova, who talks extensively about his Kinsman series of novels (which are the books that make me a Bova reader), as well as the Star Wars missile defense concept, which he pioneered years before Reagan was taken with the idea; the Fan Network pages include Lia Pelosi’s directory of fan clubs; Gwen Lee and Doris E. Sauter interview the late Philip K. Dick; Ian Spelling talks with the multi-talented James Cameron, who looks into The Abyss; Marc Shapiro talks with Back to the Future II director Bob Zemeckis; and in the first part of their interview, Tom Weaver and Michael Brunas are told by veteran writer Richard Matheson about one of his few arguments with a film director.

Marc Shapiro chats with Quantum Leap producer Don Bellisario; Lee Server interviews writer/director Curt Siodmak; Steve Swires chats with Ray Harryhausen’s partner, Charles H. Schneer; in his Bridge column, Kerry O’Quinn asks readers to send him their stories for a possible book about chasing your dreams; Jean Airey and Laurie Haldeman interview Terry Nation, who talks about improving science-fiction conventions; and editor David McDonnell’s Liner Notes talks about the science-fiction “creators” interviewed in this issue.

“OK, there won’t be as much sex [in Blade Runner] as I would like to see because I just never weary of sex. I think sex is really wonderful. Sex is not an integral part of the plot, unless you lump love and sex absolutely together. I mean, [Deckard] does fall in love with Rachael in the end, the replicant. And I don’t blame him, because she sure looks cute, and jeepers, I know I would like to meet her.”

–Philip K. Dick, interviewed by Gwen Lee and Dores E. Sauter: “Thinker of Antiquity”

To see more issues, click on Starlog Internet Archive Project below or visit The Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #144, July 1989: Shatnerized

It’s the magazine’s anniversary again, and Starlog celebrates its 13th birthday with a thick issue full of interesting articles. Not only is the cover taken over by William Shatner, but the man was busy taking over the Star Trek film franchise itself, as he checks in on his feature directorial debut, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

In staffing news, Eddie Bergana and Daniel Dickholtz, who had previously shared the title of associate editor, now share the title of managing editor. And remember that weird title “advertising design” from a few issues ago? No longer exists. Meanwhile, the company’s publishing efforts continue to expand, with the launch of All-Star Action Heroes, covering action films and including four posters. The debut issue includes an interview with Mel Gibson that is actually safe for kids to read.

This issue is the first to carry a $4.95 cover price (last year’s 100-page anniversary issue was $3.95). The regular-sized issues will increase in price to $3.95 next issue. It’s of course quaint to realize that a 100-page science-fiction magazine that cost $4.95 in A.D. 2010 would be a steal, but then one realizes that this was 21 years ago, that age is catching up with you, and you burst into tears. Which is appropriate for a birthday issue. So what do the editors have in store for their sweet 13th?

Starlog #144
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $4.95

I’m quite sure few people read it at the time, so its mention here is only vanity on my part. In 1989, I reviewed Star Trek V for my college newspaper, The Badger Herald. My thoughts on the movie were, of course, mixed, which made me one of the more indulgent reviewers of this film. Actually, even 21 years later, my feelings are mixed. Parts of it disappoints me as a let-down, as less than what could have been. But other parts of it are quite nicely done. Am I consistent or what?

The rundown: If I were a better host for you through this history of Starlog, I would go through each of the previous anniversary issues so I could see if the following statement were true or not, but I”m not: I think this is the first anniversary issue in which Kerry O’Quinn’s From the Bridge column is normal-sized, not a super-sized “special anniversary editorial.” Nonetheless, he goes Down Under and reports on the Aussie science-fiction scene. In Communications letters, readers write post-mortems of sorts for Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, and other readers write about everything from Alien Nation to Gates McFadden’s Star Trek: The Next Generation exit; and David McDonnell’s Medialog updates us on all of the science fiction and fantasy projects of mid-1989, such as which genre pictures were recognized by the Academy.

