Dagon (fanzine)

Zine
Title:	Dagon
Publisher:	Dagon Press
Editor(s):	Carl Ford
Date(s):	from 1983 to 1990
Medium:	print
Fandom:	H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu Mythos, weird fiction and horror, Call of Cthulhu RPG
Language:	English
External Links:	Friends of Dagon Press, Facebook group for the fans of the zine
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Dagon was a British fanzine published by Carl Ford in the 1980s. It was dedicated to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. It contained game scenarios, articles and fiction. At first it was devoted mainly to The Call of Cthulhu RPG, but by the issue 12 the editor decided to also cover H.P. Lovecraft, other weird fiction writers and weird fiction in general.

When Carl Ford started publishing Dagon, first issues had as few as 10 copies, but after the increased focus on Lovecraft the zine quickly grew in popularity, attracting a lot of contributors who were famous in Lovecraft fandom, and by the end of the run was printed in about 500 copies. Dagon ran from 1983 to 1990 and had 27 issues.

Dagon is one of the most famous British Lovecraftian zines. The contributors included Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, TED Klein, Brian Lumley, S.T. Joshi, Peter Cannon, Robert M. Price, Mark Samuels, Karl Edward Wagner, D.F. Lewis, Mark Morrison, Dave Carson, Allen Koszowski and Gahan Wilson.

The zine was awarded several British Fantasy Society awards for Best Small Press (in 1988, 1989 and 1991; was nominated in 1987), among them an award for Most Promising Newcomer (formerly the Icarus Award) for editing/publishing.

Some of the RPG scenarios published in the zine were later incorporated into professional Chaosium products.

Regular Columns

• Doctor Phibes Prescribes - suggestions of other zines of interest
• The Red Brains Trust - Q&A column
• Cthulhuoid Tales of Terror - recommendations for Mythos fiction written by writers other than Lovecraft
• Black Mail - letters column
• R'lyeh Reviews - review column
• The Acolyte - regular column by Sandy Petersen
• Cthulhoid Ramblings - readers' suggestions on ways to improve Call of Cthulhu RPG
• Crawling at you - news column

Editor's Comments

The early issues of Dagon were knocked out on an old Corona typewriter as stick and paste jobs with editing courtesy of Tippex. I’d write most of the material, mainly gaming scenarios and filler that included articles on the Mythos and Lovecraft’s circle. By issue 11 I had started to attract a small cult following and word got around. At the time, Dagon was the only British ‘zine devoted to the subject, and contributors from the Lovecraftian stable soon agreed to supply me with material. Authors such as Ramsey Campbell, Neil Gaiman, TED Klein, Thomas Ligotti, and Brian Lumley began to contribute fiction,and prominent Lovecraftian scholars that included Peter Cannon, Robert M. Price and ST Joshi, followed suit. I was also fortunate to acquire the illustrative services of Dave Carson, Allen Koszowski, and Gahan Wilson for the despicable artwork. This collective of big names helped Dagon to garner several British Fantasy Society awards for Best Small Press, and I was fortunate to pick up an award for Most Promising Newcomer (formerly the Icarus Award) for editing/publishing.

Reactions and Reviews

Always well-designed, and full of high quality content, this was one of the highlights of the small press in that period. Carl's enthusiasm and knowledge gave the magazine a great spirit.

Created in Britain but distributed around the world, DAGON played an important and influential role in both the horror gaming and literary scene of the era. Spawning 27 issues in total between 1983 and 1990, DAGON had humble beginnings as an A4 photocopied set of pages stapled together. In time, the ‘zine would transform into the more well known professionally-produced A5 format with glossy covers, featuring the work of Dave Carson, Martin McKenna, Jeffrey, and Allen Koszowski to name but a few.

Starting as a gaming ‘zine, DAGON soon had regular columns by luminaries such as Sandy Petersen and Mark Morrison, as well a plethora of scenarios of all shapes and sizes. Just look through the issues of DAGON and you will find the names of many writers who would go on to make their mark in the gaming world—Steve Hatherley, Marcus Rowland, Richard Watts—not forgetting Peter F. Jeffrey’s Red Brain, a regular ‘ask me anything’ feature that delved into forgotten lore concerning fiction, films, and more.

As time passed, DAGON began to focus on weird and horror fiction, although its Call of Cthulhu roots would always remain. Special editions were devoted to authors like T.E.D. Klein, Thomas Ligotti, Ramsey Campbell, and Karl Edward Wagner. In the days before the internet, Carl was able to establish relationships with authors and interview them. It’s an impressive line up, and speaks volumes of Carl’s dedication to the genre. Many of us were first turned on to these writers by DAGON; Carl’s passion was infectious and he played no small part in raising awareness of up-and-coming writers who had caught his eye.

Wow. Even I, who lived in Oregon as a teen, heard of Dagon. I had friends, twins, who were recently from the UK, and they were into AD&D. We had a group that would meet on Sunday & Wednesday to play, and one day, the twins had Call of Cthulu. I had never heard of Lovecraft until then. Within the box they brought the book out of were three copies of Dagon.

I enjoyed reading that, it brought back memories of when I found out about Dagon. If memory serves there was a section in Adventurer magazine about fanzines so it must’ve been that, if not then I’ve no idea! I was only 13 when I got my first Issue (number 15) and my Mum gave me some funny looks when she saw the cover, which was worth the price on it’s own!

