QL Fanzine List Update + Reviews
Mary Anne Espenshade
I'm the maintainer of the QL fanzine list on the archive. I don't have
particularly good news access so I don't post much. There have been
some requests for zine information and reviews here recently. When I
started compiling the list, several years ago, I included reviews and
was looking for other readers on the net to add reviews to it also. The
reviews made the list way too long so I eventually split them out into
separate files, but they are all by me, no one else ever volunteered
anything. I've just finished an update of the zine list, following the
new releases at this year's MediaWest*Con, so I'll post it here as well
as sending it to the archive. Then I'll post the Reviews files - Reviews.1
contains QL zines thru 1991, Reviews.2 is for 1992 and Reviews.3 (not
quite completed yet) covers zines I've read from 1993. Is anyone else
interested in reviewing zines this way - so different opinions can be
available together for comparison and so that things I haven't read can
be included? Or do you just want to post reviews to the group?
I'm always looking for new information for the list, so if you know of
a zine I haven't listed, please email me the information! I do pick up
zine ads posted to this group, but I don't have alt access.
--
Mary Anne Espenshade
m...@aplexus.jhuapl.edu
p.s. - this list does not include QL slash zines, as I don't read them.
If there are any S/A readers in the group, feel free to start your own
list, I know there are a number of zines out there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quantum Leap Zine List - Newsletters, Fanzines and Clubs
compiled by Mary Anne Espenshade, updated 6/6/94
for more information contact m...@aplexus.jhuapl.edu
Newsletters/Letterzines:
--
Quantum Quarterly
Edited by:
Kathy Dunn and Elizabeth Ford
send comments and submissions to:
Kathy Dunn
305 Mountain Ave.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
orders to:
Quantum Quarterly
c/o Jim Rondeau
1853 Fallbrook Ave.
San Jose, CA 95130
Newsletter, issues are $1.50 each, $6.00 for a 4 issue subscription.
Make checks payable to Jim Rondeau, indicate which issue you want your
subscription to start with.
Winner of the 1992 Fan Q Award for best QL newsletter.
1-17
Jim is also doing a fiction zine:
Snap! Crackle! Leap!, due late '93
and publishes zines for others:
Chain Reactions, edited by Miriam Ferziger, $10
beautiful cover, all submissions through the Internet.
--
The Imaging Chamber
c/o Catherine Woldow
Monte Cristo - Amethyst Press
6436 Simms St. #105
Arvada, CO 80004
Quarterly letterzine, 1-5 $1.50/issue, 6 on $4.50/issue (it's grew by
_leaps_ and bounds!). Ended publication with #11, but back issues may
still be available.
1-11
She's also done a fiction zine:
"Accelerator Accidents", $20
--
Leapin' In
Linda Cooksey
304 Bluff St.
Crawfordsville, IN 47933-1232
Monthly newsletter, single sheet, articles and announcements.
Ended publication with #24
1-23
--
Quantum What?
Constance Avino
1021 S. Elgin
Forest Park, IL 60130
A cross between a newletter and a letter zine, lots of episode
commentary. Won a Fan Q honorable mention in 1993, Best QL non-fiction.
Ended publication with #15.
1-15
--
Quantum Quest
Ms H. C. Broadribb
5 Sandfield Road
Thornton Heath
Surrey CR7 8AW
A British QL letterzine, up to issue 4 in 8/93
---
Fiction Zines (Published):
--
Sheila Paulson
2408 Beaver
Des Moines, IA 50310
Adventures in Slime and Time - Ghostbusters and QL (!)
#1 ($12.90), Three Ghostbusters stories, two QL and one that combines
the two and throws in Shadow Chasers for a little variety.
#2 ($12.90), Two QL stories and three Ghostbusters stories.
#3 - this issue is just 4 GB stories, no QL
Sheila is selling these zines since the editor, Kathy Hintze,
passed away recently after a long battle with cancer.
--
Regenia Marracino
Squiggle Press
P.O. Box 696
Lewisville, AR 71845
Dare to Dance the Tide, a novel by Regenia Marracino and Carlotta Vaughn
Sold out - went to second printing in 8/93.
They're also writing a sequel to Necessary Roughness.
--
Lucy Green
MacWombat Press
2500 Jackson-Keller, Apt. 601
San Antonio, TX 78230
Different Drummer, digest size zine, 76pp., 5 stories - all cross
universe, $8.00
--
Carol Davis
1251 S. Wellesley Ave. #203
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Internet address: PERDU...@ISCSVAX.UNI.EDU
A Dozen Points in Time #1, 200 page QL zine, $20
#2, 8/93, 265pp, $22
#3 available 2/94, 200pp, $20
A Fork in the Road, sequel to "Mirror Image", also 8/93, 250pp, $22
--
H. Ann Walton
Queen's Press
4003 Old Hearne Rd.
Bryan, TX 77803-0635
Faces of Clay, $12.90, 100pp.
cross universe novel - QL/Crime Story/with a little Twin Peaks thrown
in - very nice.
