Gallery: Space Squid Takes Sci-Fi Back to Clay-Tablet Age
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Austin-based sci-fi and humor mag Space Squid is pushing back against the mostly inevitable demise of print media with fistfuls of clay. Tablets, that is. For its ninth issue, the Space Squid crew decided to resurrect an ancient Sumerian publishing practice to beat back the trend of 21st century digitalism -- and the currently exorbitant costs of printing on paper. So it picked up its cuneiform stick and got to carving out its latest issue onto large clay tablets. "Part of it was a subconscious fusing of the hot meme of *dead media* with our own somewhat quixotic habit of printing in the cheapest, most DIY manner we can," says [Space Squid](http://www.spacesquid.com) publisher Matthew Bey. Scroll through the images above or check out [Space Squid's video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gg6oNMB6Fg) for a peek into the obsolete process.
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So, the easy question: What's with the clay tablets? "Our last few issues have been printed using free photocopiers," says Bey. "We got our current photocopier from a Presbyterian church who advertised it on [Freecycle](http://www.freecycle.org). Our paper is scavenged from Craigslist for a pittance of retail cost, and I constantly watch eBay for deals on toner. So when we ran out of web fuser for the photocopier -- lovingly named Sanjay2 -- it just seemed easier to resurrect a medium that's been out of favor for 2,000 years rather than spend 50 bucks to get the new part."
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According to Space Squid, its ninth issue's clay tablets were unfired, and then thoroughly dried in the sun. Which means they're more durable than both your print mags or the iPad you're trying to read them on. They're also the first clay tablets to hit pop culture since the first century A.D -- which means they'll probably still be around well after your cyborg children have gently gone into their good nights.
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According to Space Squid, its ninth issue's clay tablets were unfired, and then thoroughly dried in the sun. Which means they're more durable than both your print mags or the iPad you're trying to read them on. They're also the first clay tablets to hit pop culture since the first century A.D -- which means they'll probably still be around well after your cyborg children have gently gone into their good nights.
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The front side of Space Squid's ninth issue features a seal with an image of a squid, the mag's name in phonetic cuneiform, and Kevin Brown's short story "Hunting Bigfoot." The back side contains ads for podcasts, films, and gadgets, as well as a dirty joke for good measure. Less than 15 tablet issues are made, with five set aside for auction at [Armadillocon](http://www.armadillocon.org), the sci-fi and fantasy convention that starts Friday in Austin, Texas. One set of tablets is [up for sale on eBay](http://cgi.ebay.com/Clay-Tablet-Magazine-6-Space-Squid-Sci-Fi-zine-/220660179757?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible), while the rest are reserved for private collectors. "The response to this idea has been amazing," said Bey. "But if people bid enough on the clay tablets, we can buy a new web fuser for Sanjay2. And that would be great too."
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Of course, Bey hopes that interested web surfers who can't land the clay tablets will still check out Space Squid's digital iteration. "I hope with all the chatter about the clay tablets that people go to our website and read the free PDF of our magazine," he said. "Because it's all about keeping written fiction alive. No matter how dead the media it's printed on."
