A long time ago... when coin-operated Xerox copiers were the highest of
high tech in an otherwise drearily lo-tech world, and versatile home
computers were still a wet dream...fans of science fiction brandished
colored paper, scissors, glue sticks, staplers, ring binders, pens and
ink—to boldly go where no man (or woman) had gone before: the late-70's
/ early-80's science fiction fanzine. With both feet planted firmly
within their own earnest interpretations of graphic styles of the
present (particularly romance novel cover paintings and, to a larger
extent, high school yearbook page layouts), these thrifty fans
nevertheless weren't afraid to look forward at what other people in the
present thought the future might look like one day. And they drew, cut
and pasted everything they saw. The homespun tomes would lay prostrate, arranged according to genre
(each wrapped in glistening shrinkwrap, and hope...and maybe a little
bit of The Force), usually splayed across unfolded card tables at
science fiction fantasy conventions, hawked quietly by costumed fans
planet-wide.
These self-published nuggets might have disappeared down a black hole if it hadn't been for the archive-ally inclined internet, which simultaneously
revolutionized science fiction fandom while obliterating many of its
older styles...forever. Click
below for a kaleidoscopic cover gallery of pure past paper
magic—with web links guiding you to names, dates, auctions, sales and
the occasional full-disclosure. [WARNING: about 150 small images will load]
Early fanzines based on Logan's Run (info on these titles can be found at Vikki's City of Domes):
Early fanzines based on Star Trek (info on these titles can be found at Ankh Press, New Eye Studio and one here):
Early fanzines based on Star Wars (info on all these titles can be found at SandCrawler.com):
Early fanzines based on Dark Shadows (more info on these titles can be found at Inside The Old House):
Early fanzines based on Dr. Who (more info about these titles can be found at DrGaz's Stuff and The Time/Space Visualiser Archive):
Early fanzines based on Quantum Leap (info on these titles can be found at Outpost Mavarin):
The fact that someone would put out a zine of erotic Star Wars fanfic and have enough of a sense of humor to call it "I Don't Care What You Smell" is massively awesome.
"Get in there ya big furry thing."
Great post.
Posted by: whalleywhat | March 17, 2008 at 07:53 PM
In that picture, is Capt. Kirk supposed to be burning his pubic hair off?
Posted by: Galliard | March 18, 2008 at 09:14 AM
Oh my. The K/S stuff is just wrong on so many levels. It frightens me.
Posted by: tcv | March 19, 2008 at 05:53 PM
Gee, the early 1990s (the timeframe of those early issues of The Observer at the bottom of your gallery) don't seem all that long ago in the grand scheme of things. Just a few years later, I was on AOL and Prodigy message boards while continuing to edit the things. And yet that was still an era of half-tones and paste-ups.
If you want to talk about "early" fanzines, though, look at the 1970s, with Spockanalia and other Trek zines, including the STAR Syracuse one, 2-5YM, the first issue of which I typed up on a ditto master in late 1973 or 1974. Better yet, go even further back, to the 1950s. That's when Frederick Pohl and others were publishing fanzines, long before Newman and Lambert, Roddenberry, Lucas, Bellisario et al. gave us their tv sf franchises to obsess about!
Posted by: Karen Funk Blocher | March 19, 2008 at 09:40 PM
I've never experienced this fanzine state, and it puzzles me greatly: how were they distributed?
I mean, obviously, fanzines are a work of love, but who did they make these fanzines for? Was it a small community in a small town, or was there some secret cabal of trek/war lovers communicating with letters and catalogs, or were the fanzines simply produced to be sold at a convention?
Posted by: Benny C. | March 20, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Benny C @11:27: As a fanzine veteran I think I can answer your question. Fanzines were sold a couple of ways. One was through conventions. There used to be a small network of people who were in the business of taking fanzines around to conventions and selling them. They'd do it on a commission basis. We advertised in fan newsletters and also got our 'zines into local SF bookstores.
Media fanzines grew out of the tradition of literary 'zines. Some years ago at a convention I met a lady who had been cranking literary SF 'zines out on a mimeograph machine since the 1950's. I know they predate that era. She told me her publication spread by word of mouth.
Why did I do it? Well, it was certainly a labor of love, but it also opened the door to pro publication. I know quite a few writers who got their start in fanzines.
And yes, I have a few titles shown above. But man, that flaming Kirk is disturbing.
Posted by: Julie | March 20, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Some of those SW fanzines were actually published in the 1990s, even early 2000s.
Posted by: mjf | March 20, 2008 at 11:02 PM
I can give a partial answer to the question of how fanzines were distributed. Local chapters of fan clubs. You will note that several of the covers bear the word 'Newsletter'. (If I can find some of my old Robin of Sherwood stuff, I might scan and post it. I beleive I may also have a couple of issues of the Gallimaufrey.)
Stories and artwork would be sent in to the editor (who was also ususally the proofreader, typist, and publisher). When I say stories, I mean actual fiction, not thinly veiled porn. When I say sent, it was by means of putting paper into something called an envelope, typing out an actual street address on this strange container, and affixing another tiny piece of paper to the outside before placing it in a box apparently designed to magically convey it to the intended destination. The finished magazine came to one's home in much the same way. They could also be sold at cons or handed out at these odd face-to-face gatherings of fans called meetings.
Hope this clears things up for the kiddies.
Posted by: Judy | March 23, 2008 at 01:16 AM
Here's a link to another gallery of fanzines from the University of Iowa Libraries:
http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/sfzines
Posted by: John | March 24, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Here's an early TVSCIFI news zine parody. Funny stuff.
http://www.tvscifi.com/content/view/58/28/
Posted by: Stevehops | March 29, 2008 at 09:28 AM
TVSCIFI, Awesome Zine link.
Posted by: Rick | April 07, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Live long and prosper, Mr. Allen,
We enjoyed seeing our Fanzines included among the Legendary Classic Star Trek Fanzines posted on this site! We sold quite a few fanzines, but they were written purely for the Love of Trek. Any profits went back into making more zines. We were fortunate to have published, in November 1987, the first Next Generation Fanzine, The Hive, which by total coincidence, mirrored an episode which aired the following spring. Long live Trek, its philosophy, its political enlightenment, its compassion, its insight and empathy, its romances and friendships, its inspirational science, and the Fun and Thrills that it brought to fans. Peace and long life--Make it so!
Posted by: Roberta Tennant Debono | May 10, 2008 at 01:42 AM
These aren't early! SF fanzines go back to the 30's. Show me some 'zines from before World War II!
Posted by: fdg | April 07, 2009 at 04:05 PM
Fanlore has over 6000 media fanzines, many with covers.
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Category:Zines
Fandom: how I love you, let me count the ways.
Posted by: Liz | January 19, 2010 at 04:19 PM
VERY cool site. One error in the comments section though. I regret to inform Ms Roberta Tennant Debono that "The Hive" was not the first Star Trek: The Next Generation fanzine. The first was called "This Is It!" and was published in May of 1987, even before the complete cast was announced. In fact, it had such complete details of the characters in its stories that Paramount asked us to stop it's sale after just one issue.
Just FYI...
Posted by: T A Chafin | January 25, 2010 at 12:55 AM
@ T.A. Chafin...that is very cool! I am only quoting other online sources when I say The Hive was the first ST:TNG fanzine published, but I will graciously acknowledge that yours was certainly the first, unless we hear from someone else who published one even earlier! Live long and prosper...Make it so! Roberta Tennant Debono
Posted by: roberta tennant | February 27, 2010 at 09:50 PM