Karen & Leonard: A Monochromatic Romance
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Karen & Leonard: A Monochromatic Romance |
| Publisher: | Rigellian Rum Runners and Maryland Association of Star Trek |
| Editor(s): | |
| Date(s): | August 1975 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | 45 pages |
| Fandom: | Leonard Nimoy |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Karen & Leonard: A Monochromatic Romance is a 45-page anthology of art and poetry in honor of Leonard Nimoy by Karen Flanery. It has the subtitle "Love Story in Black and White."
It is RPF as well as a tribute. Most of the art is also self-insertion. A similar zine is Don't You Just Love Leonard Nimoy?.
Like some fanzines of that era, the zine was published without the required pre-1989 copyright notices, possibly placing the fanzine in the public domain.
According to a flyer inside Energize! and an announcement in Interphase #1, this zine was originally to be titled "Sandi's Guy." [1] This turned out to be a mistake, and there was a retraction along with the correct title, in Interphase #3.
A Related Fanwork
In 1972, Karen wrote a story for Tricorder Readings called "Wednesday, Wednesday." It was in response to editor Regina Marvinny's contest asking readers to write stories speculating what it would be like to meet Leonard Nimoy. In Karen's version, the fairy-like "Nimoy Watchers" magic him to her house, where he has breakfast, and meets her kids, learns about watchers, and her Hobbithole.
From the "eddytorial" of Karen & Leonard: A Monochromatic Romance
...it is a trip into ego, if you will It's a love affair. Aha, don't snicker. I mean it. I hollered aloud and long, unabashed and unfazed for many a year that i would just dearly love to take Leonard to my lil bed and play with him. Now you may blush and say, -- my heavens!!!...... Am i corrupting the minds of the innocent? Hardly. I should hope that in this AGE of budding self-consciousness, people are beginning to realize that affection is affection--and doesn't stop with a discreet curtain over a tender scene to two people gazing at one another's eyeballs...
.... It's as normal as ordering a hamburger to go with a milkshake. This is what i am after with this fanzine. Admitting that an affection toward a celebrity is as normal as ordering that hamburger and milkshake. No one is sick because they feel an honest feeling toward someone that gives them joy. No one is sick because they want to share the adventure of life and living and learning with someone. To the contrary, i suggest that this is rip-roaring health...
... I wish to share with you my feelings as i can with you, because we all do love him. Fortunately, i have a way of showing love that can be seen — witnessed and reproduced. This sorta spreads it out, like peanut butter. I don't know about you, but i am all for spreading out good stuff like peanut butter! I will tell you of my feelings, of how they grew of what has happened within me over the years of being a "nimoynut". Some of it you can share with me, painfully. Some of it you can laugh with, some of it you can cry over some of it you can try to understand even some of it you can dislike. I hope at least that i can reach that far with you i want to try. It's better than just letting these drawings sit and fade away in a closet somewhere. They were never meant to do that....
Contents
- What of a Man
- Along the Beach at Dawn
- The Problem with Woody Guthrie is, He's Catching
Gallery
A small sampling of the very extensive art.
the artist is shown literally drawing Leonard Nimoy into the scene, see a similar illo in Don't You Just Love Leonard Nimoy?
Reactions and Reviews
"Karen & Leonard... A Monochromatic Romance (Love Story in Black and White)" is a collection of some of the best poetry and artwork to come out in a long while.First, I must state a few things before beginning on the details. I have never been much of a Leonard Nimoy fan. I also have never thought overly much of Karen Flanery's work upon seeing individual pieces. (She's very good, but not the best in fandom... that kind of stuff...).
This zine very different, and very special. You don't have to be a Leonard Nimoy fan to enjoy this zine, it speaks for itself; stands alone very well. There are four poems [2] at the beginning and the remainder of this zine is filled with approximately 40 full page sketches. The drawings are all printed well, and the on only one side of the paper. Individually they may not be much, but together they fit to form a beautiful experience, what Karen calls a trip into ego. It blends imagination, originality, fantasy, humor and charm. The entire thing combines to form a work of art. It was one of the most impressive zines I've seen... I must be honest, though, there is little to read in this zine aside from the poems and the editorial page. This is not a zine to read so much as it is a visual experience. It is also very much a Leonard Nimoy zine and not a Spock zine. This is a unique one, folks. Bewitching would describe the effect it had on me, but get your own copy and see. [3]