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Title:	Falcon's Flight
Publisher:	Ellen Blair
Editor(s):
Date(s):	1978-1980
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Wars
Language:	English
External Links:	back cover of issue #1 by Martynn, is also the cover for Enemy Territory
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Contents 1 Issue 1 2 Issue 2 3 Issue 3 4 Issue 4 5 Issue 5 6 Issue 6 7 References

Falcon's Flight is a gen Star Wars anthology It ran for six issues.

Issue 1

Falcon's Flight 1 was published in October 1978 and has 70 pages.

• From the Flight Bay (3)
• Star Wars: an Overview by Richard Lee (4)
• filksong by Carolyn Carrock (6)
• Crew Members (6)
• Starquest: Overture by Ellen Blair, art by L.A. Adolf (8)
• The Odd Couple by Ellen Blair, art by Martynn (14)
• Sky-Dreamer by Ellen Blair, art by Martynn (17)
• Star Wars Trivia Quiz by Carolyn Carrock (17)
• Word Search by Carolyn Carrock (18)
• The Forming of the Company by Cynthia and Donald Frazer, art by Carolyn Carrock (19)
• Meet Han Solo by Bev Clark and Ellen Blair, art by Blair (33)
• True of False Quiz by Carolyn Carrock (36)
• The Set-Up by Denise Edwards, art by Beckey Aulenback (37)
• Han Solo and The Shulammite Woman by Susan Matthews, art by Teanna Byerts (50)
• Superstition Run by Kelly Hill, art by Martynn (54)
• Sister Ships (67)
• filk by Carolyn Carrock (67)
• front cover by Ellen Blair, back cover by Martynn, centerfold by Joni Wagner

Issue 2

Falcon's Flight 2 was published in March 1979 has 116 pages:

• "The Sky Warriors" by Ellen Blair
• "Nightwatch" by Bev Clark
• "The Set-Up" by Denise Edwards
• "The Last Visit" by Janice Sidwell
• "Widowmaker" by Susan Matthews
• "Renegade" by Melinda Holley and Donna Perry

Reactions and Reviews:

• "Falcon's Flight second edition has much to live up to. The first edition of the zine received praise from all corners of Star Wars fandom (what there is of it to date), so that the second issue of FF has a high standard to maintain. Editor Ellen Blair has not let the SWFans down, but still falls short of top quality. To begin with Falcon's Flight #2 is much easier to read, and has a better visual appearance overall. The editor learned her initial mistakes in that department very well. The graphics are not inspiring, but are now clean and uncluttered. The artwork in issue number two still leaves some room for improvement. I feel that the best piece of artwork In the publication is a piece by Amy Falkowitz which accompanies the story "The Sky Warriors.". There are other good Illustrations inside by Teanna Byerts and Martynn. The rest of the artwork however shows signs of being too quickly finished to live up to the other artists' potential. Perhaps fewer, but better art would be an answer. The fiction in this issue of FF maintains a heavy interest in using most of the original characters in basically action/adventure scenes. Lengthy character stories are not yet in vogue, although it isn't hard to predict that they will evolve. Bev Clark starts off the issue's fiction with a short character story called "Nightwatch." In this story Luke has been injured in a crash and is hospitalized in serious condition. Han barges Into the hospital, forcing his way past bureaucratic nurses and into Luke's room. Somehow no one bothers him once he's past the nurses and Han is free to see and talk to an unconscious Luke in a very insightful scene. Leia eventually turns up and the ensuing dialog between her and Han is revealing of the delicate friendship and loyalty they all share. The story suffers just a bit from Bev's passion to explain Luke's condition and how all of the machinery around him works. It stumbles a bit through all of the technical detail, but when it returns to the people things flow smoothly Into place and finish up making this a touching story of friendship and love. The Set-Up,' is the second part of a story by Denise Edwards. In the first issue of Falcon's Flight we read that Han is captured by Darth Vader and taken to the planet Carnex where the Empire has established one of its newest bases. As a matter of fact, most of Carnex is pretty base—to put it mildly. Camex is inhabited by two groups. On one side of the planet an alien named Andu-Mah lives. Andu-mah is your basic villain in the tradition of Fu Manchu and Dr. Moreau, and probably has nothing better to do than pull wings off of flies and stick sharp objects in Halloween candy. On the other side of the planet is the Imperial base run by one Dr. X-Lo and his two lackeys: Jah-zan, and Tah-mad, who are twins by cloning. Dr. X-Lo is another basic villain too, but he's in the mad scientist union (probably part of AFSCME) and probably hails from, the same schools as Drs. Frankenstein and No. Darth has a few cameo roles in the Imperial base but his parts consist of little more than walk-ons. So now that you have your scorecard we can keep track of who's who. Back in part one of our story, Han Is hijacked by various underhanded means, and whisked off to Carnex,that veritable Disneyland for S&M freaks. And Dr. X-Lo is all set for Mr. Solo when he arrives. The good doctor (his friends call him "X") has tinkered together a drug with his Gilbert Chemistry set which will allow Han to be brainwashed to the point where his gray matter is little more than a cerebral Biz Bag. X-Lo impresses upon Han the idea that Luke, Chewle and Leia are really not his friends, and eventually instills in him a killing hatred for his buddies... [The bad guy] sends Luke and Chewle over the the other side of the planet to fetch back Han. They are coerced into doing this because Leia is being held hostage and will be killed if they don't cooperate, but such is the lot of your everyday princess: always a hostage and never the terrorist. *Sigh* Andu-Mah wants Han for his mind (that's what they all say). Andu-Mah's brother has been turned into a brain-burn case through some sort of accident. But he doesn't want just any ole brain from the Sears catalog...oh no, he want's Solo's brain and has been waiting to get it for years. (Those of you who want the body when he's done will have to take a number. The line forms to the right.) ... To describe the rest of the plot would probably give away all of the suspense I suppose, but it isn't too hard to guess at. In general, "The Set-Up" reads like an episode outline for a Flash Gordon series. If only it had been written as a tongue-in-cheek satire it would have been hilarious. Instead when it is trying hardest to be serious it isn't. Given the stereotype characters and the comicbook action "The Set-Up" is written in a much heavier tone than it needs. At points the story has holes big enough to drop the national debt through. A couple thoughtful questions in the right spots and a good rewrite or two might have made a world of difference for this story.... "The Last Visit." Basically, Darth goes sightseeing on beautiful Tatoolne (I'll bet they don't even have post cards) to visit 0bi-Wan's home. Somewhere along the line I read another story in which it was revealed that Darth knew all these many years that Obi-Wan was on Tatoolne, but felt he was no threat there and allowed him to stay. Evidently, the same premise must hold true in Janice's story since Vader knows exactly where to find Ben's home but does not bother to explain why Darth never sought him out to destroy him earlier, Anyhoo, former-master and former-pupil have a nice little chat, and pass the teacakes please... "Tears," is the next little vignette, by Anna Mary Hall, whose writing talents I have come to appreciate greatly. I regretted seeing only a vignette from Hall. What much can I say about a vignette except that this one is between Luke and Leia, a nice, touching little piece and is...Immediately followed by a short story by Susan Matthews. "Hotdog!" says I after reading "Widowmaker," Susan has found a great title. "Widowmaker" is about a female Imperial bounty hunter who always gets her man/woman/ET/whatever. That is also the name of the character, who is the best Manhunter in the Empire. She catches 'em, and brings 'em in, and then the Imperial interrogators eventually torture and kill those that the Wldowmaker handed over. But the Wldowmaker has been assigned to bring in Han Solo and things don't turn out so well. She is caught between several problems at once that change her life in a few days regardless of all her plans. This should go over well with any of the "Hanfans" in the reading audience. The accompanying artwork by Martynn is a crowning touch. "Sky Warriors," by the editor, is a serial story. As it begins I was almost forced to abandon the whole story at the bottom of the eleventh paragraph where Luke is in a hospital on the planet Este.... my first impression upon seeing that one sentence was—Ohmygod, Ellen has written a get-em story. This is probably a defense mechanism I picked up reading get-ems in Trek fiction, so you may not react the same way. The action within the story itself—or at least in this part of it—has no gore, so we're all safe so far. The tale beqins when Luke, Han and Chewie are called upon by Princess Leia to help the government of the planet Este. Vader has been doing what bad guys will do on nice plan ets and has prompted a semi-intelligent species of avians to attack the people of Este. The avians, called Skreels, have effectively shut down the planet. In order to protect the good people of Este they need something called a diacube. The diacube is the gimmick excuse needed to send our heroes off on their adventurous ways because only they can accomplish what no one else on the planet has been able to do. The author tackles the seeming implausibility of this situation but the set-up of circumstances that compels the characters to action is still pretty thinly veiled. The action that follows to the end of this part of the serial is mostly action-adventure, with few major conflicts or twists In plot to speak of here. The final story is called "Renegade" by Belinda Holley and Donna Perry. Luke and Han head off for a planet called Divad. Their mission is to pick up the plans for a new interrogation device developed by the Empire. While our heroes pick up the goods the Princess manages to walk into an ambush on another planet. And golly, gee, there's a guy there who just happens to have a lightsabre with him, who rushes to the aid of the good lady. Despite a series of remarkable coincidences. Princess Leia fails to smell anything fishy about her noble defender. Maybe she just can't resist a man with a light sabre. This good Samaritan—named Geir— turns out to be an Imperial fink, who manages to lead Han into the hands of his superiors. It's then left up to Luke and Chewie to set things straight. In general the story Is just a bit too obvious to maintain the suspense ot needs, although suspense stories are one of the hardest types of fiction to contend with. I was a bit put off by the way Leia was protrayed as a Grade-A chump in "Renegade." Not even a novice to mystery and suspense stories could be expected to be fooled by the things Leia is apparently misled by. On the plus side however the comic relief the authors add with 3-PO's dialog is priceless. A little tighter plotting, and a subtler touch with the clues dropped would have made this story much harder hitting than it was. In summary, most of Falcon's Flight's improvements have been mechanical: graphics, visuals, legibility. The fiction inside has remained on about the same level as with the last issue. I would hope to see improvements with the next issue especially with more forceful editorial control. Some of the stories Inside are in dire need of revision...revisions tha should be pretty obvious even to a new editor. Rewrites delay publication schedules of course, but are always worth the wait in terms of the added quality that comes from the reworked stories. I'll be looking for a more aggressive editorial policy in future issues of Falcon's Flight. That's what this zlne needs to be a top notch SW fanzine." ^[1]