Robert Greenberger talks with Count Nikolai Tolstoy about Merlin/King Arthur stories (is this the first time Starlog has interviewed anyone with the title of “count”? Again, I’m not that nice of a host to go back and check); Peter Bloch-Hansen interviews Richard Cheeves, star of War of the Worlds; David Hutchison’s Videolog rounds up the latest genre video releases, such as Willow and The Wizard of Oz; Bill Warren interviews actor Martin Kove about the TV show Hard Time on Planet Earth; and just in case you were worried that people were beginning to think science fiction was getting waaaaay too serious, San Scapperotti goes behind the scenes to report on the Jeff Goldblum- and Geena Davis-starring oddity Earth Girls Are Easy; and the Fan Network pages include Michael McAvennie’s report on the continuing matter of Starfleet spaceship designs, plus there’s a quiz about SF movie advertising lines (and they include the Star Trek V ad showing a seat flying through space with the tagline, “Why are they putting seatbelts in theatres this summer?” which I think is a damn good advertising slogan. I mean, it’s no “In space, no one can hear you scream,” but I might have to go back and adjust my review of the movie....).

Adam Pirani interviews Alison Doody, who plays Indiana Jones’ (and Dr. Henry Jones’) sorta-Nazi, sorta-girlfriend in The Last Crusade; the Shat is back: Marc Shapiro interviews William Shatner about his Trek directorial debut, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Scott Bruce looks at SF-related lunchboxes; Adam Pirani interviews Batman co-star Kim Basinger; Kim Howard Johnson previews the Terry Jones film The Saga of Erik the Viking; David Hutchison talks with Who Framed Roger Rabbit (and really Who Censored Roger Rabbit?) creator Gary Wolf and others involved in the movie version; interplanetary correspondent Michael Wolff (with illustrations by George Kochell) takes a look at genre stories of shrinking people.

Lynne Stephens profiles actor john Neville about his role as Baron Munchausen; Juanita Elefante-Gordon interviews actress Sarah Sutton regarding her time playing a Doctor Who companion in the Peter Davison years; Paul Tomlinson questions Stainless Steel rat author Harry Harrison; Edward Gross talks to director Vincent McEveety about working on original Star Trek episodes such as “Balance of Terror,” “Dagger of the Mind,” and “Patterns of Force”; Kathryn M. Drennan pens a one-page look at actor DeForest Kelley’s career in Western films; and David McDonnell’s Liner Notes explains why the magazine is publishing David Hutchison’s many-part article on the special effects of Roger Rabbit.

“There were some cast members who had expressed their apprehension about what I would do. But I knew what I wanted from certain actors and did my damndest to get it. Despite any fears the cast may have had, they were totally cooperative. As the movie progressed, they saw that I did know what I was doing, and I think I turned those people around who had previously doubted my ability to direct.”

–William Shatner, actor/director, interviewed by Marc Shapiro: “Shakedown Cruise, Part One”

To read previous issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #132, July 1988: Everything Old Is New Again

Once again, Starlog breaks its (unwritten?) rule and plasters the same movie on its cover for two consecutive issues. Willow, which last month was featured on the cover with an image of its villian, retains the cover spot this month by featuring its hero. (A different movie will camp out on the cover for the next two issues.)

This is the magazine’s 12th anniversary issue, though as an issue, it’s not really different from the 100-page issue two months earlier. The sole exception would seem to be Kerry O’Quinn’s extra-lengthy special anniversary editorial. It is, however, a nice mix of classic genre fare (with a number of articles recounting what it was like to work with the legendary producer George Pal) and the new (did we mention WILLOW is playing?).

This issue also includes the first ad for Starlog’s officially licensed movie publications for Willow: A movie magazine, a poster magazine, and a theater program. Order all three for $9.70 plus postage!

