Probe

Zine
Title:	Probe
Publisher:	Mpingo Press
Editor(s):	Winston A. Howlett, some with Fern Marder & Carol Walske
Date(s):	1976-1988
Series?:
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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Probe is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology.

It was published by Mpingo Press, "Mpingo" is Swahili for "ebony." The editor writes in an issue of "Probe" that he thought of calling his press a name that included "ebony prince" in Swahili, but that "the name would have been too long."

The Swahili Series

There are three Probe Special Issues:

• The Goddess Uhura
• Captain Uhura
• The Starwitch
• The Ebony Prince

The Zine's Origins

From the editorial in the Revised Edition of issue #5:

I guess it began somewhere in the early summer of '74 when I got tired of waiting for the editors of a certain well-known fanzine to give me an answer as to whether or not they were going to use two poems that I'd sent them... Also, I'd started collecting and sampling ST fanzines from all over the country, via the Welcommittee Directory and a not-too-healthy savings account. In most cases, I liked what I saw. In others, I contemplated trying to get my money back. And, more often than not, I found myself saying, 'I could do better than that.' And finally a little light bulb went off in my head, the Red Sea parted, the earth shook... a host of heavenly angels (not Charlie's) began singing the Star Trek theme, and a voice boomed down from the sky, 'Wy not?!' And thus 'Probe' was born.... Finding a name for the stupid thing, that was the hardest part of all, because all of the names I liked were already taken: Babel, Masiform D, Gamma Trianguli, Triskellion... Then, re-reading James Blish's version of 'The Immunity Syndrome' one night, I noticed how many times probes were used in the fight against the giant amoeba. Something about that unseen piece of hardware intrigued me... I rolled the word around on my tongue for a while and said, 'Not bad...

Howlett writes that the material was pretty dodgy in the first three issues, particularly the artwork in the first two:

The first three issues had only fifty copies a piece printed, and editorial decision not regretted then because our readership was very, small and so was our storage space.

From the transcript of a writers' panel printed in Wulfstone (1989):

Now, I started off with one story: ‘Last Skimmer to Jericho.’ I wanted to do a TREK story for my own zine, because my first issue of PROBE had no Trekfiction in it. It had TREK articles, it had crossword puzzles, it had all kinds of nice things, but no Trekfiction. So I decided for my second issue to cook up a quick Uhura story. It started out as an adventure piece, it turned into a drama piece, and by the time I was through with it, I was very proud of it. I’d wanted to do a throw-away, but the characters turned on me and said, ‘You’re going to write a good story, or else!’ So, I did. “And then I decided to write a sequel to this story when somebody asked me to, so I wrote ‘A Plague of Dreams.’ But in going through the course of that, I got rid of Uhura saying (high voice) ‘Captain, I’m frightened!’ (Laughter) which I could not stand. I killed that off and made her psychologically independent of Captain Kirk, so she’d never run to him any more whenever she needed help. And when I ended that story, I said, ‘All right, where do I go from here?’ The whole thing was published as GODDESS UHURA, PROBE Special Number One. That’s all it was.

A Song Written About Probe

In The Goddess Uhura, the editor writes that Fern Marder created the lyrics for a tune he'd written:

"There is a fanzine that calls itself PROBE, "

"With a bright color cover that shines like a strobe,"

"And the ebony prince wears the editor's robe,"

"Types constantly, constantly now."

"He dreams of a zine with all of the tales,"

"That people will read and will increase his sales,"

"As the ebony prince wades through all of his mail,"

"Types constantly , constantly now."

"So type until your fingers are blue,"

"The Xerox machine will be waiting for you."

"Dawn bares a world in a scrap paper sea,"

"Rejected copy and other debris,"

"That the ebony prince tears up minisculey,"

"Types constantly, constantly now."

Issue 1

Probe 1 (v.1 n.1) was published in August 1974. Fifty issues were printed. The editor notes in an editorial of a later issue that this zine was to have originally to have had a 15-page story by Paul Kirby, but that it was lost in the mail. The zine was reconfigured at the last moment and out in time for a New York Federation Club meeting: "The people liked the stories, but the artwork? YUCCH! And we heartily agreed. At the time, we hadn't known any good artists, so the two of us [possibly Joseph Reed Hayes] signed, sharpened our pencils, and did all of the illustrations (if you can call them that) ourselves."

