Space Precinct #6

30 Jan 1996. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.

Edited by Cefn Ridout.

Cover by Colin MacNeil.

Contents:

 2 Also Available from Manga Publishing in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files #09 (Feb 1996).

 3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia

 4 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Manga Books Mail Order (half page) advertisement for Grantham Book Services.

 5 Cruise Control w: Paul Grist; a: Colin MacNeil, lettering by Elitta Fell, colouring by Nigel Parkinson.

11 Space Precinct Fun Packs to be Won! competition; photographs (uncredited).

12 The Illusionists, part two, Breeding Aliens text feature by Jim Swallow; photographs (uncredited).

14 Captain Courageous Jerome Willis & Christine Glanville interviewed by Ralph Titterton; photographs (uncredited).

r: FAB Magazine (Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society) #19 ().

16 Roll Call Sally Brogan / Matthew Brogan (half page) / Elizabeth Brogan (half page) fact files by Lee Brimmicombe Wood; photographs (uncredited).

18 Demeter General Hospital [City of Demeter Department of Interplanetary Health] cutaway by Graham Bleathman.

20 Case Review True Believers recap.

21 True Believers, part two, w: Simon Jowett; a: Graham Manley, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.

33 Crimewatch readers mail.

34 Episode Guide Body and Soul recap by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).

35 Hot New Game advertisement for Upper Deck's Sumo Dudes

23 Outrageous Characters & Retro-Mecha Action at its Best! in-house advertisement for Giant Robo videocassettes.

Colin MacNeil's cover, featuring Orrin and Romek, is a stylish affair, placing a squad car front and centre in a hint towards a complete story, Cruise Control, in this issue. Ridout's introduction continues to request readers to send in "drawings, paintings, sculptures, potato prints," suggesting that word of cancellation was very late into production, though the lack of a "next issue" plug hints at there being at least some indication as to the title's fate.

The aforementioned Cruise Control is the kind of story which highlights character, without sacrificing plot, or credibility, and is one of the best glimpses into the Space Precinct universe - brief, to the point, and very amusing. Grist manages to pack a lot of information into very few pages, delivering something which is both perfectly suited to the franchise and yet feels fresh.

Demeter City is a diverse place, an interstellar melting pot of races and species from across the galaxy, some of whom are only out for a quick credit and not all of them ready to do it legally. Here, Humans from Earth are side-by-side with Creons from the planet Danae, Tarns from Simter, and a host of others like Xyronites and Saganians, as well as less well-known and often highly dangerous aliens liket the Meki, the Snake and the morphing murderess Aleesha.

Jim Swallow's The Illusionists feature, on alien prosthetics featured in the series, doesn't go into detail on the creation of the suits or animatronics, but offers enough of an insight into the unbelievable turnaround required in order to meet demands - it is barely imaginable that such complex designs are so rapidly manufactured in screen-ready form. Without seeing the workings of the facial appliances, we can only ponder the processes involved.

A further reprint from FAB is a sign that all is not right with the back-up features. It is difficult to pinpoint why the extracts are so unsatisfying when there are clearly very talented, intelligent, and articulate people involved, and the conclusion must be the extreme lack of space allocated to these pieces. Had more room been placed aside, we might have discovered more about the series' workings, and the hurdles which needed to be overcome.

Reading that things are great, and no trouble at all, is boring. The hint of a challenge - as Jerome Willis describes whirring servos during scenes - and suddenly the set comes alive. Knowing that every line of dialogue requires post-production tinkering brings to us a feeling of peeking, however slightly, and however briefly, behind the curtain to see how the trick is performed.

The final three Roll Call installments, featuring Brogan's family, does a fine job of bringing the characters inner lives to light, though the slang used to exemplify the children's dialogue is painful. A problem which crops up remarkably often in titles, and is extremely evident here, is the re-use of identical images on the same page - Sally Brogan's headshot being placed at the top and bottom of the page. It's never a good idea to do this, and the duplication is not sufficiently spaced apart to mitigate any sense of penny-pinching.

A cutaway of Demeter City Hospital highlights one of the most underused elements throughout the franchise. We know that bio-mechanical engineering exists in the series, though how advanced this surgery is - for example, we never see a human receiving artificial limbs capable of replicating full movement. Artificial eyes, oft-used in SF, is never broached, nor is the possibility of inter-species bio-compatibility, raising the disturbing question of where blood supplies for species not otherwise seen is obtained.

