MY SWAN SONG
Some said that ZZAP! 64 was born with a silver spoon in its mouth, thanks to the established success of sister title CRASH (no booing from the back there!). Perhaps there’s a grain of truth in that, but more importantly ZZAP! got off to a flying start with launch editor Chris Anderson, who went on to found Future Publishing, and the stellar qualities of its team of young writers. When I took over the reins from Chris with issue 4, we were already whizzing up the newsagents’ sales charts, helped along by Oliver Frey’s amazing covers and a devil-maycare attitude combined with a serious regard for the games reviewed. If we needed any further confirmation of ZZAP’s place in the firmament the worthy Commodore Computing International provided it when publisher Antony Jacobson slandered ZZAP! as a ‘fluffy lollipop magazine’. Grist to the mill, his snipe led to the wonderful cover of issue 15 (July 1986) for US Gold’s Leader Board – Lolita, lollipops and lurking teenage lechers...oh, and a golfer. I had fun writing: ‘ZZAP! owes a deep debt of gratitude to the publisher of CCI for pointing out to us that there’s more money to be made from talking about lollipops
(even fluffy ones) than from boring old computer games. Apart from an issue packed with helpful hints on how to suck the various flavours (starts page 202), comparisons between the frozen and sticky — sweet varieties, things you can do with the sticks once sucking is complete and vital first aid tips for frozen lollies that come apart at the seams on the first bite – there are a few more reviews (of computer games) than usual.’Chris and I were just the first of a run of editors who each brought their own flavour (fluffy or otherwise) to the pages of Britain’s bestloved C64 magazine. And it didn’t stop at our shores, migrating to Europe, especially to Italy where the name is still in use and even to that graveyard of British magazine hopes, the US of A. Neither did the ‘death of 8-bit’ dim its verve, so that via a Def Tribute and the recent annuals, in the hands of Fusion Retro ZZAP! 64 now rides again on the crest of a new wave of C64 releases...and the proof is in your hands.