As Time Goes Bye ("That's 'by' Sam." "But, Al, time is always saying
'bye' to me")
#1, 108pp. ($12.90), 3/92
#2, 3/93
#3, 92pp. ($12), 3/94
--
Mark R. Dalpes
11210 W. 60th Ave.
Arvada, CO 80004
Friends in Time - crossover zine
Mark's Leaps - the author becomes a leaper
--
Mystery Frank (Mysti)
145 La Fontenay Dr.
Louisville, KY 40223
Green Eggs and Ham
1-$18.90
2-$21.90
3-$23.90, 235pp, 5/93
4-$22.90, 202pp, 5/94
5-$22.90, 194pp, 5/94
Another excellent zine from Mysti, one of my top 3 choices
#6 is open for submissions
--
Martin Enterprises
PO Box 7669
McLean, VA 22106-7669
In Another Life, Pt 1, $14.95 + $3 US, $4 Canada postage
Pt 2, due 10/91 (?)
Yet Another QL/BatB cross (though Sam leaps into someone other than
Vincent for a change), primarily a BatB zine, just needs Sam to
set up the revised universe
--
Jennifer Adams Kelley
748 Dodge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60202
I've Leaped & I Can't Get Up, 100pp, 5/93
I've Leaped & I Can't Get Up Again, 85pp, 5/94
silly leaps and cross-overs
#3 - I've Leaped and I Still Can't Get Up, is planned
--
Sharon Reynolds
330 E. 288th Street
Willowick, OH 4409 195
A Leap To Late, $30.90 (includes postage), 250pp.
As you may be able to guess from the grammatical error in the title
(and every place else that "too" should have been used in the entire
zine), this is not worth this price.
--
Kim Round
CJR Press
733 Turnpike St., Suite 117
North Andover, MA 01845
Leaping In With A Net, $18.90, 180pp.
available 2/94
the Prodigy Leapers zine
--
Lorraine Bartlett
435 McCall Rd
Rochester, NY 14616-5248
Leaping to Conclusions, $7, 110pp.
a one-shot, wonderful covers, good stories
--
Cheryl Bellucci
c/o Newsletters To Go
PO Box 340058
Dayton, OH 45434-0058
Tracy Finifter
DPO 430/P.O. Box 2005
New Brunswick, NJ 08903-2005
For more information you can contact Tracy by email at
fini...@gandalf.rutgers.edu
Leaps Unbound
#1, $20, 190pp., available 4/94, color cover by <=minds-i-view=>
Some usenet folks put this one together, they are now taking
submissions for #2.
--
Michael Ruff - Ruff and Ready Press
110 Cedargrove Dr.
Rochester NY 14617
Look Before You Leap #1, $12, 130pp.
#2, $12, 140pp.
#3, $12, 110pp. 5/93
#4, $12, 172pp. 5/94
--
Julie Barrett
Threadneedle Press
2624 E. Park Blvd.
Plano, TX 75074
A Matter of Time #1, $10.50 by mail
wonderful cover, excellent stories, if you want to try a zine, this
is one of the top 3 to get.
#2, $11
another nice cover, more fine stories, recycling tips
#3, $12
#4, $12, 10/93
Quantum Chain, #1 and #2
digest-size "chain" stories - $3.75 each
--
Lorraine Anderson
P.O. Box 463
(111 Barnard Ave.)
Three Rivers, MI 49093
More Misadventures, 175pp. - $11 from Bill Hupe
--
Bill Hupe + Peg Kennedy
Footrot Flats
916 Lamb Rd.
Mason, MI 48854-9554
These folks distribute LOTS of zines and edit some themselves.
SASE for postage rates.
Oh Boy!
#1 $16.50
#2 $18
#3 260pp. $20
#4 $27 - HUGE novel, 480pp.
#5-"The Unseen Season", 226pp, 5/94
Lots of good stuff. Editors: Sandy Hall and Sharon Wisdom, mail to:
Sandy Hall, 4819 B Meadow Lark Lane, Columbia, MO 65201
Best of Two Worlds ($5.50)
novel sequel to "Second Circle" in Oh Boy #1. Sam has returned from
leaping and decides to take a vacation a get a PhD in Literature.
(This came out in May '91, so it does not include later revelations)
Continuum ($15)
Quantum Mechanics ($18)
200 pages, edited by Peg
#2 ($15.50 4th class, + 1.50 for first)
Choices - The Devil His Due ($10), an "interactive" story
Interesting idea, but some flaws in the execution, some of the
pointers don't match up and one section is circular.
Paradox (formerly Two Doctors in Time), $13
compilation and revision of a 7th Doctor story serialized in TARDIS
Time Lore.