Hi Carl, subscribed to Dagon in the early eighties. What a great fanzine it was. Brings back a lot of happy memories. Thanks for all the work you put into it.

Dagon magazine did so much to boost the popularity of the Cthulhu mythos and gaming in the UK.

Issue 1

Cover art of the issue #1 by Nick Basi

Dagon #1 was published in November 1983 (reprint November 1984). It had 13 pages.

Contents

• Editorial/Dedication by Carl Ford (2)
• No Room at Innsmouth by Carl Ford [CoC RPG scenario, part 1] (3)

The issue can be read here.

Issue 2

Cover art of the issue #2 by Geff Dosanjh

Dagon #2 was published in February 1984. It had 16 pages.

Contents

• Editorial by Carl Ford
• No Room at Innsmouth, the Lighthouse by Carl Ford [CoC RPG scenario, part 2]
• The Cats of Ulthar by Carl Ford and Nick Basi [comic]
• Review

Issue 3

Cover art of the issue #3 by Geff Dosanjh

Dagon #3 was published in August 1984. It had 22 pages.

Contents

• Editorial by Carl Ford
• No Room at Innsmouth, Devil Reef by Carl Ford [CoC RPG scenario, part 3]
• The Festival by Carl Ford and Nick Basi [comic]
• Review
• British Gun Laws: Late 19th Century to Present by Karl Greenwood [article]
• A Tribute to Clark Ashton Smith by Carl Ford [article]

Issue 4

Cover art of the issue #4 by Geff Dosanjh

Dagon #4 was published in October 1984. It had 22 pages.

Contents

• Editorial
• Brimstone at the Club of the Black Arts by Mark Buckley [CoC RPG scenario]
• The Medium: A new character class for Call of Cthulhu by Carl Ford [a new character class for Call of Cthulhu]
• The 'Book of Eibon': History and description of the tome by Carl Ford [article]
• The Return of the Sorcerer by Carl Ford and Nick Basi [comic]
• Ubbo-Sathla: A new monster for Call of Cthulhu by Carl Ford [article]
• The Statement: A terrifying short story by Carl Ford [fiction]

Issue 5

Cover art of the issue #5 by Geff Dosanjh

Dagon #5 was published in January 1985. It had 22 pages.

Contents

• Editorial by Carl Ford
• The Disappearance of Dr. Benwell by Carl Ford [CoC RPG scenario]
• Dr. Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest']
• Nameless Cults: Information about the infamous tome by Carl Ford [article]
• You'll Soon be Better: 1920s psychiatric treatments by Marcus L. Rowland [article]
• Justin Geoffrey (1905-26): article about the poet by Carl Ford [article]
• Rlim Shaikorth: A new Outer God by Carl Ford [article]

Issue 6

Cover art of the issue #6 by Geff Dosanjh

Dagon #6 was published in March 1985. It had 22 pages.

Contents

• Editorial by Carl Ford
• Abduction in Arkham by Carl Ford [CoC RPG scenario]
• Tramps & Beggars: An NPC-type for Call of Cthulhu campaigns by Nicholas Cook
• The Mythos Hierarchy by Carl Ford
• Review
• Gifts of the Gods: Magical items and powers by Simon Nicholson and Carl Ford
• Zoogs: An additional race of monsters for Call of Cthulhu by Carl Ford
• Dr Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest]

Issue 7

Cover art of the issue #7 by J.D. Cadera

Dagon #7 was published in May 1985. It had 32 pages.

Contents

• Editorial
• Lovecraft - A Literary Anomaly: A look at some of the lesser known writing habits of Howard Phillips Lovecraft by Peter Jeffery
• De Vermis Mysteris: A history and notes on that eldritch tome by Andy Bennison
• Fenland Fog by Stephen H. Wand
• Dr Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest]
• R'lyeh Releases: A look at the Omnibus collections recently released by Granada featuring Lovecraft by Carl Ford
• The Nameless Offspring: Comic strip adaptation of C.A. Smith's mythos classic of unrelenting horror by Carl Ford and N. Basi [comic]
• Black Mail [letters column]
• Street Talk: A new skill and article on American slang used in the underworld of the 20's by Carl Ford
• CoC Miniatures by Carl Ford
• Jinx: A terrifying short story by Simon Nicholson [fiction]
• Gamesfair 85 Review by Carl Ford
• Cthulhoid Ramblings: A readers views on how to improve CoC by Alan Jeffery

Issue 8

Cover art of the issue #8 by Gary Marshall

Artists: Gary Marshall (front), Mark Hetherington (back)

Dagon #8 was published in July 1985. It had 32 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Legacy of Arthur Nye by Andy Bennison

Articles:

• Editorial
• Computerising Cthulhu: CoC NPC generation program and additional player aid program for Keepers by Marcus L. Rowland [BASIC source code listing]
• 'Ware the Moon: A look at Werewolves intended to clear up some of the misconceptions given in recent articles and films by Paul Newman
• Dr Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest]
• Psychopathy: A character's better course of action when dealing with the Cthulhoids by Alan Jeffery
• The Voice From The Well: The first chilling installment of a Mythos tale set, set in 'Nooseneck Country' by Robert J. Curran [fiction]
• Black Mail [letters column]
• Cthulhoid Tales of Terror: The first part of a listing of the better Mythos tales by authors other than HPL by Carl Ford
• Cthulhoid Ramblings: More readers views on how to improve CoC by Dave Perry

