Frequently Asked Questions
Well, hello there. There's no telling
how you found us, but here you are, and I'm sure you have questions. Let's cut
to the chase and I'll anticipate some of the obvious questions and then leave
out some others. This is going to be that sort of place -- informal, whimsical,
and just a little mercurial. We are Overlords, after all.
Let's start there.
Q: Who and what are the Overlords?
A: The Overlords are the (currently) three co-Editors of
Ray Gun Revival. We are, in no particular order, Lee S. King (Loriendil), Paul
Christian Glenn (fireflyfellow), and myself, Johne Cook (Phy). We picked that
title because Masters of the Universe had already been co-opted by a
campy children's cartoon that was produced in support of an existing line of
action figures. 'Overlord' also evokes a certain throwback charm à la Ming the Merciless from the Flash Gordon era, a venerable
pulp fiction adventure and precursor of what we consider classic space opera.
Q: Pulp Fiction? With Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson and the
glowing suitcase?
A: Not the Tarantino film of that name, no. The years
when marginal science fiction was printed for cheap on inferior pulp paper,
leading up to the arrival of the fabulous "Lensman" series by E. E. "Doc"
Smith, commonly-accepted as the first grandmaster of the form.
A: Before I tell you what it is, let me start by defining
what it is not: Opera. In space.
Westerns were sometimes referred to as 'horse opera' and
women's daytime television shows are still called 'soap opera.' Thus it was
that pulpy Golden Age sci-fi was sometimes referred to as 'space opera.' Once a
derogatory term, space opera has come into its own.
Space opera is a genre that defies easy explanation. On
one hand, it is the narrowest of genres. On the other, it spans everything from
high fantasy to hard sci-fi. Space opera is generally considered as a subgenre
of speculative fiction that emphasizes clear-cut enemies (preferably obvious
good-guys vs. obvious bad-guys), romantic or swashbuckling adventure, exotic
settings, a vast scale (preferably cosmic, galactic, or greater, and the
larger, the better), and colorful, larger-than-life characters.
I can think of two examples for our purposes - one
classic, and one contemporary.
The original Star Wars episode (now referred to as Episode
Four, A New Hope) is a classic space opera story. You've got titanic clashes of
good versus evil, technology that thrills but isn't explained, bombastic music,
powerful mythic themes, fast moving character interaction, a dash of romantic
tension, and lots of swashbuckling action.
Fast forward nearly thirty years later. Joss Whedon's
"Firefly" singlehandedly fulfills the early (and squandered) promise
of the Star Wars stories, and then it expands on that foundation, getting
darker, funnier, and evoking more emotional gravitas while remaining true to
its roots.
Q: So why this magazine, and why now?
A: Because space opera has fallen on hard times, and we intend to revive it.
One of the definitions of 'revival' is "a restoration to
use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence."
We used to see a lot more space opera, but the written genre has gradually
fallen by the wayside in favor of edgier sci-fi. And while there's nothing
wrong with that, something is missing, a sense of adventure, a sense of wonder
(a theme I will explore in greater detail in an upcoming column). Instead of
complaining about the lack of quality space opera for this generation, we
talked it over, got out our cheesy ray guns and our 50's unitards, and created
this magazine.
Q: That's a good point -- where did the ray guns come from?
A: One of the iconic elements of early space opera was the
hand-held laser pistol. When casting about for the name for the new
publication, one of us blurted the name out, and the others snickered, and it
just sort of stuck.
Where much good hard sci-fi explains how its effects work,
space opera is content to show it to you and then briskly move long without
bothering to explain the science behind it because the real story has to do
with this orphaned savior growing up in humble circumstances on a backwater
planet and not about the ability to create self-aware robots or cheap,
ubiquitous anti-grav vehicles.
The other iconic element from that era might be some
variation of the thermos-shaped rocket ship, but we chose this one.
Q: What's the deal with the space monkeys?
A: (shudder) I'd rather not talk about it.
Q: Why do you sometimes abbreviate Ray Gun Revival as
RGR?
A: Because when spoken aloud, "Ray Gun
Revival" sounds to some like "Reagan Revival," which is a
different publication else entirely. I mean, one can almost picture the head of
Reagan going on about Star Wars technology while the head of Mondale rolls its
eyes.
I digress.
What else is there? Ray Gun Revival is a free electronic
magazine (e-zine) published monthly in two formats, .PDF and PocketRGR (for
PDAs and other handheld devices). The magazine is unlocked for printing and
sharing with family and friends. Our authors are currently paid a pittance out
of our own pockets, but we intend to demonstrate that our quality is worth
donating a few greenbacks here and there for the purpose of paying our authors
better and fielding better stories all the time.
We will publish a healthy mix of original short stories
and articles, but our marquee difference comes in the form of high quality
ongoing serial stories by authors who love the form. Think of the old episodic
Saturday matinee films with cliffhanger endings and you're in the right
ballpark. I've read some of the series developed for RGR and am writing one of
my own. The Firefly series on TV was sort of like that, a recurring cast and an
opportunity to really dig into an entertaining series on an ongoing basis. Some
of the serials may go out six stories or so before conclusion and some may
extend out longer than that, giving a span and epic scope that extends beyond
standalone short stories.
We have lots of other ideas for Ray Gun Revival as we go forward, and are open to whatever you have kicking around in your head, but I’m out of space for this column, so I’ll start to wrap it up.
Before I close, for the record, the whole 'arrogant Overlord' schtick is a comedic posture. Nobody around here takes it seriously for one split second. Trust me on this.
With that said, we now expect you to go and tell ten people about Ray Gun Revival or we will ruthlessly vaporize your pathetic planet.
I’m not even kidding.
Johne (Phy) Cook
Overlord
The Ray Gun Revival Overlords:
Lee S. King, Paul Christian Glenn, Johne Cook
Lackey and Instigator:
Bill Snodgrass