--
Alvyren Press
Mary Jean Holmes
3801 S. Miner #5
Milwaukee, WI 53221-1234
(address only good till 7/31/92)
Outatime - a QL/Back to the Future novel by J. Robert Holmes, Mary
Jean Holmes and Mary Wood, 84pp, 1991
--
Penreddy Publishing
Kay Simon
P.O. Box 460658
Aurora, CO 80046-0658
Out of the Blue, $14, 104pp.
Nice adventure stories, all original universes, some poetry, not
illustrated.
--
Sheila Paulson
2408 Beaver
Des Moines, IA 50310
Out of the Frying Pan
available from Bill Hupe, $10.
Sheila is a long-time writer, but this is her first zine, wonderful
issue, one of my top 3 QL zines. Definitely an Al issue.
--
Kate Nuernberg
Rt. 2 Box 3031
Front Royal, VA 22630
Play It Again, $12 + $3 postage.
Very nice, somewhat darker in tone
#2 - this sucker is HUGE, over 350 pages, $28 + $4 postage.
#3 - big, but not as big as #2, $16 in person, $19 by mail
#4 - 210pp, 5/94
--
Darlene Fisher
Ann Teitelbaum
Almost Foolproof Press/Starlite Press
P.O. Box 2455
Danville, CA 94526
QL+ ..., #1 is $7.50, 67pp. unillustrated
Sam's Run - Sam in Logan's Run (movie version)
not worth getting
--
Lee Kirkland
19211 E. Scott Place
Denver, CO 80249
Quantum Beast - All's Well that Ends Well
QB - "The Waiting Room", a "sequel", the concurrent events in 1995
--
Dapplewood Press
Sharon Wells
P. O. Box 9907
N. Hollywood CA 91609-9907
Sharon is doing another series- Sam Beckett - Man About Time
#1 Quantum Jones: The Search for the Golden Doors ($12 + 3 postage)
#2 Star Leap ($14 + 3)
#3 Double O Sam, planned for fall '92 (?)
--
Datazine Publications
PO Box 19413
Denver, CO 80219
Quantum Mechanics, 6 stories by Jessica Farrow, $12.95, 62pp.
--
Rosita Rodriguez
11669 Valerio st. #202
N. Hollywood, CA 91605
Sands of Time, $10, a single story
--
Freedom of the Press
Shari Ramseur
1257 Magnolia Ave.
San Carlos, CA 94070
Shattered
alternate Shock Theatre ending, novel
Fear No Evil
a Mirror Image sequel, planned for May 1994
R-rated, sounds overly violent for QL to me
--
Nanci Casad
P.O. Box 49
Savoy, IL 61874
Standing on the Edge of Time, $15 ($17.90 first class), 125pp, 4/93
Standing on the Edge of Time #2, $15, 4/94
currently taking submissions for #3
Nanci also has collections of articles and reviews,
$14.00 each by mail:
The QL, Scott and Dean Scrapbook #1
The QL, Scott and Dean Scrapbook #2
The QL, Scott and Dean Scrapbook #3
The Dean Stockwell Scrapbook
--
Susan M. Garrett
Penguin Press
14B Terrace Ct.
Toms River, NJ 08753
Temporary Difficulties Beyond Our Control... Please Stand By
July 26, 1979
I don't have a mail-order price on this, I picked my copy up at a con.
digest size, single story zine, written by Susan, lovely wraparound
cover by Ann Larimer
--
Roxanne Shearer Koogler
Rt. 2 Box 179
Fairfield VA 24435
Time Knight, $15 + postage ($1.25 book rate, $2.90 1st class)
--
Ann Wasserman
806 Oakton
Evanston, IL 60202
or
Linda Sibio
6353 N. Wayne
Chicago, IL 60660
The Totally Amateur, Completely Unauthorized, Unabashedly
Hormonally-Driven, Ultimate Fan Guide to Quantum Leap
With a title like that, it sounds promising! Here's what their
posting has to say:
Article: 24084 of rec.arts.sf.tv
From: richa...@aol.com (Richard655)
Subject: QL Episode Guide
Date: 2 Apr 1994 16:49:03 -0500
A friend and I are putting together a QL episode Guide.
It consists of ten segments, each bound seperately. The first covers the first
season, the next eight cover seasons two - five broken into two parts each.
The tenth will have in-depth crew listings, episodes listed by various
formats, threads found running throughout the series and more.
Each episode has an eight page (more or less) synopists, cast listing, air and
leap date, who Sam leaps into, and other vital information such as what Al is
wearing, good lines, and whether or not there is a kissing scene. <g>
The Guide is called - "The Totally Amateur, Completely Unauthorized.
Unabashedly Hormonally-driven, Ultimate Fan Guide to Quantum Leap."
Each section costs $12.00. If interested, send $2.00 for a sample episode to
Madness Takes Its Toll - 806 Oakton - Evanston, IL - 60202.
