Review: Space Monsters #1 / Release Date: Out Now
If you like monsters from space, you’ll love Space Monsters, the new fan magazine edited by Richard (‘Cyberschizoid’) Gladman, the man behind the Classic Horror Campaign. Space Monsters combines science fiction and horror to celebrate the darker side of sci-fi and the classic monster movies of yesteryear. Issue 1 features The Green Slime, King Kong and Godzilla, Space 1999, Doctor Who, giant bug movies and Star Trek. There’s also an appreciation of extra-terrestrial beauty in the form of Maya, the space babe from Space 1999.
Space Monsters is simply gorgeous to look at. Produced by many of the same team who brought us the recent We Belong Dead, issue one has dozens of great stills from Steve Kirkham and the wonderful Hemlock Books, including some rare lobby cards and posters for films like The Giant Claw, and some rare behind the scenes stills of Space 1999; Woody Welch contributes great artwork throughout; and designer Kirkham and editor Gladman pull it all together beautifully.
As in We Belong Dead, the writing is top notch: editor Gladman looks at the scarier moments in Gerry Anderson’s Space 1999; WBD editor Eric McNaughton contributes fascinating retrospectives of Them! and The Giant Claw; the ever-reliable Ernie Magnota offers golden memories of classic 1950s double-bill Godzilla Vs Megalon and Beware! The Blob; Trevor Talbot looks at Sinbad movies through the eyes of childhood and contributes a rundown of his top ten giant bug movies; David Brilliance takes a nostalgic look at Stark Trek, the original TV series, while Brian Gregory offers an in-depth article on the continuing influence of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone on television and film.
Altogether it’s a great mix, hugely enjoyable, and brimming with love for these movies and television shows. It is going to be interesting to see where Richard Gladman and his contributors take this. Invitations are open for submissions. Next issue (available in print and digital editions) is a ‘Space Vampires Special’, with an intriguing mix of pieces on It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958), Lifeforce (1985), Queen of Blood (1966), Planet of the Vampires (1965) and The Astrozombies (1968).