Issue 9

Cover art of the issue #9 by J. G. Cadera

Artists: J. G. Cadera (front and back)

Dagon #9 was published in September 1985. It had 36 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Enemy Within by Paul Newman

Articles:

• Editorial
• Dr John Dee's Necronomican: A look at the infamous translation of the Necronomicon, with full documentation of contents by Rik Shepherd
• The Horror in the Bibliography: The complications of the would-be HPL biographer, involved when trying to track down all the Old Gentleman's writings by Peter F. Jeffery
• The Voice From The Well: Final installment of Robert's mythos tale set in the community of New Exeter by Robert J. Curran [fiction]
• Black Mail [letters column]
• Bugg-Shash, The Terrible: The first part of an article featuring a new Outer God with references and quotes from The Necronomicon, Cthaat Aquadingen and introducing a new tome from the writings of Brian Lumley by Andy Bennison
• Cthulhoid Tales of Terror: Nos. 11-20 in a listing of my favourite mythos tales by authors other than HPL by Carl Ford
• Doctor Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest]
• Lithomancy in Call of Cthulhu: A look at Gemstones and their uses in the Mythos and CoC campaigns by Barry Hill
• Masks of Nyarlathotep review by Mark Morrison

Issue 10

Cover art of the issue #10 by Garry Marshall

Artists: Garry Marshall (front), Mark Hetherington

Dagon #10 was published in November/December 1985. It had 40 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Lurker Beneath by Andy Bennison

Articles:

• Editorial
• Nearly Human: "The first in a series of articles aimed at producing ideas for the Keeper in his campaign" by Mark Morrison
• Crime and Punishment: "The Law in the 20's in England and some useful background material for players" by Kimball Bailey
• The Horror at Witches Hollow (part 1): "A creepy mythos tale set in Bob's mythos community - the New Exeter commune" by Robert J. Curran [fiction]
• A Checklist of H.P. Lovecraft's Fiction, Part 1: "a listing of all the tales of the Old Gentleman, many rare ones and others which you aay not have heard of" by Peter F. Jeffery
• Bugg-Shash, The Terrible: "The 2nd part detailing Mad Berkley's Book and other horrors of the Great Old One created by Brian Lumley" by Andy Bennison
• The Red Brains Trust [regular Q&A column]
• Black Mail [letters column]
• Doctor Phibes Prescribes [suggested other 'zines of interest]

Reactions and Reviews

[Brian Lumley in the letter to #11]: Thanks for DAGON 10. It's good to see that the Mythos is not even nearly dead over here in UK. Like Ramsey Campbell, I'm not really into gaming, but I do know of a lot of people who are - And a couple of houses who put out unauthorised stuff too, without permission ! I'll get round to speaking to the latter eventually. Someone somewhere owes me some money. Yours is a nice little magazine and I wish it well, and from your readers' comments it seems that there are people who also like the occasional fiction with their scenarios.

[Marc Gascoigne in the letter to #11]: Mark Morrison's article was very interesting, the sort of article you should fill most of DAGON with, perhaps - it gives some details, but most of it serves principally to excite the reader's own imagination to find even better ways of doing things suggested in the article. Inspirational rather than informative, the way I like 'em.

Issue 11

Cover art of the issue #11 by Dave Carson

Artists: Dave Carson (front)

Dagon #11 was published in January 1986. It had 40 pages.

Contents

Articles:

• Editorial (2)
• Some Notes on the Eltdown Shards by Robert M. Price (3)
• Two of Our Bodies are Missing by J. G. Gadera [CoC scenario] (5)
• The Horror at Witches Hollow (part 2) by Robert J. Curran [fiction] (10)
• The Acolyte edited by Sandy Petersen (20)
• Re-Animator reviewed by Carl Ford (21)
• A Checklist of H.P. Lovecraft's Fiction (part 2) by Peter F. Jeffery (22)
• The Red Brains Trust edited by Peter F. Jeffery [regular Q&A column] (26)
• Shoggoths Don't Kill People, Guns Do by Mark Morrison (28)
• Cthulhuoid Tales of Terror by Carl Ford [recommendations for mythos fiction] (30)
• Black Mail edited by Carl Ford [letters column] (31)
• R'lyeh Reviews (36)
• Credits, Subscriptions, Addresses (39)

Letters of Comment

[Guy Cowlishaw]: Although there definately aren't "heaps of Lovecraft journals” there are a fair number. As well as CRYPT OF CTHULHU there is, of course, LOVECRAFT STUDIES, KADATH folding is news to me (last I heard (about a month ago) ((November)) noone had any idea, ie nothing was official. There are a few Lovecraftian publications distributed amongst the many members of THE ESOTERIC ORDER OF DAGON (an amateur press association) but they're pretty awful. There was another very high quality American Lovecraft magazine called NYCTALOPS. They've been going far years but I'm not sure if they still are. There are a lot of magazines that print Lovecraftian/Cthulhu fiction, especially WEIRDB00K & WHISPERS (the latter also prints reminisciences of HPL, photos, facsimiles etc.). That's in addition to those that print mythos fiction just now 4 then, eg FANTASY BOOK, FANTASY TALES (British) & countless U.S. (& UK) fanzines. The main contender to your publication & CRYPT comes from an American publisher called THE STRANGE COMPANY. They print two magazines regularly; THE ARKHAM SAMPLER & ETCHINGS AND ODYSSEYS. The former is small (half the size of DAGON) but prints copies of Lovecraft letters, photos (of HPL, they've printed well over 40 so far), art, poetry, fiction, criticism etc. etc. The latter is a far larger magazine published twice a year. It is now organised so that every other issue is a Cthulhu Mythos fiction issue while those other issues specialize one one author per issue (so far they've included Henry Kuttner & August Derleth). The latest (No. 7 ) is a spectacular, glossy 94 page close type, all mythos fiction special, with a Fabian cover, some interior artwork (Allan Koszowski) & even a Brian Lumley story, (Though this isn't mythos).

