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Black Static # 2 - December 2007
01/05/2008 . Source: Tomas L. Martin 
Bi-monthly magazine: UK publisher/editor address: Andy Cox, TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2LB. Price: £ 3.99 (UK). ISSN: 1753-0709. Buy Black Static in the USA - or Buy Black Static in the UK  check out website: www.ttapress.com
'Black Static', the TTA press spiritual successor to 'The Third Alternative', continues its re-birth with its second issue. Full of dark, brooding photography and artwork and challenging dark fantasy and horror fiction, it retains the quality the opening issue had.
A series of columns intersperse with the stories with screenwriter Stephen Volk's being the most interesting. His quest to bring more respect to the writers of the film industry is a worthy cause and this issue's piece on directors ruining scripts is witty in its angry observations.
The stories themselves are interesting and varied, although each has its own brand of dark undertone. A lot of them are more snippets than true plots, portraying a feel more than any event, although Scott Nicholson's 'Must See To Appreciate' has a neat twist on the ghost haunting theme and F. Brett Cox's 'The Serpent And The Hatchet Gang' has an excellently researched period piece about a gang of women who destroyed all the alcohol in their town during prohibition.
'In The Hole' by Lisa Tuttle and Steven Utley and 'Unknown' by Steve Rasnic Tem were both haunting tales of men adrift from their lives, with the former an interesting piece about a man returning from wartime imprisonment to find his hometown much changed and his dreams not fully realised.
Two stories stood out for me. I was enjoying but not loving the final story 'Holding Pattern' by Andrew Humphrey and its story of a cold man lacking emotional connection to his friends and family. When the ending exploded into its shocking conclusion I was left appreciating the work put into the earlier sections.
My favourite story has to be 'In The Shape Of A Dragon', translated by Brian Stableford from the original French story by Melanie Fazi. It's an emotionally satisfying tale of young Faustine, whose father paints madly to the sound of one song on permanent repeat, night and day. When the music stops, she starts to delve into the mad story of her father's art. Compelling.
In addition to this, there's the usual competent review section and Lynda E. Rucker's 'Ash-Mouth', which I found well-written but unspectacular. Black Static #2 collects together another varied array of well-written dark stories and this continues to be an interesting and well put together magazine.
Tomas L. Martin
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