Site of the Week -- August 28, 2000
r. T was a true-blue American hero, fighting the good fight alongside his fellow A-Team members, converting mundane equipment into assault weapons, and putting the smackdown on any sucka fool enough to get in his way.
The A-Team is coming back in 2001 with a new series produced by Top Cow for Fox 2000. The president of Top Cow (creators of the TV version of Witchblade) says the series will be "reimagined, with a contemporary feel." If he truly wants the series to be reimagined, he should check out Mr. T Is the Toughest Man in Anime.
The site throws the biggest badass in all of TV-land into the world of Neon Genesis, Macross 7, Sailor Moon, Gundam and Fushigi Yuugi. It's fresh. It's imaginative. It has huge mecha wearing gold chains while battling the forces of evil. It also sports classic Mr. T dialogue like "I pity the fool who's corruptin' the youth. This Miaka sucka is dead meat." And let's not forget Mr. T's legendary construction skills--in one episode he constructs a giant, van-mounted cream pie weapon to use against a rampaging, super-sized Bill Gates.
The site is loud, obnoxious and hilarious, especially for those who worshipped the A-Team in the early '80s. Diehard anime fans will undoubtedly consider it high heresy.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- August 21, 2000
t's been more than 30 years since the Robinson family became lost in space. Yet the folks at Promised Planet remain as addicted to the family's exploits as they were the day Jupiter-2 first went off course.
The site is dedicated to the venerable--if campy--1960s series Lost in Space. It lavishes the show's three seasons with unwavering affection while acknowledging their occasional shortcomings.
Weekly polls give devotees a place to voice their opinions on minutiae, such as "What was the most overused stock footage on Lost in Space?" Archived polls evaluate fans' opinions of the Lost in Space movie by New Line Cinema, the chances for a sequel and the potential for a made-for-TV movie. A fledgling episode guide chronicles the first five episodes of Lost in Space's freshman season with still shots and detailed reviews. More reviews are promised at two-to-three-week intervals.
The best part of the site, however, is "Dr. Zachary Smith's Monikers for Robot." It's a hilarious compilation of every derisive bit of slang ever spewed at Robot by the good doctor, including classics like "aluminum canary" and "hulking mass of mechanical ignorance."
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- August 14, 2000
he recently redesigned Speculative Vision has much to offer fans of science fiction and fantasy.
Its premier strength is as a showcase of science fiction and fantasy art. Everything from traditional spacescapes and dragons to the occasionally bizarre can be found, in both traditional and digital media, and all of generally high quality. Each gallery features a handful of artists, with thumbnails of each work that link to a larger version.
In addition, Speculative Vision provides dozens, perhaps hundreds, of TV and movie theme MIDI files, from Alf to The Phantom Menace. It also has a monitored interactive story section, where anyone can contribute a chapter to an endless fantasy tale, with a science fiction story on the way. There are discussion forums, Java arcade games and a well-organized news section, along with an awards page featuring numerous links of science-fictional interest.
Speculative Vision promises more cool stuff to come, including book and movie reviews and original fiction. Even without those sections, the site makes a good jumping-off point for genre fans.
-- Blaise Selby
