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gingerbeardman · Sep 5, 2017

I thought I'd scan in a few issues of this great fanzine that was available in the UK in the early 1990s covering PC Engine, Super Famicom, Mega Drive and more. I enjoyed it because it was quite unique for the time: featuring import gaming reviews, guides like how to mod your console, technical analysis of the Super FX chip, and much more. All with an excited and fun tone.

...a real slice of the '90s!

Anyway, the three issues I have are now available on archive.org as PDFs with selectable/searchable text:
https://archive.org/details/Electric-Brain

Individual downloads (25MB each):
issue 33 (April 1993)
issue 34 (May 1993)
issue 35 (June 1993)

If you were involved in the production of this fanzine please get in touch! https://twitter.com/gingerbeardman

Shifty · Sep 5, 2017

Neat, I never saw this around when I was growing up.

That mascot character is deeply harrowing.

gingerbeardman · Sep 5, 2017

I seem to remember that I bought these three in WH Smith.

Earlier copies were more home-made and I'm not sure how you got hold of those.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWkLIyzA94C

gingerbeardman · Sep 5, 2017

All files have now been processed so you can now read the issues right in your browser!

http://archive.org/details/Electric-Brain

Ninja Dom · Sep 5, 2017

Wow!! So if these were monthly then it would've started in 1990. I never once heard of it and I was heavily into Japanese consoles back then.

Who wrote the articles and where are they now?

Also, being home made, how did they manage to afford all the consoles and games they covered?? Japanese import gaming was expensive back then. Or did they rehash articles/reviews from other magazines?

Venture · Sep 5, 2017

Thanks for archiving these. Really looking forward to checking them out later.

Shy · Sep 5, 2017

Huh. I don't remember that zine.

Thanks for letting us know. OP.

gingerbeardman · Sep 5, 2017

Shy said:
Huh. I don't remember that zine.

Thanks for letting us know. OP.

Venture said:
Thanks for archiving these. Really looking forward to checking them out later.

You're welcome! I've been meaning to do it for years. Literally.

Ninja Dom said:
Wow!! So if these were monthly then it would've started in 1990. I never once heard of it and I was heavily into Japanese consoles back then.

Issue 33 says it had 4 years under it's belt at that time so I guess it started 1989 and wasn't quite monthly at first?
edit: issue 1 was April 1989, see the post below this one

Ninja Dom said:
Who wrote the articles and where are they now?

Good question!

from 33

EDITOR/EB SUPREMO
Onn Lee

last posted on twitter 2010 https://twitter.com/marker67 apparently still living in Nottingham, UK

STAR CONTRIBUTORS
Marc Foord
Dan (the Man)

no idea

Nick Burn

Super Play contributor
http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/Nick_Burne

David Simmons

possibly was doing video game graphics and now an animator?

Jason Brookes

worked on Super Play, EDGE, Sega Zone, Arcade, DC-UK, Famitsu
http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/Jason_Brookes
Lives in the USA

CARTOONS
John Fardell

famous illustrator who worked on Viz and now writes and illustrates children's books

PRODUCTION/APPLE MAC WHIZZKID
Nicola Lascelles

no idea

SPELLCHECKER
Victor van Amerongen

Chairman & Creative Director, Space City Productions
Space City were listed as publisher of Electric Brain

SPECIAL THANKS TO
Tsuyoshi Tamashiki (Japan)
Console Concepts (0782) 712759
Krazy Konsoles (0422) 342901
Megaware (091) 549 8807
P Mitchel
B Walker
T Cross

no idea

additional from 34

CONTRIBUTORS
LL
YAT

no idea

Brian Flanagan

Worked at Ocean http://www.c64.com/gt_display_interview.php?interview=27

CARTOONS
Ryan Gregson

no idea

POOFREADER
Victoria Franklin

no idea

additional from 35

CONTRIBUTORS
Derek Garforth

in covers band Without Motif?

CARTOONS
Neil Doherty (Doe)

maybe https://www.facebook.com/OutRunAndSpaceHarrierArcadeReplicas/

Ninja Dom said:
Also, being home made, how did they manage to afford all the consoles and games they covered?? Japanese import gaming was expensive back then. Or did they rehash articles/reviews from other magazines?

Multiple contributors, advertising, jobs I guess? Let's hope some of the people above get in touch.

gingerbeardman · Sep 5, 2017

This is how it looked in its previous two guises:

PC-ENGINE FANATICS and CONSOLE MA'ZINE

IrishNinja · Sep 6, 2017

oh man i love fanzines! wish we had more scans of these, ive a few good US ones from the mid 90s but cant scan for crap

Sho Nuff · Sep 6, 2017

You are doing god's work; fanzines are THE SHIT

gingerbeardman · Sep 6, 2017

IrishNinja said:
oh man i love fanzines! wish we had more scans of these, ive a few good US ones from the mid 90s but cant scan for crap

I used a HP printer/scanner which can scan straight to SD card. Then put the JPGs into PDFpenPro MacOS software. Very straightforward.

The most difficult thing was folding the pages, otherwise no skill or technical know-how required.

sixteen-bit · Sep 6, 2017

I love this stuff

gingerbeardman · Dec 12, 2020

All 40 issues of

PC Engine Fanatics
Console Ma'zine
Electric Brain
Games Amusement Pleasure

https://archive.org/details/electricbrain

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Electric Brain - Unofficial Console Gaming Fanzine (UK, 1993-ish)

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