While not up to the standards of the opening installment, True Believers continues to throw ideas at the page as if there's no tomorrow. There wasn't a tomorrow for the title, but still... It's interesting to see reactions from Romek and Orrin to the rioters, although not enough context to the background of the One True Path has been peppered throughout the franchise to make their appearance more than Plot Device of the Week #42.

The dramatic conclusion, in which Matt is injured, leaves the issue with a thrilling cliff-hanger which is very promising. It's infuriating that a conclusion to the story wasn't published in the title's run, but at least there is the collections...

With a final surge of exceptional content, Space Precinct ends on a high.

#5

Space Precinct

Space Precinct #3

05 Dec 1995. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.

Edited by Cefn Ridout.

Cover by John Higgins.

Contents:

 2 Fanderson - the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society (half page) advertisement. / Breaking the Barriers - Subscribe... And Survive! (half page) subscription information.

 3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia

 4 Case Review Arcadia recap.

 5 Arcadia, part two, w:/a: David Hine, lettering by Elitta Fell.

11 Double the Pages! Double the Action! in-house advertisement for Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition.

12 The Anderson Tapes, part two, Gerry Anderson interview by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).

15 The Anderson Tapes The Anderson Series, part two, outline of Gerry Anderson television series'.

30 Roll Call Police Officer Jane Castle fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood.

31 Space Precinct Mugs to be Won! competition.

18 Space Suburb cutaway by Graham Bleathman.

20 Case Review The Last Warrior recap.

21 The Last Warrior, part three, w: Ian Carney; a: John Erasmus, art assist by Ronit Bergman, Jon Davis & Madeleine Wurzburger, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.

33 Book Guide Demon Wing recap by Jim Swallow.

34 Episode Guide Enforcer recap by Peter J. Evans.

35 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct

36 Fromm the Hidden Files of the FBI in-house advertisement for The X-Files: Firebird and The X-Files Special Edition.

A very psychedelic cover immediately dates the issue - although it is a fine image, it is a much overused look for comics and magazines of the mid-nineties. There was a while when every other comic had some sort of swirling, garishly-hued image adorning the cover, and very few have weathered the years well.

Arcadia, determined to throw as many familiar plot points as possible into one story, falls back on the hokiest of them all. Captain Podly decides to set aside thirty-six years of following regulations in order to hand over evidence Bagaan in return for his niece, Ranna, prompting Romek and Orrin to chase after him. Once Bagaan's men open fire on their police cruiser they call in back-up, despite not being there for the criminal.

The overly-familiar elements aren't necessarily a bad thing, allowing for some interesting character observations. Arcadia is a far batter story than it sounds, though the final panel over-eggs the humour. Part of the problem the television series suffered was a desperate lack of grounding, and that sense of 'looking in on a sit-com' rather than 'following along with a real police unit' (as with NYPD Blue) is replicated on the page.

There's room for more intelligent stories set within this universe, tackling subjects which the series couldn't have touched. That a reticence to address such material was present through the title was a slight, though not insurmountable, problem. At least there were no attempt at canon-welding the continuity of the other series into the franchise.

Gerry Anderson's reserved statement regarding the future of the show, in the wake of Grove TV's demise, is optimistic, with notions to increase the realism of the series should it have been picked up. I wish we could have seen such a direction, as it would have filled a gap in the market for intelligent SF on the small screen.

It's hard to say which assaults the senses more.

The deafening rattle of utility pipes serving Downtown Demeter...

Or the stench of the city's unrecyclable waste water...

Or the all-surrounding darkness which hints at the oblivion of death!

The Last Warrior is more like the show Space Precinct should have been, with a style and mood which hints at the possibilities of the series if it had continued. Wonderfully-strange aliens fill the scenes, placing both Brogan and Haldane in full action hero mode for the duration.

#2

Space Precinct

#4

Space Precinct #2

21 Nov 1995. Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.

Edited by Cefn Ridout.

Cover by John Erasmus.

