Frak (zine)

Zine
Title:	Frak
Publisher:	Greycloud Press/Greycloud Services
Editor(s):	Janet Ellicott
Date(s):	1981 to ??
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	multimedia
Language:	English
External Links:	a 1993 flyer
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Frak is a gen multifandom anthology. It has two sister zines, Free Imagination and Amare.

It appears that the earlier issues were originally printed by Blue Jay Press. Issue #4 originally was.

Issue 1

Frak 1 was published in August 1981 and contains 66 pages. It is without artwork and has a pale green card cover.

The zine was reprinted in 1993 by Bill Hupe, but this time with a pale blue cover, and "computer-generated text". This second edition has 62 pages.

cover of issue #1, the original edition

• Sandbaggers poem by Yvonne McKinney (3)
• The End? by Janet Ellicott ("Governor Sternor has made history. He has captured Blake. Or has he?") (Blake's 7) (4)
• Sandbaggers poem by Yvonne McKinney (6)
• Withdrawal by Janet Ellicott ("Blake is captured by the Federation. His crew make a rescue attempt but they are too late. An attempt at telepathic interrogation had forced Blake to retreat into the innermost recesses of his mind.") (Blake's 7) (7)
• The Other by Janet Ellicott ("We know now that Leia was "The Other". This story was written before we knew that and suggests another solution.") (Star Wars) (42)
• Battlestar Galactica poem by Jenny McLean (48)
• Second Chance by Orion ("The Galactica has found Earth. What happens next?") (Battlestar Galactica) (49)
• Sandbaggers poem by Yvonne McKinney (54)
• poem by Yvonne McKinney (original science fiction) (55)
• The Reyen by Janet Ellicott ("A scout makes the first contact on a newly discovered planet. However, things are not what they seem. Nothing on Greycloud seems to make sense. Even their technology is run on some system which he can't understand.") (original science fiction, see Wild Imaginings, a similar zine) (56)

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  cover of the 1993 reprint

• 

  text of the 1993 reprint

Issue 2

Frak 2 was published in January 1983 and contains 76 pages.

From the editorial:

In the true tradition of British fanzines, Issue 2 is almost 10 months late. Issue 3 is therefore planned for September 1983, with The Reyen and Amare coming out as soon as financially possible. I want to keep Frak litho, but I may bring other zines out as duplicated publications, to keep printing costs down, so The Reyan and Amare many be out before Frak 3. It's up to you really. Without presubscriptions, I'm tied to a print date of September, since that is when my bonus is paid. With presubscriptions, well it's up to you. I'm asking for saes only for Amare and £1.50 plus an sae for both The Reyen and Frak 3. As with this issue, anyone presubscribing s will be given a special pre-publication price and be able to SAVE MONEY. (The capitals are for emphasis. I have to attract your attention somehow.)

In case anyone is wondering, it's editorial policy not to print LOCs. I prefer to read stories and this is my magazine, so that's what you're going to get. However, I still like to receive LOCs. Comments, suggestions and downright criticisms are all welcome...

cover of issue #2

• Clusium by S.A. Armitage (1)
• If I Kissed You by Janet Carroll (19)
• Of Love and Loyalty by Orion (21)
• Time, poem by Yvonne McKinney (Blakes 7) (58)
• Sarcophagus, poem by Yvonne McKinney (Blakes 7) (60)
• Thoughts, poem by Yvonne McKinney (Blakes 7) (60)
• Only Power, poem by Yvonne McKinney (Blakes 7) (61)
• Nyrond Jonathan Waite (Blakes 7) (sequel in LINKS: or, What Do You Do After You Come Back from the Dead?) (62)
• Myths by Janet Ellicott (75)
• Dreams, poem by Yvonne McKinney (Blakes 7) (76)
• other fandoms: Battlestar Galactica, Sapphire and Steel and Star Wars
• art by Poll, Janet Carroll, Joyce Bennett, Peter Cox

Issue 3

Frak 3 was published in 1983 and contains 46 pages and "Battlestar Galactica" stories written by Orion.

cover of issue #3

• The Game ("When he sees Orion training a cadet Triad team, he asks her for some help with his own team, but there is something she hasn't told him.")
• Festival ("The fugitives are doing their best to maintain the traditions of their home colonies, good and bad. And the new cadet intake includes a young man Orion is sure is Apollo's son.")
• Battlestar Cylon ("Some of the Galactica's officers come up with a daring plan to capture a Cylon Basestar and use her to protect the back of the Fleet. The trouble is: no-one bothered to tell Adama before they put the plan into action.")

