Magazine Watch - Infinity

 Billed as the Magazine Beyond Imagination, issue 87 of Infinity magazine, is on news-stands now.

   (Well, Tesco anyway since it seems that most newsagents have been gobbled up in the UK ) 

The magazine contains, among other stuff, an interesting article on what could have been (should have been) Timothy Dalton's third Bond movie.

 Yeah, I know this type of speculative article has been done to death, but the Infinity piece is really rather good and contains some interesting stuff about the script for Bond 17 which was written by William Osborne and William Davies who were best known for penning the Arnie comedy, Twins.

Basically the long and short of it is that the Twins guys were working on an initial script penned by Michael G. Wilson and Alfonso Ruggiero, a writer who was largely known for his TV scripts for shows such as Airwolf, Wiseguy and Miami Vice.

 

The proposed story-line concerned the weaponizing of advanced technology and robotics. So it seems the Bond team were looking to bring elements of the fantastic back into Bond after the all out brutality of Licence to Kill.

 

Personally, I'd take Licence to Kill over any of Daniel Craig's efforts. Well, with the possible exception of Skyfall. I actually quite liked that one!

 

Ah, what if?

 I always enjoyed Dalton's Bond and it is great fun to wonder what would happened if he'd made a couple of more movies for the franchise.

 The magazine is well worth picking up for the Bond article alone but the glossy magazine has so much other content, that it's a no-brainer  for film and pop culture fans. There are articles on the martial arts star, Cynthia Rothrock - remember the smoking hot China O'Brian...Ah a 1980 teenage boys dream date.

Also a look at TV'S Bewitched, the early years of Patrick McGoohan and much more. - or much much more, as they used to say in the old adverts.

 

INFINITY ISSUE 87 is on sale now. 

Magazine Watch: Comicscene

Now this looks interesting.

Issue 1 hits stores this August

You can order your copies now or subscribe in print or digital pdf at http://www.comicscene.tictail.com


Enhanced digital editions can be purchased for £3.99 at http://www.issuu.com/comicsflix from 1st August

Crime Scene is DOA

I am devastated to learn that the current issue (no7) of Crime Scene Magazine is to be the final issue - check out my rave review of the first issue HERE.

I had a feeling that all was not well, when I picked up the latest issue as it comes in at only a hundred pages, and the features don't seem to be as in-depth as in the previous issues. The book reviews have also dwindled away to a few pages.

There is not another magazine like it on the UK stands, and I will miss the publication, and I wish the publishing team all the best in their future endeavours.

When a magazine of this quality fails to find a market, you have to wonder if the physical magazine market is dead in the water. For someone who regularly visits brick and mortar stores it is glaringly apparent that the news-stands are not as exciting as they once were.

Let's hope some other publisher steps in and takes over the title, as recently happened with Classic Rock Magazine.

Head over to Crime Fiction Lover for the full story.

Magazine Watch: The Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection

Star Trek fans will be interested in the new part work from Eaglemoss Publications - each issue is a hardcover graphic novel reprinting stories from 50 years of Star Trek comics. The first issue - Countdown,  features the prequel story to  J. J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek reboot as well as the first ever Star Trek comic strip with 1967's Planet of No Return which was originally published by the iconic, Gold Key Comics.

Each hardcover is well put together - they really are handsome editions - you can pick up a bargain with the first issue, currently available, at the low price of £1.99 - the regular price will be £9.99 which is pretty good value given the quality of these hardback editions.

When the series is complete it will have collected strips from Gold Key Comics, DC, TV21, Malibu Comics, Paramount Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Tokyopop and IDW and will have featured sequels to original stories, movie adaptations, and  lost tales (scripts that were never filmed). Many superstars of comic writing will have credits as well as familair names from the writing staff of all iterations of the TV series.


More info HERE

Magazine Watch: Classic Rock Magazine Folds

The digital world has many benefits but there is also a downside and for years now the publishing industry have struggled to find their place in this new world  -  The news-stand magazine business is a case in point. It has not been healthy in recent years but all the same the news that Team Rock, publishers of such well known titles as Classic Rock and Metal Hammer have gone to the wall, came as a shock. Publications from this company were common in UK shops and have an army of loyal fans - it seems that in today's market having a loyal readership doesn't count for much -  Reports are that 73 jobs have been lost within the once powerful publishing company.

It had been reported in 2015 that the company was £11.7 million in debt, a figure which is sure to have increased by now.

