Quote of the Month: "Finally, a site by women, for women and people who say James Marsters and shaggable in the same sentence! Lovely!" -- Kathleen Prins, Montreal, Canada

If there is only thing that our 11th Hour readers agree on, it is that Nick Brendon rules. And, it turns out, so did our interview (Sunnydale's Sex Demon, issue five). "Man, that article rocked," exclaimed 'Nightbird'. "Although maybe there should have been a warning on top, something along the lines of 'Warning: Long exposures to Xander/Nick pics can be hazardous to your computer. Keyboards don't take kindly to large amounts of drool. Please refrain from eating or drinking while reading as some lines can cause you to spew soda/chips/ crumbs etc at the screen.'"

Matthew Brackley agrees: "That was one of the best interviews I have read in recent memory. It is one thing to be funny reading from a script, then it is another to be funny and interesting without one." Meanwhile, Beth writes, "I really loved your interview with Nicky Brendon. I have a huge crush on him right now, so I thank you doubly for giving me my daily fix" while Isa says, "I had the lucky opportunity to meet Nicky back on April 10th of this year and found him to be the funniest, sweetest guy on Earth. Hopefully your article will turn more people on to the wonder that is Nicky. Thanks so much for the web article."

Our Hero Compatibility Quiz, however, drew mixed reviews. Some were pleased ("Your most excellent quiz pegged my ideal hero perfectly!"), while others were downright disgruntled ("I HATE Han Solo!") Then there were those who pondered the absence of that ubiquitous 11th Hour, um, creative muse, James Marsters. "I have to say I'm VERY disappointed in your guys- I took your quiz and learned that 'bad boys' were my type (no surprise there), but to my extreme amazement, in the section that listed the guys who fit into this category there was no mention of Spike or James Marsters!" says Jena. "What gives here? I know you guys are as crazy for him as I am, so why wasn't he at least mentioned? Come on, I really wanted to read that Spike and I were meant for one another..." Well, while James may be laudable in a strictly libidinous sense, the whole bloodsucking murderer thing didn't exactly jibe with the heroic theme of the quiz.

And on a related note, yes there were four different guys to choose from, and yes, it is possible to get all of them. Most of you ladies (or, uh, gents) wound up with Han Solo as your sci-fi dream date, with Angel running a close second, followed by Agent Mulder and Space: Above and Beyond's Cooper Hawkes in third and fourth place, respectively. (Hey, Cooper's complicated, okay?) Ponder the lofty ramifications of this while you check out what our readers add to say about issue five:

There must be something in the water...

Wonderful work with the zine, ladies. I'm not only impressed, I'm entertained. I love your reviewing style, even though I may not always agree, and the feature articles are spectacular. My favorite so far had to be the Anakin Skywalker speculation, with betting odds included. My girlfriend is also a film freak, although more of the indie variety than genre, and I'm constantly cutting and pasting a review to email her. You guys have given her a ton of laughs, but she has one up on you...she works for a film subtitler, and got to see the Kevin Bacon penis scene from Wild Things about 175 times in four days. I thought she was going to leave me for awhile there.
-- Patrick Tague

I thought I'd drop you all a line and let you know how much I enjoy the site. Your reviews are always right on target (I still can't f-ing believe how well Roswell did in the ratings, although I probably should have seen it coming, the WB's ratings are always dominated by it's crap *cough* Charmed *wheeze* Dawson's Creek *ack-hum*). And I may be a guy, and the site may be by and targeted towards female genre fans, but it's really nice to read a editorial publication not run by horny fan-boys. Call me crazy, but some floozie's fake tits do not make a show worth my time.
In other words, you good people are a breath of fresh Internet air. Keep up the good work!
-- Brad Grenz, AAC Files

You have an excellent website! Thank you so much for the article on FOX's sins against it's fans. It makes me ill to know this company will step on anybody (you, me, David Duchovny, Alan Alda) in the name of a buck. Also, thanks for the article on the Joan of Arc types. As more producers and writers realize sci-fi isn't just for men anymore, more of these strong women characters are sure to appear.
-- Darcie Hobart, http://greenblanket.cjb.net

*Wow* This e-zine is excellent. I just finished reading the article on how Fox keeps taking Buffy information from the net and I can't express my disbelief enough. Don't they realise that these sites breed obsession, leading to fans watching Buffy every week and buying everything they come across with anything relating to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in it? I'm speaking from experience here, people. I doubt I'd be so obsessed if it weren't for all the good quality sites packed with fun facts to learn and tell. Anyway, thanx for the Nicholas Brendan interview, I loved *loved* it. And now I gotta go .... so many Buffy sites, so little time.
-- Witchlet

