In This Issue: Danger 5 Lost Girl Yellow zone Nine Tail Fox Django Servant of the Jackal God The Sword Big Sky Modesty Blaise Van Canto Delain Solomon Kane Nacho Vigalondo Pericles David Koresh Superstar And... ØBattlelore Page 62 ØDelain Page 49 ∏The Great Magician David Koresh Ø Page 34 æLost Girl Superstar Page 54 ∏Yellow Zone Page 73 Page 19 ±Modesty Blaise ØVan Canto Page 91 Page 63 æNine Tail Fox ÆPericles Page 68 Page 96 ∑Nacho Vigalondo Page 50 ØThe Sword ∏Django ∏Solomon Kane Page 27 Page 75 Page 103 ©Bauhinia Heroine Page 32 About This Issue ß Page 3 Big Sky Page 8 Letters of Comment Note: ®Servant of the Jackal God Page 6 Click on the title Page 87 of an article to be taken to it. Click on the globe coliphon at the end of any article to return to æDanger 5 the contents page Page 10 From Alien Shores #4 August 2013 Letters of Comment may be sent to [email protected] From Alien Shores is a Back Numbers Press production. From Alien Shores is published whenever editor Jack Avery gets around to it. All contents copyright individual creators unless otherwise noted. Welcome to the fourth issue of insensitive discussing an event that left edies about fighting Nazis. There’s a From Alien Shores. This was supposed a lot of people dead. It was probably limit to how much of the 3rd Reich I to be a “leftovers” issue to clear out a fair cop, and so it was something I want in my zine, even if they are be- the inventory before the upcoming wanted to work on before publishing ing mocked. Steam Punk special, but it ended up the review. I’ve also recently rejoined the Pulp being mostly new material thanks to Likewise my Nine Tail Fox review Era Amateur Press Society. My review all the contributions I’ve received. was originally scheduled for issue two of Servant of the Jackal God is reprint- Working on last issue, my first is- but when I ended up rushing that is- ed from my last contribution to their sue in five years, I found that I had a sue out to keep my review of Stardust APA mailing. number of articles that either needed timely, I didn’t have time to finish it. I’m very happy to have articles further work or were from contribu- Over the years, I forgot I had it so I from well-known Bay Area fan writ- tors who couldn’t finish their reviews didn’t think to put it in when I start- ers and international jet-setters Espa- before the deadline. Plus more cool ed working on issue three. It’s so old ña Sheriff, covering Spanish Director stuff that I want to talk about keeps that it still has the “cosplay opportu- Nacho Vigalondo, and Jean Martin, getting released and I keep recruiting nities” ending that I was using for my with a review of Canadian TV series new contributors. reviews on the long defunct Califor- Lost Girl, this issue. My review of David Koresh Super- niaCosplayTimes.com website. I’m also very pleased to have re- star was bumped from the last issue to The review of Danger 5 is also cruited professional magician Ray think over the reaction of my advisory one I was going to run last issue, but I Hoey to review the recent Chinese committee. While I loved this album, bumped it after receiving Chris Gar- film The Great Magician. In addition both for the music and for the subject, cia’s review of Iron Sky. I didn’t want to magic, Hoey is also well-versed in my advisory committee thought I was to have too many reviews of com- Spaghetti Westerns and we have a sec- ond review from him of the original for myself. It’s the sort of zine that heavy metal, but why settle for just the Django. I’d really like to read, but one that no bands you can find at the local Target We also have a returning contrib- one else is likely to produce. I realize store’s record bin? If I enjoy American utor. Richard Berman, who appeared that I’m talking to myself here. I was science fiction, why wouldn’t I enjoy in issue one, returns this time with his gutted when Asian Cult Cinema shut Chinese or Japanese or Spanish SF? review of Solomon Kane. down. There are lots of web sites that The world’s a big place and there’s I’m very pleased to have so many cover this sort of material, but even lots of great stuff out there. There’s also contributors and not just because it then some of my more arcane inter- some stuff that is less than great, but is means I have to do less writing. I love ests aren’t well served. still fun to encounter. having different points of view, al- I like science fiction, fantasy, mys- It’s not enough for me to just seek ternate voices and coverage of things tery, action, adventure and comedy. I out and consume. I like to discuss and that I wouldn’t have gotten around to like the obscure. I enjoy finding out write about the stuff I’m enthusiastic writing about myself. about clever, fun material that has about. The research I do while writ- When I first started From Alien been overlooked. I enjoy a wide va- ing for the zine broadens my under- Shores, I expected I’d be doing all of riety of media. And I like to find out standing of my subjects and gives me the writing, but as I seem to be build- about stuff from other cultures. I don’t leads on even more cool stuff. I never ing a staff of contributors, I suppose it’s see any reason to restrict my media would have discovered the band Sab- about time I had a word about what diet to just what’s produced and mass baton if I hadn’t been doing research it is that I’m trying to do. It would marketed in the U.S. for aVan Canto review. I wouldn’t have probably help if I could figure out ex- I love HK movies, so why wouldn’t spent an inordinate amount of time actly what that is. I seek them out? And then add Ko- researching the history of the Seventh From Alien Shores was begun just rean and Thai movies as well. I like Day Adventist church and its offshoots if I wasn’t reviewing The Indelicates the Middle East and Southeast Asia/ tablet. As I never print out copies my- album. (Granted I now know more Pacifica. self, and as I figure that my readers about the Branch Davidians than I re- I plan on the next issue to be all are looking at this on-screen anyway, ally want to.) about Steampunk. I’d like to have as I felt there was no logical reason to So this zine is supposed to be all many contributions as I can about continue to design for standard U.S. about science fiction and fantasy from Steampunk from corners of the world letter size pages. Yup, I’m moving even around the world, with a focus on that aren’t usually thought of as a home further away from traditional printed work that is either not readily available to the genre. fanzine fandom toward the brave new in the U.S. or has been overlooked. I I don’t know exactly when the world of e-publishing. do tend to branch out to other genres, next issue will be out. This issue is un- The new format should be easi- such as martial arts films, crime dramas expectedly more than 100 pages even er to read, but with larger fonts and and whatever else I think is interest- without a number of contributions changes to the shape of the pages, ar- ing. I try to take in as many different I’d hoped to have. I’m feeling a bit ticles seem to be using more pages. forms of media as possible. weary here in the final days of layout — Jack Avery And I seem to make a lot of ex- and production, so it might be a while ceptions. I like variety. before we see issue 5. And now on to our letters of com- If you have something you would You may have noticed that I’ve ment section. It’s a little sparse this like to contribute, please drop me a changed the layout somewhat from time. LOCs may be sent to use here note at [email protected]. previous issues. I’ve recently acquired at: [email protected] I’m particularly interested in submis- an Android tablet and that has led me We start with our only letter re- sions from and about Africa, South to redesign the issue to try to opti- cieved on our last issue, from legend- and Central America, Eastern Europe, mize viewing on a standard 10 inch ary fan writer Lloyd Penney: 5 1706-24 Eva Rd. and that’s been it? Iron Sky? Probably We’re pretty happy here, and tomorrow Etobicoke, ON wouldn’t have been interested, I think is Boxing Day, when Yvonne’s family CANADA M9C 2B2 it was in the movie houses here, but will gather for a big meal, and then movies streak through here, and even it’s two working days until the next December 26, 2012 a good movie will last in the theatres weekend.