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• Starline: Probe Launched by W. Howlett (article)
• Space War by W. Howlett [Also in Tetrumbriant #4]
• Death in the City by Paul Kirby
• Star Trek is a Racist Program by W. Howlett (article) (also reprinted in issue #5)
• Tribble Power by W. Howlett
• Quadrant Three by W. Howlett [Also in Tetrumbriant #4]
• Potpourri by Diane Saunders (article)
• First Prize by W. Howlett
• Absent-Minded by W. Howlett [Also in Tetrumbriant #4]

Issue 2

Probe 2 (v.1 n.2) Fifty issues were printed.

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Linda Deneroff (article)
• Nitpicking by W. Howlett (article)
• Short Bursts by W. Howlett (article)
• Amanda by Frances Zawacky
• Cycle by R. Vogel
• Behind the Curtains by W. Howlett
• Starline by Paul Kirby (article)

Issue 3

Probe 3 (v.1 n.3) was published in 1975 and contains 80 pages. It was an all Star Trek Convention issue, and all the content was by Howlett as no one else sent him anything. He was a one-man collating party the issue a the International Star Trek Con' 75 at 1:00 in the morning in his hotel room. Fifty issues were printed.

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Star Trek Con, a poem by Howlett
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• FIAWOL , fiction by W. Howlett, inspired by a line in David Gerrold's The World of Star Trek
• Helpers by W. Howlett, fiction that was derived from Howlett's experiences and fantasies while a go-fer at the New York conventions
• Starline by W. Howlett (article)

Issue 4

Probe 4 (v.2 n.1) was published in May 1975. One hundred issues were printed, double the number of previous issues, due to the Kraith story in it.

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• Fandom Is.. by W. Howlett (article)
• Point of Reference by Joseph Reed Hayes
• What's a Glitznik? by Wayne Tytell (article)
• Tribble Power by W. Howlett
• Images and Dreams by Diane Saunders
• A House Divided by Linda Deneroff and Frances Zawacky (a Kraith story)
• O'Tool and the Crystals by Wayne Tytell

• 

  front cover of issue #4

• 

  back cover of issue #4, Gee Moaven

• 

  inside issue #4

Issue 5

front cover of issue #5

Probe 5 (v.2 n.2) was published in 1976, also reprinted in April 1977, contains 80 pages, off-set

• an ad for a zine called Spirit, "science fiction and fantasy for those who believe in Jesus Christ")
• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• Gambit by Paul Kirby ("Probe's first and most outrageous satire, the first Stunrod story to feature male chauvinist, Joe Denim." ("I created the Stunrod Series, which is a satire on STAR TREK Fandom." )
• Star Trek is a Racist Program by W. Howlett (article reprinted from issue #1)
• Potpourri by Diane Saunders (reprinted from issues #1 and #7)
• Microverse Experiment by W. Howlett
• Last Skimmer to Jericho by W. Howlett [Also in "The Goddess Uhura" Special Issue #1; Furaha #1]
• The Hand of Peter Brenner by D. Saunders
• Busher and Callahan, a 'Captain Uhura' story
• Trio by Diane Saunders

Issue 5, Revised Edition

front cover of the revised #5, Anji Valenza

back cover of the revised #5, Anji Valenza

Probe 5, the Revised Edition was published in April 1977 and contains 80 pages. It has art by Amy Harlib, Wayne Tytell, Rodney Plummer, Dan Haskett, Mary Ann Emerson, Joel Silverstein, David Kesztenbaum, Winston Howlett, Paul Kirby, Signe Landon, Mei-Moi Lee, Fern Marder, Gee Moaven, Mary Beth Santarelli, and Anji Valenza (front and back covers).

From the editor:

On the economics front: Probe 5 Revised, with its black and white cover and 80 pages, costs as much as Probe 10 with its color cover and 130 pages. This issue is a 'demand item.' It came out because so many of our readers had discovered Probe long after many of our back issues were no longer available. Bringing a dead issue back to life presents special problems and a lot of extra costs, which explains why this will probably be the last Revised Edition of Probe you will see.