[Dave Perry]: I like the expanded lettercol - it's often the best part of the zine. I particularly like the way each letter is cut up so that views on certain topics are all together rather than having long letters containing different points. Do try and avoid each letter being just a review of the last issue though. Let's have some debates, like the Mythos Hierarchy, that lasted three or four issues. Here's one to get started - let's ban the word 'cultist' because, in my view, it stereotypes too many people under one heading. Besides, it sounds like something from the abysmal Runequest.

Don't leave 'Cthulhoid Tales of Terror' out again. I find if an invaluble reference source. Keep it going as long as the quality lasts out and telll us which tales to avoid. How about a follow up column "Dire Tales of Cthulhu"?

[Bob Curran]: I must say that I experienced a sense of deja vu when looking at some of the names contained in some of the Cthulhoid merchandise - Eddy C. Bertin, Karl Ed. Wagner & Edward P. Berglund. These used to be the great names of fandom in the early 1970's and it's good to know that they're still around. Do you know if Edward Bergund is still with the U.S. Army as the last time I was in contact with him he was a Staff Sergeant David A. Sutton, of course, is another well-known figure from that period - he used to edit a magazine called "Shadows" and "Wierd Window", to which I have referred before.

Other subjects discussed: some comments on John Dee (his life and appearence in Jarman's Jubelee), reviews of scenarios from previous issues, additions of evil doll movies missed in Nearly Human article, differences between US and UK English, a Stephen Leacock story.

Issue 12

Cover art of the issue #12 by Dave Carson

Artists: Dave Carson (front), Garrie Marshall (back), Mark Hetherington

Dagon #12 was published in April 1986. It had 44 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Two Dimensional Horror by Andy Bennison [scenario outline]

Articles:

• Editorial
• The House of the Temple by Brian Lumley [fiction]
• De Vermis Mysteriis - An Update by Garrie Hall
• Tiahuanaco - Great Archaeological Sites: The Truths by Richard Watts
• The Red Brains Trust edited by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• Celluloid Mythos by Paul Newman and Carl Ford
• Sense #6 by Mark Morrison
• City Out Of Time by Brian Lumley [fiction]
• The Acolyte [regular column by Sandy Petersen]
• Black Mail [letters column]
• The Horror at Witches Hollow (part 3) by Robert J. Curran [fiction]

Issue 13

Cover art of the issue #13 by Dave Carson

Artists: Dave Carson (back)

Dagon #13 was published in June 1986 and was dedicated to Brian Lumley. It had 44 pages.

It was the first issue of Dagon that didn't feature RPG scenarios.

Contents

• Whistler [poem] by Brian Lumley
• Editorial
• Cthaat Aquadingen - A Guide to Further Research by Carl Ford
• On Receiving A Small RPG Piece (Letter written by Lumley to a fan)
• Interview with Brian Lumley by Carl Ford
• Responses to "Guns Don't Kill People, Shoggoths Do!"
• Doctor Phibes Rises Again [suggested other 'zines of interest]
• Celluloid Mythos - The Mythos on Night Gallery by Carl Ford
• Black Mail [letters column]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Unauthorised Alterations to "Alone In The Dark" by Steve Hatherley
• Cthulhuoid Tales of Terror [recommendations for Mythos fiction] by Andy Bennison
• Sleep, Perchance To Dream - Dreaming in Call of Cthulhu by Richard Watts
• The Red Brains Trust [Q&A column] by Peter F. Jeffery
• The House of the Temple (part 2) by Brian Lumley [fiction]
• The H.P. Lovecraft Checklist of Fiction - Errata and Addenda by Peter F. Jeffery

Issue 14

Cover art of the issue #14 by Dave Carson

Artists: Dave Carson (front), Martin McKenna (back), Steve Hatherley, Ralph Horsley

Dagon #14 was published in September 1986. It had 44 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Shadow Over Sidmouth by R. A. Davey and Steve Hatherley

Articles:

• Editorial
• What Is The Cthulhu Mythos by Robert M. Price
• The Acolyte [regular column by Sandy Petersen] - Sandy discusses his top ten horror movies
• Great Zimbabwe Horrific revelations from the diary of Prof. Simon Davreau by Richard Watts
• The Red Brains Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• The Plain of Sound by Ramsay Campbell [fiction]
• Lessons from Lovecraft for Writers by Robert M. Price
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Plagued By Dreams - Nightmares for Investigators by Mark Morrison
• Fear And Its Uses by Andrew Whittaker
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 15

Cover art of the issue #15 by Martin McKenna

Artists: Martin McKenna (front, back), Dave Carson, Allen Koszowski

Dagon #15 was published in November/December 1986. It had 48 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Body on the Beach by Andy Bennison