Issue 4

Frak 4 was published in 1983 and contains 53 pages. It was originally printed by Blue Jay Press.

cover of issue #4

another version of the cover for issue #4

• Jedi Serve by Janet Ellicott ("When Luke returns to Degobah, the "other", Shawna, takes his place with the Alliance. Soon, they are both put back into the service of the Force, searching out those who are strong in the Force and training them to be a new Jedi elite. But they have another destiny too. Before the Empire can be free, the Emperor and his dark lord servant must be killed.") (Star Wars) (3)
• Powers of Life & Death by Jonathan Waite (sequel to "Nyrond" in Frak #2) ("Blake meets the enigmatic Ethan Powers and learns the fate which is to befall the crew of the Scorpio. But Powers also tells him that they don't all have to die, and Blake is soon on his way to Gauda Prime.") (sequel in LINKS: or, What Do You Do After You Come Back from the Dead?) (Blake's 7) (27)

Issue 5

front and back covers of issue #5

Frak 5 was published in 1984 and is 46 pages long.

• The Oath by Orion ("A transporter accident sends Dr. McCoy to the Battlestar Galactica, and a people who have no equivalent of the Hippocratic Oach. During his stay on the Galactica, McCoy comes to learn that there is really very little difference between a doctor who happens to be in Star Fleet, and a Warrior who happens to be a doctor.) (Battlestar Galactica/Star Trek: TOS) (25 pages)
• two B7 sonnets by Jay Felton
• To Comfort, poem by Crystal Ann Taylor (B7)
• Inside Out, poem by Crystal Ann Taylor (B7)
• Birth of a Hero by Sue D. Nym ("Where DID Murdock get the idea for Captain Cab? And the yellow tablecloth? And what did Face say about being cast as Hannibal's retarded nephew, Harold?") (also in Airwaves #1 and A-Team Collection #1) A-Team (4 pages)
• The Adventure Of The Three Strangers by Susan Clarke ("Kirk, Spock, and McCoy materialize on Baker Street, and are shown up to the rooms of the Great Detective.") (Sherlock Holmes/Star Trek: TOS) (8 pages)
• Looking Behind My Mask, a poem by Martyn (Knightrider)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

[Birth of a Hero]: I.M.O. it's an exceptionally good story, at least compared to the other A-Team zine stories I've read. Definitely worth checking out if you can find it. Not that the other stuff is necessarily bad, but [this is one] I especially enjoyed. Your Mileage May Vary.

Issue 6

Frak 6 contains fiction by Janet Ellicott.

• Silver Medals and Sweet Memories by Janet Ellicot ("Colonel Janice Smith, convinced of her brother's innocence, has uncovered facts that her superiors would rather remain hidden in the depths of intelligence databanks. She convinces Decker of the facts, but from then on, they are in as much danger as the A-team themselves are.") (26 pages) (A-Team)
• First Combat by Janet Ellicott (a story about the A-Team getting their pardon and what happened to Morrison) (1/2 page) (A-Team/M*A*S*H crossover)
• Relatively Speaking by Tim Westmacott (original sf)

Issue 7

cover of issue #7

Frak 7 was published around 1986 and contains 94 pages.

