Heroes Magazine #1

Dec 2007 - Jan 2008. Cover price £4.99.
100 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines

Edited by Martin Eden.

Cover photo (uncredited).

Contents:

  2 The Perfect Break advertisement for World Snooker Championship on Nintendo DS.

  3 Editorial by Martin Eden; illustrations from UNKNOWN, promotional photos (uncredited).

  4 Heroes Welcome messages from Milo Ventimiglia, Ali Larter, James Kyson Lee, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jack Coleman, Tim Kring, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Grunberg, Zachary uinto, Adrian Pasdar, Dania Ramirez, and Masi Oka; photographs from Heroes World Tour.

  6 Contents (one and two thirds pages).

  7 Creators credits. / Indicia

  8 Heroes Headlines news feature compiled by Rob Francis.

 13 Kevin Smith Tells it Like it Is! advertisement for My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith.

 14 Afraid of the Dark? in-house advertisement for Lost: The Official Magazine.

 16 Supergroup - An Interview with the Entire Cast of Heroes! by Abbie Bernstein.

 25 Resistance is Futile! in-house advertisement for Star Trek Magazine.

 26 Secret Origins Tim Kring interview by Abbie Bernstein.

 33 Celebrating 30 Years of Star Wars in-house advertisement for Star Wars Insider.

 34 Heroes - Season One Episode Guide & Cast Interviews guide by Rob Francis, interviews by Abbie Bernstein; photographs (uncredited).

 38 Cast Interviews Milo Ventimiglia

 40 Cast Interviews Adrian Pasdar

 44 Cast Interviews Ali Larter

 46 Cast Interviews Leonard Roberts

 50 Cast Interviews Sendhil Ramamurthy

 52 Cast Interviews Santiago Cabrera

 56 Cast Interviews Hayden Panettiere

 58 Cast Interviews Greg Grunberg

 62 Cast Interviews Masi Oka

 66 Whodunnit? Can You Solve the Case of the Six Million Dollar Man? Find Out in the First Issue of The Official CSI Magazine in-house advertisement.

 68 Which Hero Are You? personality quiz by Kate Anderson; photos (uncredited).

 74 Comic Book Heroes feature and interviews by Bryan Cairns.

 77 Comic Book Heroes Micah Gunnell

 78 Comic Book Heroes Michael Turner

 79 Comic Book Heroes Chuck Kim

 80 Comic Book Heroes Heroes Web-Comic Guide

 82 The Heroes World Tour! photo feature.

 88 Win Heroes Part One DVD! competition.

 89 Gate Adventures! in-house advertisement for Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis - the Official Magazine.

 90 Forbidden Planet advertisement.

 91 Time After Time feature by K. Stoddard Hayes; photos (uncredited).

 96 My Heroes Jack Coleman feature compiled by Abbie Bernstein.

 97 Launch Issue Subscription Offer! Subscribe Now & Save Up to 30%!

 98 To Be Continued... in Heroes Magazine #2

 99 We Could Be... Heroes in-house advertisement for graphic novel.

100 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Hard Evidence advertisement for DVD.

It made sense to focus a magazine on Heroes, given the obvious crossover appeal of the series, though this title's approach is a decidedly conservative one. Much like Titan's approach with Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate and... Lost¹, the photo-heavy articles are as uncritical and breezy as possible, with no attempt to offer up original insights into a television tradition the series is part of. Every glaringly obvious opportunity for the title to step out from the shadow of established franchises is squandered.

A photo cover - utilizing the series logo - mostly works fine, though this is a lazy layout with little care for detail. The strap across the top is pointed in the wrong direction, for instance, indicating the spine rather than the direction of the pages. That a similar image on the third page is used correctly makes its initial use all the more annoying. It is incredibly difficult to get worked up about the series when the magazine feels so half-hearted about it - this is meant to be a grandstanding celebration, screaming the joys of the show as loud as it can. But it doesn't.

This is a whisper of celebration. A croak, perhaps, delivered behind an embarrassed hand.

Martin Eden's introduction wisely uses panels from the web-comic alongside photos, which are to dominate the rest of the issue, reminding readers of Heroes central premise better than any number of carefully-staged promotional shots. Following this with comments from the main cast is a little odd, but not as strange as filling the centre of a two-page spread with an image of the cover. Are we really that stupid, we need to be reminded what the magazine we've just bought looks like?