ADMINISTRATORS APPOINTED – TEAM ROCK LIMITED - 19 DECEMBER 2016

Thomas Campbell MacLennan, Alexander Iain Fraser and Jason Daniel Baker of FRP Advisory LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of Team Rock Limited (“the Company”) on 19 December 2016. The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators, who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability. The Company is being managed on a care and maintenance basis only whilst a buyer for the assets is sought. Accordingly, the TeamRock website will be unavailable for the foreseeable future. The administrators are assessing the position regarding publication of magazines. If you are a subscriber to the Company’s publications the administrators can be contacted via email at teamrock.subscribers@frpadvisory.com

Orange Goblin frontman Ben Ward has launched a Crowdfunding campaign to help those who have lost their jobs.

“Today, 73 members of the Team Rock staff were told that the company is going into liquidation and that they are being made redundant with immediate effect with ZERO pay,” he said in a statement. “These are good, hard-working, committed people that through Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Prog Rock, TeamRock Radio and more, have supported the rock and heavy metal scene in this country for decades and now we, the rock community, need to pull together to help give something back.”

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/fans-react-metal-hammer-classic-rock-magazines-go-bankrupt-1919342#DLEM144ylgCuRMK0.99

 

Magazine Watch - Crime Scene issue 2

Collectable Cover 1

Issue 2 of Crime Scene Magazine is currently available in this shops - this is only the second issue and they are already trying to tempt readers to buy an extra copy by releasing two different covers for this issue - does anyone actually do this? It seems to be quite a common ploy by news-stand magazines - I noticed that this month's Empire magazine is out with a zillion different Star Wars covers, and Classic Rock also did this to celebrate Iron Maiden's new album a few months ago. I guess the theory is that collectors will buy multiple magazines.

Ze capatalist magazine producers...come ze revolution...

Still I don't need marketing gimmicks to buy an extra copy of this magazine - I regard this publication so highly that I buy an issue to read until it is falling apart and another to keep mint in my collection. I did this with issue one and I've just picked up two issues of this second issue, A Nordic Noir themed issue.

Collectable Cover 2

It's a glossy magazine and in layout resembles publications like Total Film but this magazine is dedicated to the crime genre and is written by journalists that understand and love the genre. This second issue features interviews with Idris Elba, Martina Cole, Sofia Heflin and others, and the Nordic centrepiece features an unpublished interview with the late, Henning Mankell. There are detailed set reports from the forthcoming Sherlock Christmas Special as well as  the second season of Fargo. On the true crime front there is an interview with Brooke Magnanti,a  forensic scientist, who talks about the realities of forensic investigations.

The history of the genre is also taken care with an article on the first detective, Poe's  Auguste Dupin. The story Murders in the Rue Morgue, published in 1841 is often called the first detective fiction.


I really do like this magazine - its excellently written and the first issue introduced me to the documentaries The Jinx and The Staircase which I have poured through this past month. And WOW! they made for compelling viewing.

The features are rounded out with  book, film and TV reviews and while reading these I found myself making a wish list. At £7.99  the magazine is a little on the expensive side but at 130 pages it is well worth the expense.

Magazine Watch - Crime Scene

It's always nice to come across an interesting new magazine, to discover that this is just the sort of publication you've been waiting for. Crime Scene, the new quarterly from Future Publishing maybe one such magazine.

 Billed as the ultimate guide to crime drama,films,books, TV - it pretty much is that but covers virtually every media format out there. For instance there's a feature on a new podcast called Missing which mines similar territory to the excellent Serial.

The Bath based publishing company may be onto a winner here. There are several mainstream magazines for fans of science fiction and a couple for lover of horror, but until now lovers of the crime genre, and they are many, have been sold short in terms of newsstand magazines. Yep, a gap in the market has been well and truly filled.

The debut issue features a Benedict Cumberbatch, in a publicity shot for the forthcoming Christmas special of the BBC's Sherlock - this one will be set in the proper Victorian setting and Sherlock will puff on his iconic pipe. There is a major feature on Sherlock within the magazine, this includes a talk with series co-creator Steven Moffat. And it is a great feature which includes a detailed synopsis of every episode shown thus far.

Sherlock though is just one part of this 140+ page magazine - there's an interview with James Ellroy, a feature in which Ian Rankin reveals his inspirations and influences. There's a look at the 25 greatest TV detectives of all time - Columbo takes the top spot but I won't reveal the others here and urge you to read the magazine. There are  reviews, news, features and even a fiction extract. The Book review are especially good and detailed and will likely lead to the discovery of new writers and books.