• Should You Chose to Accept It by Janet Ellicott (A-Team/Mission: Impossible) (1/2 page)
• Twice as Much Trouble by Janet Ellicott ("That '69 shore leave in Hawaii was almost as eventful as the reason Hannibal was on leave. Left pregnant with her adopted brother's child, Janice Smith has to postpone her plan to enlist and join him in Viet Nam. Thirteen years later, her twins, adopted by a restaurant owner and his wife, desperately need the help of the A-Team." Another description: "Hannibal and the Team must help the children (fathered by Hannibal) that their mother gave up for adoption in 1969.") (25 pages)
• a Simon & Simon story
• Reyen (original fiction)
• a Tomorrow People/Champions story

Issue 8

Frak 8 contains 57 pages.

• But There is No Way Through the Woods by Janet Ellicott (Part of the author's original "Greycloud" universe, "Rick and AJ Simon are dragged away from their home environment, and taken to the planet 'Greycloud.' There they are used by Hari Stur and his wife Shallan in an attempt to discredit Queen Kathtey and her consort, Derrick Macreddi.") (Simon and Simon/original fiction)
• Freedom Blues by C.S. Armitage ("The men on the Hill fight a slightly different battle against the Vistors") (V)
• Arbil or The Scales of Justice by Roj Sexton ("That last white mouse had been poisoned..." The commander of the London Mothership faces a rather unusual problem.")
• For this Was I Born by Janet Ellicott ("Matthew Star has come of age. It is time for him and his guardian to return to Quadros, and for Matthew to assume the full responsibility of his powers.)
• Love and White Magic by Janet Ellicott ("Kind David Whitewater comes to Baaldorf's court seeking an alliance against Dirk Blackpool. Dirk has taken advantage of the King's absence to kidnap two of his three sisters, but Bethel does not like the idea of a second witch at Castle Drachnal, and Ariel can see the obvious superiority of David as a husband.") Wizards and Warriors
• four Star Trek poems by Dwight Humphries

Issue 9

cover of issue #9

Frak 9 contains A-Team fiction by Janet Ellicott. It has 31 pages.

• Mission of Mercy by The Countess ("Jake delivers two cargoes to the orphanage on Merike, a nun escorting another child to the orphanage, and a set of mysterious boxes. On his return to Boragora, he discovers that Corky has muddled the boxes and left one on the Goose. When they unload it, it burst opens, revealing a cargo of arms.") (Tales of the Gold Monkey)
• Dragons in Wales by Pat Jenkins ("You saw it," Bill told him tersely. "So, it is possible. It happened. I didn't tell you because I figured you'd think I didn't have all my bats in the same belfry, but Iestyn talked about dragons. Huge dragons, flying over the Long Mynd - appearing and disappearing. And ... spaceships.") (The Greatest American Hero)
• In Remembrance of Times Past by Janet Ellicott ("It had been bad. The rest of the team knew that but none of them liked to say anything. Hannibal kept his deepest feelings to himself and always had done.") (The A-Team)
• The Peacemonger by Jane Ching ("The Russian correspondent scanned the VIP list ... Representative of UNCLE, to discuss the practical aspects of international co-operation ... Illya Kuryakin.") (The Man from UNCLE)
• Them That Asks No Questins by Janet Ellicott ("Were you aware of this document, General Stockwell?" "Until yesterday, no. A routine security check uncovered it. I believe it was recorded on Wednesday afternoon." "At 3.30 on Wednesday afternoon," the President corrected. ... "Are the A Team alive?") (The A-Team)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

[Them That Asks the Questions]: ...5th season, odd little piece.

Issue 10

Frak 10 was published in 1988 and is 32 pages, printed without artwork.

• Reaping Purpose by Linda Terrell ( "It was an incredibly beautiful craft. About the size of a Federation freighter, it was slightly deltoid in shape and as black as deep space. And as smooth and feature free as an unwritten page. Nothing marred the shiny surface, not even the usual pits and scrapes and burns one would expect on any deep space craft.") (reprinted from Magnificent Seven #3; later revised and reprinted as "Once Upon a Time in Outer Space" in Southern Seven #10) (Blake's 7/Knight Rider)
• Chance Meeting by Peter Stankovic ( "I'm a scientist. A biochemist to be precise. I need someone to test a mixture I've created ...") (original science fiction)
• In the Beginning by C.J. Weekes ("They know too much of us. We may have already altered time beyond recognition ...") (Battlestar Galactica)

Issue 11

Frak 11 is a novel called, "Tomorrow's Already Here"' by Janet Ellicott. (V)

Issue 12

Frak 12 is a 42 page novel called, "Tomorrow Never Really Comes" by Janet Ellicott. (V) and Tomorrow People.

