I’ve got two Gerry Anderson tributes hitting bookstores this week! The first is in Video WatcHDog #173, above. I’m really happy to finally have an article published in editor Tim Lucas’s venerable film digest. VW is a magazine for serious film lovers, and the content is a great mix of criticism, meticulously researched articles and in-depth interviews. It’s available in Barnes & Noble and finer bookstores everywhere, or click the photo above to order it direct online.

The second tribute is a special section in Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine #267 remembering Gerry. I’m very happy to be back in the pages of the ORIGINAL monster magazine with such a large chunk of real estate devoted to Anderson and his works. Many thanks to editor Ed Blair for responding so favorably to my pitch for coverage when Gerry passed away. Ed’s a SuperM fan himself and was just about to start beating the bushes looking for someone to write this when I came knocking. I wound up writing four articles and August Ragone contributed one as well. Shown above are the Newsstand and Subscription/Direct Market covers. It should be available now in most bookstores including Books-A-Million, or you can order direct by clicking the photo above.

Hope you enjoy them – let me know if you do!

Tally ho! I recently spent an hour or so talking about one of my favorite classic television shows, The AVENGERS with the fellows on the Earth Station One podcast. Click Here To Give A Listen. Now where did I leave my bowler and my bumbershoot…?

Now available, Andersonic Magazine Issue 15 has an article on FTL Publications’ line of Thunderbirds™ novels, including Arctic Adventure! I was interviewed for the piece, as was FTL Publisher and author Joan Verba and cover artist Steve Kyte. I haven’t seen a copy yet but expect to get mine very soon. If you’ve gotten yours, let me know how it is! Check out the Andersonic Homepage for ordering info.

Here’s my schedule for the Classic Horror track at this weekend’s Anachro Con. I may be on one or two more panels talking about writing but mostly I’ll be talking classic monsters and horror films all weekend long. The convention will be at the Windy Hill Marriott in Smyrna, GA just outside the perimeter here in Atlanta. Come hang out!

FRIDAY
3:00 PM Frankenstein: Horror or Science Fiction?
An exploration of Mary Shelley’s classic and its far-reaching influence on speculative fiction.
Participants: Carol Malcolm, Clay Gilbert, Anthony Taylor, James R. Tuck, Kathryn Hinds, Anya Martin

4:00 PM Silent Screams
Join us as we discuss the silent era of horror film making.
Participants: Adrian Havens, Anthony Taylor

6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Universal Monsters
Join us as we discuss Universal’s classic cycle of horror films.
Participants: Clay Gilbert, Anthony Taylor, James R. Tuck

9:00 PM Jack the Ripper on Film
A discussion about the Whitechapel murders’ cinematic legacy.
Participants: Anthony Taylor, Anya Martin, Jana Oliver, Cherie Priest, Eddie Coulter

SATURDAY

11:00 AM Ghoulishly Funny
A retrospective of the art of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey.
Participants: Carol Malcolm, Anthony Taylor, Delilah Dawson, Cherie Priest

SUNDAY

2:00 PM Hammer House of Horror
A look back at Britain’s legendary studio.
Participants: Clay Gilbert, Anthony Taylor, Cherie Priest, James R. Tuck

My convention schedule is filling up! I’m very happy to be a guest this year at Wonderfest, my favorite convention. I’ve been going to Louisville every year since 1995 to attend this combination Figure/Garage Model Kit/Toy/Classic SF & Horror show, and I always have a great time and find amazing collectibles and goodies there that are available nowhere else.  It takes place at Louisville’s Crown Plaza – Airport hotel May 18-19, and I’ll be putting together a Gerry Anderson themed display of vintage collectibles, art, models, props, and more. I’ll also be hosting a few screenings of Gerry’s shows and a panel commemorating his life and work as well. Check out the website and make plans to join me, Lee Meriwether, Brinke Stevens, Sara Karloff, Firefly/Galactica/SW Clone Wars effects artist Lee Stringer, award winning artists Mark Maddox and Belle Dee, and a few thousand of our closest friends for a great weekend!

Though the REALLY BIG NEWS today is the announcement of a new television series of Thunderbirds from Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop, I’m very happy to announce that I’ll be a guest at Anachro Con here in Atlanta in just a few weeks! The convention celebrates alternate history and the Steampunk aesthetic, the convention is expanding their programming tracks to include classic science fiction and horror as well. I’ll be talking about some classic Hammer and Universal films, and possibly some retro futuristic-centric panels as well.

Anachro Con takes place February 22-24th at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest Hotel just off I-75 at the Windy Hill Road exit in Atlanta. Check out The convention WEBSITE for more info. Hope to see you there!

It’s time again for the Atlanta Days Of The Dead convention, happening this weekend at the Sheraton hotel downtown. I had a good time at their inaugural show last year, and I’m looking forward to an even better experience now that they’re actually IN Atlanta. I’m looking forward to seeing my pal William Stout, and lots of horror stars that have never appeared here before including Danny Trejo, Clu and John Gulager, and many more. I just wish they’d add more classic horror guests and events to their roster. Maybe next year…

For the full skinny on guests and programming, take a look at their website at http://www.daysofthedead.net/atlanta/

See you there!

I’ll be a special guest at JordanCon V (Which is ALSO Deep South Con 51 – I know, confusing) in Roswell, GA April 19-21st! More details are available here:
http://www.jordancon.org
Hope you’ll join me – DSC is usually a very fun weekend.

Gerry Anderson. Photo by S. Klinge

Very sad news, Gerry Anderson has passed away. As reported by his son Jamie, Anderson died of natural causes December 26. Gerry had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2010 and moved into an assisted living care facility in October, 2012.

The creator and producer of such classic television series as Supercar, Thunderball XL-5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, UFO and Space: 1999, Anderson leaves a legacy of thought provoking entertainment for all ages. Most recently he consulted with the producers of an upcoming cinematic remake of UFO, and was active in awareness and fundraising for Alzheimer’s research.

The second time I met Gerry Anderson was in 2006 at the Sector 25 Convention near London. I was there promoting the book I had written with Mike Trim, one of the model makers and designers on Thunderbirds. I told Gerry about the book and thanked him for creating the series, as well as UFO, Space: 1999 and the rest of the Supermarionation TV shows. I told him how much they’d meant to me when I was young, and how happy I was to have even a small part in celebrating them through my work on the book. He looked at me for a moment, then thanked me in return. “For what?”, I asked.  He’d seen I was very serious in my praise. “For not having me on,” he replied.

So many years later, he was still wary that the shows had been made on very tight budgets for kids, and that all the strings were visible on the puppets. I hope that in the end, he stopped worrying about the strings and saw what we, the fans saw – the care and love that he and his team put into the shows.

Rest in Peace, Gerry. Thanks for the wonderful hours of excitement and entertainment.

Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate, I hope the holiday season finds you happy, warm, and content. Thanks for all the words of encouragement and books you bought from me this year. I hope to see or meet even more of you in 2013!

And of course, Click Here if you’d like a copy of any of my books. They make great gifts!

Many thanks again to Steve Kyte for his wonderful cover art for Arctic Adventure!, which I have ham-fistedly butchered above in the spirit of the season.