The upcoming second issue is much like the first one, a mixture of styles. The proposed third issue is now about half full, and leans toward light SF combined with humour. This is a reflection of the sort of submissions I’ve been receiving.
Further more, it could be argued the majority of the material in the third issue, thus far, is rather old-fashioned. Well, so am I. I imprinted on such as Burroughs and Heinlein in my youth, and remain a sucker for anything resembling H.G. Wells or Lovecraft. Literary I ain’t. A ripping good yarn wins me over every time. I tend to be concept oriented. Idea driven is more important to me than character driven, though I do like offbeat characters.
On the other hand, I’m not opposed to “New Wave” or “Modern” SF, I just haven’t received many such stories yet.
Then again, there’s a much more diverse mixture of sub-genres in the poetry I’ve received, all of which I like.
And that’s the key, I publish what I like.
What do I like most? Probably the discovery of a derelict alien spaceship, artifact, or ruined city, with the human characters attempting to figure out what it all means. Yeah, that’s the ticket. The cover of issue #3, an evocative piece by M.D. Jackson, reflects this theme well nigh perfectly.
I’m not keen on internalized angst, in other words. I prefer characters resolved to struggle against the odds and win in the end, even if they have to make sacrifices and achieve only a partial victory. Failure is an option, but only if it is extremely interesting. Or, even better, intriguing.
I guess I’m really a twentieth century sort of reader, leaning toward the kind of speculative fiction which stirred my wonder as a teenager half a century ago. But I have eclectic tastes. Polar Borealis may surprise you yet.
Meanwhile, Eric Chu polished up his cover for issue #2 (for which I thank him for putting in the extra effort–it’s a great cover!), adding detail, making the image crisper, and changing the publication date to July/August. That be more in line with reality, methinks.
The message of the cover, of course, is that there ARE squids in space! Isn’t that cool?