• Starline, editorial (3)
• Trio by Diane Saunders (4)
• Star Trek is a Racist Program! by Winston Howlett (21) ("[It] drove a lot of Trekkers up the wall... until they found out that the author is black." -- so says the author himself)
• Busher & Callahan by Winston Howlett (26)
• a review of Fuhura #4 (35)
• a review of Star Trek Lives!
• Starflight by Fern Marder (49)
• River by Anji Valenza (50)
• Microverse Experiment by Winston Howlett (51)
• Nightingale Woman by Fern Marder
• Gambit by Paul Kirby (54)
• Matter/Antimatter, another edtiorial, "Some notes on the evolution" (77)

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Paul Kirby and Winston Howlett

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Mary Beth Santarelli

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Mei-Moi Lee

• 

  page from "Star Trek is a Racist Program!"

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Gee Moaven

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Signe Landon

• 

  art from issue #5, revised, Anji Valenza

Issue 6

Probe 6 (v.2 n.3) was published in December 1975. It was an all sword and sorcery issue.

The editor notes in issue #9:

Too bad it bombed. It was our first -- and last -- Sword & Sorcery issue, which looked very pretty with its full color cover and 40% photo-offset reproduction, but which received enough complimentary letters of comment to count on one hand and still be able to scratch one's self in two places.

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• Dragonsword by J.W. Jameson
• Bull the Barbarian by David Kesztenbaum
• Blades and Wands by M. Foley
• We Shall Meet Along the River, Then by Jospeh Reed Hayes
• Firelord by Paul Kirby

Issue 7

Probe 7 (v.3 n.1) was published in April 1976.

• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (article)
• Nebula by W. Howlett
• Ten Years Later by F. Marder (article)
• And Zarabeth Killed a Snowbear by W. Howlett
• Alpha Ralpha Virus by W. Tytell
• For the Love of by W. Howlett
• Star Trek: A Religious Experience by I. Cross (article)
• The Cheater W. Howlett
• Gene Roddenberry at St. John's University by F. Zawacky (article)

Issue 8

front cover of issue #8, Winston Howlett

back cover of issue #8, Craig Morton

Probe 8 (v.3 n.2) was published in May 1976 and contains 80 pages. It has art by Gee Moaven, Linda Cappel, Anji Valenza, Signe Landon, Amy Falkowitz, Wayne Tytell, Mary Beth Santarelli, Paul Kirby, Rodney Plummer, Dan Haskett, Mary Ann Emerson, Winston Howlett and Joel Silverstein.

The editor notes in issue #9 that this zine came out in time for BiCentennial-Ten Con "and copies sold faster than we could staple them together... We actually sold some copies unstapled."

• Starline (editorial) (3)
• While Still We Feel by Johanna Cantor (a sequel to "The Empath" by the same author) (5)
• Lyre by Fern Marder (20)
• October Revel by Virginia Brennan (21)
• Card Game by Virginia Brennan (23)
• Visions at the End of Time by Virginia Brennan (24)
• Scenes We'd Like To See by W. Howlett (25)
• Whose Godchild, Space? by Anji Valenza (Kirk vs Raugk of "the Klysadel" and "Tai Daminen") (27)
• Retrospect by Fern Marder (43)
• Terminal Caseby Winston Howlett ("a Stunrod story featuring two views of women's liberation, both of them Black.") (45)
• Nebula by Frances Zawacky, reviews of SekWester*Con, Night of the Twin Moons, Star Trek: The New Voyages and the movie Logan's Run

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Linda Cappel

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Gee Moaven

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Winston Howlett

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Winston Howlett

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Anji Valenza

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Anji Valenza

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Winston Howlett

• 

  inside art from issue #8, Amy Falkowitz

Issue 9

front cover of issue #9, Carol Walske

back cover of issue issue #9, Anji Valenza

flyer for issue #9

Probe 9 (v.3 n.3) has August 1976 listed as the published date, though they were collated and mailed out in November 1976. It contains 104 pages. Art by Carol Walske, Anji Valenza, Gee Moaven, Mary Ann Emerson, Winston Howlett, Mary Beth Santarelli, Signe Landon, and Paul Kirby.

