On sale now back in 1989: the second issue of the still bi-monthly TV ZONE magazine.
Just like the launch issue, the second outing stuck firm to the sure-fire sellers of WHO and TREK. This period also marks something of a transition: WHO was currently on British TV, albeit in the final weeks of what turned out to be its final season before the start of the prolonged wilderness years. Although quality was on the upswing, it had the feeling of a show in need of reinvigoration.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION was, on the other hand, the show that had captured fandom's attention... Even if very few British fans had seen very much of it. We were still almost a year away from the BBC's acquisition of the show, leaving early adopters to rely on the CIC tapes (launched onto the rental market in a flurry of promotional activity spearheaded by media appearances by Brit abroad Patrick Stewart), conventions and ropey off-air NTSC recordings imported by tape swappers.
The magazine itself fortunately dispensed with the tacky Pritt Stick powered cover of the launch in favour of a strong single image. Unfortunately, the spoofy comic strip was still around... Although not for too much longer.
The Fantasy Flashback was a summary of the first episode of the original SURVIVORS (accompanied by some stills... TVZ's saving grace on many occasions) complemented by a few lines of behind-the-scenes background. We were still a long way from Pixley.
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