--
Melissa Wilson/Joseph Young
10675 Mathieson St.
San Diego, CA 92129
With Every Quantum Leap and Bound
delayed due to moving and computer problems
---
AAA Press
5 Sandfield Rd.
Thornton Heath
Surrey CR7 8AW
Past Imperfect, digest size, 80pp, 1/94, lovely art by Joan Jobson
A Question of Charity (novel), mid 1994
Jim Rondeau was selling these at Quantum Con.
---
Zines (Planned):
Ashton Press
Ann Wortham
1402 Allison Ave.
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
The Leap Zone, accepting submissions until 1/93
Ann is known for her wonderful, gigantic Blakes 7 zines
--
Rebecca Smathers
7307 Haskell Avenue #2
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Fate's Wide Wheel, planned for 7/94
--
Patience Sibeal
PO Box 4334
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4334
The Long Leap, planned for 12/91 (?)
--
Alyssa Mondelli
5501 River Bluff Dr.
Bloomington, MN 55437-3610
Saks Fifth Avenue, a QL and MacGyver zine
--
Small Spider Enterprise & Co.
96 Summer St.
Medford, MA 02155-4434
Say Hello to Yesterday/F Sharp Above High C
QL and Alien Nation, planned for fall '92 (?), age statement required
--
J. E. Breuer
R.R. #1 Box 70A
Earlville, IL 60518
Swiss Cheese Fondue, planned for 1/92 (?), no crossovers
--
No Action, Talk Only Press
P.O. Box 188
Boston, MA 02101-0188
The Thrill of the Leap
$21, to publish 7/94, Age Statement Required - Straight Adult stories
based on Scott's characters in QL, MB, NR, E+L
--
Time Remembered
1224A Glenview Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53213
a novel, author unknown to me, it isn't mentioned on the flyer,
approx. 90pp.
planned to publish late 1993
--
Nancy Feldman
Purgatory Press
4732 Swegle Rd. NE
Salem, OR 97301
Genie: N.FELDMAN2
Usenet: NANCY....@F605.N105.Z1.FIDONET.ORG
Nancy's ad in rec.arts.sf.tv reads:
>Sam and Al have gathered many fans over the years, as Sam leaps from body
>to body, from time to time, yearning to go home.
>
>NBC, however, can't possibly tell all of the stories there are to tell, and
>that's where we, the fans, step in.
>
>If you have a story, poem, filk song or anything else you've been inspired
>to write for Quantum Leap, and you'd like to see it in print, please submit
>it to me before December 1. Contributors will receive a discount on the
>final price of the zine.
>
>If you submit via Genie, please try to use one of the standard archiving
>methods. If you submit via UseNet, please use plain ASCII, as I don't have
>any of the utilities to unpack archived text from Usenet.
>
>If you submit via U.S. mail, I'd prefer an IBM compatible disk, but nicely
>printed or typed material is also acceptable.
>
>I hope to be hearing from some of you.
>----
>ProLine: tiala@pro-smof
>Internet: ti...@pro-smof.cts.com
>UUCP: crash!pro-smof!tiala
>ARPA: crash!pro-smof!ti...@nosc.mil
---
Clubs:
Project Quantum Leap
Karen Blocher, Project Chairman
P.O. Box 77513
Tucson, AZ 85703
$15/year, newsletter- The Observer
#1-9
The Hologram - a special zine review supplement, $2/year additional
#1-4
--
Quantum League
James McNair
19 Millburn Dr.
Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada M9B 2W8
$15/year, newsletter- The Newsleaguer, meets monthly
---
T-shirts from (unfortunately) Creation:
Creation
145 Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, MY 11501
3 designs, black T-shirt with the logo in pink or blue, a white T-shirt
with a picture in blue and green of Sam and Al and scenes from different
years like in the opening credits, a white T-shirt with a picture of Sam
in orange and red. Price each - $13.98 + $2.00 postage.
Creation also has mugs and buttons with QL pictures and a very
expensive jacket.
--
Ashton Press
Ann Wortham
1402 Allison Ave.
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
T-shirt with art by Leah Rosenthal (zine illustrator, co-author of
Bizarro and regular cartoonist in Starlog), "Who's Sam This Time?" (Sam
as the fourth Doctor), $14, XXL $16, loads of colors (I got bright
orange), write to Ann for details. Also a tote bag with the same
picture, $13.
--
Innovation Corp.
3622 Jacob St.
Wheeling, WV 26003
The QL comic book
#1 reprinted with convention '92 articles and pictures.
Innovation folded late in 1993, so the comic only went 13 issues, you'll have
to look for them in comic specialty stores.
1-13
--
Poison Pen Press
627 East 8th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11218
1993 QL calendar, $10.95 + $2 postage
Buttons:
Joni Maroon
RR #7 Box 7430
Swartz Road
Moscow, PA 18444
Joni has many different photo buttons made from pictures taken at the
QL Conventions. Buttons are $1.25 each plus $1 postage for each 5
buttons. Send a SASE for a flyer of the pictures to choose from.
There are lots of pictures of Scott and Dean plus ones of the writers,
Don and Deborah, guest stars, and Dean's star on Hollywood Blvd.