Starlog #132
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

Classified ad of the month: “HORSEMEN RIDING THROUGH THE CITY! Banshee crawling through the hills, shewolves dancing in the forest, Hellhounds baying to the moon! ‘Wulffangel,’ drama/music sound effects ... casette & booklet – Send $9.95 to ...”

My favorite photo caption this issue: “Thorburn and Young never really got to act alongside Russ Tamblyn. Instead, they played to his doll stand-in.”

The rundown: Val Kilmer, rumored to be one of the more difficult actors to work with, is on the cover as Willow’s Madmartigan. Kerry O’Quinn’s From the Bridge anniversary editorial is an extended defense of people who are into science fiction, illustrated with photographs of SF-themed signs (store names, etc.). Communications letters include J. Michael Straczynski, story editor of The Twilight Zone, complaining about an article on his series in issue #127 (with an also-lengthy response/defense from the editors), while other readers write in with further thoughts on Star Trek novels; David McDonnell’s Medialog roundup of news includes news that a TV series based on Invasion of the Body Snatchers is under development.

Tom Weaver interviews Psycho star Janet Leigh, who tells him about the death threats she received after the release of that landmark Hitchcock film; Bill Warren interviews George Pal pal Alan Young about  thom thumb, The Time Machine, and even Mr. Ed; the George Pal remembrance-fest continues with Tim Ferrante and Tom Weaver’s interview with actor Les Tremayne (War of the Worlds, The Angry Red Planet); and Steve Swires talks with actor Russ Tamblyn, another veteran of Pal’s tom thumb.

The magazine’s British correspondent, Adam Pirani, interviews director Ron Howard about his new film Willow; Jean Airey and Laurie Haldeman talk with actor Colin Baker, “the shortest-lived Time Lord”; the Other Voices guest column is written by legendary author Jack Williamson, who explains “How not to Write a Novel”; David McDonnell previews Who Framed Roger Rabbit; David Hutchison looks at the special effects of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Kathryn M. Drennan profiles “Dr. Science”; and Marc Shapiro interviews Beetlejuice actor Jeffrey Jones.

In another exploration of the implications of a major movie, Michael Wolff (who writes in the tradition of Bruce Gordon's famous article on “The Other Marty McFly” in #108) examines the world of RoboCop, illustrated by cartoons by George Kochell; Evelyn Mayfield interviews veteran novelist Octavia Butler; the Fan Network pages answer reader questions (including “Could you please tell me what other movies besides Re-Animator, From Beyond and Chopping Mall the lovely actress Barbara Crampton has appeared in?”), feature a short item by Jean Airey on a touring Elvis Presley play starring actor Paul Darrow from Blake’s 7, and more; Brazil and Soap actress Katherine Helmond is interviewed by Kim Howard Johnson; David Hutchison’s Videolog reports on the latest genre releases, including the final 18 episodes of the original Star Trek; Eric Niderost looks at the special effects in Date with an Angel; in a two-page “The Guests of Trek” section, Bill Florence profiles Katherine Woodville, and Kathleen M. Gooch profiles Eddie Paskey; and David McDonnell’s Liner Notes column shares his Willow fascination.

“If I can’t pronounce [characters’ names], I don't write them. They’ve been up on my wall for a while. I make all sorts of notes I hang in front of myself to remind myself to do the right thing with this or that character or the story in general or with this part. If I don’t, I tend to stray. I wander off and find myself doing one page a day and it gets harder and harder and it’s impossible to work.”

–Octavia E. Butler, novelist, interviewed by Evelyn Mayfield: “Patterns of Her Mind”

To read previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #100, November 1985: The Importance of Being 100

Just think of all of the science-fiction media magazines that never published 100 issues: Fantastic Films (didn't even get halfway there), Questar, SF Movieland, Star Blasters, Science Fiction Illustrated, Sci Fi TV, Sci Fi Teen, The Monster Times, and more. How many can you name? The point is that it's difficult to keep a magazine afloat for a decade or more, so Starlog's 100th issue was quite an achievement.

