James' Column

Out with the old, in with the... er, older?

Howdy, howdy, howdy... I'm James! Or, rather, I'm not - even though it says James' column right there on the side (stupid internet tools, not letting me change things), you'll probably notice that I'm decidedly shorter, rounder and less inclined to remove my shirt for photography than our previous lovable editor. That doesn't make me any less of a man, I should point out, but equally I'll happily admit that I'm never going to be able to replace James. He built FSM from the ground up, helped make it what it is today and ultimate paved the way for a genuinely awesome pro wrestling/MMA magazine. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even have this opportunity to talk to you...

Those of you who picked up issue 36 of FSM will have seen his fond farewell speech and possibly even shed a tear as he donned his cowboy hat and strolled off into the sunset. Luckily, I just happened to be riding by on a mule and saw the vacancy for a new town sherrif... or, possibly, I've known James for years and his leaving timed with my desire to find something new was just amazingly good timing. Either way, he's gone and I'm here - hope that doesn't disappoint you too much.

But although I may not be able to replace James 'the man', I definitely think I'm the right person to bring you FSM every month and I certainly hope you'll be more than impressed with FSM as we move forward into 2009. Myself and the team have worked damn hard to keep the mag as lively and insightful as it's always been for issue 37 (my first of many issues as editor) and even better, we've got some awesome plans going forward. Specifically, it's about giving you a reason to love the mag - not just with one-off features that are worth reading and can't be found anywhere else, but also with regular spots that are not only interesting but useful too. You want Alex Shane's excellent guide to pro-wrestling? It's right here, every month. You want to hear Mark Sloan talk about the ins and out of training and event promotion? We'll have that too. And from exclusive interviews and event reviews to the hottest UK wrestling and MMA news, guest columnists and plenty of new ideas that are so secret, even I can't talk about them yet, I'm aiming to pack FSM so full every month, you'll barely be able to lift it. Unless you're actually a wrestler, of course.

Anyway, I guess I'm wittering a little here but ultimately what I'm trying to say (beyond 'hello') is that whatever it is that you love about FSM, it'll continue to be right here every month along with tonnes more besides. Not wishing to boast, but I honestly believe we've got the best writers, the best design and the best content of any wrestling mag out there today - I just hope you continue to think the same too.

And yes, I'm on email - feel free to say hello whenever you like. Especially since keeping this website current and worthwhile is going to be a number one priority from here on in...

Toodles,

Martin

PS Oh, apologies for the awful photo... I don't have anything else that I thought might look good. Hopefully, I'll get something better and less grayscale soon enough.