Issue 13

cover of issue #13

cover of issue #13

Frak 13 is a 21-page crossover novel called, "V is for Victory" by Janet Ellicott. The zine is not dated.

It is a crossover between V and many other fandoms, including Knight Rider, Simon & Simon, The A-Team, Airwolf, UFO, and Superman.

Summary: "What was everyone else doing while Donovan and co were fighting the Visitors? This is the story of what some of our other heroes did while the Earth was occupied by the Visitors. If the fifty Motherships really came, if we did find out what they really wanted and if all our forces were really arrayed against them..."

Issue 14

cover of issue #14

Frak 14 is a 48 page novel called, "Tomorrow’s Children" by J. Ellicott (Beauty and the Beast/Tomorrow People)

Summary: "When the New York Tomorrow People move their base to get out of the reach of Tim Donovan, a sensation-seeking reporter, they discover that there are others who live beneath New York, and that Donovan is also interested in the non-human who lives with them. When Stephen is captured by Donovan, he is forced to share a cage with Vincent and they combine their abilities in a joint escape, But Donovan is not yet finished and Vincent's family need the Tomorrow People's help to rescue him from a second kidnap attempt and to keep Donovan silent forever.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 14

This series of zines, only a couple of issues of which have been received for review, are very well written and enjoyable. This one is based on B&B and a British SF series, "The Tomorrow People," which apparently deals with another secret society, this one of people who have extrasensory powers and who have opened an outpost in the tunnels. A reporter, Donovan, captures both Vincent and one of the Tomorrow People; the rest of the Tomorrow People contrive to rescue both. The reviewer had never seen (or heard of) the series before, but the story makes the basic situation quite plain. The emphasis is on close friendship/love rather than romance/love, but the style is engaging and the characterizations are good. Readers should enjoy this, even though Vincent and Catherine's love is not the main focus.

Issue 15

cover of issue #15

Frak 15 is 28 pages long. It is undated and contains no interior illos.

• Conspiracies by Janet Ellicott ("The Campbells" - "James Campbell is determined not to like Margaret McDonald, a midwife just arrived from Scotland, and Margaret is determined that her brother will not persuade her to marry the doctor but, when typhoid strikes the community, love blossoms for the older generation of the Campbell family, as well as for the oldest child.") (original fiction) (1)
• A Different Kind of Love by Mimi (short vignette told from a spaceship's point of view) (19)
• Sherwood Doggerel, Or, The Lost Ballad, poem by Rowena Sayer (Robin of Sherwood) (21)
• All of Our Heroes by Rowena Sayer (Forever Knight) (23)
• Don't Cry for Me by Rowana Sayer (Battlestar Galactica) (25)

Issue 16

Frak 16 is 25 pages long and contains the novel "Shadows of the Mind" by Janet Ellicott. (Shadow Chasers/Beauty and the Beast).

cover of issue #16

Summary: "Jonathan McKenzie was used to being sent to the paranormal. The paranormal had never sent for him. Until the Army capture Vincent on the streets of New York, and the powers that be decide that an anthropologist who is also a teacher is the person to solve the enigma of what Vincent is."

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 16

This issue of the multimedia zine combines B&B with a British series, "Shadowchasers," apparently involving Jonathan Mackenzie and Edgar Benedek (the latter referred to but barely seen), investigators of the paranormalJonathan seems a sort of X-Files anthropologist. He's called in by the US military to help them interrogate their captives, a creature and a boy: Vincent and Kipper. Sympathetic but essentially powerless, Jonathan tries to help the captives, who eventually escape and return to their loved ones.

