Danny_Weasel is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
I love a good fanzine, and if it’s Doctor Who-related then even more so! All of which makes me a very happy bunny since issue five of Space Monsters is a big-time Doctor Who special!
Space Monsters describes itself as being “dedicated to classic sci-fi, fantasy and monsters in movies and television from the black and white silent era through to the colourful early eighties!”. It is presented in 80 black and white A5 pages with full colour front and back covers which, for a fanzine is pretty good going.
So issue five is all about the Doctor, well almost all. There are a few bits that are non Whovian, but still look to be well worth a read, like “Top Ten Evil Brain Movies” which I think speaks for itself, “Messages From Moonbase Alpha” dealing with the world of Space:1999 fandom and “A Fistful of Monsters” which looks at the early work of Clint Eastwood in B-movie monster flicks.
But lets be honest here, for the most part we are interested in the meat of this issue and that is the veritable treasure trove of Doctor Who goodies on offer, including a couple of interesting exclusives.
Hiding Behind the Sofa: The Horror of Who
An article covering the scariest stories from the show, if this does not feature an appearance from The Destroyer of Worlds I will be most disappointed as that guy scared the bejezus out of me when I was younger. In general though, I would expect a lot of Hinchcliffe in there.
Web of Fear: The Return of a Classic
A review of the recently returned classic serial.
The Caroline Munro Diaries
The glamorous star of Sinbad movies and James Bond has an exclusive regular column detailing her life in the business, and this time she spills the beans on her involvements with Doctor Who amongst other things.
Genesis of the Daleks
A look back at the show that gave the world the wonderful Davros as well as one of the era’s most iconic images; Tom Baker with the two wires. ‘Have I the right?’ Still gives me chills.
Dr Who The Annual Years
An interview with Doctor Who audio adventures writer, and author of the aforementioned new book that takes a look at the excentric and often odd world of the Doctor Who annuals gets interviewed about his new work.
Doctor Who: The Importance of 1974
A discussion on just why ’74 was such a pivotal year for our Gallifreyan hero. The year that saw the end of not only the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, but also the team behind the scenes including producer Barry Letts. Oh and a new companion called Sarah Jane turns up too.
Interview With a Vervoid
Actress Barbara Ward talks about her time on the show and a number of other roles too.
All this plus articles detailing an American point of view about becoming a Doctor Who fan in the States during the 1970′s and a look back at Amicus’ two Dalek films starring Peter Cushing (massively underrated in my opinion) as well as a readers’ post-bag and a whole host of other goodies on top.
Overall I would say this is well worth a look, not just because it looks to be a great read all round, but because it’s a proper fanzine and supporting those are a big thing. Onc upon a time, before the internet they were a thriving way for fans to keep in touch and helped to produce the next generation of writers, many of whom are now part of the show we love in one way or another. So support your fanzines!
So as always we want to hear your thoughts on all of this, what do you think, fanzines: yay or nay? Are they as big a part of fan culture as I think or do you see them as irrelevant in the 21st century? What are some of your favourite fanzine memories? And most importantly, what do you make of this issue of Space Monsters will you grabbing a copy from Amazon, are you already a regular reader? Let us know the answers to these and many more questions, or just ask some of your own in the space below.
Head to Classic Horror Campaign to find out more about Space Monsters #5!
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