or a simple down-home boy who started out in the early '80s with a straightforward act of reviewing B-movies in a rudely funny manner, Joe Bob Briggs has shown surprising longevity. The many faces of Briggs are on display at his official home page, which is also part of the B-Film Webring.
Here is a plethora of Briggsian writing of all stripes, each article bearing the traditional hallmarks of irreverence, street-smart perceptiveness and a fondness for what the highbrows deem trash. One could easily spend days reading all the pieces so generously archived on this site. JBB's reviews of the worst the cinema has to offer (much of it science fiction, fantasy or horror), can be found in the Drive-In Archive. The Column Archive features recent, more "sophisticated" writings which chronicle JBB's travels around "Wild America," with a focus on casinos and other lowlife habitats. Joe Bob also offers a kind of weekly "News of the Weird" feature, culling the grossest and most outrageous news events from the mediastream. And then, just when it seems that JBB is all sass and no substance, he shocks with his Book Club, which contains surprisingly serious reviews of meaningful volumes on, for instance, the Taliban.
There's a fair amount of interactivity here, too, mainly in a feature whereby visitors may plumb their knowledge of bad films to identify the mystery film submitted by yet another fan. And of course JBB artifacts galore are available at the online store.
Interested in becoming a "drive-in mutant?" Expose yourself immediately to the radioactive toxicity of Joe Bob Briggs.
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—January 2, 2002
he history of magazine publishing is replete with "empires" of all sizes, firms which managed to unite many different 'zines under one parental umbrella. From the pulpish glory days of Street and Smith (the famed corporation that issued Astounding and Unknown) to the present likes of Rupert Murdoch, readers have long relied on savvy entrepreneurs who seemed to have a magic touch that allowed magazines to flourish. And today, the science fiction/fantasy/horror field is lucky to have Warren Lapine and his talented crew, who manage to keep afloat no fewer than six different magazines under the rubric of DNA Publications Inc.
Visit their simple yet rich homepage and you'll encounter thumbnails of recent covers of all six 'zines: Absolute Magnitude, Dreams of Decadence, Weird Tales, Fantastic Stories, Science Fiction Chronicle and Mythic Delirium. In order, these separate entities focus on hard SF; vampire fiction; fantasy and horror; an eclectic mix of all three genres; news of the SF/F/H publishing scene; and fantastical poetry. Clicking on each image brings you to a generous sampling from each 'zine, along with ordering details. Other, full-length freebies are available on the main page. There are no bells and whistles, just a smorgasbord of good writing to whet your literary appetite, and an honest inducement to support these fine zines (among which Weird Tales can lay claim to be the oldest continuously published genre magazine of all!).
Additionally, this site is part of two different Web rings, and so your visit here might very well lead you down these paths to other riches and marvels!
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—December 26, 2001
he motto of Mighty Big TV is "Television Without Pity" and it's a credo that the folks behind this terrific page take very seriously indeed. Offering an index on what's up on the tube—not to mention lots of forums where fans discuss their favorite shows—this site is the best place to go to catch up on missed episodes, and to catch a giggle in the process.
The molten core of MBTV is its episode recaps, detailed summaries of recent airings of current programs. On the SF front, this site covers everything from Buffy and Smallville to The X-Files. The catch? These aren't straight recountings of the action; rather, they are gonzo summaries, full of critical opinions and humorous observations. They can be unforgiving—a recent Angel recap of the episode "Dad," for example, is titled "Baby, baby, where did our plot go?" Recaps are kept rigorously up to date, with short summaries appearing right after episodes are aired, and longer ones following soon. Dedicated fans can arrange to receive an e-mail when a full recap has been posted to the page.
MBTV is far from the easiest site to navigate, and at the moment is prone to glitches which return visitors to its main page instead of forwarding them onward to desired content. Nevertheless, the summaries and discussion forums are worth this bit of hassle. Show forums are divided into categories—Smallville already has four topics, including a villains forum and one on the greater Superman mythos. They are active and well moderated, great places to find fellow fans. The site also offers freebies like wallpaper and screensavers, and has a sassy FAQ. As every show covered gets its own MBTV logo, visitors can also buy T-shirts and other merchandise with a stylized image representing their favorite program.
For fans looking to fill in the gaps on a show's big storyline or just connect with other devotees of a favorite program, Mighty Big TV offers critical information, community and laughter. With a healthy dose of sarcasm in every episode recap, it also provides a hearty reminder to everyone that no TV show, no matter how awesome, should ever be taken too seriously.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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