Issue 3

Falcon's Flight 3 was published in July 1979 and has 140 pages. It is illustrated by Amy Falkowitz, Martynn, Beckey Aulenbach, Ellen Blair.

• "Prelude to a Ceremony" by Tracy Duncan
• "Meet Chewbacca" by Christine Jeffords
• "The Sky Warriors, Part 2" by Ellen Blair
• "A Plague on Both Your Causes" by Nikki White
• "Brothers All" by Hope Inglewright
• "Excerpts From a Corellian Diary" by Susan Matthews
• "And After, What Then?" by C.A. Bucar
• poem by Susan Matthews
• "A Teachable Art" by Ebba Anderson

Reactions and Reviews:

"This is a piece of fluff describing what might have happened between the destruction of the Death Star and the awards ceremony... if one can believe that the Rebels really would feel like throwing a wild party immediately after losing so many of their man. There is a strong sense of 'too much, to soon' in this story. Christine Jeffords enables us to 'Meet Chewbacca' and she also reviews 'Han Solo at Star's End.' 'Sky Warriors' is next. Part 1 ended with Han and Luke going over the rim of a cliff... in true serial fashion, this section ends with them in still another crisis. A fascinating thing called Eawah the emet' is introduced. It will be interesting to see where they go from here. 'Poem,' by Susan Matthews, offers a thought -provoking answer to the 'painful' things people have been doing to Han Solo. 'A Plague on Both Your Causes' is a SW version of 'Yojimbo.' Martynn's illos provide their usual perfect enhancement. Solo fans will enjoy this interpretation of their favorite character though, once again, this story hints that Han Solo is on his way to becoming the one characters who may suffer more injuries that Mr. Spock did. 'A Teachable Art' introduces us to a new chapter to the SW universe, indicating that the Order of the Jedi isn't completely destroyed after all. This is one of the longest pieces of fiction in the book and moves well, though the get-Han syndrome still holds true. Beckey Aulenbach illustrated this story and captures very well Anderson descriptions of the bond of growing respect, liking, and friendship being established among four well-known Rebels. 'Brothers All' is a sequel-continuation of 'A Teachable Art.' This time, Luke gets hurt and Han experiences his first lengthy contact with the Force.... There are a few rough spots in this story; even under the circumstances, it was difficult for this reviewer to believe that Princess Leia would run down to fetch a cup of broth instead of sending an aid; even so, the action of the story carries the reader forward quite well. 'Excerpts from a Corellian Diary' begins another serial -- this one hinting that Han might not be so interested in Princess Leia as a woman after all. Why? Because of a lady from his past who who shows up unexpectedly... resulting in some very interesting revelations about one Corellian smuggler... 'And After, What Then?' has a disguised Luke Skywalker conducting a spy-mission on Peniralt -- during which 'the black armored and caped figure of the Dark Lord of the Sith glowered down at him through eyepieces glinting redly in the angled light.' There is peril and tension in this chance encounter where only one of the antagonists reconignies the other. Poetry and artwork fill in the blank spaces to good advantages. There is a liberal sprinkling of typographical errors througout -- some quite discconcerting, but these are an occupational hazard. Considering that fact that this zine was published six months after the release of the previous one, and that the editor also works at other occupations, the pressure must be terrific. People who don't care for serials should be warned this zine does feature such material. Those how enjoy serials will have great fun. The authors do have a fixation for rib injuries in this issue. Luke Skywalker wound up with approximately five broken ribs, for example. Attractive layout and good reproduction -- both of text and artwork -- makes this zine pleasant to read." ^[2]

Issue 4

Falcon's Flight 4 was published in October 1979 and contains 94 pages.

