Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

Issue 6 was the first attempt at a 'themed' issue, with much Christmas larking about going on. For that reason it was something of a shame that printer problems led to the issue being delayed until January of the following year. And thus follows the editorial:

It is the December 1998 issue and, for reasons known only to Matt, it has a Christmas theme to it. But enough about me and recurring festive-type themes in cheap, pointless fanzines filled with some of the most spurious, ill thought out material ever. Onto other things of a more entertaining nature ...
By the time this issue is in your grubby little hands (or grubby little protuberances?) the series will have passed the 35th anniversary milestone. What does this mean for Doctor Who? Well firstly it serves to indicate how long it has been since the series was regularly in production (nine years) and secondly that the BBC cannot look a gift horse in the mouth when it provides so much money (The Ice Warriors video release).
But then am I being too cynical towards a company that makes so much money from something no longer in production? No way! Julian Vance may be gone but cynicism is alive and well in fandom!
Ahem! Onto other things ... You might have (or then again you might not have) noticed that things have been changed—again. With the loss of 'Wade's World' and 'Julian Vance Says ...' and coupled with the completion of the monstrous, page-devouring Pulp Who: The Doris Situation, Matt and myself have taken a little time to examine the content of previous issues in order to determine what we want in future issues. This freeing up of page space has allowed us to call upon the cream of New Zealand talent and provide more informative and entertaining stuff like 'James' Corner' and 'Update'.
But enough about me and this fanzine. Hang on, that's what I like talking about the most! Well then - more of me and this fanzine. In this case I am specifically concerned with the web page (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula6431) which people seem to visit but not provide any commentary on. A bit like this fanzine. Feedback is what we crave and what we're lacking at this moment. So to help stimulate some response from our readership (that's you) we've put together a survey which we'd like you to fill out and return.
With that off my chest I can now devote the rest of my editorial to one of my favorite subjects - myself. Why do I like Doctor Who? Well I've often had this question asked of me by various people over the ten or so years I've been a fan of the show and the most comprehensive answer to this that I have come up with is: 'Because I do.' It's simple, direct, and irritates the hell out of Trekkies and other non-fans who can't see past their own obsessions. So ends my editorial adventures of 1998.
And all this without mentioning talking tomatoes and their recurrence in TARDIS Tales! Roll on 1999!

- Alexander Ballingall

Hi there, and my most humble apologies. This issue was intended to be printed and in your hands as a sort of Xmas present, but unfortunately technical glitches and computer equipment failures have prevented this. Despite this I hope that you all had a great Xmas and, by the time you receive this issue, that you have recovered from your New Year's celebrations. With all luck issue seven should be out on time near the end of March, and I think we'll leave the idea of a dated theme well alone from now on! All in all, I hope you've had a good holiday period, and from all of us here at RTP! and especially Alex and myself, have a great 1999. (and if strange things start happening on New Year's Eve look out for plastic snakes and bizarre English fellows dressed in velvet).

- Matt Kamstra

20 000 Leagues Under the Guff:

Published: January 1999
The Fanzine of the Christchurch Chapter of the NZDWFC
Editors: Alexander Ballingall, Matt Kamstra
RTP! Logo Design: Jamie Campbell/Alexander Ballingall
Front Cover: Graham Muir
Back Cover: Garry Jackson
Internal Artwork: Peter Adamson, Garry Jackson, Matt Kamstra, Graham Muir
Letters: Peter Adamson, Alden Bates, Alistair Hughes, Garry Jackson, Jeff Stone
Page Count: 48
Print Run: 30
Price: NZ$2.50

~ Contents~

• [01] COVER
• [02] CONTENTS
• [03] EDITORIAL
• [04] UPDATE
• [05] The BOOTCUPBOARD [Letters]
• [07] REVIEW [Review of Battlefield]
• [08] REVIEW [Review of The Feast of Steven]
• [09] REVIEWS: James' Corner [The Plotters, The Invasion, and Invasion of the Cat People]
• [10] CARTOON: Ergon - The Antimatterest Bird in the Universe!
  
• [12] INTERVIEW: Fanboy Mastermind [Jon Preddle]
• [17] ARTICLE: Rule Brittania?
• [20] REVIEWS: The Scope [Reviews of EDAs, PDAs, TSV]
• [23] CARTOON: Cyber Guy
• [27] Candid Caption
• [28] Doctor Who Bullsh*t: DWB Axed!
• [29] CARTOON: 8 Doctirios
  
• [30] FICTION: The Scorpion's Tale
• [32] COMIC: Myrrh
• [42] REVIEW [Review of 'Visions '98' convention]
• [44] FICTION: The Red Menace [part 1 of 8]
• [46] CARTOON: South Who
  
• [47] ARTICLE: If - The Brain Dead
  
• [48] COVER