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Plokta

Entry updated 21 August 2023. Tagged: Fan, Publication.

UK Fanzine (1996-2011). The name is a computer acronym, "Press Lots Of Keys To Abort"; the fanzine, subtitled "The Journal of Superfluous Technology", was edited and published by the "Plokta Cabal" comprising Alison Scott, Steve Davies, Mike Scott alias Dr Plokta, Sue Mason, Giulia de Cesare, Steven Cain and – more recently – Marianne Cain, Jonathan Cain, and Flick Christian. There were 41 issues from May 1996 to April 2011.

Originally A4 format but later more often A5, Plokta pioneered the use of high-resolution colour graphics in UK fanzines, a result of the Cabal being enthusiastic early adopters of new technology such as the colour laser printer: hence the subtitle. Unusually for a contemporary UK fanzine, Plokta relied heavily on light humour and visual-Parody cover themes, for example of Facebook, Doctor Who, or J R R Tolkien's Middle-earth map adapted as an esoteric chart of UK Fandom. Plokta received the UK Nova Award for best fanzine in 2000 and 2002, and was nominated nine times for the Best Fanzine Hugo, winning in 2005 and 2006.

Plokta became a broader project with the creation of PNN (Plokta News Network), an online Newszine which ran from September 2001 to February 2007, and of the lightly-programmed <plokta.con> conventions, of which there were four between 2000 and 2009. Details of these and copies of all issues of the fanzine can be found at Plokta Online [see links below]. A villain named Dr Plokta appeared in the Marvel Comic Captain Britain and MI:13 in issues written by Paul Cornell, a guest at the fourth <plokta.con>. Although Plokta itself is in suspended animation, members of the team regularly publish the daily convention newsletter which is a long-standing tradition of the UK Eastercon. [RH/DRL]

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