• "The Price of Error" by Alma Hedrick
• "Little One" by L.A. Adolf
• "The Sky Warriors, Conclusion by Ellen Blair
• "The Anguish of the Morrow" by Bettina Helms
• "Beginnings" by Cynthia Frazier
• other unknown content

Issue 5

Falcon's Flight 5 has 144 pages.

• From the Flight Bay (3)
• Special Bonus Photo Section (The Empire Strikes Back) (8)
• Transmissions (11)
• The Spirit of Star Wars by Nancy L. Duncan (22)
• Marriage Secret by Pat Gonzales, art by Beckey Aulenbach (27)
• Tolly Wok’s Lightsabre by J.J. Adamson (49)
• Meet See Threepio by Christine Jeffords, art by Ellen Blair (51)
• The Talia Stone by Melinda Holley, art by Pam Kowalski (54)
• Realization by Jacqueline Taero, art by Angela-Marie Varesano (73)
• One Simple Word by Cary Anne Bucar, art by Amy Falkowitz (74)
• Yes, I Will by Jani Hicks, art by Angela-Marie Varesano (80)
• Gerontion by Bettina Helms, art by Helms (81)
• Dark Lord by Judith Low, art by Low (89)
• Word Search by Lori Kilpatrick (93)
• Will It Never End? By Pam Buchanan, art by Hope (94)
• Planetbound by Jani Hicks and Pat Gonzales, art by Angela-Marie Varesano (100)
• Excerpts from a Corellian Diary, chapter 3 by Susan Matthews, art by Martynn (101)
• Shooting Star by Judith Low, art by Low (105)
• Skil-o-Gram by Lori Kilpatrick (106)
• Reminiscences of a Free Corellian Trader by J.J. Adamson, art by Adamson (107)
• Protest by Alma Cowart Hedrick, art Angela-Marie Varesano (110)
• The See by Ellen Blair (111)
• Anacrostics by Lori Kilpatrick (128)
• Han Solo’s Revenge, book review by Sherry Magee (129)
• People First, Thank You by Pam Buchanan, art by Hope (131)
• After the Battle by Christine Jeffords, art Angela-Marie Varesano (135)
• Hanni, We Hardly Knew Ya by Lisa Adolf, art by Beckey Aulenbach (147)
• Star Friends (147)
• Sister Ships (149)
• front cover by Ellen Blair, back cover by Hope

Issue 6

Falcon's Flight 6 was published in 1980 and has 160 pages (there is an earlier edition with 206 pages).

• From the Flight Bay (3)
• Transmissions (6)
• Star Friends (12)
• Incident on Salizar by Dolores McAllister, art by Judith Low (14)
• Behind a Courtly Mas by Kathleen M. Jones, art by Jones (50)
• Profile: Anthony Daniels (53)
• Blood Favor by Finocchio Fen (53)
• Waiting by Alma Cowart Hedrick (61)
• He'll Be Back by Pam Buchanan (62)
• Corllian Drinking Song by Alma Cowart Hedrick (65)
• Flotsam by Eva Albertsson, art by Amy Falkowitz (66)
• A Droid's Lament by Alma Cowart Hedrick (81)
• Meet Artoo Detto by Christine Jeffords, art by Ellen Blair (82)
• Seasons Change by Alma Hedrick, art by Nomad (85)
• Chewbacca by Alma Cowart Hedrick (102)
• Word Search by Beth Ann Huffman (103)
• Yoda's Song by Scorpio, art by Ellen Blair (106)
• Kheel's Return by Denise Edwards, art by Neal Andrews (107)
• Statistically Speaking by Kathleen M. Jones (146)
• The Apples of Eredor by Scorpio, art by Judith Low (147)
• A Smuggler's Ditty by Kathleen M. Jones, art by Jones (148)
• Ancient Precedents for a Modern Heroine by Kathleen M. Jones (149)
• Profile: Peter Mayhew (152)
• Threepio by Scorpio, art by Judith Low (153)
• The Blind Man by Scorpio, art by Judith Low (154)
• Excerpts from a Corellian Diary, chapter 4 by Susan Matthews, art by Martynn (155)
• Kazhyykish Translation by Beth Ann Huffman (159)
• Sister Ships (160)
• art: Neal Andrews (front cover), Hope (back cover), Kathleen M. Jones (centerfold poster), L.A. Adolf, Tracey Christensen, Alma Hedrick, and Nomad

References

1. ↑ from Alderaan #5
2. ↑ from Datazine #2