1994 - At MediaWestCon, Joni was taking orders for a T-shirt with a
wonderful photo of Scott on the front. She took the picture at Quantum
Con '94.
Cheryl A. Bellucci
First off, let me say that Maryanne does a great job of keeping
this list together. Thanks Maryanne!
I'd like to have something added to the list, and Maryanne has
done this when she knows the information. I'd like to include
the FanQ awards for the zines (an nominations) that are awarded
at MediaWest every year. Does anyone know them?
I know Different Drummer by MacWombat Press was nominated in
the multi-media category (it's an entirely crossover zine).
Just a note, I recently received my "Oh Boy V", and they did
not get enough "Unseen Season" stories, so although those
stories are included, the entire zine is not "Unseen Season".
--
Cheryl A. Bellucci - au...@yfn.ysu.edu
"Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabyes go on and on...
They never die, that's how you and I will be."
-- Billy Joel, "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"
Mary Anne Espenshade
>I'd like to have something added to the list, and Maryanne has
>done this when she knows the information. I'd like to include
>at MediaWest every year. Does anyone know them?
Funny you should ask... the FanQ information is included in the review files.
I have added this year's nominees and winners. What follows is the summary of
the zines in the review files so far, with my rating (on a 5 star scale), date
of publication, and awards information. Individual story and art awards are
mentioned in the reviews.
--
Mary Anne Espenshade
m...@aplexus.jhuapl.edu
Zine ratings summary:
***** Green Eggs and Ham #1 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 3/91
***** Green Eggs and Ham #2 (1993 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 3/92
***** Green Eggs and Ham #3, 5/93
***** A Matter of Time #1 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 2/91
***** A Matter of Time #2 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 1991
***** Play It Again #1 (1992 Fan Q winner - Best QL Zine), 1991
***** Play It Again #3 (1994 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 5/93
**** Accelerator Accidents #1 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 1991
**** Adventures in Slime + Time #2, 5/92
**** As Time Goes Bye, 5/92
**** Best of Two Worlds (1992 Fan Q winner - Best QL Novel), 5/91
**** A Dozen Points in Time, 4/93
**** A Dozen Points in Time #2, 8/93
**** Leaping to Conclusions, 2/92
**** A Matter of Time #3, 10/92
**** Oh Boy! #1 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 5/91
**** Oh Boy! #2 (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 10/91
**** Oh Boy! #3 (1993 Fan Q winner - Best QL Zine), 5/92
**** Oh Boy! #4 (1994 Fan Q winner - Best QL Zine), 5/93
**** Out of the Frying Pan, 5/91
**** Play It Again #2 (1993 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 5/92
**** Quantum Beast - All's Well that Ends Well
**** Quantum Beast - The Waiting Room
**** Quantum Quandries, 1992
***+ Chain Reactions, 1/93
***+ Different Drummer (1994 Fan Q nominee - Best Multi-Fandom zine), 11/93
***+ I've Leaped and I Can't Get Up (1994 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 5/93
***+ A Matter of Time #4, 1993
*** Adventures in Slime + Time #1, 5/91
*** Look Before You Leap #2, 1992
*** Look Before You Leap #3 (1994 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 1993
*** More Misadventures #1, 5/93
*** Outatime, 1991
*** Quantum Mechanics #1, 1/92
*** Quantum Mechanics #2 (1993 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 11/92
*** Standing on the Edge of Time, 1993
*** Temporary Difficulties Beyond Our Control... Please Stand By, 1991
*** Time Knight, 1992
*** With Every Quantum Leap and Bound, 1992
** Choices - The Devil His Due, 1992
** Continuum, 1992
** Faces of Clay (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Novel), 3/91
** A Leap to Late (sic), 1/93
** Look Before You Leap #1: (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL Zine), 1991
** Out of the Blue, 11/90
** Quantum Mechanics, 6 connected stories by Jessica Farrow, 1990
** Sands of Time, 1992
** The Temporal Times, 5/91
* QL+ ... #1, 2/91
* Star Leap, 5/92
* Quantum Jones: The Search for the Golden Doors, 11/90
(0) Sam's Run
Dorothy Klein
>Cheryl A. Bellucci wrote:
>>I'd like to have something added to the list, and Maryanne has
>>done this when she knows the information. I'd like to include
>>the FanQ awards for the zines (and nominations) that are awarded
>>at MediaWest every year. Does anyone know them?
>Funny you should ask... the FanQ information is included in the review files.
>I have added this year's nominees and winners. What follows is the summary of
>the zines in the review files so far, with my rating (on a 5 star scale), date
>of publication, and awards information. Individual story and art awards are
>mentioned in the reviews.
The FanQs are wildly unobjective, amounting to a popularity or
"reputation" vote, not one based on QUALITY. People vote for the names
they know, whether or not they've read the nominated work, or have
enough knowledge of the fandom to know if "the name" can actually
write, say, QL as well as they wrote Blake's 7 or Starsky and Hutch.
