science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
in all its forms, especially media-related topics and novels. It was published every two months, with the first issue going on sale in May 2007. Typical issues were 132 pages, perfect bound, on glossy paper.
Future Publishing
Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span magazines, newsletters, websites, and events in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photogr ...
staff member who was editor on some of that company's significant titles, including ''
Total Film
''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched ...
'' magazine and '' SFX'' magazine, the dominant SF title. ''Death Ray'' is published by
Blackfish Publishing
Blackfish Publishing was a magazine publishing company based in Bath, UK. Its first title was '' Death Ray'', a science fiction and fantasy title.
History
Blackfish Publishing was founded in late 2006 by Matt Bielby, best known for his work a ...
, Bielby's magazine company, based in Bath, UK.
At their launches in 2007 ''Death Ray'' and ''
SciFiNow
''SciFiNow'' was a British magazine published every four weeks by Kelsey Media in the United Kingdom, covering the science fiction, horror and fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically se ...
'', launched April 2007, were the first magazines in recent years to challenge ''SFX'' dominance of the science fiction magazine market in the UK but neither has yet to approach ''SFX'' in terms of popularity or sales. (A UK version of the American science fiction magazine '' Starlog'' was published for a couple years beginning in May 2000.) However, the magazine has been described by one source as wordier and offering greater depth than its two main competitors.
In August 2008, Blackfish Publishing announced it had been bought by Rebellion Developments, the video game producer who already publish '' 2000 AD'' and
Abaddon Books
Abaddon Books is a British publishing imprint, founded in 2006. It is part of the Rebellion group of companies, along with publishing companies Solaris Books, ''2000 AD'', 2000 AD Graphic Novels, and Cubicle 7.
Abaddon publishes " shared wor ...
. At that point, ''Death Ray'' changed to a new format (longer but quarterly) to allow Blackfish to launch other monthly special-interest titles such as ''
Filmstar
A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...
'', though the title is now bimonthly.
In October 2009, it was announced that ''Death Ray'' was to cease production, with issue 21 being the last in its run.
Structure
Regular sections of the magazine include: Heat Ray, a news section; New Gods, featuring interviews with current 'hot properties' in science fiction; Deep Thought, with opinion and 'think piece' columns; and Dark Stars, the name of the reviews section, particularly notable for its extensive coverage of books.
Name
Bielby has said that the magazine's name is influenced by a combination of a) the name of the influential 1990s Californian music magazine ''
Ray Gun
A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have variou ...
'', b) the name of the Martian ' heat-ray' weapon from
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
'' (1898), c) the single issue story 'The Death Ray' from
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typi ...
' '' Eightball'' comic book, d) an Australian comic book from WW2 called ''The Death Ray'', and e) issue 64 of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
' ''
The Mighty Avengers
''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of '' New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered ...
'', '...Like a Death Ray From the Sky!' (May 1969).