Three big players in genre entertainment bought ads in this issue congratulating the magazine for its milestone issue: Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., and Amblin Entertainment.

Why am I listing all these things? Because this is a biggie list issue. The theme is "The 100 Most Important People in Science Fiction," who are featured in short writeups in a loooong article that sprawls throughout much of the issue. I won't reprint the list of names here, because, well, I'm too lazy. But suffice to say it includes many of the people you would expect to be on such a list of genre notables (Isaac Asimov, Frank Frazetta, Harlan Ellison, George Lucas, etc.), as well as some less well-known choices that might have surprised some readers (Olaf Stapledon, A. Merritt). This list would continue in the magazine's 200th and 300th issues, so pretty much anyone you though should have been on this 100 list gets onto the list sooner or later. I think my cat is number 293.

Starlog #100
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

In Starlog spinoff news, the sixth edition of The Best of Starlog is out, including new and previously published articles.

But back to issue #100. This special 100-page magazine includes extra color pages, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names in the field. And as much as it is a celebration, the magazine does not shy away from controversy, especially with publisher Kerry O'Quinn's interview with Gene Roddenberry, which includes quite a bit of religious criticism. They do something else that's not controversial but is rather cool: The issue includes separate short articles by each of McDonnell's predecessors as editor, David Houston (who gives some interesting background on the magazine's early years) and Howard Zimmerman.

The rundown: For the first time ever, co-publisher Norman Jacobs pens an editorial. The From the Bridge column is broken into two parts, with O'Quinn writing part and then Jacobs writing part. Jacobs tells us what most of us suspected; he's the business person running the Starlog empire (somebody's got to negotiate with printers and distributors). Meanwhile, O'Quinn talks about the magazine's growth and shares a barrage of quotes from readers (including one that, I think, was mine: "If there is any magazine on the market that constantly offers inspiration and positive values, it is Starlog" -- which is attributed to "John" in "Wisconsin," both of which I was, and it sounds very much like something I'd have written back then; I know, I know – that, and a dollar, will get me a cup of coffee). There is no letters page this issue, and Future Life, Fan Network, and Videolog also take the month off. But Log Entries is here! So short news items include Chris Henderson on a number of new genre books from Charles Shffield, Richard A. Lupoff, and others, and David McDonnell's roundup of news bits includes word on a Heavy Metal movie sequel (to be called -- but never made -- Heavy Metal's Burning Chrome), a sequel to The Ewok Adventure, and much more.

In the Other Voices guest column, Starlog's founding editor, David Houston, relates the tale of Starlog's inspiration and creation (including this insight, from an explanation of when Houston joined the company: "Kerry and Norman ... enjoy, and succeed at, the process of publishing: define a market, discover how to answer a need, locate effective suppliers, find and hire the right personnel, keep costs low, give it a best effort; and it doesn't make much difference what the subject matter might be. Evidently. They've come out with everything from astrology to wrestling."); "The 100 Most Important People in Science Fiction/Fantasy" kicks off with John W. Campbell Jr., and ends many, many pages later with Willis H. O'Brien; Kerry O'Quinn interviews Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry about life, the universe, and everything -- but mostly about religion; Mike Clark interviews Lost in Space creator Irwin Allen; Steve Swires interviews stop-motion effects magician Ray Harryhausen; Lee Goldberg interviews George Lucas; it's time-travel time: back in issue #92, Steve Swires interviewed John Carpenter in the first part of a two-part profile, and this issue -- eight months later -- part two of that interview is published; Swires also interviews Leonard Nimoy about Star Trek IV; Lee Goldberg interviews writer Harlan Ellison (who gets even more biting in part two of this interview, published next issue); Robert Greenberger interviews actress Nichelle Nichols; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier profile writer Richard Matheson; Steve Swires finishes his two-part interview with Peter Cushing (the first part ran in #96); Howard Zimmerman writes a guest Lastword column, in which he looks at the ways science fiction media have evolved in the past decade; and David McDonnell's Liner Notes column gives some background on this anniversary issue.

