AustLit

'SF Commentary sits at the high end of the 'sercon,' or serious discussion of SF, group of fanzines, a position it has occupied for many years now. In this SFC is following a proud Australian tradition first established by John Bangsund in the mid-60s with his Australian SF Review. Both fanzines engaged SF's literati from throughout the world, and both have offered important venues to some of the major voices in SF criticism, who in turn have written seminal pieces on some of the most important authors to emerge in the field in the second half of the 20th century, starting with Phil Dick and Ursula LeGuin.

What's most impressive about the way Gillespie (now) and Bangsund (then) have accomplished this is that neither gave in to the academic stuffed-shirt navel-gazing which has grown up over the past forty years around SF and all but smothered SF criticism. SFC maintains a civilized and literate tone throughout, but draws more upon the British tradition of letters and the ties of fannish community to accomplish its purposes. It is not by accident that Gillespie has long called his editorial in SFC "I Must Be Talking To My Friends."'

[Ted White. 'Fanzines.' WSFA Journal April 2002 (sighted 8/01/2013]