by Howard Zimmerman | Nov 19, 2013 | Comic Con, Harlan Ellison, Star Wars, Starlog, Tribute
So there I am, walking the floor of a major science-fiction convention in a New York City hotel, circa 1980. Back in the day, comic books and artwork and merchandise were always part of any con. I was the editor in chief of Starlog magazine and a guest of...
by Howard Zimmerman | Sep 4, 2013 | Publishing, Science Fiction, Tribute
The future died two days ago, with the passing of science-fiction giant and legend Frederick Pohl. Pohl was the last of the original Futurians, the direct link back to Hugo Gernsback and the beginnings of American science fiction. He was part of the first sci-fi fan...
by Howard Zimmerman | Aug 21, 2013 | Isaac Asimov, Publishing, Science Fiction, Tribute
As I was saying. . . . My first assignment as an assistant editor at Starlog Magazine was to edit an essay by the great Isaac Asimov on the possibility of actual faster-than-light travel. I read through its 5 or 6 typewritten pages, made some notes, and went...
by Howard Zimmerman | May 8, 2013 | Movies, Tribute, Visionary Men
Ray Harryhausen died yesterday, on May 7th, at home in London, at the age of 92. This truly marks the end of an era. When Ray was 13 he saw Willis O’Brien’s magical stop-motion work on King Kong, and his path for life was set. I won’t mention all of his films,...
by Howard Zimmerman | Aug 30, 2012 | Tribute, Visionary Men
The end of summer is always a bittersweet time. This year there’s overt sadness as well, as we’ve lost three talented men whom I (and the world) have long admired: Joe Kubert, Harry Harrison, and Neil Armstrong. I grew up on Kubert’s version of Tarzan and his war...
by Howard Zimmerman | Jun 11, 2012 | Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, Tribute
As a kid in the 1950s, I knew that there were three shining stars in the science-fiction firmament: Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke. Isaac Asimov was a second-generation “Doc” Smith. Whatever sci-fi tropes and vistas Doc did not invent, Asimov did. Isaac was also, quite...
