Zenith (Blake's 7 newsletter)

Zine
Title:	Zenith
Publisher:	Magic Bullet Productions
Editor(s):	Alan Stevens and Andy Hopkinson
Type:	newsletter
Date(s):	June 2000
Frequency:	one off
Medium:	print
Size:	A4
Fandom:	Blake’s 7
Language:	English
External Links:	Zenith; contents
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Zenith is a gen Blake's 7 newsletter published in the UK. The editor was Alan Stevens, with Andy Hopkinson responsible for design, and Judith Proctor acting as production manager.

Although Zenith was originally announced as a series, only a single issue of 76 pages was published.

The zine bills itself as a high-quality magazine from the producers of the Kaldor City audios. It contains reviews, essays, interviews and other nonfiction, art, plus a single piece of fiction.

According to a fan in The Way Forward #20, much of Steven's and Hopkinson's material in this zine was originally slated for Horizon Newsletter #40.

Contents

• Nickey Barnard and Alan Stevens, Rotten to the Core (fiction set in The Logic of Empire universe)
• Dianna Firmin, Travis: the Empty Room (essay)
• a look at scenes in the original script for the non-aired episode "Trial"
• other nonfiction by Una McCormack, Fiona Moore, Judith Proctor, Alan Stevens, Pete Wallbank and others
• colour cover by Pete Wallbank; interior art by Pete Wallbank and Nik Spender, the inside front cover is a color photograph of season 1 Blake

• interviews with Brian Croucher (Travis 2), Vere Lorrimer (the late director/ producer), Paul Darrow and Sheelagh Wells (about their work on the Strangerers), Peter Miles (secretary Rontane in Seek Locate Destroy and Trial also Nyder in the Doctor Who story Genesis of the Daleks).
• "B7: The Movie" - a tongue-in-check look at what a B7 movie would be if done in the style of other shows.

• a look at Oldbury Power Station where several Blake's 7 episodes were filmed.

Reaction & Reviews

This is one magazine that's so good it should practically sell itself. <honesty attack> Well, ok, it was the piccie of Brian Chroucher in very tight swimtrunks that first got me interested. Wow baby. And that is my one complaint: why was that picture so small? It deserved to be a full size, fold out pinup. I know that would have meant staples through Brian's tummy, but I believe I could have gotten over that </ honesty and drool attack>. Other than that one complaint, I could find absolutely nothing to complain about in this entire magazine. And this is coming from a misanthropic, glass three quarters empty whiner, who can usually find fault in just about any magazine. For once I didn't hate the artwork (I'm not a nice person for artists, since I don't really like any picture that isn't a near photographic likeness), but in fact really admired it. That cover drawing of Travis is absolutely beautiful and one of the very few drawings that (in my overly critical eyes) looks better than a photograph. As for contents: it's everything I ever hoped for in a magazine and have never before been able to find: good, interesting and indepth articles, lots of information and most important of all (to me) I've read absolutely everything in it. Most of the time when I buy a magazine, I read only about half or maybe three quarters of the articles, and find the rest too boring to bother with. Not so with Zenith. Everything was eminently readable, and I guess kudos for that go to the authors as well as the editors. I intend to keep Judith's article about her visit to the power station on my lap the next time I see any of the episodes that were taped there.

I have one question: where were all the ladies? Even Servalan was mentioned only a few times (although that picture of her in the white dress was quite beautiful) and Jenna and Cally were barely mentioned at all. How about next time (yep, shameless plug, but I'll definitely buy it) you guys put in an interview with Jan Chappell or Sally Knyvette? How's it going with the sales, BTW? Are we nearly at the point where we can expect Zenith #2? If not: everybody buy this! I want a next one! Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll... well, go off to sulk, I guess.

My copy of Zenith came yesterday, and all I can say is, it's beautiful. Better than the official stuff I've seen made during the original run of the show; I may have to get another copy to disassemble for pictures to hang on the wall. And I'm extremely envious of Judith getting to stand on a mock-up of the flight deck. My thanks to everybody who participated in creating Zenith. I do hope there will be another issue.