Priced at £7.99 the magazine isn't at the cheaper end of the market but I think it is worth every penny for such an entertaining read. It's intelligently written by writers with an obvious love of the genre.

The magazine is on sale now and is highly recommended.

Archive's Magazine watch

With the imminent release of Captain America: The First Avenger most of the main UK entertainment magazines are sporting Captain America covers. SFX magazine even went so far as to give away a cool Captain America Frisbee with the cover boasting: We'll hurl them on the beaches.

Empire though to be contrary are this month going to press with a Hobbit cover sporting photographs of both Gandalf and Doctor Watson looking suspiciously like Bilbo Baggins.

The current issue of Future's glossy and expensive, Comic Heroes is the best issue thus far. It's a Batman special with some great articles and pictures of everyone's favourite psychotic with a kinky clothing fetish. The next issue will be along similar lines only this time concentrating on Superman. Comic Heroes may be a little expensive at £7.99 but it's of the highest quality and has become a must buy here at the Archive.

The new Paperback Fanatic has just gone on sale - that's issue 19. The mag's really settled into it's new compact format and as always it's packed with interesting and lovingly composed articles. The letters page of this magazine is also as entertaining as any of the articles and the editor makes a good call in his choices. Subscription only this one. Find details HERE.

After the greatness that was their recent Flesh story, 2000AD have again returned to classic characters for another run of my own all time favourite character, Bill Savage - eat your heart out Dredd - I don't buy 2000AD every week these days though I did for the Flesh story and I will for the new Savage series.

Seems I'm after the nostalgia - and on a related note I recently mentioned to comic legend, Dez Skinn that a high quality, glossy, adult magazine running reprint material from the glorious past of British comics would be successful. Dez didn't think so, feeling that UK comics needed to create all new material in order to survive. But you know I still think a glossy mag with a mixture of strips and articles would be a huge success. Think of it - call it something retro and onomatopoeic like Wow!!! or Blow Me!!! , and fill it with articles and strips like Charley's War, Mach 1, Dredger, Darkie's War and Dan Dare as well as a few humour strips from the archives of Whoopie, Whizzar and Chips and Cor, as well as the odd nude starlet pic to give the thing class.

Now that would be worth shelling out for - maybe I'll try and pitch it, but for now I'm off too play with my Captain America Frisbee.

Magazine Watch - Comic Book Heroes new issue now on sale

There's a great article from Pat Mills which looks at the history of British 'Girl's' comic titles. I found the article absolutely fascinating and was surprised to find that 2000AD writers like Gerry Finley-Day, creator of Rogue Trooper, played a part in the girl's comic titles of the 70's/80's.

The current issue also features major articles on Judge Dredd, Green Lantern, Daredevil and much more in its 120 of pages. Comic Heroes is a great magazine. It's put together by the award winning SFX team and is on sale in all the major newsagents.

Issue 5 is out now

Magazine Watch

Issue 17 of Paperback Fanatic is out now and on the way to subscribers. I must admit I wasn't overly pleased when the magazine moved to A5, but the new size suits the magazine and is definitely growing on me. Of course it helps that the page count has been increased and the inclusion of colour into the magazine really helps the images stand out.

The current issue is packed cover to cover with great articles - I found Andrew Decker's piece on the Nick Carter series to be particularly interesting, but then back in the day I was a sucker for the Nick Carter series.


There's also a great article looking the the blaxploitation novels of Joseph Nazel. And that's not all - the mag is well worth checking out by anyone interested in the twilight world of paperback. Check it out HERE

Clint issue 5 finally goes on sale and should be popping up everywhere over the next few days - the lead article this time out is an interview with Samuel L. Jackson, billed as the coolest geek on the planet in which the actor talks about his role as Nick Fury in the forthcoming Avengers movie. The mag's done away with the Sezy Chavs page this time out which was at least entertaining, and for some bizarre reason they have replaced the page with a bizarre section called Sexy Pets - I kid you not.

Of the strips there is at least some development in Kick Arse 2 and Nemesis comes to a blistering conclusion. Jonathon Woss's strip, Turf has become boring. Thankfully Rex Royd has been rested and is replaced by Pro which is a massive improvement. American Jesus is shaping up nicely and is easily my favourite strip in the entire magazine.

Clint needs to solve its distribution problems and get future issues out on time or it is going to lose readers.

