FROM THE SFX OFFICE

New site, new issue(s) and a run-in with Wossy – it’s been a week to remember in SFX towers

Greetings loyal readers to another exciting instalment of FROM THE OFFICE! So, how d’ya like our new threads?

That’s right after a few technical gremlins caused a slight delay, SFX.co.uk has been given a makeover. “Again?” We hear you cry. Well, believe it or not it’s been well over a year since our last full redesign, and this is more of an upgrade than a complete overhaul with the site migrating to a faster server and dozens of smaller changes to make navigating the site more user-friendly. In fact, you lot are to blame because the site has proven so popular over the last 12 months that a week wouldn’t go by without the site slowing to a crawl or crashing Future’s servers altogether (usually caused by an unexpected @ neilhimself or @ simonpegg tweet). It’s faster, easier on the eye and still your first stop for sci-fi on the web. At least that’s the plan…

It’s not all there quite yet – greater Facebook integration, for example, is still to come next week. But if the website’s not enough to satisfy your hunger for sci-fi then you’re in luck because next week we’ve got not one, but two brand news issues for your consumpiton – issue 212 of SFX (on sale Wednesday 27 July) and special number 51 (on sale Tuesday 26 July), which is dedicated to the top 100 science fiction icons of the 21st Century. You might be surprised to find who comes out on top…

As if there wasn’t enough going on in the office this week, Dave B, Rich and Adrian jetted off to San Diego Tuesday morning for Geekpalooza 2011, aka Comic-Con. They’re blogging every day over here with the biggest news from the show floor, but for minute to minute updates be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter feed.

Back in miserable old Blighty, Jordan, Russell, Jon and Catherine decided to make the best of the horrible weather and enjoy an afternoon of Couch Potato funtimes round Russell’s pad. We can’t reveal the subject of issue 213’s Couch just yet, but we can confirm that Russell still owns a ludicrous amount of cereal.

Speaking of Russell, he bit his tongue and started watching Sherlock this week. He likes what he's seen so far but can't help but feel some - possibly irrational - anger towards it because it's one of the reasons we're on a Doctor Who starvation diet over the next two years...

Jordan on the other hand has been spending far too long this week obsessing over the Dark Knight Rises trailer. He’s not quite sure which Bat-property he’s looking forward to most now – Arkham City or Christopher Nolan’s trilogy capper. He found himself less enamoured by the Amazing Spider-Man trailer, however, particularly as the trailer’s one innovation (first-person city-scaling) seemed to be lifted from Mirror’s Edge – a game he played (and loved) only the other month. Seems it’s a week for irrational prejudice round these parts.

Rob has spent a significant chunk of his week transcribing his interview with Jonathan Ross from last Friday - check out the next issue of Comic Heroes for the full lowdown on Wossy's burgeoning comics career. He plans on spending the next few days attempting to find space for his comic collection in his lovely new house, watching Attack The Block and trying not to think about Captain America: The First Avenger .

By the way, if you’re wondering whether Cap’s any good our Nick’s seen it and, in short, he loved it – read what he thought over here.

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Random Quote Of The Week : “I’d unbuckle that belt.”

Whose t shirt ? (last week’s answer: it was Rob’s t shirt!)

Jordan Farley
Deputy Editor, Total Film

I'm the Deputy Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the features section of every issue where you can read exclusive, in-depth interviews and see first-look images from the biggest films. I was previously the News Editor at sci-fi, fantasy and horror movie bible SFX. You'll find my name on news, reviews, and features covering every type of movie, from the latest French arthouse release to the biggest Hollywood blockbuster. My work has also featured in Official PlayStation Magazine and Edge.