Harlan Ellison was an acid-tongued, verbal bruiser of a reviewer and critic who used to flense his opponents before he defenestrated them. He was not a fighter who liked the taste of his own blood in his mouth; he liked the taste of other people’s blood in his mouth, and was happy to indulge himself in getting some whenever possible. There are a lot of people out there who will be happy to give their true, unvarnished opinion of Harlan Ellison — but only because he’s now safely deceased, and thus won’t show up at their front doors with a broken-off stop sign and the unnatural grin of the Undead.
None of this should be taken as a criticism, because absolutely none of it is. I might not have watched the classic Doctor Who if it wasn’t for this man. Rest in Peace, Harlan Ellison.
Moe Lane