I've often spoken of my childhood spent in an enchanted cottage located between deep woods and vast lake, and of the healthy diet of creature double features and classic SF television I grew up on. Last summer, I sold the first of several short stories and novellas to
Black Infinity, published by the fine folks at Dead Letter Press. "The Tree Surgeon" -- which I'd penned during my unforgettable time at Christine Woodside's
Writing From Nature retreat and workshop -- is an homage to my late, great grandfather, Wallace Runge. In my youth, my mother regaled me with amazing stories that fed my young imagination, including the fact that Grampy Wally had been a tree surgeon in his earlier years. I doubt he ever encountered a tree anything like the one my main character does; I sent out the story and it was accepted on its maiden voyage into
Black Infinity 2's special "Blobs, Globs, Slime and Spores" issue by publisher Tom English. Contributor copies arrived on a recent snowy Friday afternoon, and they were, frankly, stunning, the oversize pages filled with classic reprints, stories by new master writers like the brilliant Kurt Newton, comics, movie reviews, and a foreword by English referencing some of my all-time favorite TV series and movies:
Space:1999,
Lost in Space, and the ultra-creepiest of creature features,
Attack of the Mushroom People -- when that film ran on Saturday afternoons, I refused to go outside afterward, too terrified to consider playing in those green forest wilds.
Reading an issue of
Black Infinity is like a trip through time back to my boyhood; to bigger worlds and universes. It was my pleasure to sit down with publisher Tom English to discuss the publication, and the deep love behind its production.
Talk
about the 'vibe' if you would -- the wonderful retro tone of BLACK INFINITY and
your own taste regarding a time when, even if it was dark, SF was fun.
Well,
I grew up in the late sixties and early seventies -- a wonderful time, I think,
for TV, comics, and old SF magazines. The Silver Age of comics was coming to an
end, but the local thrift stores were stocked with back issues of books
originally published in the 50s. Kids were able to pick up old copies of
Mystery
in Space, Amazing Fantasy and, occasionally, EC’s
Weird Science. There
were also plenty of dog-eared copies of old SF digests, like
Astounding SF,
Fantastic, and
Imaginative Tales, to name a few. That’s
what I was reading.
Meanwhile,
broadcast TV was awash with the first waves of syndication of some classic (and
groundbreaking) SF shows, namely
The Twilight Zone and
The Outer
Limits. And on weeknights Chiller Theater (or some variation) was airing
movies such as Howard Hawks’
The Thing From Another World and
It Came
From Outer Space. For the most part, all these movies, shows, comics and
books shared common themes: alien worlds aren’t always welcoming, science isn’t
always your friend, and space can hold its share of horrors. This
is the kind of stuff that hooked me as a kid. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a
good haunted house story, for example? Or the creepy SF equivalent, a creepy
derelict spaceship? But the SF genre was shifting. Space travel, as depicted in
movies and TV, was becoming routine and a little dull; science always had the
right answers; and aliens were just misunderstood. Okay,
there’s nothing wrong with this overly optimistic take. I’m certainly not a
doom-and-gloom guy, but I missed the sense of foreboding, the moody eeriness,
and ... the monstrous creatures. I think the genre is returning to much of
this. I think movies like the original
Alien and John Carpenter’s
The
Thing started this return. But I wanted to do a magazine that fully
embraced this type of SF, and which celebrated all the comics and movies and
books and shows that helped shape spooky SF. Hence,
the birth of
Black Infinity, an idea I’ve had for almost a decade. Issue
#1 explores the most obvious theme: Deadly Planets. Issue #2 features “Blobs,
Globs, Slime and Spores” (which frequently menace humankind in SF). For each
issue I tried to pull together the classic stories featuring the theme or
element, added fresh takes by some of today’s best writers, threw in columns on
weird science and retro movie reviews, and tied everything together with an
introductory overview of each theme. Oh yeah, and lots of movie photos and
illustrations. Is
Black Infinity for everyone? I seriously doubt it. Does everybody like
everything? But my hope is that, for those of us who fondly remember 1950s
Sci-fi movies and stories,
Black Infinity will be a lazy Saturday
afternoon must-read.
Can you share themes for upcoming issues, and also the fantastic classic tales
you'll be reprinting?
I’m
working on #3 at the moment. The theme is Body Snatchers: alien control/alien possession/alien
replacement. John W. Campbell’s “Who Goes There?” is among the classics
scheduled, with new stories by (so far) Douglas Smith, Scath Beorh, Kurt Newton
and a guy named Gregory Norris.Issue
#4 is being planned also. Theme is Strange Dimensions. Future issues will
feature Rogue Robots, Derelicts in Space, Cosmic Canines and.... Well, big
plans.
I
had a great chat with Kurt Newton, and we both pretty much made it a love
letter to working with you and BLACK INFINITY. You treat your authors well, Tom
English. Why is that important?
I
don’t really think I’m doing anything any other good editor wouldn’t do. But
several things influence me. First, I love books and I put that love into all
my projects. Second, I’m a writer, too. And I abide by The Golden Rule: I treat
my writers the way I hope to be treated, and present their stories with as much
care as I’d want for my own tales.I feel, for the most part, writers are
under-appreciated. What writers do is magical. It’s hard work. It’s lonely work.
And I try to do my part to facilitate their efforts.
What
do you want today's readers to know about the publication?
Simple
mathematics. I put a lot of time and money, sweat and inspiration into every
issue. I try to make the magazine fun and cool and entertaining, nostalgic and
thought-provoking -- without being offensive or preachy. But I can only do this
as long as people buy the magazine. I’m a small, independent press trying to
maintain a foothold in the market. So if you want a good read, or if you need
to give a gift to someone who loves SF, support Black Infinity by
purchasing a copy. Leave a review or just tell a friend. You’ll have my
sincerest thanks -- and I can continue to provide an attractive forum for
talented writers.