Contents:

 2 Patlabor 2 The Movie in-house advertisement for videocassette.

 3 Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040 introduction by Cefn Ridout. / Contents / Indicia

 4 Case Review The Last Warrior recap.

 5 The Last Warrior, part two, w: Ian Carney; a: John Erasmus, lettering by Annie Parkhouse.

17 Street Fighter II Animated in-house advertisement for videocassette.

18 Police Cruiser cutaway by Graham Bleathman.

20 The Anderson Tapes, part one, Gerry Anderson interview by Peter J. Evans; photographs (uncredited).

21 The Anderson Tapes The Anderson Series, part one, outline of Gerry Anderson television series'.

23 Breaking the Barriers in-house advertisement for Crying Freeman, The X-Files: Firebird, Dirty Pair: Dangerous Acquaintances, Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct 2040, and Tank Girl: The Odyssey graphic novels.

29 Arcadia w:/a: David Hine, lettering by Elitta Fell, colouring by Nigel Parkinson.

30 Roll Call Police Officer Jack Haldane fact file by Lee Brimmicombe Wood.

31 All Action Spider-Man Caps advertisement for Panini.

32 Book Guide The Deity Father recap by Jim Swallow.

33 Space Precinct Paperback Books to be Won! competition.

34 Episode Guide Protect and Serve recap by Peter J. Evans.

35 In the Next Issue of Space Precinct

36 Double the Pages! Double the Action! in-house advertisement for Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition.

A superbly evocative cover, capturing the leads in action - and in a manner which the series never quite achieved - the second issue builds upon the fantastic start to the series. It shouldn't be a surprise that The Last Warrior is building to be a very distinguished story, but the art is truly worthy of being placed alongside the classic sixties' strips. There's a great story as well, with solid characterization, an ear for dialogue, and some brilliant observations.

Graham Bleathman's cutaways are proving to be thoroughly enjoyable, with enough detail in the key to answer niggling concerns.

August 1995 and there's no end in sight to the heatwave that's gripped Britain this summer. And just when you thought it couldn't get any hotter, the sun pops out over rural Oxfordshire and Gerry Anderson's household starts to slowly broil. Gerry himself was preparing for his role as guest of honour at Worldcon in Glasgow a few days later, but despite the heat and his undeniably hectic schedule, the legend in his own primetime agreed to speak to Space Precinct Magazine about life, the universe and luxury cars.

The Anderson Tapes has a few revelations about the way the series made it to screen, and explains how Grove Television got involved. It is amusing to know that he wasn't particularly interested in SF, initially wishing to move away from puppets into "real" film-making, when his shows have outlasted nearly everything broadcast contemporaneously. A (brief) outline of the various programmes lists everything up to 1968's Thunderbird Six, though I would be more interested in the shows (like Space Police) which never quite reached television screens.

To the East of Demeter an imposing structure has bloomed like an exotic desert orchid in the arid wasteland. A wonderland known as Arcadia

Soon after its completion, the sons and daughters of Demeter City's elite are made an offer they can't refuse.

The wacky cult featured in Arcadia is in no way based on the Scientology cult.

Its leader, Bagaan, a red-skinned alien, offers the youths the means to travel to the boundless worlds of hyper-reality. After returning home, the son of a prominent city councillor demands to be taken back to Arcadia. Bagaan tells the youth's father that he has become hopelessly addicted to hyper-reality, and offers to de-program him in exchange for the man's support in relaxing gaming legislation in Demeter City.

There was an opportunity to explore the darker edges of Demeter in the comic, with stories which might not have passed network scrutiny, though instead of examining inter-species hostility, the effects of food, drink, and environment on differing physiologies, or political schisms created by differing outlooks on the universe, we get a story which could have been slipped into a late-period episode of The Avengers, or even The Champions.

A look at the first Space Precinct novel, The Deity Father, is an interesting piece of cross-promotion, and is seriously tempting me to go hunt for a copy. It is immediately followed by a competition in which twenty lucky readers had the opportunity to get their hands on a copy gratis. Slick.

As with The X-Files, there are one-page episode guides, of questionable use. Surely fans of the series will have been picking up either SFX or some other magazines covering the series, so replicating the information in the tie-in title is... odd.

Well worth its place in the Anderson canon.

#1

Space Precinct

#3

Red Dwarf Smegazine Vol.2 #1

May 1993; Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Full colour.
Fleetway Editions Limited.

Edited by Mike Butcher.

Cover photograph. Cover design by Steve Curley

Free postcards.

Contents:

.2 Look out, Universe, here come... THE BOYS FROM THE DWARF! Introduction text by Mike Butcher?