• Starline, editorial (3)
• One Human, One Vulcan by David Kesztenbaum (4)
• Vulcanscape by Fern Marder (5)
• Sundered Duties by Jacqueline Bielowicz, Linda Deneroff and Frances Zawacky (a Kraith story, the break up between Spock and Sarek) (6)
• an Associated Press story (36)
• cartoon by Anji Valenza (37)
• untitled poem by Winston Howlett (38)
• Mutant Mingle by D. Kesztenbaum (an Atomic Age war between humans and mutants) (39)
• Visual Images NASA (article) (60)
• Night Terror by Virginia Brennan (62)
• Death of a Vulcan by W. Howlett ("a grim, no-nonsense murder mystery that can only be solved by a Star Trekker" part one) (63)
• a review of Alternative: The Epilog to Orion (97)
• Matter-Antimatter by W. Howlett (article) (98)
• White Bird-Jim's Song by Fern Marder (music) (100)

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Gee Moaven

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Signe Landon and David Kesztenbaum

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Anji Valanza

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Amy Falkowitz

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Mary Ann Emerson

• 

  inside art from issue #9, last page of the music by Fern Marder

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Gee Moaven

• 

  inside art from issue #9, Gee Moaven

Issue 10

front cover of issue #10, Carol Walske, "The Death of Alargor"

back cover of issue #10, "Kawara Tarakarin," (fan: C. W.), photo by Winston Howlett

Probe 10 (v.4 n.1) was published in February 1977 and contains 120 pages. The first edition had a printing of 300 copies. It is most known for the long letter by the editor, one that states his views on homosexuality.

• The Fan Who Walked Home by Winston Howlett (4)
• The Celebration of Alkarin by Carol Walske (from the Nu Ormenel series, "The renaissance of the Klingon Empire" (7)
• The Judgement of Alkarin by Fern Marder (37)
• Echoes by David Lubkin (39)
• Amanda by Frances Zwacky (40) (reprinted from issue #2)
• I-Chaya by Fern Marder (44)
• Death of a Vulcan by Winston Howlett (the conclusion) (46)
• Red Alert! (73) (a fraud alert to warn other fans of a man pretending to be a close personal friend of Isaac Asimov)
• Matter/Antimatter, opinion by Winston Howlett (76)
• On the Horizon (79)
• Sarek by Frances Zawacky and Linda Deneroff (80)
• The Day Surrounding Meldnight' by Valenza, a Klysadel story (83)
• LoCs (112) (Includes a letter of many pages by the editor in which he talks of being a born-again Christian, responds to two letters he has received calling him a bigot and anti-gay for the review he did of Alternative: The Epilog to Orion in an earlier issue.. An excerpt from Howlett's long, LONG letter in which he writes, among other things, that gay men were child molesters and an abomination to nature: "This country has reached a state of moral depravity today that rivals Sodom and Gomorrah... Homosexuality, sado-masochism, incest, perversion... they're all cut from the same bolt of cloth: human sexual drives that get twisted up into things that were not meant to be... I will say it again, GAY IS NOT GOOD! And all your socio-philosophical revelations will not make it good.... homosexuality is a disorder that-- for Him -- is easily removable. All one has to do is to let HIM." The editor of R & R later comments on this letter in her zine: "Winston's reply to letters attacking his review of 'Alternative': the review was not a review but an attack, and the reply is a fine example of what happens when you let yourself think with your convictions instead of your intellect."
• Keep on Trekkin', song & music by Winston Howlett by Fern Marder (118)

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Anji Valenza

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Gee Moaven

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Carol Walske

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Elizabeth Marshall

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Anji Valenza

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Carol Walske

• 

  inside art from issue #10, P.S. Nim

• 

  inside art from issue #10, Anji Valenza

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

This is Probe's "War Issue," as the front cover, by Carol Walske, demonstrates. It is a superb drawing, published in full color. Besides Carol's artwork, the zine also boasts works by Elissa Lynn Alkoff, Harlib, Howlett, Elizabeth Marshall, Moaven, Nim, Valenza and David Kesztenbaum. What makes this zine live and breathe is the layout: extensive (but not overpowering) use was made of calligraphy and special lettering and bordering. Particularly alluring is Ms. Walske's story, 'The Celebration of of Alkarin,' in which she presents her concept of how the Klingon Empire works. The laborious layout and planning for this story enhances the writing quality. The accompanying poem by Fern Marder is, quite simply, beautiful. Other fiction includes 'The Day Surrounding Meldnight' by Valenza (another prime example of what layout can do for a story), part two of 'Death of a Vulcan' by Winston Howlett, and bits and pieces by Lubkin, Zawacky, Deneroff and Hayes. Three words suffice in summation: buy this fanzine!