"I always liked the bizarre. I suppose that was part of my Germanic background. Fantasy films always attracted me. I can remember my parents taking me to see The Lost World and Metropolis when I was very young. My love for science fiction and fantasy led me to join the Science Fiction League in Los Angeles, where I first met Ray Bradbury and Forrest J. Ackerman. We all had similar interests. We dreamt about space platforms, and going to the Moon and Mars. That was in the 1930s, so most 'normal' people thought we were off our rockers."

–Ray Harryhausen, filmmaker, interviewed by Steve Swires: "Ray Harryhausen: The Man Who Can Work Miracles"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #84, July 1984: The Stars Our Destination

In the United States, we frequently hear the statistic that 90 percent of all new restaurants fail within their first year. New magazines fair a bit better, if I recall the statistics, but it can still be a brutal business. So for Starlog to celebrate its eighth anniversary is indeed a big thing. After nearly a decade, it's impressive how smart this magazine has been about exploiting its position, with spinoffs of every kind (records, videos, magazines, books, calendars, even watches). But it owes its success to something more fundamental than just opportunism: It's a professional, well-done magazine that combines veteran, genre reporters with inspiration for the reader. There were times when competitors gave readers a few more pages or some more color than Starlog provided, but none of them seemed to quite grasp the smart editorial mix that Kerry O'Quinn, Howard Zimmerman, and the rest of the staff put together.

Speaking of spinoffs, this issue hosts a number of them, such as an ad for four Rock Poster Magazines (they would publish a whole bunch of these eventually). There's also the newest -- the fourth -- edition of the Special Effects photo guidebook; ads for various movie lecensed magazines show that the company has produced 'em for Fame, Staying Alive, Joanie Loves Chachi (it hurts to even type that), and others; new official movie magazines for Star Trek III (a magazine and a separate poster magazine) and Conan the Destoyer, as well as a "Coming in December" note that it'll be producing a 2010 official licensed movie magazine. These editors have been busy.

Starlog #84
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

We get some more science-fiction photo collages out of Howard Zimmerman, as his time at Starlog starts to draw to a close (don't worry, you have a year to get used to the idea). Once again a collage is featured as the graphic on the contents page.

On to the rundown: Every anniversary issue, publisher Kerry O'Quinn writes a special anniversary editorial, and this year is no different. This time, in his From the Bridge column, he recounts traveling to Florida to watch a space shuttle launch. In the Communications readers letters section, we get a batch of correspondence about the magazine itself, a letter from "The Nose" about Dick Tracy, a comment about the in-production film Enemy Mine, and more; in what is likely the shortest Log Entries section in the magazine's eight years so far (about two full pages), short news items include a report on the Michael Pare film Streets of Fire, a note about T.E.D. Klein's book The Ceremonies, and more (but not much).

Brian Lowry kicks off the feature section by interviewing actress Catherine Mary Stewart, who discusses The Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet, and more; legendary cartoonist (and former Starlog art director) Howard Cruse contributes a one-page comic on the occasion of reaching 1984, the year made famous by George Orwell; Steves Swires interviews Leonard Nimoy, who has directed the first of his two Trek films: The Search for Spock; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Marc Singer, one of the stars of The Beastmaster and V; Robert Greenberger interviews actress Phoebe Cates about her role in the quirky Joe Dante film Gremlins (about which article a design note: whoever decided to print the text of the interview in blue letters against a light blue background wasn't thinking clearly); and David Gerrold's column offers "A Defense for Didactics," sparked by Robert Heinlein's newest novel Job, A Comedy of Justice (an appropriate writer for Gerrold to cite; for years, Gerrold's work -- especially his War Against the Chtorr series -- has been mentioned as the successor to Heinlein, a heady comparison).