Just wanted to add to all that obscene praise I've just read. I found your site from the watchers web (UK Buffy site), and I bookmarked 5 sections instantly. Not only do I enjoy having a regularly updated scifi/horror site, but the wicked sense of humour in your reviews and comments (unwitting muse... lol ;)) is just so refreshing. The net is such a broad space, and it's so much fun to come across something worthwhile occasionally. Your site is great (am I repeating myself? Well it needs to be said), and I was loving the wide and comprehensive range of it, before I excitedly discovered it was run by the female-of-the-species! I dunno how you do it, I've tried to do a sci-fi/horror site, but it's just so much effort. Please keep it up, going thru the archives is sustaining me for now, but I'm expecting a fresh dose, soon...
-- Bee (aka Evil-[Vampire]-Willow)

Fine then. Be that way.

Okay, this is in response to the review in which your critic is bashing the show Roswell and Dawson's Creek. In my opinion, they are horribly wrong, I think that this critic obviously isn't a teenager! This show was designed for teenagers, and i am a teenager and i love it! i also love Dawson's Creek. My friends all watch these shows and they love them too, plus Roswell just started, and i think that the first episode was great and it got me hooked. I love the character Liz and Chris, i think that they are great characters played by really good actors.
-- Heather

Sarah responds: First off, I actually was a teenager when Dawson's Creek debuted, and I can assure you that the show did suck, always has sucked, and will continue to suck well into the days when James Van Der Geek's abnormally large forehead boasts wrinkles the size of ocean-liners. As for the televised Sominex you refer to as Roswell, age has nothing to do with detecting quality, or in this case, the absence thereof. Good writing, strong acting, and plots that don't induce narcolepsy are traits that appeal to any age group; unfortunately, Roswell lacks all three.

I am apparently the only person on this God forsaken planet who actually enjoyed "The Freshman". I have so much to say that I fear my head might explode from the strain, so I'll stick to the one issue that's bugging me. Everyone, including your reviewer, keeps harping on the fact that Buffy got her arse whooped by Sunday, who appears to be just your average vamp. I'm not exactly sure why everyone finds this so implausible. Buffy was EXTREMELY out of sorts in the beginning of this episode. Feeling abandoned on all fronts, feeling lost in a sea of newness, feeling pretty much overall crappiness. I believe we all know, our emotional state of being can have a HUGE effect on our physical state. Buffy was depressed, worried, lonely and I'm sure just completely exasperated. So, I for one, don't find it at all odd that Buffy would not be quite up to par when it came to fighting the new vamp of the week. I feel bad for those who didn't enjoy the episode, because I had a terrific time watching it and I'm sorry that you missed out on all the fun.
Oh, and while I'm here...one last note. If I hear one more person say they enjoyed the A-Team, er....I mean the Angel season premiere more than the Buffy premiere, I will be forced to stick a large, pointy object in my ear canal until I hit gray matter, so I shall never have to hear the likes of such lunacy again.
-- Janet Cline

Lisa responds: The simple fact of the matter is, it takes Buffy longer to hit its stride. I think it's finally done it, as you'll see from our reviews in this issue, but "The Freshman" just wasn't very good, and that's all there is to it. Is it my fault that Angel has consistently delivered a more fresh, entertaining series from the gate this season? Nope. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em.

Check out the armor. It like... shines, and stuff.

I love your article on ass-kicking women in SF. Susan Ivanova and Buffy are two of my favorites. As for Trinity from The Matrix, I like the fact that she can take care of herself and rescue others. However, it's also clear that her function in the movie is that of the paramour. In my opinion, being designed and presented as the paramour, no matter how ass-kicking she may be, is disappointing. As the audience, I prefer to know Trinity as a character in her own right. Then, if she chooses to engage in a romantic relationship with another character, I can certainly accept and celebrate her choice.
On the other hand, Star Trek's Seven of Nine is a favorite character of mine despite her appearance. Seven kicks ass both physically and mentally. Her body and her "beauty" is part of who she is. As the character is written, her physical attributes in no way shadow her courage, skills and intellect. In the season premier, she faces down her opponent knowing that her actions may lead to her destruction. At the end of the episode, there's a scene of her offering her assistance to the holographic doctor's programming, and her subsequent challenge to the doctor because he's singing pitch is slightly off. Sure, the character draws attention because of her figure. But the audience soon figures out that she has towering intellect and formidable combat skills.
-- Christine Hung
Fellow Chicks in Armor Enthusiast

Thanks to everyone who wrote in; although we can't publish every letter we do read all of them and greatly appreciate your input. Responses to our fifth issue can be sent to letters@the11thhour.com.