As with the other volume reviewed, male bonding seems the order of the day rather than romantic love, though Catherine appears briefly. Readable, interesting, and well written, with particular emphasis on the need to be hugged by those one loves when one has been through a hard time. Father's hugs are a lot more important than Catherine's. It's that sort of zine.

Issue 17

Frak 17 is undated and contains the 41-page novel "The Scottish Plot" by Janet Ellicott (Robin of Sherwood).

Summary: "Bored by the enforced inactivity of the Interdict, those who use the church for their own ends find a simple way for King John to conquer Scotland - kill enough of the Scottish royals that John will become next in line. Marion overhears part of the plot and leaves Halstead to warn Robin, while her father rides to Huntingdon. But Robin is not the only one in danger - Guy is also the Earl's son and therefore of royal blood."

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  front cover

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  inside page

Issue 18

Frak 18 contains four Robin of Sherwood stories by Janet Ellicott. It is 44-pages and digest-sized.

cover issue #18, original edition

cover of issue#18, reprint edition by Bill Hupe and Peg Kennedy

• The Power That Was Albion
• Choices
• Together We
• an unknown story

Issue 19

Frak 19 is 41 pages long.

cover issue #19

• Enlightenment (a story set in Oxford after the events of the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) (5 pages)
• Haunted by the Past (Star Trek TOS) (12 pages)
• Mountain Memories ("Joe Dawson had lost her entire family in the War. She had no-one and nothing save her work, until she met John Walton in France, and that meeting took her back to England and across to Virginia, to a new family and a new world.") (The Waltons) (11 pages)
• other unknown content

Issue 20

Frak 20 is 25 pages long and contains:

• The End of the Quest by Janet Ellicott ("Sir Daniel comes up with an unusual way to break the tie between the two leaders in the quest to find the next king or queen.") (The Quest)
• Just to be Sure by Sharon Ann Campbell ("The Doctor has been told what happened to Peri but he wants to make sure for himself.") (Doctor Who)
• Who Ever Really Watches the Sunset, poem by Rowena Sayer (Riptide)
• Blood Vows, poem by Rowena Sayer (Riptide)
• The Embassy by Janet Ellicott (A love story set in the Deryni universe.)
• It also contains High Mountain Rangers

Issue 21

Frak 21 is a a Star Trek: The Next Generation Special. It contains 26 pages.

cover of issue #21

• The Forty Seven by Janet Ellicott ("After seeing the hologram of his father, Wesley wants to talk to someone who knew Jack Crusher. It is a reasonable request, and Picard realises that he has a duty to Jack's son.")
• A Captain to Captain Talk by Janet Ellicott ("On his return from France, Picard decides it is time that he and Riker talked. At the same time, he heeds Robert's advice not to drink the 47 alone.")
• Q Goes Ape by Rosie Dicken ("A familiar visitor arrives on the Enterprise. At the same time, one of Wesley's experiments goes wrong. And so does one of Data's. Trying to recreate some 20th century tv shows on the holodeck, he brings the Monkees themselves onto the Enterprise, with surprising results for everyone but most of all for Q.")

Issue 22

Frak 22 contains a novel called "Fathers and Sons" by Janet Ellicott. (High Mountain Rangers).

Summary: "A 'High Mountain Rangers' story set around and after the War Games episode. Cody is just beginning to recover from the events which nearly sent him and his father to their deaths, when they are all brought to the surface of his mind again by Larry Rassie's trial. The trial isn't over when an old friend of Jesse's arrives, bringing with him a nephew who has been abused, and a quest to find the boy's brother. Matt commits the Rangers to helping the Sheriff's department catch Thomson but things do not go as planned, and he finds himself not only a prisoner but responsible for his brother's life."

Issue 23

Frak 23 contains a novel called "A Belief Which Will Shape Tomorrow" by Janet Ellicott. (The Tomorrow People).