The special 36-page full-color anniversary section is led by an intro page featuring another Howard Zimmerman SF collage (his last?); Zimmerman and Milburn Smith write "The Year in Review," featuring not only a roundup of the big films but lots of interesting charts (the top 10 SF and fantasy films of the year, Hugo and Saturn awards winners, etc.); David Hutchison continues the magazine's fascination with Disney World's EPCOT Center; Howard Zimmerman reports on the magazine's first Starlog Festival in Chicago, complete with photos (and I have to admit, I'd have liked to have attended the trivia session featuring a panel of Zimmerman, David Gerrold, David Hutchison, David McDonnell, and Kerry O'Quinn); David McDonnell provides a roundup of SF television for 1983-1984 (a time when Glen Larson's Automan actually got on the air); writer (and spouse of L. Sprague de Camp) Catherine Crook de Camp provides a personal report about being "On Tour with Conan the Barbarian"; Robert Greenberger talks with the writers of Conan the Destoyer, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway; Disney expert David R. Smith provides the history of histrionic Donald Duck; Thomas McKelvey Cleaver interviews Tarzan actor and future Highlander Christopher Lambert; an unbylined two-page article features some info and photos on the long-awaited film sequel, 2010; David Hutchison is back with part three of his coverage of the special effects for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, focusing on effects for the scenes in Jabba the Hutt's palace; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Ke Huy Quan, the 12-year-old co-star (as Short Round) of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ("You call him Doctor Jones, doll!"); former Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J. Ackerman writes about the Ray Bradbury film Quest; and Lee Goldberg interviews writer Earl MacRauch of Buckaroo Banzai.

Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews Jimmy Olsen himself, Marc McClure, about his work in the Superman films; Lenny Kaye's Space Age Games and Computers column looks at Interactive Picture Systems; David Hutchison interviews Frank Oz about the new Muppets Take Manhattan film; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview wee little Drew Barrymore about her roles in E.T. and Firestarter; and editor Howard Zimmerman wraps it all up in his Lastword column by sharing his happiness about the first Starlog convention.

"I want to say something to the kids. If you want to be in a movie, it's really fun, but it's not as easy as you think it is. But it's the most fun thing, and if you want to do a movie, and you have the chance, you should do one. I'm glad I did."

--Drew Barrymore (age nine), actress, interviewed by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier: "Drew Barrymore: E.T.'s pal is a Firestarter"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #72, July 1983: Seventh Anniversary Party

A rather unlikely ad appears near the end of this science-fiction magazine: the movie Porky's II: The Next Day, which is only science-fiction in the sense that it was considered a real motion picture. Starlog also announces two licensed movie magazines it's publishing this summer: the James Bond thriller Octopussy and the Superman III flick.

Starlog #72
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

This extra-page issue features some neat extras, such as the first installment of a three-part excerpt from David Gerrold's A Matter for Men novel, which itself was the first in a series of landmark novels chronicling the invasion of earth by the Chtorr. As always with Gerrold, it's all to give him a platform for discussing his philosophy of life (and one does occasionally get the sense that he spent a little too much time in 1970s-era pop psychology seminars, but what the heck? The Chtorr books are great, and Gerrold has interesting things to say about life). Oh, and because I know you really care: on page 96 of this issue is my second letter ever published in Starlog, in which I say good-bye to recently departed staffer David Hirsch. It just seemed like the thing to do.

The rundown: I guess we've seen the last of the contents-page anniversary collages; at least, there's not one in this issue. Instead, it's a big picture of E.T. In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn discusses reaching for the stars; Communications letters include birthday greetings from readers, response to the television debut of Star Trek – The Motion Picture, a brilliant letter praising David Hirsch, and more; Log Entries short news items include Steve Martin's The Man with Two Brains, the fifth annual SF Short Film Search, Norman Jacobs goes to the UK to acquire magazine licensing rights to the Octopussy film, the winners of the Starlog Treasure Hunt Contest, the Disney Channel debuts, and more.