The Archive is saddened to report that Book and Magazine Collector is no more - the mag ceased publication last month after more than twenty years. The magazine was not making a loss but had failed to move with the times and as such was failing to pick up new readers.

On a more positive report next month will see another British comic magazine aimed at mature readers hitting shops - Look out for Strip which looks enticing with its mixture of all new and reprint material.

Lancaster-based Print Media Productions has agreed a deal with UK publisher Egmont to feature Hookjaw in the Magazine, re-publishing the strip in colour – and also has an option to publish Dredger, the hard-nosed secret agent who also featured in Action. I was a huge fan of the Dredger stories as a kid so I am especially looking forward to this one and Hook Jaw in colour too - WOW!

HookJaw, inspired by the classic blockbuster movie Jaws, was created by comics legend Pat Mills, scripted by Ken Armstrong and drawn initially by Ramon Sola, followed by Felix Carrion and Eric Bradbury. Consistently topping reader polls, it was Mills who decided to make the shark the star of the strip which tackled environmental issues and corporate greed with equal relish.

The strip also caused controversy on publication, one of the stories that rapidly saw Action become a target of campaigners outraged by its violent content — and its social commentary. The controversy Action created saw the comic ‘banned’ after just 37 issues, returning to the news stands only after its characters had been toned down and effectively emasculated by management demands on the editorial team.

The entire controversy was documented in Martin Barker’s book, Action – The Story of a Violent Comic, published in 1990 by Titan Books.

Magazine Watch

DVD WORLD, from the current issue (82 ) has dropped its porn content (previously they reviewed porn films) in order to concentrate on the cult film market, but deciding that their readers were a bunch of wankers they have ditched the tits and arse. Good news, I think, because the magazine has always been interesting, covering films that are ignored by the mainstream press, but the porn content has always stopped me buying the magazine. I've often browsed at it in Smiths and thought I'd like to read the article on Dario Argento or B movie horrors but have been put off my the, usually huge tits on the cover. Not that I've anything against huge tits, mind.

The new look magazine is a great read and a welcome antidote to all the mainstream film magazines. Nowhere else will you find features on John Russo, co writer of Romero's original Night of the Living Dead or get to read an interview with the director of Black Blooded Brides of Satan. There's even a review here of John Wayne's classic The Green Berets.

Brilliantly tacky.

There are four new all action Commando titles on sale at the moment:

Raven and the Renegade by Ferg Handley with art by John Ridgway.

An Inch from Death by Ian Clark with art by Garijo

The Shadow War by Mike Knowles with art by Denis Mcloughlin

Rifleman from Rio by Alan Hebden with art by Mike White

MAGAZINE WATCH

There are four new Commando titles currently on sale:

Doomed Squad by Ian Clark with art by Janek Mayysiak
Kill the Fuhrer by Ian Clark with art by Dennin Mcloughlin
The Coldest War by Ferg Hanley with art by Carlos Pino
Deadly Dispatches by Norman Adams with art by Keith Page


My favourite this month was Doomed Squad which is very much in Sven Hassel territory with its tale of a young man in a penal Battalion and his search for his brother. And Deadly Dispatches is, of course, another in the Ferret Mcglone series.

The Judge Dredd Megazine for Dec is now on sale with a festive cover by John Higgins. The free graphic novel which comes bagged with each issue is this time Rogue Trooper-The War Machine which was Dave Gibbons' classic reinvention of the character.

The magazine itself or rather the megazine as it likes to be called contains several Judge Dredd stories as well as Tank Girl and Tempest. there is also an interview with Neil Gaimen, a look at Frank Miller's classic run on Daredevil, a feature of new comics and a fair bit more. Maybe I'm getting too old but I don't really enjoy the mag like I used to and find Tank Girl tedious. Still the Dredd tales are excellent and so is the Rogue Trooper graphic novel.

MAGAZINE WATCH

Four new Commando Books have just hit stores. These are Shock Force Showdown by Mike Knowles, Norwegian Nightmare by Mike Knowles, Four Volunteers by C G Walker and The Black Eagle by Ferg Handley. The Black Eagle is set in 1659.

Today's free comic book with The Guardian is a copy of Bunty for girls. This time its an exact reproduction of the summer special from 1972.



















Tomorrow it's The Dandy - this has been a great promotion and I do hope The Guardian repeat this somewhere down the line - what about a week of 1st issues - Battle, Warlord, 2000AD, Valiant, Hotspur - now that would be cool!