First of all, I didn't think the artwork was all that great. Good, yes, but I've seen better. As to the layout -- that is the only thing that saves the zine from being a total bore. I really did not like the fiction in it. Ms. Walske's story was so loaded with unfamiliar characters having names that looked very much alike and special terminology that I couldn't get past page 3. (I'm not much of a Klingon fan, anyway.) As to Howlett's 'Death of a Vulcan' -- yuk. I gave up after the second paragraph. Valenza's story was the only piece in the zine I needed. Nice SciFi story. If you want to read about the Enterprise and her crew, this zine is NOT for you.

I guess this is a rebuttal-rebuttal. I have see comments like [name redacted's] popping up everywhere lately, but since her is the most obvious offense, I am responding to it. First of all, let me say that I have not seen a copy of 'Probe' 10 -- but that is beside the point because that is not what bothers me. Just who the hell does this lady think she is? What I am sure [name redacted] is so ignorantly overlooked was Mr. Howlett's feelings. There is a huge misconception in fandom that zine publication is a week-end affair. That just isn't so. Most zine eds (or at least the ones I know) put in work every day on their zines -- and some days I put in as much as three hours a day plus week-ends on Fesarius. Zine editors put in as much time as possible on their zines and DO THE VERY BEST THAT THEY CAN. and even if their efforts aren't as good as Interphase or The Other Side of Paradise, it is no fault of their own... at least they tried. And I feel that for no other reason than that, they deserve much more than to be publicly put down by someone who hasn't tried. Do not misinterpret me; I am not referring to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. I am referring to the type of 'reviewing,' if you can call it that, that [name redacted] uses. The type that uses such phrases as 'yuk' and 'that is the only thing that saves this zine from being a total bore.' I just can't fathom a person being so thoughtless (not to mention tacky). Please before you 'review' another zine in that matter, [name redacted], why don't you try to put out a zine and then see how it feels to receive a review with a phrase like 'yuk.

Issue 11

front cover of #11, "Willy and the Starship" by Cecilia Cosentini

back cover of #11, photos from SeKWester Con Too

Probe 11 (v.4 n.2) was published in August 1977 and contains 156 pages. The art is by Cecilia Cosentini, John Ellis, Amy Falkowitz, Amy Harlib, Winston Howlett, Alice Jones, Mei-Moi Lee, Diane McClaugherty, Gee Moaven, Anji Valenza and Carol Walske.

From the editor:

Have you heard of the Underground? The one in ST fandom... They Xerox things. Lots of things. Like parts of fanzines, or whole fanzines, or even whole sets of fanzines. All without permission of any kind from anyone who had anything to do with the fanzine's production. And I'm not talking about just a copy for 'personal entertainment,' but five, ten, forty copies... whatever number fits their 'small circle of friends.' Sometimes they sell them, sometimes they trade them for other fanzines (copies or originals), sometimes they give them away...to someone else who also has free access to a duplicating machine and another circle of friends. I first heard about the Underground when a fellow zine editor stumbled across a Xerox of her visual series (elaborate comic book if you will) in the hands of a neo-fan at a con. Said neo praised the artist/editor for her work and casually mentioned that 'XYZ in California' had Xeroxed about forty copies and spread them all over the country... People with free access to Xerox machines make me very nervous, if just for the built-in temptation that the devices [will be] be used irresponsibly. What good is all the extra effort and expense an editor goes through to acquire a special story or article for an issue, when somebody with the 'Start Print' Syndrome can wreck the whole process? In case you hadn't thought about it, zine editors don't just give their works that extra effort just for the sake of the art, but to acquire new readers. In short, friends, when you fellow Trekfan starts drooling over your latest zine purchase, try gently imploring them to buy their own copy, instead of running to Daddy's office. Xerox doesn't need the business, but we do.