.4 Smegatorial by Mike Butcher. / Win a Red Dwarf Script Book competition. / Indicia

.5 Lister the God, part one, w:/a: Nigel Kitching, lettering by Elitta Fell.

15 News from the Dwarf text feature by Jane Killick.

16 Behind the Scenes with Red Dwarf VI text feature by Jane Killick.

18 Red Dwarf merchandise advertisement.

19 Craig Charles text feature by Jane Killick.

22 The Junior Encyclopedia of Space Readers Q&A feature by Maxine Lehmann.

23 Androids The Big Scrap Heap of Life w: James Hill & Pat Kelleher; a: Kev F. Sutherland.

24 Red Dwarf Lands in Chicago - A Review of Visions '92 text feature by Joe Nazzaro.

26 Ace Rimmer fact file.

27 Super-Ace w: Steve Lyons; a: Nigel Dobbyn, lettering by Elitta Fell.

34 "The End" episode retrospective by Jane Killick.

37 The Terminator He's Back and He's Meaner Than Ever toy advertisement.

38 Red any Good Books Lately book reviews by Joe Nazzaro, Jane Killick, and John Ratcliff.

39 Captain's Log Mac McDonald interview, by Chris Howarth & Steve Lyons.

42 Hollygrams readers letters. / Next Month in the Smeg

43 Jake Bullet and Dwayne Dibbley The Case of the Cashed-In Contestant, part six, Don't Lose Your Nerd w: Noble & Kitching; a: Flint & Kitching, lettering by Phoenix.

47 News from the Omni-Zone television news by Adrian Rigelsford.

48 A New Beginning - It'll Blow You to Pieces in-house advertisement for Judge Dredd The Megazine.

Before we get too comfy, there is the unfortunate cover text to address:

The Gary Glitter of Space?
Craig Charles Confesses!

How different that innocent line has become in the intervening years.

The first strip, Lister the God, delves into history of the Felis sapien, who descended from Lister's pregnant house-cat. A holy war raged for fifteen hundred years, with no end in sight. Fritz, Krazy and Juma are selected to use the time obelisk to travel five hundred years into the future to return with the false god known as 'Cloister' in order to bring peace to their race. Holly suffers a power drain (necessitating Rimmer being shut off) as the three cat warriors arrive, and Holly - after deciding it has gone far too long without a facelift - decides to help the cats in their quest.

Lister immediately goes to fetch bazookoids to deal with the problem, but before he can reach them runs into the cats. Kryten is seemingly destroyed, and Lister is dragged away to the time obelisk to face his fate. Meanwhile (or, alternatively, five hundred years in the future) Holly has sorted out the glitch. Cat finds he isn't the sole remaining crew-member when Kryten, missing many pieces, arrives with Rimmer's Light Bee.

A strong start for the strip, with a genuinely interesting series of problems for the crew to untangle. There are also, naturally, the moments of comedy which the series is built around. Distinctive artwork, bold colouring (a very stark Rimmer, Holly's distinctive look), and unobtrusive lettering combine to create a very satisfying read. It is always appreciated when a long-ignored piece of back-story is expanded upon, and moreso when done as well as this is.

The Red Dwarf feature film was talked about a lot in the nineties, and the news section once again raises the prospect, with Universal named as being interested. Unfortunately there isn't a reason given for the optimism - were contracts signed? Were names and dates suggested? Had Rob Grant and Doug Naylor merely been seen standing near a producer, raising everyone's hopes for no good reason? The other big news item was a delay in Red Dwarf videos being released.

A quiet note about Danny John-Jules releasing a record is tucked away at the bottom of the page. It's nice to see even those privy to inside scoops can get tongue-tied from time to time.

The Androids one-page strip is a funny interlude, based upon the television show much liked by Kryten, but doesn't do enough with the material to be especially memorable. More fleshed-out and absurd, taking place in Alternative 2X13/L, the city of Smegopolis, an alternative in which genetic engineers have bred a new kind of hero: the hero of the masses! Faster than a speeding bazookoid blast, stronger than a raging stimulant..

Super-Ace. Not quite as strong as a dimension-hopping spaceship, unfortunately. Ace finds himself in a superhero dimension, replete with quirky references to Red Dwarf lore. He has to convince Super-Ace that there is more to being a hero than having powers, but is forced to don the hero's costume and take out the villains in his stead. There's a hilarious conclusion to the strip, and as Ace zips off to another alternative reality things are restored to their proper course.