If you've only read one of three nominated zines, but thought it
was pretty good, who do you vote for?
The nomination process is so screwy that
there have been allegations of tainting at that stage (you need
3 nominations to be considered for the ballot, and your senile, non-fannish
Auntie Em can nominate and vote. If there are MORE than 5 nominees
in a category, ONLY the top 5 nominees are put on the ballot. So it's
a "pre-vote", only you don't know whether or not you have to mobilize the
pre-voters...) (However, "Never ascribe to malice what can be adequately
explained by incompetence," as the button says.) The nominations for
1994 closed on different dates for
members and non-members of MediaWest, through bureaucratic glitches.
MediaWestCon takes a hands-off, "FanQs are not run by MW", etc.
approach, but there is actually a mutualistic relationship, with each
feeding off and supporting the other. (Don't believe it? Look at
who is specifically barred from consideration for FanQs. And where most
of the ballots are handed in.)
In partial recognition of the popularity-poll aspect of the FanQs,
the award was changed from "Best" to "Favorite" in 1993 (or was it '92?).
Recent past, anyhow. Also in partial recognition, many fandoms are
starting their own awards -- Star Wars has had their own for ages, and
I was in the room where the U.N.C.L.E. awards were being planned this year.
Australian Rules ballots listing ALL the published stories in the fandom
for the year were gaining favor as I crashed.
I suggest that any list citing FanQ results emphasize that
they are a FAVORITE award, not a BEST or QUALIITY one.
Sincerely,
Dotty Klein
P.S. I've read many of the zines you rated, and I'd've put some of your
more recent 5-stars at 4, and moved Accelerator Accidents up to 5.
I'd demote some of the 4-stars severely. Maybe we're working on
different scales -- for me, a 5-star is the absolute best, like
a 5-star hotel, restaurant, or movie.
Cheryl A. Bellucci
From: d...@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Dorothy Klein)
> The FanQs are wildly unobjective, amounting to a popularity or
>"reputation" vote, not one based on QUALITY. People vote for the names
> The nomination process is so screwy that
>there have been allegations of tainting at that stage (you need
>3 nominations to be considered for the ballot, and your senile, non-fannish
Gee... this sounds like the Academy Awards or the Emmys... where the
studios place big ads in the trade journals to get other people to
vote for their people.
I'm not sure just the fact that this happens means that the FanQ
Awards should be considered null and void. You can't escape that
popularity has a play in almost every nomination/election process...
you could even say life is a popularity contest.
> In partial recognition of the popularity-poll aspect of the FanQs,
>the award was changed from "Best" to "Favorite" in 1993 (or was it '92?).
I can see this... it makes sense... "Best" is a very relative term.
>Recent past, anyhow. Also in partial recognition, many fandoms are
>starting their own awards -- Star Wars has had their own for ages, and
>I was in the room where the U.N.C.L.E. awards were being planned this year.
But *what* Star Wars fan group? Does each group give out their own?
And where or when are these awards announced?
I asked for the FanQ award winners simply because that was the only
*measurement* (true or otherwise) *I* know for recognition for the
fanzines. Are there others? Do certain QL newsletters give out their
own?
Everyone has their own opinion on what they want to see in a fanzine.
Some people look only at the stories; others look at the way the zine
is put together. Yes, some people buy a certain zine for "the name".
Some people like the "slash" stuff while other people wouldn't even
touch slash zines. People's taste in zines run a gamut as wide as
any other item or issue. Does that make someone right or someone
wrong? No, just... different. :=)
Last night I was asked at the QL Inn on AOL what I thought
about a few zines, one done by a friend of mine (was nominated for a
FanQ Award), the other two done by "the names" (one *won* a FanQ Award,
the other is brand new... will probably at least get nominated next
year). And my answer was put in terms of "Well, do you like...?"
Because, let's face it, zines aren't cheap, and to spend $10-$30 on
a zine and then be disappointed in it isn't a lot of fun. True, "the
names" fall short sometimes, and what I like may not be what *you*
would like.
"One man's junk is another man's treasure..."
(I've heard so many variations on this line, I'm not sure what the
original line is anymore!)
> I suggest that any list citing FanQ results emphasize that
>they are a FAVORITE award, not a BEST or QUALIITY one.
*If* that is what the award is called. I don't see why someone listing
the results of the FanQ Awards should change the title of the awards.
Posting the reviews is a good idea, *all* the reviews. I appreciate
people sharing what they think is good and bad, especially when they
tell us *why* they thought it was good or bad. Not all reviews are
going to be objective, and remember... we are dealing with a universe
where even the *original* writers didn't always agree on "the rules".