Also from the editor:

Strange things are going on in the sub-world of 'Adult Trekfic.' It seems that one of the stories in the Diamonds and Rust series has a rather unusual plot device: Dr. McCoy goes to bed with an aggressive young woman who (surprise!) turns out to be his daughter, Joanna. Through a series of credibility-stretching writing tricks, no one knows who the other one is until the fun is over. (No, I don't know the name of the story, or where it was published.) The results are what you might expect: Joanna kills herself, and Dr. M is 'shattered' (not necessarily in that order.) But what really makes this interesting is from where the heaviest negative comments are coming from: some of the well-known fen who applaud the Kirk-and-Spock-go-gay trash. Frankly, I'm surprised at the reactions I've been hearing about this stuff. After all, the rushing about to jump on the Homosexuality-in-Trekfic bandwagon, I thought it would take nothing less than Captain Kirk going to bed with a Great Dane to get a rise out of people. And, disturbingly, they are not just going after the story, but doing a hatchet job on the author as well. I heard she is being called things in print that aren't even used on crooked convention organizers. Bad scene. The who thing reminds me of a short story called 'The Red Rats of Plum Creek.' One farm in a large farming community was plagued by all the rats in the county, until the farmer's son managed to catch one rat, paint it red and let it go. When the red rat returned to its burrow, all the other rats practically killed themselves running away from it. They didn't recognize one of their own. Like the farmer's son, I think I'll just sit in a tree and watch all the other rats chase each other into the sunset. With a little luck, they may take all this so-called 'adult' crap with them.

• Starline, editorial (3)
• The Story of STINC by Sandy Hall (a parody story about a Star Trek fan and her fan club, their adventures in running a con, writing zine reviews, her long-running but never published series of fanfics, and her dealings with fanzines.) (4)
• The Challenge, poem by Fern Marder (32)
• Challenge, story by Fern Marder and Carol Walske (34)
• Star Bores, film outline by Leonard Lipton (45) (a proposal for an amateur parody film of Star Wars)
• Willy and the Starship by Winston Howlett (46)
• Ode to the Rising Sun by Devra Langsam (53)
• Phaser Fire by Fern Marder (54)
• Sekwester*Con Too con report with photos by Frances Zawacky, Winston Howlett, and Joel Davis (56)

a fan's review of Star Wars, which had just been released, art by Gee Moaven

a parody of a Star Wars film

• the script to Where No Man Has Gone Lately - the play from SekWesterCon Too in 1977
• revewis of Furaha #5, and The Castaways, and a brief analysis of Star Wars
• In Concert by Caroline Nixon (83)

as early as 1977, fans duplicating copies of fanzines was an issue, as per this article, click to read

• The Man Who Invented the Transporter by Anji Valenza (84)
• Inside Kraith by Daniela Kendall (87) (This is an article written with a pseud by one of "Kraith Creators." It discusses at great length the Kraith Round Robin and is excerpted on the Kraith page.)
• Supercon Blues by David Lubkin (94)
• My Fears by Diane McClaugherty (96)
• He Who Trades Last by Diane McClaugherty (97)
• The Choice by R.M. Schutter (98)
• Poems to the Beautiful One by Caroline Nixon (100)
• Interlude by Diane McClaugherty (102)
• Con Committee's Lament by Rich Kolker (108)
• It Took First Prize in Houston by Joel Davis and Winston Howlett (109)
• LoCs (155)

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Carol Walske and Devra Langsam

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Winston Howlett

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Diane McClaugherty

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Amy Falkowitz

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Alice Jones

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Amy Harlib

• 

  interior art from issue #11, Mei-Moi Lee and Caroline Nixon

• 

  interior art from issue #11, John Ellis

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

A pretty good zine. It starts off with a parody of fandom I found absolutely hilarious. A little uncomfortable, too-obviously true to life. There is a science fiction robot story involving Winston's little brother that is cliched to the teeth but mildly interesting nonetheless. Winston has a con report of Kalamazoo, much like everyone else's con report of Kalamazoo [SeKWester*Con, Too, 1977] -- I went, I met people, I talked to people, I had a lot of fun, I dressed up as Uhura in drag, so forth. -- Included is a copy of the sketch they performed -- yes, that sketch. The infamous one. ["Where No Man Has Gone Lately"] Ver-r-r-r-y interesting. The zine also includes an article about writing Kraith stories by a Kraith creator who used a pseudonym was a large segment of the issue. I found myself mildly antagonistic to its tone, although I can't quite pin down why. It appeared to regard itself as an expose of Kraith, the perils and pitfalls thereof. I liked the rebuttal, which I read in the first draft and is to appear in the next issue of 'Probe,' much better.