Steve Swires interviews Mark Hamill; Ed Naha's L.A. Offbeat column looks at the making of the special effects for The Right Stuff; Charles Bogle interviews Roger Moore; David Gerrold's A Matter for Men is excerpted, with introductory notes by the author and illustrations by Alex Nino.

In the special full-color anniversary section, there's a photo review of the top SF films of the past year (E.T., Blade Runner, Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan, Tron, The Dark Crystal, The Thing, The Road Warrior, Airplane II, Conan the Barbarian, and Poltergeist); Robert Greenberger pens a review of science-fiction television of the past year; Greenberger also highlights the top toys of 1983; an unbylined short article begins a three-page look at fantasy art; actress June Lockhart is interviewed by Steve Swires; Ed Naha interviews William Shatner; Charles Bogle interviews Desmond Llewelyn, the actor who plays Q in James Bond films; Robert Greenberger interviews Annette O'Toole about her work in Superman III; Ed Naha profiles Sam Nicholson's Zenon Company, one of the special effects contributors to Star Trek -- The Motion Picture; and Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview the great Ray Bradbury about Something Wicked This Way Comes, which people born after 1990 only know about as a song in one of the Harry Potter movies.

Lenny Kay's Space Age Games column reviews Gorf, Wizard of Wor, Dragonfire, and Countermeasure; James Van Hise interviews Peter Srauss about his work in Spacehunter; four pages of anniversary greetings include everyone from George Takei ("Congratulations on your seven year trek. We're up to Warp Seven and holding steady. All the best wishes") to Alan Dean Foster to Howard Cruse and onward; and Howard Zimerman uses his Lastword column to share a few words about E.T. and the Oscars.

"As I leave the Right Stuff complex and head toward the airport and out of San Francisco for superslick L.A., I chuckle one last time at the vision of the spinning plane and the sterno cans. Madness. Insanity. Wizardry."

--Ed Naha, columnist, L.A. Offbeat: "The Right FX for The Right Stuff"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #48, July 1981: Celebrating Five Years

Starlog ends its fifth year of publication with another bumper-sized issue. It was a year of pretty big changes at the magazine and of growth at the company itself, and the coming year would bring even more changes (just wait for it). Meanwhile, Starlog releases its latest photo guidebook: TV Episode Guides, spinning off into the trade paperback series one of its most popular signature features from the magazine.

Starlog #48
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.50

A personal note: I originally purchased this issue at the Manitowoc, Wisconsin, grocery store where my family did its weekly shopping, and my mother was somewhat taken aback by the cover price of $3.50 (hey, that was a lot in those days). When we got home and I started digesting the magazine page by page, article by article, I absorbed Kerry O'Quinn's special anniversary editorial and thought it perfectly illustrated why I liked the magazine so much. I presented the editorial to her and asked her to read it to understand why I'd pay so much for a science fiction magazine.

So, the rundown: Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge, "Keeping the Kid Alive," explains the importance of keeping a youthful enthusiasm and drive in your life; the Communications section features three pages of readers offering their anniversary greetings to the magazine; short news items in Log Entries include an update on Futuropolis (a winner of the magazine's 1978 short film search that has been expanded into a 30-minute film), Vonda McIntyre's Trek novel The Entropy Effect -- in which Kirk dies -- is one of the most eagerly awaited books of the year, Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits is coming, The Shadow is coming back into action, the brouhaha following President Reagan's attempted assassination led to the renaming of the lead character in The Greatest American Hero, and more.

James H. Burns interviews Harrison Ford for his second chat with the magazine in 12 months (this time, he talks Indiana Jones); David Gerrold takes on drug abuse in his Rumblings column; in part one ("A New View") of Kerry O'Quinn's three-part interview with George Lucas, the humble producer/director/genius talks about his influences and how he handles the work; Howard Zimmerman's "Starlust" poem is reprinted from issue #29.