In contrast, Heroes Headlines is actually informative, highlighting a Got Milk campaign, the initial DVD release of Season One (well... half of it, anyway), the graphic novel, an Ubisoft tie-in game, and trading cards. It isn't a great haul to track down - unlike features on Star Wars merchandise - but it makes for an interesting change of pace before a torrent of NBC-pleasing butt-kissing overwhelms the title, with Supergroup being the most blatant example of this.

It is one thing to play nice when dealing with a big franchise, it is another to be completely uncritical. Interviewing the actors, there are no suggestions that the any problems have been noticed. No talk, therefore, of out-of-character moments, unconvincing special effects, wooden acting, flat direction, or clunky lines of dialogue. No siree, the show is perfect. Had there been acknowledgment of the early failings, then the promo-friendly lines wouldn't have felt like so many rehearsed and company-approved soundbites.

Tim Kring's interview explains a lot about the way Heroes came together, admitting that he is isn't an X-Men fan (join the club) and that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind informed some of his decisions while writing. More of this would have been appreciated, as it is interesting to now which shows he worked on before tackling Heroes, then attempt to see traces of those shows in the fabric of his plotting and characterizations.

An episode guide, for the entirety of the first season, is rather too much to take in one go. With so little provided for each episode (less than half a page dedicated to an episode) there is little to recommend paying more than the briefest attention to what Rob Francis provides. I'm sure he has a real interest in the series, but with such brevity there is no possibility of anything approaching comprehensive analysis, nor discussion of themes or influences.

Worse, wasting six pages on a quiz - Which Hero Are You - is a sign that this publication isn't being taken seriously by the creative personnel, making it difficult, as a reader, to take the title seriously.

Far better than expected, the focus on the webcomic, in the aptly titled Comic Book Heroes, is good introduction to the artists and stories, though the lack of reprinted material limits how interesting the feature is to any readers without prior exposure to the strips.

When looking back at the title's launch, the one thing that works beautifully is a chronological analysis of Hiro's appearances. For a 100-page title to have but five pages of solid, entertaining, and informative material which is without fault presents a shocking lack of foresight on the part of Titan Magazines.

This tie-in is, in part, a reason I stopped watching the TV series.

Between this issue and the first episode of the second season, the lack of quality surrounding the franchise, combined with a sense that the series was milking fans rather than rewarding them, dissuaded me from looking back in on what was happening with the characters in particular, or the franchise in general. There shouldn't be this many obstacles in the way of potential audience members enjoying spin-off material.

^{1. One of these things is not like the others.}

Minutemen Arcade

http://www.minutemenarcade.com/uk/

From the stylish loading bar, evoking the Watchmen black-and-yellow branding perfectly, this website has a style which is unmistakably tied into the film adaptation. The diner location may be rather too simplistic - the arcade machine is the only clickable object. The newspaper in the foreground of the image could have led to reviews, the window to an image gallery, and the burger... Okay, I have no idea why that is there, other than to make me hungry, but my point stands. There is so much that could have been done with the opening screen.

The game itself begins with a rather amusing, though (once again) all too simple. There are a few issues with movement, the characters occasionally getting blocked by invisible obstacles, and the combat is limited to a punch and a kick. The availability of only two characters (Nite Owl and Silk Spectre) limits the replayability of the game, though as a few minutes of fun it is perfectly acceptable diversion - and, importantly, it is free. As long as you don't expect the level of quality as found in the the arcade game in The Wanderers, you might be entertained.

Once past the game, links to the official site, I Watch The Watchmen, and The New Frontiersman (for some reason here redirecting to the Paramount website) become available, along with an option to replay.

Very disappointing.

Doctor Who Sticker Collection, Second Edition

2007. 8⅝"x11¾". Promotional copy
52 pages. Full color contents.
Topps Europe, Ltd. / Merlin Stickers

Photo cover.