I realize it is somewhat unusual for a fanzine editor to supply a second opinion on a review of his own fanzine -- particularly a review that is supposedly favoralbe -- but I think this case warrants it... " He goes on to disagree with four points the original reviewer made, including what he felt was a dig at the Kraith article: "Might the fact that the article did an extensive examination of the Kraith Round Robin -- of which you are a member -- have something to do with it? Hmmmm?... I have done some generally-inaccurate reviews in my time, but that was usually because the zine was so bad I had to try reading it through a glass of Bromo-Seltzer. But Eileen implied she liked the issue, so what's her excuse? When I take a shot at somebody (cheap or otherwise), I'm at least a lot more clever about it, Eileen. Or forthright. Whey don't you try it sometime? I don't know who you were fooling, but if the feedback I've been getting is any indication, the answer is, 'No one but yourself.

I have learned recently that I have an 'image problem in fandom,' that people think I've 'been cutting up everybody.' Please believe that was never my intention and certainly not my desire. I really don't want to be in a position where saying that I like a zine or story is somehow a personal attack on the editor or author, so the reviews in this issue of 'Scuttlebutt' will be my last. My apologies to anyone who has been hurt.

I have resigned from the staff of Probe as you read this. Normally, such a statement is not necessary, but since Winston Howlett lists me as a staff person, I feel compelled to announce this resignation. I find myself in editorial disagreement with Winston on several issues, but since he makes no disclaimer in his zine to the effect that the editorial opinions are solely his own and not that of his staff, one could easily get the impression that we all agree. Winston and I will continue to be friends, but I will henceforth not be associated with 'Probe' fanzine or M'Pingo Press.

[comments about the Kraith article]: Even when you open up your universe to other people, when you let them in, you still say, ‘Okay, but this has got to be twisted to fit right, because I’m still saying something, over all.’ And you’ve got to keep firm control over it. If you let it get out of hand, you wind up looking on it and saying, ‘What happened?!’ For a while, I had a fantasy where my universe would become like KRAITH, where I would have lots of other contributing writers. It didn’t happen, and now I look back on it and say, ‘Thank goodness it didn’t happen!’ because I know some of the problems Jacqueline Lichtenberg went through. I was close friends with several members of the KRAITH round robin. It got to be sticky. And so I had an article in PROBE 11 — which a lot of people did not like — about how the nuts-and-bolts of the KRAITH round robin writing system wasn’t doing the job it was supposed to be doing. Some of the KRAITH creators said, ‘How dare you say that?’ but it was all true, because it was written by a KRAITH creator. So sometimes your universe can get out of hand if you let too many people in with you and you don’t keep firm control.

Issue 12

front cover of issue #12 by Carol Walske

back cover of issue #12, Cecilia Cosentini

Probe 12 (v.4 n.3) was published in February 1978 and contains 114 pages. Cover: Carol Walske; back cover: Cecilia Cosentini. Art & illustrations: Cecilia Cosentini, Mary Ann Emerson, Amy Falkowitz, Amy Harlib, Dan Haskett, Winston Howlett, David Kesztenbum, Paul Kirby, Signe Landon, Mei-Moi Lee, Fern Marder, Gee Moaven, Rodney Plummer, Mary Beth Santarelli, Joel Silverstein, Wayne Tytell, Anji Valenza, Carol Walske.