There is a freshness and vitality to the presentation, making the most of the colour pages. The features are, for the most part, really entertaining, and the postcards are... Well, they are postcards. It is hard to screw up postcards. A poster would have been nice instead though.

Red Dwarf Magazine #1

Mar 1992; Cover price £1.50.
40 pages. Colour.
Fleetway Editions.

Edited by Mike Butcher.

Painted cover by Jon Rushby.

Contents:

.2 Introduction / Indicia photo by Chris Ridley.

.3 The End part one, w: UNKNOWN, based on the scripts by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor; a: Alan Burrows, lettering by Elitta Fell.

18 A Beginner's Guide to Red Dwarf text feature (uncredited).

19 The Red Dwarf Interview Chris Barrie.

22 Holly's Amazing Facts!.

23 The Complete Judge Dredd advertisement.

24 Series V Preview text feature (uncredited).

26 Danny John-Jules photo pin-up.

27 "Could You Pilot 'Red Dwarf'?" quiz.

30 Fixing Reality! interview with Prof. Neider-Lewis by Brian M. Clarke.

31 Caption Competition (half page).

32 We've Got the Power! in-house advertisement.

33 The Red Dwarf Fun Page puzzle page.

34 Craig Charles photo pin-up.

35 Red Dwarf Studio Report text feature.

38 Test Your Red Dwarf Knowledge quiz.

39 BMS mail-order advertisement (half page).

39 Next Issue ... (half page).

40 Chris Barrie photo pin-up.

The cover does not inspire confidence, with Kryten looking like a Conehead who has suffered a horrific industrial accident, Rimmer seemingly being a spliced clone of Chris Barrie and Gilbert Gottfried, and the likenesses of the others similarly loose. It doesn't feel like an official product, which isn't helped by lazy trade dress. No matter how good the contents are, when there is an instinctive dislike of the illustration chosen to represent a title it is unlikely that opinion will be swayed by a brief perusal of the contents in a newsagents.

You've seen the TV show, read the book, watched the video and worn the T-shirt ... well, now it's time to read the RED DWARF MAGAZINE! You will be thrilled by our funny, yet highly informative features; you will be chilled by our nerve-angling adaptation of the very first TV episode of RED DWARF; and you will be spilled if you try sitting in a cup of coffee held by Dave Lister the morning after a particularly heavy night on the lager and vindaloos. Such is life, read on...

There's a sense of continuity between the series and the magazine in the handling of information - a through-line of irreverent humour, a touch of surrealism, and a solid grasp of self-aggrandizing hyperbole. The one thing painfully missing from the cover is "The Galaxy's Greatest Magazine," which could have convinced readers of 2000 A.D. to pick up the issue.

Adapting the stories from the series (which, presumably, everyone reading the issue had seen) is the biggest mis-step, especially when the likenesses are so loose. It isn't awful, but the strip feels redundant when compared to other tie-in titles. That it takes more than one issue to wrap up such a simple tale is an indulgence that really harms the issue overall, but as it is the sole comic strip in the title is by default the highlight.

From here on in things are less than impressive.

A Beginner's Guide is little more than a recap of the main cast, and is (oddly) placed after the strip. It should have appeared at the front of the title or been dropped, as it adds nothing that those familiar with the series will be aware of. The interview with Chris Barrie is much better, though the spartan presentation is somewhat off-putting. He makes plenty of good points, and is aware enough of the critical reception to the series to acknowledge flaws. It is always a pleasure to read his thoughts, and he doesn't disappoint.

Holly's "facts" are, sadly, a wasted opportunity to expand on just how little she understands about the ship, and focuses instead on random subjects which have little to do with the series. The quiz page and fun page are good for a few seconds entertainment, Fixing Reality!, an interview with a fictional character, is pointless, and the Series V Preview is, with hindsight, a fluff piece which could have run in any SF-centric title from the era.

The Studio Report is slightly better than I had expected, given the presentation, with behind-the-scenes information which the likes of Starburst were doing, but - again - the harsh white backgrounds don't convey the sense that this is an officially-licensed title. That much of the issue's problems are cosmetic isn't a great surprise, but that so much of the issue is disposable padding is odder. There are no features regarding the models used in the series, the photos used are generic publicity shots, and a respectful distance is kept from the background details.

There are fanines which carry more information.