Articles:

• Editorial
• Crawling Its Way - New Releases
• Mythos Names and How To Say Them by Robert M. Price
• Interview with Ramsay Campbell by Carl Ford
• The Acolyte [regular column by Sandy Petersen]
• Return to Arkham by Martin McKenna [comic adaptation of Brian Lumley story]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Wings in the Night by Edward Berglund [fiction]
• The Red Brains Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 16

Cover art of the issue #16 by Martin McKenna

Artists: Martin McKenna (front, back), Dave Carson, Allen Koszowski

Dagon #16 was published in January/February 1987. It had 48 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: The Last Call of the Clan McMere by Andy Bennison

Articles:

• Editorial
• Crawling Its Way - New Releases
• The Sinister Secret of Shoggoth Street [humorous fiction]
• Mildew From Yuggoth by Robert M. Price [humorous poems]
• Bloody Peculiar Aeons Cthulhu's autobiography by Neil Gaiman
• Humour in the "Haunter Trilogy" by Carl Ford
• R'lyeh Reviews
• The Acolyte [regular column by Sandy Petersen]
• The Red Brains Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 17

Cover art of the issue #17 by Allen Koszowski

Artists: Allen Koszowski & Dave Carson (front), Martin McKenna (back)

Dagon #17 was published in April/May 1987. It had 52 pages.

The theme of the issue was "The Cthulhu Mythos and the Occult".

Contents

• Editorial
• Crawling Its Way - New Releases
• H.P. Lovecraft as "Occultist" - An Exploration The various developments in the Occult world which have attempted to convince us that there is more to Lovecraft's Mythos than pure fiction by Leigh Blackmore
• The Prophets of Pandemonium - Arthur Machen and H.P. Lovecraft Machen's influence on HPL by Mark Valentine
• Was There A Real Brown Jenkin? Was HPL's "Dream-House" character based on a real-life creature? by Will Murray
• Lovecraft's Use of Theosophy Blavatsky's influence on Lovecraft by Robert M. Price
• Lovecraft, The Golden Dawn and Enochian Chess Did Lovecraft have more involvement with the G.D. than scholars would have us believe? by Steve Nichols
• Foxflesh by D. F. Lewis [prose poem]
• The Red Brains Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• Ba'albek Prof. Simon Davreau uncovers further sinister revelations by Richard Watts
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Shadow Man by Brian Lumley [poem]
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 18/19

Cover art of the issue #18/19 by Allen Koszowski

Back cover of the issue #18/19 by Dave Carson

Artists: Allen Koszowski (front), Dave Carson (back), Jeffrey Salmon, Gahan Wilson

Dagon #18/19 was published in July 1987. It had 80 pages.

The theme of this special double issue was T.E.D. Klein.

Contents

• Editorial (4)
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column] (5)
• A Developing Series of Generic Forms by Ramsey Campbell [memoir about T.E.D. Klein] (6)
• T.E.D. Klein - Biographical Notes by T.E.D. Klein [autobiography] (8)
• The Events at Poroth Farm and the Literature of Horror by S.T. Joshi [discussion about the narrator in the story] (10)
• Lovecraft's Influence on T.E.D. Klein by Robert M. Price [Mythos elements in the stories of T.E.D. Klein] (13)
• T.E.D. Klein's Images of Terror by Steven J. Mariconda [visual imagery in the stories of T.E.D. Klein] (13)
• The Ceremonies and Themes from Arthur Machen by Mark Valentine (19)
• The Singing Roses by Jeffrey Salmon [illustration] (23)
• The Ceremonies - First Printing of an Unpublished Chapter by T.E.D. Klein (24)
• Keeping a la Klein by Mark Morrison [scenarios for Call of Cthulhu RPG in the style of T.E.D. Klein] (26)
• Landscrapes - A T.E.D. Kleinic Scenario for Call of Cthulhu by Mark Morrison [RPG scenario] (29)
• T.E.D. Klein by Gahan Wilson [illustration] (40)
• T.E.D. Klein - Master of Ceremonies by Carl Ford [interview with T.E.D. Klein] (42)
• Children of the Kingdom by Dave Carlson [illustration] (49)
• Klein to the Rescue by Peter F. Jeffery [how T.E.D. Klein determined that “Perrin Holmes Lowrey” was not a pseudonym of H.P. Lovecraft] (50)
• Well-Connected by T.E.D. Klein [fiction] (52)
• Nadelman's God by Dave Carlson [illustration] (62)
• Klein's God by Peter Cannon [relationship between protagonist and monster in story by T.E.D. Klein] (63)
• Black Man with a Horn by Dave Carlson [illustration] (66)
• T.E.D. Klein: A Bibliography by T.E.D. Klein [a list of stories and articles by T.E.D. Klein] (67)
• R'lyeh Reviews (71)
• Black Mail [letters column] (73)
• T.E.D. Klein by Andy Unangst [photograph] (79)

Issue 20

Cover art of the issue #20 by Dave Carson

Back cover of the issue #20 by Martin McKenna

Artists: Dave Carson (front), Martin McKenna (back), Sylvia Starshine

Dagon #20 was published in November 1987. It had 60 pages.

The theme of the issue was "Weird Fiction Special".

Contents

Scenarios: You In Your Small Corner by Andy Bennison (A woman named Catherine Young went missing for several days then admitted herself to a mental asylum.)