• Starline (Editorial) by Winston A. Howlett, p. 3
• The Awakening by Roberta Rogow, p. 4-7 (The Redjac entity encounters Hengist.)
• Linguistics Report by Mr. Spock, USS Enterprise by Tom Audette, p. 8-10 ('Oochy-woochy-koochy-koo' explored.)
• The Darkness in My Soul by Ingrid Cross, p. 12-31 (In a terrible battle with the Klingons, Spock is killed and Kirk's leg is shattered. He can't qualify for active duty any more, so takes a post as Chief of Exploration. To his surprise, some of his other officers decide to go along.)
• Persian Proverb by Dorothy B. Martin, p. 31
• Time (poetry) by Fern Marder, p. 32-33
• Assignment by Diane McClaugherty, p. 34-37 (While taking some young cadets on Survival Training on an earthlike planet, Sulu has an experience familiar to campers everywhere.)
• R'Con Prequal by Vapid Lubberkin, p. 38-40
• Ode to Sanity (poetry) by Dorothy B. Martin, p. 40
• The Making of Star Bores by Leonard Lipton, p. 42-45
• A Shade of Treason by Fern Marder & Carol Walske, pl. 47-69 (A Nu Ormenel Klingon story)
• The Trial of Kor Kothir by Carol Walske, also Nu Ormenel, published in Monkey of the Inkpot 3, though this version is markedly different
• Exile (poetry) by Fern Marder, p. 70, also Nu Ormenel.

flyer, click to read

• Black Goddess: An Uhura Fantasia, p. 73-81 (poems and art)
• And Now a Word by Greg Baker and Rich Kolker, p. 83
• Inside Kraith: A Follow-up, p. 84-86 (Daniela Kendall writes briefly about Understanding Kraith by Judy Segal, which was written partly as a response to Kendall's "Inside Kraith". Kendall notes that "the project, and Ms. Lichtenberg's statement, deal with only a few of the issues raised in "Inside Kraith". The introduction to Understanding Kraith is reprinted in its entirety, and then editor Howlett adds the following: "This ends Probe's involvement with the subject of the Kraith writing system. "Inside Kraith" was published by Probe with the intention of pointing out some important issues about fan fiction writing and publishing, and to get some intelligent reaction to and discussion of a serious subject. Reactions from the general public ranged from favorable to disinterested. With the exception of Ms. Lichtenberg, Ms. Segal and one other person, reactions received from Kraith creators -- in person, by phone, by mail, and in other publications -- were less-than-logical and sometimes bordering on the inane. The subject is closed.")
• Word Search & Cartoon by Tom Audette, p. 87
• Ballad of a New Rebel (poetry/filk?) by Rich Kolker, p. 88
• Cartoon by Amy Harlib, p. 90
• Latent Image by Valerie Ames, p. 91-103
• Next Launching, p. 103
• Nebula: Reviews, p. 105
• Cartoon by Tom Audette, p. 110
• Matter-Antimatter, p. 111 (article)
• Feedback, p. 112-114

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 12

A good readable issue: contents range from 'The Awakening' by Roberta Rogow (remember Redjac? -- Hengist?) to 'Research Report: Scientific Investigation of Unusual Linguistic Phenomena' by Commander Spock (oochie koochie koo) -- be ready to laugh. Also, 'The Darkness in My Soul,' a quiet Ingrid Cross tale that stands alone (but also prepares us for Odyssey #2); some excellent Fern Marder poetry; a neat Diane McClaughterty tale involving Sulu, 'Assignment'; a rather pointless article, 'The Making of Star Bores,' which struck me as mere space-filler; 'A Shade of Treason' from Marder and Walske's excellent Klingon universe (the illos are spectacular and appropriate); an Uhura-fantasia -- good but I wanted more. An Uhura-tale after 'Mirror, Mirror,' reviews, and LoCs round out the ish. Not every piece was first-rate, but most were. A zine worth the money.

If you're looking for a respite from the endless zines obsessed with the sex habits of the Star Trek cast, there's one here that proves that there is life in the universe outside the bedroom. 'Latent Image' is a spunky recital of a sequel to 'Mirror, Mirror' and Uhura's intuitive belief that if the Mirror universe Marlene Moreau was fairly nice, the sweet girl of their universe must be evil. It's well written and good fun! 'The Darkness in My Soul' is in dark contrast indeed, as it details the final battle before the Enterprise crew is broken up at the end of their mission -- a battle that cripples Kirk and kills Spock -- not a happy ending, but the author's characters accept the blows with a strong maturity and presumably are in for worse [she refers to Odyssey #2]. There is a portfolio of very good artists' interpretations of Uhura, particularly one by Alice Jones; several comic sketches, of varying success, and excellent artwork and copy throughout. The sections of a Klingon saga and a Kraith article mean little to someone unfamiliar with either work, but will to their fans. The poetry is standard for zines. So wide a variety of material means that any fan will find something to please his taste -- and it's refreshingly different.