Cheryl
Dorothy Klein
>From: d...@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Dorothy Klein)
>> The FanQs are wildly unobjective, amounting to a popularity or
>>"reputation" vote, not one based on QUALITY. People vote for the names
>> The nomination process is so screwy that
>>there have been allegations of tainting at that stage (you need
>>3 nominations to be considered for the ballot, and your senile, non-fannish
>Gee... this sounds like the Academy Awards or the Emmys... where the
>studios place big ads in the trade journals to get other people to
>vote for their people.
Yeah, but could I get my blind grandma to cast a nomination or
vote for "best cinematography"? ANYONE can nominate and vote in the
FanQs, whether or not they've read the zine in question or seen the
show it's based on. The Motion Picture Academy at least has some
semblance of selectivity and competence in its voting members.
>I'm not sure just the fact that this happens means that the FanQ
>Awards should be considered null and void. You can't escape that
>popularity has a play in almost every nomination/election process...
>you could even say life is a popularity contest.
I'm not saying it should be considered "null and void". I'm saying
the polling procedures, nominating procedures, and such should be
explained before saying, "thiz zine was voted Best QL Zine of 1992".
Heck, even the cars claiming to be "best" in their ads have to cite
the J.D. Powers poll, which gives little details like who was
polled, the percentages...
Yes, life is a popularity contest. But I know not to expect
the winner of the govenorship, senate seat, or presidency to be
the "best" for the job.
What I'm saying is, the FanQs are a popularity poll, not
an impartial head-to-head objective comparison of the products, as
"best" and Q-for-quality imply, and this should be acknowledged by
anyone citing the FanQs to an inexperienced audience.
>> In partial recognition of the popularity-poll aspect of the FanQs,
>>the award was changed from "Best" to "Favorite" in 1993 (or was it '92?).
>I can see this... it makes sense... "Best" is a very relative term.
>>Recent past, anyhow. Also in partial recognition, many fandoms are
>>starting their own awards -- Star Wars has had their own for ages, and
>>I was in the room where the U.N.C.L.E. awards were being planned this year.
>But *what* Star Wars fan group? Does each group give out their own?
>And where or when are these awards announced?
Dunno the exact name of the group, I'm not into Star Wars. I know their
awards are open to any Star Wars fan (you don't have to be a member of
the group that runs them), are done on an Australian ballot
(voters rank choices 1, 2, 3: a first-place vote gets X points;
second, about half-X points; the numbers 50, 25, and 10 come to mind.),
and I believe are awarded at the Forces of the Empire party, which happens to
be at MediaWest. The balloting is NOT done at MW, however, and the FOE
has a tenuous link with MW -- they aren't on the concom.
>I asked for the FanQ award winners simply because that was the only
>*measurement* (true or otherwise) *I* know for recognition for the
>fanzines. Are there others? Do certain QL newsletters give out their
>own?
Unknown. I haven't heard of any.
>Everyone has their own opinion on what they want to see in a fanzine.
>Some people look only at the stories; others look at the way the zine
>is put together. Yes, some people buy a certain zine for "the name".
>Some people like the "slash" stuff while other people wouldn't even
>touch slash zines.
Probably why slash has been separated out as a category on the FanQs.
The "wouldn't touch it" crowd was grossed out when slash zines kept
winning in UNCLE and Blake's 7. See, the slash fans only voted for
what they'd read, or heard of...
>People's taste in zines run a gamut as wide as
>any other item or issue. Does that make someone right or someone
>wrong? No, just... different. :=)
There is something "wrong" when a mediocre zine is nominated,
and the common reaction of fans who actually read all the nominations
is, "How the hell did THAT get on the ballot?" The editor might be
a wonderfully nice person, but the zine is not one I'd want to take
to a desert isle. In fact, I've had trouble selling my used copy.
(snip)
>Because, let's face it, zines aren't cheap, and to spend $10-$30 on
>a zine and then be disappointed in it isn't a lot of fun. True, "the
>names" fall short sometimes, and what I like may not be what *you*
>would like.
FanQs are not supposed to be for "like", they're supposed to
be for CLASSICS, the zines you'd never part with, the stories you can
actually remember you've read. Yes, FanQs might be a way of spending your
money in an educated fashion, but you're going to get some mediocre
zines that were nominated for FanQs, and will miss some good-to-excellent
ones that weren't.
(snip)
>> I suggest that any list citing FanQ results emphasize that
>>they are a FAVORITE award, not a BEST or QUALIITY one.
>*If* that is what the award is called. I don't see why someone listing
>the results of the FanQ Awards should change the title of the awards.
YES that is what they are called. The votes are for "Favorite QL
story", "Favorite UNCLE zine", and on and on. I cast ballots this
year and last, and read them before I voted.
>Posting the reviews is a good idea, *all* the reviews.
Leave 'em at the archive. Certain studios and/or producers get pissy
about people playing in their universes, and have nasty habits
of sending cease and desist orders to zine-eds. Ever wonder what
happened to Miami Vice fandom?