Articles:

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• The Apothecarium of Yabool-Syn by Gary Lovisi [fiction]
• Fantasycon XII - My Appointment with Fear by Carl Ford [a con report of the annual convention of the British Fantasy Society]
• The Acolyte [regular column by Sandy Peterson]
• The Red Brain's Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• The Crossword Puzzle by N. Mark Gordon [fiction]
• The Stories of Murkales by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• The Journal of J. P. Drapeau by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 21

Cover art of the issue #21 by Allen Koszowski

Back cover of the issue #21 by Dave Carson

Artists: Allen Koszowski (front), Dave Carson (back), Dallas Goffin, Jeffery Salmon

Dagon #21 was published in March 1988. It had 60 pages.

Contents

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• The Stories of Murkales (part two) by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• The Books of the Cthulhu Mythos by Stacy Clark and Peter Jeffery
• In the Shadow of Another World by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• Phun with Phobias by Lloyd Brady [discussion of mental disorders in Call of Cthulhu RPG]
• Necroscope Competition
• Black Mail [letters column]
• R'lyeh Reviews

Issue 22/23

Cover art of the issue #22/23 by Allen Koszowski

Back cover of the issue #22/23 by Harry O. Morris

Artists: Allen Koszowski (front), Harry O. Morris (back), Dave Carson, Phillip Anderson, Jeffrey Salmon

Dagon #22/23 was published in September 1988. It had 84 pages.

The theme of this special double issue was Thomas Ligotti.

Contents

Scenarios: In a City of Bells and Towers by Mark Morrison (The investigators wake in a foggy city. A hooded stranger invites them to follow him.)

Articles:

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• The Knave of Darkness by Mike Ashley [literary influences on Thomas Ligotti]
• Beyond Dualism by Christine Morris [themes and settings used in the stories by Thomas Ligotti]
• The Mystagogue, The Gnostic Quest, The Secret Book by Robert M. Price [the nature of reality and the pursuit of knowledge in the stories by Thomas Ligotti]
• Nothing Is What It Seems To Be by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz [the nature of reality and the meaning of dreams in the stories by Thomas Ligotti]
• Autumn Horror by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• Notes on the Writing of Horror by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• The Library of Byzantium by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• Oneiric Horror by Thomas Ligotti [fiction]
• "The Lost Art of Twilight": Two Aspects of the Vampire by Simon MacCulloch
• A Thomas Ligotti Bibliography [a list of stories by Thomas Ligotti]
• The Red Brain's Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 24

Cover art of the issue #24 by Jeffrey Salmon

Back cover of the issue #24 by Sylvia Starshine

Artists: Jeffrey Salmon (front), Sylvia Starshine (back), Dave Carson, Herb Arnold, Gene Colan

Dagon #24 was published in January 1989. It had 60 pages.

Contents

Scenarios: Wild Beasts by Penelope Love (One of the investigators receives property in the will of a distant relative. The property is located near the remote town of Grey River.)

Articles:

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• Lovecraft in the Comic Books by Randy M. Wadkins [article]
• The Red Brain's Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• S.T. Joshi: Re-Editor by Will Murray [interview with S.T. Joshi]
• Digory Smalls by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Black Mail [letters column]

Reactions and Reviews

[Mark F. Samuels in the letter to #25]: You'll be fed up by now with people saying this but what a shame Dave Carson didn't complete the comic strip started on page 8! However, I wonder what the "Old Gent” would have made of Randy M.Wadkins' article "Lovecraft in the Comic Books"? He'd have probably choked at the sight of "The Shadow out of Time" reduced to such a format, but this isn't the case with me. Having see the two Skull comics I can vouch for their wonderfulness — & artistic integrity. On the point of Richard Corben's startling adaptation of "The Rats in the Walls", Corben didn't confine himself to HPL. There is a brilliant & sinisterly gothic Poe "special", with a "House of Usher" that would have even the slightest comic book fan reeling in abject admiration.

<...> I was not impressed with Penelope Love's "Wild Beasts" scenario. The descriptive passages were extremely atmospheric, & although she managed to avoid the trappings of "Cthulhuism" that bog down many a Call of Cthulhu adventure, I feel that she also inadvertantly missed the essential Lovecraftian aspect. The ending is a bit too stagey, with the balloon coming over at precisely the right moment for the investigators to escape (with the obligatory attempt to give the impression this isn't too easy - 'Climb' rolls up trees, etc.) & in consequence the whole affair has a decidedly histrionic air about it.

[Peter F. Jeffery in the letter to #25]: I approached the S.T. Joshi interview with hopes of enjoying it — & I was not disappointed. I was surprised at how young he is — somehow, I thought that he might be a little older than me, whereas he turns out to be 12 years my junior... Of more lasting interest are things like his no longer enjoying HPL's fiction — but preferring his letters (a view with which I tend to agree). I do diverge on "bad" horror fiction, though — I'm not sure that I don't prefer the "bad" fiction (or some "bad" fiction) to "good" horror fiction. I think I prefer HPL's "bad" fiction (e.g. "The Hound”) to his "good" fiction (e.g. "The Dunwich Horror"). Perhaps that's me being irrational. It seems ironic that Joshi has devoted so much effort on stories he's not sure he likes any more... A curious interview with some fascinating insights...

