ot a fan site, but rather an academic journal, Slayage is edited by the authors of Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. David Lavery and Rhonda Wilcox have five issues of this thoughtful magazine archived on their site, and they provide a much-needed tonic for any Buffy aficionado suffering due to the advent of the 2002 rerun season.
With a tight focus on analysis of Buffy, the lion's share of Slayage's content is articles, ranging in tone from dry to very juicy indeed. Topics include: teenage witches in popular culture, the show's trappings of vigilante justice, the assault on youth culture depicted in the third-season episode "Gingerbread," the show's genesis from its beginnings as a 1992 film, and online Buffy fan communities. Each issue also links to a couple of recommended essays from other sources. The sum effect offered to Slayer-starved visitors is several textbooks worth of inspiration and commentary on the show.
Slayage is not without a few other features, including a fully up-to-date episode guide. (While this lacks episode summaries, it indexes the various shows by season, title, writer and director, making it a useful research tool.) Another treat is a news section which announces new Buffy books and conferences. The Slayage links page is on the short side, but its contents are carefully chosen and provocative. Sprinkled with references to episodes great and small, this site injects new life into the show's already screened material, making it ripe for another viewing while fans count the days until the opening of season seven.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—June 10, 2002
xplicitly modeled on the mordant, wacky and subversive Church of the Subgenius, The First Church of Shatnerology finds its inspiration in the life and works of one of the greatest authors/thespians and singers/pitchmen of this or any era, Mr. William Shatner, aka Capt. James T. Kirk. Drawing just as many details and jokes from the life and odd times of Shatner as from the Star Trek hagiography, this site constructs a postmodern theology out of such seminal "miracles" as bad toupees, bad vocal performances, bad Shatner books and bad Shatner movies that time forgot.
Upon reaching the main page of this venerable site, you are greeted with solemn organ music, setting the ironic tone for the rest of your baptism in Shatnerology. A complete discography and filmography allow you to purchase all the holy texts before you move on to sampling the other wonders of the religion. Watch a couple of RealPlayer clips of Shatner singing. Meditate over some Shatner haikus. Exclaim over doctored artwork revealing the deity himself without his wig. Examine photographic proof that the One True Shatner can perform miracles—the famous scene of Capt. Kirk cradling an armful of Tribbles is labeled "Our glorious Leader brings a collection of TOUPEES to life!"
Some of the stuff that has accumulated in the nearly nine years this site has existed is only tangentially related to the original series. The phone pranks that the secretive Pope of Shatnerology shares with us here have zero connection with the sacred church itself. Still, the chance to read 115 zany reasons why Kirk was a better captain of the Enterprise than Picard is not to be passed up.
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—June 3, 2002
n online magazine devoted to the SF field, scifidimensions really covers it all, cramming current events, reviews and even a little political discussion into its virtual pages.
Beautifully designed and boasting extensive archives of old issues, scifidimensions is very nearly an SF library unto itself. Everything a visitor might expect to find is here, and it's all indexed in a way that makes searching a joy. There are convention listings and reports, for starters, along with contests and streaming audio interviews with author Peter David, the Lone Gunmen cast and other well-known personalities. The magazine's commentary section tackles issues surrounding evolution, genetically engineered foods and science in modern society, to name a few. There are reviews—book reviews, movie reviews and comics reviews—even one for a theatrical production of Moreau in Atlanta! There are regular features, too, like "Suspended Animation," a column on the comics industry written by Michael Vance.
Eschewing the forums which are popular in other pages, scifidimensions nevertheless invites readers to join in the fun wherever they can. They maintain a lively letters page, where fans debate past articles, Hollywood's approach to adapting SF novels and the existence of UFOs, and the possibilities for using cloning technology to treat infertility. The site sponsors an annual fiction contest. The commentaries end with questions intended to solicit a response. The ultimate message? Come and see what scifidimensions has to offer ... and then, rather than passively accepting it and moving on, tell them what you think!
— A.M. Dellamonica
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