In the special 36-page anniversary section, a series of SF films from the past year are reviewed via photos (The Empire Strikes Back, Altered States, Flash Gordon, Galaxina, Outland, Scanners); the first part of a three-part anniversary contest begins, with a cartoon find-the-oddities quiz; Robert Greenberger examines science-fiction comics; Greenberger also compiles the past year's Starlog article index; Greenberger -- again -- provides a "Sneak Peek at the Heavy Metal Movie"; Susan Adamo interviews science-fiction artist Vincent DiFate; Joseph Veverka returns with an article on plans for the Halley Comet flyby; Greenberger is back (what, did this guy lose an office bet or something?) with yet another article, this time a preview of science-fiction television programs for the coming year; David Hirsch previews SF games and toys; Hirsch also examines "Shuttles in Space: A Visionary Concept in Fact and on Film"; and wrapping up the anniversary section is a reprint of Howard Zimmerman's poem "Return" from issue #41.

Steve Swires interviews John Carpenter about Escape from New York and gets some information on his forthcoming version of The Thing; Bill Cotter and Mike Clark interview Lost in Space actor Bill Mumy; Sam Maronie reveals the special effects work of John Stears; Alan Brennert, a former Buck Rogers story editor, relates some amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his time on the show; it's another four-page collection of anniversary greetings from science-fiction celebrities (including Arthur C. Clarke, Christopher Reeve, David Prowse, Douglas Trumbull, Mike Minor, Jesco von Puttkamer, the Brothers Hildebrandt, Harlan Ellison, and many more); Quest features a short story by W. Keith Brenton and space art by Gerhard Mros and Bruce Wildish; and Howard Zimmerman's Lastword thanks all kinds of people who've made Starlog's five years a success.

"I don't want to upset your readers too much, but it's just a movie. It's no big deal. From a technical point of view -- my own point of view -- I don't think it's altogether that well-made a movie, because I was working under extremely difficult conditions."

--George Lucas, writer/director/producer, interviewed by Kerry O'Quinn: "The George Lucas Saga: Chapter One: A New View"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below.

Fangoria Shows How It's Done

Roger Corman!

It's not often that a magazine really impresses me with big name after big name in its pages. I think you'd have to go back to the old Playboys of the late 1960s, early 1970s when sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices would write articles in the same issues where you'd find also find contributions from the biggest authors, entertainers, U.S. senators, and even philosophers and clergy in the country. So let me put forth the latest magazine that really impressed me: The 30th anniversary issue of horror film bible Fangoria.

As I paged through the 100-page special issue, I kept getting surprised by each new name I saw, either someone interviewed or even the authors of articles. There's director Joe Dante writing a tribute to Italian film master Mario Bava. John Landis (John Landis!) writing an appreciation of Jamie Lee Curtis. Director Mick Garris does the honors for Stephen King, Roger Corman does Vincent Price, Virginia Madsen does Christopher Walken, and on and on and on. And then there are the people who were either interviewed about themselves or who wrote about themselves for the magazine: Bill Paxton, Udo Kier, Tobe Hooper, Peter Jackson, David Cronenberg, Bruce Campbell, and of course on and on. There are also personal anecdotes by or about the people who have built the magazine over the years, including former publisher Kerry O'Quinn, former editor Ed Naha (also a former editor of the long-defunct Future Life from the same publishing house), former editors Bob Martin and David McDonnell (who's also the longtime editor of Starlog), and others. Oh, heck, there's even an original cover painting by Clive Barker.

When I've written on this blog before about my impatience with magazines that don't appear to even be trying, this is the antidote. Fangoria ("Fango" to the faithful) has really flexed its muscles with this issue, showing why horror fans need to pay attention to it. That's a successful effort. Congrats -- on the anniversary issue and on the three decades.