<...> "Digory Smalls" is probably the best of Des's stories to be published so far. I offer my hearty congratulations on your perceptiveness in selecting this excellent tale {which has already chalked up at least one rejection — a circumstance I found incomprehensible, I'm glad you're not crazy enough to pass it over).

<...> When one sees Penelope Love's name on a scenario one knows it will be a good one. It seems to me that Penelope's talents are not so well recognised as they ought to be by Call of Cthulhu players in this country. (At least so, if those with whom I've corresponded are anything to go by). This may be due to the publication which contains so much of her Cthulhu work, Terror Australis, not having received quite the attention it deserves in Britain. She was also co-author of Tatterdemallion which, I believe, may be the best Cthulhu scenario I have seen — but that work was limited to 50 copies & can have done little to present her material to the public at large.

[Wayne Mook in the letter to #25]: The S.T. Joshi interview was a mouth waterer as far as the Lovecraft scene is concerned. Mr. Joshi himself sounds rather superior and condescending towards the horror genre, a genre that Wells, Dickens and Waugh ("Mr. Loveday's Outing") thought worthy enough to try their hands at. Joshi appears to have written off most contemporary writing and plumbed for tried and tested work, which is not general literature as he stated, but classic literature. Sturgeon's law applies to all literature, apart from classics of course. But to define classics, first they must be plucked from the chaff & since Mr. Joshi is no longer prepared to do this he will miss the classics of tomorrow.

In defence of Quinn, he wrote for the same editors which butchered Lovecraft. He also seems guilty of adding extra words for those extra cents. This would indicate that he was a professional writer trying to appease the public and thus sell his stories, so his work should be praised since it has survived such great odds.

[Simon MacCulloch in the letter to #25]: Highlight of the issue was the interview with S. T. Joshi. His comment that "there's more to be dug out of Lovecraft 's stories" certainly took on a different complexion in the light of the ensuing revelation. Is the similarity of "S. T. Joshi" to "St. John" entirely coincidental?

[Editor's note]: It's funny you should mention that... following the revelations regarding S.T.'s graveyard explorations I decided to take a look at the man's background. This is the last rational act I ever performed... Now, as the baying of that dead, fleshless monstrosity grows louder and louder, and the stealthy whirring and flapping of those accursed web-wings circles closer and closer, I shall seek with my revolver the oblivion which is my only refuge from the unnamed and unnamable.

[Penelope Love in the letter to #25]: Had a look at the most recent Dagon a while ago now, and was most impressed with what you did with "Wild Beasts”. Loved the illustrations., especially the lion one, and was appropriately flattered to provide inspiration for the cover. Or was this just coincidence?

Was also suitably impressed with Des Lewis - eerie, weird-me-out things. His stories give me hell everyone that I read, as I crawl back into my dark hole and muse over them. I suppose the nearest thing around to them is Thomas "The Greater Festival of Masks" Ligotti.

[Andre Paine in the letter to #25]: "Digory Smalls" was, as expected, weird. D. F. Lewis's recent tales seem to be more polished. The story in #24 was in some ways similar to "Blasphemy Fitzworth" in Dark Dreams #6, if slightly more ambitious.

[Jon Burnside in the letter to #25]: The highlight of the issue for me, was "Digory Smalls" by Des Lewis. His past contributions to Dagon ("Foxflesh" s. the "Zodical Tales") have been consistently of a high standard but have been ultrashort stories. While there is nothing amiss on this count - "Foxflesh" packing a great punch in just over a page — I have longed to read something lengthier, "Digory Smalls" fulfilled this wonderfully. The saga of William Fitzsimmons & the mutant Digory was compelling and yet darkly humourous (for example the comparison between the female attic-creature's dripping fluids and "mutant grandchildren's swill breakfasts"). Because there is this element of absurdity in the story it becomes not laughable but, like the she-cousin's squirting pink milk, extremely disquieting. The reader is caught off-guard. The story-within-a-story ending pushes the reader further into shock. The closing remarks about the city's high proportion of unmarried mothers which the populace ignores and the comment "most people you see walking along the city streets have secrets lingering" contrast the unreality of the Fitzsimmons' saga and, like the best horror fiction, forces one to reappraise the world around you. Here's to much more Lewis.

<...> More Penny Love. "Wild Beasts" is one of the best scenarios I've come across. I loved the whole set up of Grey River, its vague mysterious cult, the tired, aging townfolk, the lingering spirits. What really made the scenario special was the descriptive way it was written; it was more than a game supplement, its prose lifted it close to the level of published fiction. The Jeffrey Salmon artwork complimented it beautifully — the use of tone echoing the dusty, time- grained atmosphere of Grey River.

[Rob Poyton in the letter to #25]: "Wild Beasts" — an original idea, but the scenario didn't quite work for me — maybe because it's set in such a specific place and time that it's difficult to adapt. I'm also a bit tired of a 'Your 5th cousin, twice removed, who you haven't seen for years, has died and left you...' beginning. Admttedly, thinking up new lead-ins for investigators is difficult, but this one is getting very rusty now. The idea of the lions was good — I've found that players seem to have more trouble with 'ordinary' problems such as these, than with some of the monsters.

[Tim Ellis in the letter to #25]: "Wild Beasts" is one of the best scenarios I have seen for some time, and would make a wonderful 'first' scenario, in that it requires no Mythos knowledge — the biggest problem with the Chaosium scenarios in Gaslight and Cthulhu Nou is that the Keeper has to write introductory scenarios to get the characters to partake of the published ones.

