FROM THE SFX OFFICE

See the newly regenerated cover of SFX , a Cyberman stand off and news of the latest Couch Potato in this week’s peek inside SFX Towers

Not that the inevitable deadline nightmare put us off hopping in a car and zipping to Ade’s house for the latest Couch Potato. We can’t tell you what Rich, Rob, Jordan and Ade spent their afternoon and evening watching just yet, but we can tell you there was an unusually large amount of chat about hair. Hmm.

Some of you may have even spotted that the cover of our new issue has already snuk its way online. Be sure to check it out up close on the right. Subscribers will be getting their copies on Monday, a little later than usual because of an image embargo. But trust us it’ll be worth the wait with new regular features such as “20 Things We Love About…”, a space to showcase your collections and a scarifying new horror columnist Penny Dreadful. Lovely new paper too!

It's been a zombiefied kind of a week for Rob, who has been reviewing The Walking Dead for Comic Heroes and making preparations so that he's not caught on the hop when the apocalypse eventually arrives. His fool-proof plan so far involves hiding in the biscuit aisle of his local supermarket and improvising some kind of custard cream cannon. Jordan meanwhile has bid zombies farewell for the time being, space zombies that is as he completed Dead Space 2 this weekend. The good news is this means he can finally sleep without waking up in a cold sweat from Necromorph-induced night terrors. The bad news he’s now playing Homefront while watching Jericho for the first time and lives in fear of an imminent invasion from some hostile foreign nation.

Nick is eyeball-deep in words, writing up no less than three interviews for next issue, but still found time to abscond from the office on Tuesday, heading to London to check out the Doctor Who Experience at Olympia (yes, the space-apple never falls far from the time-tree...). If you haven't been, it now comes with the official Setchfield seal of approval. He's still raving about the 3D Weeping Angels, though he's reaching for the Optrex after all the non-blinking involved. His world was also rocked by the new Captain America and Doctor Who trailers. It's safe to say his geek blood is fizzing.

Rich has just had a natter with top author/critic Kim Newman and is also wondering how he can watch The Killing (the first three episodes are ace!) without it taking over his life. There’s sci-fi to watch too! Ade has been explaining to his nosy neighbours why his house was re-arranged for a Couch Potato photo shoot yesterday what with cameras, lighting equipment and more. They don’t miss a trick on his road. He’s also very excited to have seen the new Doctor Who trailer this week. “Looks scary” he was heard mumbling from behind the cushion.

Ian had a rather harrowing start to the week, when one of our felinophile Reviews Editor’s beloved cats went missing. Thankfully, after three days tramping around the neighbour shouting the kitty’s name and attaching laminated “lost cat” posters to lampposts, the missing moggy was located in a neighbour’s cellar – phew! He has some words of advice for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation: “Watch lots and lots of Battlestar Galactica – the remake – to take your mind off it. Everyone in it is having such a depressing time that it puts pretty much any personal mishap into perspective.” Wise words.

Russell surprised us all this week by offering to review an anime movie! The non-Japanese animation fan sat at home last night watching Castle In The Sky and declared today, “It was really quite good!” Maybe we should set him up with Akira next. Dave G is still recovering from a mammoth conference call (shame it wasn’t a round table) with the Camelot cast that seemed to include half the population of the USA trying to get a question in edgeways…

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Random Quote Of The Week: “Do what you did to me and see if she enjoys it.”

Whose T-shirt? (Last week’s answer: they were, back left to front right, Jordan, Catherine, Dave G, Nick, Rob, Russell, Rich, Jon, Ian and Dave B!)

Jordan Farley

I'm the News Editor at Total Film magazine, running the opening pages of every issue where you can read exclusive interviews and see first-look images from the biggest films. I was previously the Community Editor at sci-fi, fantasy and horror movie bible SFX. You'll find my name on news, reviews, and interviews 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. Outside of my day job, I'm a FromSoft fanatic (proudest achievement: beating Malenia solo) and a TV connoisseur (translation: I'll watch anything).