If zines come to the attention of the lawyer-types, they'll have to go
way underground. Blatant discussion and advertising in a wide-open
forum, making the lawyers think there's lots of money in them thar
zines, and they want a cut of it, is more likely to draw attention
than files quietly stashed at an FTP site.
I've been reading zines in various fandoms for 10 years now (eek! Old
fartdom approacheth!). Cheryl, you've hit some sore points with your
"everyone has their opinion" stuff. It's that attitude which allows fan
authors to claim that their story is perfect, despite its plot wormholes,
despicable grammar, and unrecognizable characterizations, and produced
a group of weak-kneed editors who won't impose standards on
the stories they publish, because they consider the egotist's evaluation
of her own story as valid as the "editor's".
This is getting way away from QL in particular. If you want to learn
more about fanzines and quailty, try Lorraine Bartlett's "Writers'
Exchange" newsletter, and Susan Garrett's "Fundamentally Fantastic
Guide to Fanzines for Readers and Contributors". Both their
addresses should be in the zine-file in the QL archive.
FIAWOL,
Dotty Klein
Pamela Baker
>Posting the reviews is a good idea, *all* the reviews. I appreciate
>people sharing what they think is good and bad, especially when they
>tell us *why* they thought it was good or bad. Not all reviews are
>going to be objective, and remember... we are dealing with a universe
if possible: i.e. action/adventure, sci-fi oriented, human interest,
hurt/comfort.
And maybe a summary of the main conflicts in the story (if we are talking about
one story) without giving away any
spoilers... I think it can be done and I KNOW if someone had given me more
detail on the one I DID buy, I would have bought it even sooner.
Anyway, thanks to Mary Anne for all your hard work in doing all those reviews.
hard work in doing all those reviews.
Pam
ISWEAR i WILL figure out how to post this here someday!
Mary Anne Espenshade
Dotty Klein (d...@gandalf.rutgers.edu) wrote:
> The FanQs are wildly unobjective, amounting to a popularity or
>"reputation" vote, not one based on QUALITY. People vote for the names
>they know, whether or not they've read the nominated work, or have
>enough knowledge of the fandom to know if "the name" can actually
>write, say, QL as well as they wrote Blake's 7 or Starsky and Hutch.
>If you've only read one of three nominated zines, but thought it
>was pretty good, who do you vote for?
I don't claim to know everyone who voted. I certainly don't know any of
the people nominated, even by "reputation". I only know that I only vote
in categories where I have read everything (i.e. the QL categories,
maybe mixed media and Blake's 7, but this past year I was only caught
up on QL).
> The nomination process is so screwy that there have been
>allegations of tainting at that stage (you need 3 nominations to be
>considered for the ballot, and your senile, non-fannish Auntie Em can
>nominate and vote. If there are MORE than 5 nominees in a category,
>ONLY the top 5 nominees are put on the ballot. So it's a "pre-vote",
>only you don't know whether or not you have to mobilize the
>pre-voters...) (However, "Never ascribe to malice what can be adequately
>explained by incompetence," as the button says.) The nominations for
>1994 closed on different dates for members and non-members of MediaWest,
>through bureaucratic glitches.
Huh? Then why does my copy of the '92 ballot show 11 nominees
in the QL story category? Any sort of nominating process is a "pre-vote",
so? I certainly wouldn't want to deal with a ballot that contained all of
the 100s of stories out there, especially when only some deserve special
recognition. I've found (over the last three years, which is how long
I've been going to MediaWest) that the nominees include most of the
stories I've thought were the best (or my favorites if you prefer) over
the year and that the nominated zines were most likely ones I had
rated highly. I rate them independently of any awards, because I write
up each one as I finish reading it.
>MediaWestCon takes a hands-off, "FanQs
>are not run by MW", etc. approach, but there is actually a mutualistic
>relationship, with each feeding off and supporting the other. (Don't
>believe it? Look at who is specifically barred from consideration for
>FanQs. And where most of the ballots are handed in.)
Yes, anyone can nominate for a $1 fee ($1 total for any number
of nominations) if they aren't Con members and all members can vote so
the separation is rather artificial, but "feeding off and supporting"
each other? MediaWest is a gathering of zine fans, where else would
you expect to find people interested in these awards?
I know a lot of fandoms give their own awards. If anyone knows of any
other awards that any of the QL zines or stories on the list have won,
please pass along the information and I'll add it to the Reviews.
>P.S. I've read many of the zines you rated, and I'd've put some of your
>more recent 5-stars at 4, and moved Accelerator Accidents up to 5.
>I'd demote some of the 4-stars severely. Maybe we're working on
>different scales -- for me, a 5-star is the absolute best, like
>a 5-star hotel, restaurant, or movie.
Well, I did say the reviews and ratings were all just my opinions and
that I was looking for other opinions to add to the file, so that
readers could get a more balanced overview of the zines listed. If
you'd like to add anything, pass it along. My 5-star system meant that
I thought the ones that got 5 stars were the absolute best, but other
readers will certainly have other opinions.