MATT COWAN’S THREAT WATCH COMING TO DARK INFINITY

I’m excited to announce that I will be contributing a recurring column to a new journal called Dark Infinity. The premiere issue of this periodical is due out this October. It’s going to be a special Deadly Planets issue with each story and column using that as its central theme. Future issues will offer a variety of science fiction tales and columns that exude both chills as well as thrills.

For my column, I’ll be reviewing a selection of classic and modern, science fiction-horror movies each connected by an overall theme. It’s entitled Matt Cowan’s Threat Watch as I’ll be offering up threat assessments for the various planets, aliens, abominations of science, or whatever potential danger that column presents. I’ll even offer some advice for surviving them in case you find yourself confronted by one of them.

Here’s what Dark Infinity’s creator Tom English says readers can expect:

“There’s a long tradition (and a sub-genre) of science fiction that emphasizes the strange and unsettling. Alongside all those “sense of wonder” stories in which inviting planets are inhabited by friendly, beautiful natives, and spaceflight is commonplace and 100% safe, there are countless SF novels and stories, movies and TV shows that are more weird than wonderful — and which create and build a deep sense of dread. I wanted to emphasize these types of stories.

Think about it, there’s a significant level of horror in the SF flicks produced between 1950 and the present. Spores, slime, insects, and aliens with nasty dispositions. And many readers enjoy these elements but have trouble finding them in fiction. Many want the same level of eeriness they felt while watching reruns of the old Outer Limits and Twilight Zone TV series, or classic films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Alien. I’m trying to provide this with Black Infinity, while recapturing the atmosphere of classic SF in movies and yellowed digest magazines.

The 1st issue is heavier on reprints, but there’s a mix of both vintage and contemporary fiction, in addition to two new stories. (I read many SF story submissions, but found few with the right vibe and/or content. Future issues should feature more new fiction.) That said, Black Infinity features a complete novel, 6 stories, and a movie column, all illustrating the theme of Deadly Planets. The magazine will also feature sidebars examining the writers and trends that shaped creepy science fiction. I’m still badgering a writer friend to complete a strange science column. Not sure if I’ll have by deadline.

Future issues will explore other SF themes, such as rogue robots, killer computers, etc. For now, Black Infinity will be a semi-annual production available only in print. Digital copies and increased frequency will depend on reader response. Regarding print only, I’m sorry but I grew up reading Analog, Galaxy and IF, all of which were printed as digests. To recapture a bygone era, Black Infinity will have a similar format.

I’m excited about the whole concept of Black Infinity, an idea I’ve had since 2009, shortly after publishing Bound for Evil. I think readers will find the mag a unique and entertaining experience.“

Stay tuned here at Horror Delve for more details about Dark Infinity as we get closer to its publication.

Thanks again for all your support,
Matt