SF Commentary No. 4, dated July 1969, is an early issue of Bruce Gillespie's influential Australian science fiction critical fanzine. This issue incorporates the Australian Science Fiction Review, indicating a merger or absorption of that earlier publication into SF Commentary. A subscription cost $3.00 for 9 issues.
The issue opens with a piece titled "Raison d'Etre" by the editor, establishing the publication's critical mission. The text indicates this is the only fanzine of its kind, suggesting Gillespie's awareness of SF Commentary's unique position as a venue for extended critical analysis of science fiction literature.
Issue 4 dates from a formative period for Dick criticism. By 1969, Dick had published many of his most important novels but had received relatively little sustained critical attention. SF Commentary and its predecessor publications were among the first venues to take Dick's work seriously as literature deserving extended critical analysis, helping lay the groundwork for the academic recognition that would follow.