Issue 25

Cover art of the issue #25 by Jeffery Salmon

Back cover of the issue #25 by Allen Koszowski

Artists: Jeffery Salmon (front), Allen Koszowski (back), Dallas Goffin, Dave Carson

Dagon #25 was published in June 1989. It had 60 pages.

Contents

• Editorial (4)
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column] (5)
• The Book of Jade by Mark Valentine [the life and poetry of David Park Barnitz] (7)
• Excerpts from The Book of Jade by David Park Barnitz [poetry] (13)
• The Red Brain's Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column] (17)
• The Mysteries of the Abyss by Mark F. Samuels [fiction] (19)
• On, To The Dark Port - A Tribute to Howard Phillips Lovecraft by t. Winter-Damon [poem] (25)
• Blow Lamps and Wicked Milk - An Interview with Karl Edward Wagner by Carl Ford (26)
• Judging The Insane - Writing and Running Call of Cthulhu Tournaments by Mark Morrison [advice on Call of Cthulhu tournaments for players and Keepers] (36)
• R'lyeh Reviews (44)
• Black Mail [letters column] (53)

Interior Artwork:

• Dallas C. Goffin, page 16.
• Dave Carson, title designs, pages 4, 5, 17, 45 & 53.

Letters of Comment

[Mark Samuels]: I disagree with S.T. Joshi's comments on Stephen King — the final chapter of his novel Pet Sematary is just about as Lovecraftian in feel as one can get, & in fact is one of my favourite works of horror. Also worth a look is his short novel "The Mist". Rather than being "verbose & plebian" I think that King's style is set firmly in the times and speaks with the voice of the 'average' man (albeit of American nationality!). As for the misleading "derivative & uninspired" bit, one could make the same claim of any author who drew from past influence. But I wonder whether King doesn't draw from a more modern inspiration (such as the T.V. & cinema) than the literary antecedents of other writers. Nevertheless, I think it's a shame that Joshi should dismiss King in such a manner — there are terrifying moments in his work.

[Jon Burnside]: I was concerned to read Stephen Newman's comments in "Black Mail". While I take his point on pretension in critical articles, I do feel that relevant, informed criticism of fiction is extremely valid content for Dagon. As it is, little written in the genre is accepted by literary critics as having any merit — only recently Poe has been recognised as an important literary figure. It is up to us, "the fans", to demand intelligent criticism of work written in the genre. As yet literary criticism has not found a way it can approach and value work done in the fantasy/horror field — it is up to us to make headway and dispell the aura of hackwork and exploitation that dims the reputation of the likes of Lovecraft, Campbell and Ligotti.

Other subjects discussed: comics based on Lovecraft's stories, influences on Thomas Ligotti, importance of horror criticism.

Issue 26

Cover art of the issue #26 by S. U. Donnem

Back cover of the issue #26 by Martin McKenna

Artists: S. U. Donnem (front), Martin McKenna (back), Cathy Buburuz, Dave Carson

Dagon #26 was published in October 1989. It had 60 pages.

The theme of this special issue was D.F. Lewis.

Contents

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• Etepsed by Peter F. Jeffery [memoir about D. F. Lewis]
• Etepsed Egnis by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Brewing up with Des Lewis by Mark F. Samuels [memoir about D. F. Lewis]
• Mort au Monde by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Down to the Boots by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Daughters by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• The Beach Hut by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Beyond the Bookcase by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Sponge and China Tea by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Wall Pack by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• Wiles by D. F. Lewis [fiction]
• A D.F. Lewis Bibliography
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Black Mail [letters column]

Issue 27

Cover art of the issue #27 by "Ruptured Often Hickman"

Back cover of the issue #27 by Dave Carson

Artists: "Ruptured Often Hickman" (front), Dave Carson (back), Cathy Buburuz, Allen Koszowski, Marge Simon

Dagon #27 was published in June 1990. It had 60 pages.

The theme of this special issue was "HPL Humor".

Contents

• Editorial
• Crawling at you by Carl Ford [news column]
• The Dweller in the Pot (or, The Pasta Out of Space Eaters) by "Frank Chimesleep Short" [a parody of Frank Belknap Long]
• Scream for Jeeves (or, Cats, Rats and Bertie Wooster) by "H. P. G. Wodehouse" [a parody of Lovecraft in the style of P. G. Wodehouse]
• Howl of Hastur - Fantasy Roleplaying in the Worlds of August Derleth by Stacy Clark [changes to Call of Cthulhu to reflect differences between the Cthulhu Mythos of Lovecraft and the “Derleth Mythos”]
• Self Parody in Lovecraft's Revisions by Will Murray
• H.P. Lovecraft's Loathly Eldritch Band by Allen Ashley [parody of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band]
• H. P. Hell by Mark Morrison [fiction]
• Home on Benefit Street by Donald R. Burleson [a parody of “Home” by Edgar Albert Guest]
• Poetic Justice by Cathy Buburuz [fiction]
• The Red Brain's Trust by Peter F. Jeffery [Q&A column]
• The Moon Bog by Allen Ashley [poem]
• R'lyeh Reviews
• Black Mail [letters column]

See Also

• Zine page on Yog-Sothoth Wiki.