Summary: "When Adam returns to the island, he finds someone waiting for him, Stephen Jameson, who says he has been a Tomorrow Person for years. Yet there is no time for the older Tomorrow People to train the newcomers in the use of their powers. Someone has found out how to detect a pre-Break Out Tomorrow Person. Children are being kidnapped and forced to steal for their captors, and the Tomorrow People are unable to find them. The Old and New Tomorrow People join forces with General Damon to protect the world from its own children."

Issue 24

Frak 24 is 53 pages. Comb bound.

• Challenge by Angela Field ("When an ex agent comes after Control, McCall and Kostmayer have to play watchdog.") (The Equalizer)
• They Never Learn by Richard Pfeiffer ("Boomer finds himself stranded on a planet which is very different from the olonies.") (Battlestar Galactica/The Tomorrow People)
• Millennium by Janet Ellicott ("Adam is contacted by a Tomorrow Person called John who says that there are now enough Tomorrow People for them to make a real difference to the world. And what better time than the end of the century?") (The Tomorrow People)
• Close Encounter by Angela Field ("While training on the hyper reality probe, O'Neill sees what looks like a jellyfish with eyes. seaQuest is soon under attack. O'Neill and Ford are sent off in a launch to lure the creature away from seaQuest but the launch crashes, and O'Neill loses his memory.) (seaQuest DSV)

Special Issue 1

cover 'The Next Generation' of issue #1

Frak: The Next Generation 1 contains "In That Enormous Silence" by Janet Ellicott. It is a Beauty and the Beast (TV) 39-page novel.

Summary: "At Winterfest, Paracelsus failed in his attempt to kill Father. He kidnaps Mouse and, while the search parties are out looking for him, goes into the inhabited tunnels to take Father prisoner. He plans to use his captives to bring the others to him, to kill them one at a time. But he has reckoned without the aggressive instincts of Catherine and Jamie, and everyone has forgotten about David, one of the victims of the drug Paracelsus unleashed on the City of New York, as well as Mouse's crazy ideas."

Reactions and Reviews: Special Issue 1

This issue, despite its title, is all B&B. In it a street person, David, has been apparently driven insane by Paracelsus' drug. Now living in the tunnels, he's mute and unresponsive. Then Paracelsus gives him more of the drug and gains a helper who helps him imprison, first Mouse, then Father, in preparation for capturing Vincent and then wreaking his vengence on the whole of the tunnel community.

During their captivity, Father recites, from memory, to Mouse and David a great number of poems. Between a third and a half of this already short zine consists of poetry thus recited. So how much you enjoy this zine will depend on how much you like dissociated but substantial chunks of poetry. Either hypnotized or (contrarily) roused from his drugged stupor by the poetry and Bible excerpts, David assists in the captives' escape and eventually returns to an awareness of his former self— a priest. Not only Catherine but Vincent is pretty much in the background in this zine; the focus is on Father and Mouse, both well portrayed.

Special Issue 2

Frak: The Next Generation 2 contains 39 pages. It was possibly printed in 1988.

cover of Frak: The Next Generation 2

From the publisher, "This zine was a companion to Frak and was intended for the shows which hadn't been shown in the LWT (London) tv area, or for shows which we'd only seen one or two season of. It didn't last very long because Sky became more popular and it was much easier for us in the UK to see American shows."

• Rite of Passage by Janet Ellicott. (Star Trek: The Next Generation) ("Wesley Crusher is about to graduate from Star Fleet Academy but there are a lot of surprises in store, including a message from a Traveller he can barely remember.")
• Alien Future by Janet Ellicott. (Starman/Powers of Matthew Star) ("Fox catches up with Paul Forrester and his son once again, but he is too quick to act, and Scott slips through the net. Frightened and alone in a strange town, Scott goes to the only person he can think of who might help him, his science teacher, Walter Shepherd. And Walt has problems of his own. His ward is growing up, and it will soon be time to return to Quadros so that Matthew Star can fulfil his destiny.")
• Friends by Janet Ellicott (21 Jump Street)