Starburst Vol.1 #2

Mar 1978. Cover price 50p.
52 pages. Colour & B&W.
Starburst Magazines Ltd.

Edited by Dez Skinn.

Cover painting by 'South.'

Contents:

 2 'The Prisoner' explained photograph (uncredited).

 3 Editorial by Dez Skinn. / Contents / Indicia

 4 Threepio Unmasked Anthony Daniels interview by Tony Crawley; C3PO illustration by Ralph McQuarrie, photographs (uncredited).

10 Spider-Man on Screen text feature by Sam Deli; photographs (uncredited).

13 Maya Merchandising advertisement.

14 Jeff Hawke 'Here be Tygers' w:/a: Sydney Jordan.

r: Daily Express newspaper strip.

19 Star Wars - Now See the Film at Home advertisement for Leisuremail.

20 Ray Bradbury on Close Encounters of the Third Kind text feature by Ray Bradbury; photographs (uncredited).

r: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Warren Publishing) nn (1977).

23 Close Encounters - From Privacy to Profits (side-bar) text feature by Tony Crawley. / UFOs Exist! We have seen them aided by our 'Skywatch UFO Detector' advertisement (side-bar) advertisement.

24 Space Cruiser review by Tony Crawley; stills from film.

26 Space Cruiser poster; painting by 'South.'

28 Big Screen Entertainment - Coming Soon! (half page) advertisement for Space Cruiser.

29 Spot the Spaceships Competition

30 The Prisoner text feature by Alan Grace; photographs (uncredited).

34 Patrick McGoohan full-colour pin-up.

37 Six of One (one third page) text feature on The Prisoner fan club. / Weird Fantasy Bookshop (partial page) advertisement. / Terron Enterprises (partial page) advertisement for Star Trek merchandise.

38 Jeff Hawke 'Here be Tygers' cont.

r: Daily Express newspaper strip.

42 Things to Come news feature by Tony Crawley & Sam Deli.

45 The Visitor w: Jim Starlin; p: Jim Starlin, i: Al Milgrom, lettering by Tom Orzechowsi.

r: Star*Reach (Star*Reach Productions) #02 (Apr 1975).

48 Wizards Review by Alan Jones; stills from film.

51 The Science Fiction Book Club advertisement.

52 Spider-Man pin-up; photograph (uncredited).

While the cover is of the limited-release animé Space Cruiser [宇宙戦艦ヤマト, normally referred to as Space Battleship Yamato], the manner of presentation is firmly tailored to Western audiences - a rousing painting which evokes both the runaway hit Star Wars and the kind of paintings which featured heavily on paperback covers of the era. Using the film so prominently, so early in the life of the title, is a mark of confidence in how SF fans will react to new ideas, and shows how clued-in editor Dez Skinn was about readers' hunger for new SF material.

Last issue, in this editorial we promised we'd be around for a l-o-n-g time. Looking at all the hastily-assembled rip-off s-f magazines that have appeared since then, none of which appear likely to reach their second issue, makes it seem a long time already!

In a missed trick Dez doesn't actually name any of the titles playing follow-the-leader, and a quick search through titles of the era failed to unearth more than a handful of cheap-looking titles. Here's a hint: when mocking it is always better to go ahead and do a full review of competitor's wares, rather than merely indulging in snarky off-hand references. Go big. Use a four-page feature to do an in-depth analysis of the shortcomings of other publishers. This hesitation in full coverage of the SF landscape is one of the drawbacks of the title - there's style, intelligence, and definite opinion, but a lack of merciless criticism of start-ups whose hopelessly optimistic recycling of press releases were intended to capture a slice of the audience.

As for being around for a l-o-n-g time... Yeah. Under different publishers, perhaps, but always a welcome sight on the shelves.

Anthony Daniels' interview highlights his life before Star Wars' phenomenal success changed everything for him, and wisely provides enough anecdotes and trivia to allow his personality to shine through the C3PO persona. This is, of course, a snapshot of a particular moment in time, and the relaxed manner in which Tony Crawley teases out details is refreshingly free of the rehearsed answers which the actor seemed to provide a few years later. Quite happy to reveal the tortuous preparations, and problems with the suit while filming, Daniels is on fine form here. When he criticizes his performance, or parts of it, his pride in craftsmanship shines through, enhancing his likability.

You see, to be frank, Star Wars wasn't that pleasant to make. It was a rather uncomfortable experience. The thing that is mainly rewarding is the reaction of people. The fan-mail I get. I'm amazed that people want to take time to write to me.

C3PO was - and is - one of the best aspects of the original trilogy, his appeal being an innate humanity.

Coverage of the Spider-Man television series always used such unfortunate photographs, resulting in the show's legacy largely consisting of criticism of cheap-looking effects, and (obviously) The Sound of Music jokes. This article, outlining the character of Spider-Man, and providing some hint of the production problems which plagued Superman's journey from page to screen, is optimistic about the then-forthcoming cinematic release of the pilot, though it is clear from the images reproduced here that high quality entertainment was probably expecting a bit much.

Tony Crawley's review of Space Cruiser is remarkably comprehensive in delineating the films flaws, registering visual inspiration shared with Lucas' film, noting the televisual feel (while not quite stating that the source material began there), and mentions the manga. Or, rather, suggests "the story emanates from a popular Tokyo newspaper strip," which isn't quite accurate, but surely close enough to satisfy readers of the late-seventies. Dismissing the film as a farce, in the final line, is a bit harsh, considering the complete saga had not, at that time, been seen in the UK.

In isolation, the film isn't brilliant - the criticisms hold water, not unlike the real Yamamoto, but there's more to the series that this cinematic outing. Had a collection of the original strip been acquired, in order to compare and contrast the differing presentations of the story, then the review might have been less dismissive of the story as a whole. Knowing how difficult acquiring tankōbon was in the nineties, one can only imagine the logistical problems in acquiring them twenty years earlier.

The article on The Prisoner covers the premise, outlines the themes so resonant throughout, and identifies important plot points for newcomers to the series, developing theories about the deeper meaning behind some of the almost expressionistic elements only in the final couple of pages. It is always interesting to see people stumble over the plots and characters, attempting to weld one definitive reading onto the narrative whole, when it works better as a personal journey for each viewer to take from it what they want.

Not receiving clear answers doesn't mean a story has failed.

Things to Come spends a page outlining the Byzantine rules which US television networks, production companies, and the stars of hit television series', operate under. It is unsurprising, with so many restrictions imposed upon the creative end of the process, that much of American television from the seventies is almost unwatchable now. There are behind-the-scenes photographs of Damnation Alley, which makes the film look more interesting than it turned out to be.

One of the saddest things about creating something, anything, is if it doesn't work. When it's got terrific potential, but doesn't realise it. Be it the fault of money, time or talent, it frightens off the whole field, does irreparable damage to the genre.

Alan Jones' review of Wizards covers the immense difficulties which Bakshi's film had stacked against it, and it is difficult to reappraise the film with more enthusiasm all these years later. If anything, the dated look of the animation has made it less interesting than it was on release. Ralph Bashi's never had a wholly-satisfying film, with each of his directorial releases suffering some form of deficiency. For a director with such a strong sense of vision, it is painful to see what eventually ended up on screen in comparison to his stated intentions.

Remaining interesting after so many years is a remarkable feat, and Starburst holds a special place in SF history.

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