eading the pulse of science fiction is what this news-based 'zine is all about—and at Sci Fi Pulse, the focus is completely on televised SF. Covering shows from Battlestar Galactica to Star Trek: Enterprise, the site is a clearinghouse of news and links about programs, actors and production gossip. With editorials, interviews and loads of links to other TV fan pages, it is a place where visitors can get up to speed on small-screen SF productions around the world.
In terms of its design, Sci Fi Pulse is something of a hybrid—a 'zine whose various sections break into a series of blogs about its creators' favorite shows. Areas dedicated to programs like Andromeda and Smallville spool out link after link to relevant articles and image galleries, making it easy to scroll chronologically through recent events, cast changes and crew interviews. (Doctor Who, oddly enough, does not have its own section, and news on that show is therefore dominating the site's general news area.)
Sci Fi Pulse is not the prettiest nor the most easily navigated site on the Internet, and its discussion forums are, unfortunately, infested with spam. What makes the site worth visiting despite these flaws is its tendency to turn up unusual and intriguing links—such as interviews about the shift to arc-based television writing from "reset button" stories, and juicy tidbits about upcoming guest stars on Smallville.
This site also invites fans to supply news links of their own, so dedicated and in-the-know Web surfers can join the fun by contributing stories themselves.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—July 25, 2005
ack Kirby and Stan Lee: Together they were responsible for creating such comic-book icons as the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor ... and Bombu the Witch Man?!?
Yes, it's true. These revered master craftsmen of the Silver Age kept very busy prior to that legendary era, trying to earn a living in Marvel's monster books. Amazing Fantasy, Journey Into Mystery, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish and other titles appeared every month in the late 1950s. And they were filled not with superheroes but with weird creatures that shambled in from jungles, forests, swamps, radioactive craters, other dimensions and interstellar space. Today, these rousing retro stories are relatively neglected. Except on Monster Blog.
Here you can get acquainted with such characters as "Diablo, the Demon From the Fifth Dimension," the "Stone Men From Saturn" or "Torr, the Beast Man From Beyond." These characters, plus more than 200 more, have pages chronicling their attributes and appearances, and cross-linking their continuity, where applicable. Of course, there's lots of high-quality reproductions of the artwork, including full scans of entire stories (very readable on the screen, even at reduced size).
Additionally, you can revel in the comments from knowledgable readers, who contribute their own insights and memories of these marvelous, nostalgia-producing tales. Collectors have a section devoted to their needs.
Many of these creations were resurrected to appear in Silver Age stories. For instance, readers might recall that Thor once fought the Stone Men From Saturn. If you didn't have that bit of trivia storied in memory, you will after visiting the jovial, unpretentious, fascinating Monster Blog!
—Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—July 18, 2005
s the iPod craze spreads and people become more accustomed to listening to highly customized audio libraries, the demand for original digital programming builds. For SF fans, one of the best sources for news, fiction and humor—not to mention a host of indescribably quirky features—is the SciFi Podcast Network.
A growing archive of downloadable files aimed at iPod owners (but usable by anyone with a decent computer and an Internet connection), TSFPN has a declared agenda of providing the world "with the best SF-related podcasts in the universe." To that end, they offer a range of nonfiction programs. A quick browse reveals a weekly series called "The Secrets," hosted by author Michael A. Stackpole, which focuses on writing tips for new authors. For Star Wars fans there's "The Force.Net"; meanwhile, others might prefer "Geek Fu Action Grip," which is about (among other things) successfully raising a geek child. TSFPN features abundant fictional content, too, of course—everything from author readings of SF stories and novels to old-fashioned radio shows like The Adventures of Doctor Floyd.
Podcasting is the latest, greatest mutation of what used to be radio, and sites like TSFPN allow visitors to fine-tune every facet of their entertainment library. Like everything else on the Web, the experience has become interactive: listener ratings are provided by the site to warn fans when a podcast might not be worksafe or child-friendly, while the discussion forums allow users to review shows and suggest other possible podcast offerings.
With a strong core of interesting, regular shows to keep listeners coming back and a commitment to finding the best SF podcasts available, The SciFi Podcast Network stands a good chance of becoming one of the genre's most visited sites.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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