Contents:

.2 Tardis photo
.3 .[3 stickers] Are You Ready?
.4 [21 stickers] The Doctor
.8 [11 stickers] Rose
10 [11 stickers] Mickey
12 [10 stickers] Meet The Cybermen
14 [10 stickers] S2.5: Rise Of The Cybermen
16 [10 stickers] S2.6: The Age Of Steel
18 [10 stickers] S2.7: The Idiot's Lantern
20 [10 stickers] S2.8: The Impossible Planet
22 [10 stickers] S2.9: The Satan Pit
24 [10 stickers] S2.10: Love & Monsters
26 [10 stickers] S2.11: Fear Her
-- [14 stickers] Monsters And Aliens Uncovered full-color poster (16¼"x23¼").
28 [10 stickers] S2.12: Army Of Ghosts
30 [10 stickers] S2.13: Doomsday
32 [10 stickers] The Daleks
34 [11 stickers] The Doctor & Rose's Adventures
36 [20 stickers] S3. The Runaway Bride
40 [11 stickers] Martha Jones
42 [11 stickers] S3.1: Smith & Jones
44 [11 stickers] S3.2: The Shakespeare Code
46 [11 stickers] S3.3: Gridlock
48 [11 stickers] S3.4: Daleks In Manhattan
50 .[4 stickers] TARDIS Adventures
51 .[4 stickers] Completion Sticker Box / mail-order sticker information & indicia

Blue Peter - Eighteenth Book

Annual (1982). 8"x11". £1.95
80 pages; hardback. Full color.
BBC

ISBN-10: 0563179384

Features written by Biddy Baxter, Edward Barnes & John Adcock.

Photo cover.

Contents:

.2 Blue Peter Animals part one
.3 Contents
.4 Hello There! text by Simon Groom, Sarah Greene & Peter Duncan.
.6 Time Gentlemen Please! text feature by Peter Duncan.
.9 Rags Goes Back To School text feature (uncredited).
10 Who Stole The Stone? illustrated feature by Dorothy Smith. a: Robert Bloomfield.
16 Who's Who? text feature (uncredited).
18 Witches And Wizards cut-out feature by Margaret Parnell.
20 Joey text feature (uncredited).
25 Weddings photo feature (uncredited).
26 Great Jumping Bullfrogs photo feature (uncredited).
28 Leap Frog cut-out feature by Margaret Parnell.
30 Kevin Keegan photo feature.
31 Tina's Baby text feature (uncredited).
34 End Of An Era text feature (uncredited).
36 HMS Ark Royal cutaway. a: Roland Berry.
38 Christmas Stamps text feature (uncredited).
40 Marathon Man text feature (uncredited).
44 The Case Of The One That Got Away text story (uncredited).
47 The Big One text feature by Peter Duncan.
50 Malaysia text feature by Sarah Greene.
54 Butterflies And Headhunters text feature by Dorothy Smith. a: Robert Bloomfield.
57 I Don't Care A Pin photo feature by Sarah Greene.
58 Bradgate Park text feature by Simon Groom.
60 Goldie's Puppies photo feature (uncredited).
62 What A Snip! illustrated feature (uncredited). a: Cindi Harwood.
64 Simon And The Thirty Theaves text feature (uncredited).
66 Blue Peter Meets Grange Hill text story by Paul Manning. a: Brian Delaney.
69 The Fishers Of Mousehole text feature by Sarah Greene.
72 Star Gazey Pie recipe by Margaret Parnell.
74 The Bear Facts! illustrated feature.
76 Solutions answers to puzzles printed in reverse.
77 Spot The Spots competition.
78 Blue Peter Animals part two

Under a bolder cover than previous years, the contents are - surprisingly, given the changes made in previous years - rather less different than readers might have expected. There are overly familiar elements, which have been reported on at length in episodes (the Stone of Destiny, the Ark Royal), and blatant plugs for other BBC shows (Doctor Who, Grange Hill), but the essential Blue Peter-ness is maintained throughout, with features on things to make at home, recipes, and plenty of photos of the presenters. This annual is appearing here rather than on the main blog, due to the lack of comic-specific content, and even the aforementioned Doctor Who article is merely a brief overview of the series' history rather than a meaningful contribution.

The most immediately noticeable thing about the features is the bluntness of language. The article on Joey Deacon uses the word 'spastic' freely, which probably contributed to the proliferation of the word as a term of insult in school playgrounds up and down the country in the 1980s, and is at odds with later annuals careful use of language. Of course, even with the worrisome contents, there is enough here for readers to consider - an especially interesting two-page article on Rupert Bear lays out the history of the character, and his early creators. There are gaps in the narrative, along with what seems like a joke on 'Girl Power' over a decade before it was coined, but it does enough to justify its' inclusion.