"City"

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Zine
Title: "City"
Publisher: The London Plus Group (a Star Trek & SF fan gathering)
Editor(s): Helen McCarthy
Date(s): 1976-?
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Language: English
External Links:
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"City" is a gen Star Trek: TOS fiction anthology edited by Helen McCarthy. It was A4 size.

Description

This 'zine is produced by a group of Star Trek and sf fans in the London area. The first issue is intended to give as wide a cross-section as possible of the kind of writing of which ST fandom is capable: for future issues, contributions are invited. Fact or fiction, humour, personal viewpoints on anything at all, and letters of comment -- especially letters of comment -- are welcome. All contributors are promised rapid publication or rapid return of material with an explanatory, and hopefully constructive, letter of rejection.

Issue 1

"City" 1 contains 18 pages. It was published in 1976.

  • calendar of lectures and events (1)
  • Personal Appreciation: Asimov by Barbie Bowerman (2)
  • Marina's Dream, fiction by Miri Rana (2)
  • Hope, poem by Joyce Deeming (3)
  • Pandora, fiction by Barbara Kitson (reprinted in The Clean Zine) (5)
  • review by Helen McCarthy of Alnitah #1 and #2, see that page (11)
  • Match Report (Star Trek Seen As a (Downhill) Rugby Football Match) by Malcolm Davies (12)
  • The Waring Column: A Guide to Speaking Waring (14)
  • Our Beloved Captain, poem by Ray Smith (14)
  • TV Comment: Supermarionation by Sam Armitage (15)
  • The Everything Box: Return of the Puppet Master (18)

  • first page of issue #1

  • interior page, issue #1

Issue 2

"City" 2 was published in 1976 and contains 32 pages. The art is by Helen McCarthy and Sue Toher.

The page numbering below is a best estimate, as the pages themselves are not numbered.

front cover of issue #2
  • Groupings, club social news by the editor (1)
  • The Second Time Around the Sun, fiction by B. Bowerman (to be continued) (5)
  • Myth, fiction by Margaret Draper (7)
  • Earthbound, poem by Joyce Deeming (9)
  • Blurgle, fiction by P. Lansdell (10)
  • Terracon '76, a full-page ad (11)
  • Star Death by Barbara Kitson (reprinted in The Clean Zine) (12)
  • Fanzines in Brief by the editor (13), reviews of:
    • Alnitah #3, see that page
    • Zine-ius, see that page
    • Enterprise Incidents and Log Entries, see that page
    • "Prism," an SF zine, the journal of "Spectrum," an organization "which seeks to promote interest in and influence on man's technology and uses"
    • "Our Fair City," the University of London's SF Society zine
  • Star Trek Songs by Miri Rana (15)
  • The SF Serial by B. Longstaff (17)
  • Film Critique: Westworld by J. Perkins (19)
  • The Waring Column by M. Davies (21)
  • Star Trek Lives?, review of Star Trek Lives! by C. Owens, see that page (24)
  • The Ugly Duckling, or the Outsider in T.V. Science Fiction, part 2 of an article by C.S. Armitage (not in the table of contents, also it is unclear where part 1 of this article was published (27)
  • Bostoncon Report by J. Sayle (29)
  • Ghostly Giggles by Spectre (31)

  • inside page from issue #2

  • inside page from issue #2

  • inside page from issue #2

  • inside page from issue #2

Issue 3

"City" 3 was published in 1977 and contains 35 pages. It has art by Helen McCarthy, Sue Toher, and "a.non".

cover of issue #3
  • the latest on The London Plus Group's activities
  • LPG Christmas by Helen McCarthy (1)
  • The Second Time Around the Sun, Star Trek fiction, part two by B. Bowerman (3)
  • Lieutenant's Watch, Star Trek fiction by S. Armitage (5)
  • Ankh, fiction, original science fiction by B. Kitson (12)
  • The Klingon Way, article by I. Ambrose and K. Chafen (the Klingon way of life) (14)
  • Space, poem by Miri Rana (16)
  • review by Helen McCarthy of Alnitah #5, see that page (18)
  • The Fair Treks: Star Trek's view of women, article by S. Armitage (the treatment of women in Star Trek) (19)
  • The Human Alien, article by L. Williams (the alien in SF films and series) (21)
  • The Waring Column: "Waring's Run" by M. Davies (23)
  • NCC-1701, poem "with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien by Spectre (25)
  • Film Critique: Logan's Run by Helen McCarthy ("Logan's Run" is a terrible film and I enjoyed it immensely.") (26)
  • Konfucius, He Say by K. Chafen (Klingon words of wisdom) (26)
  • Crossword, an alien crossword puzzle by V. Scott (27)
  • a Terracon con report by Helen McCarthy, see that page (29)
  • Zine Reviews by Helen McCarthy (32)
  • Bread and Circuses, or Do you really want to switch on your brain when switch on your telly?, an article by Helen McCarthy (Space: 1999 and why it is not good science fiction) (34)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

At the last Globe I went to a curious thing happened; this funny little woman came up and sold me a fanzine. 30p. Lots of money especially for a Star Trek fanzine. Now I’m not so crazy as I sound because it so happens the producer of that fanzine is one Helen McCarthy who works in the same building as I do and who walks right past me in the corridor occasionally. So altogether it was as good an opportunity as any to check out this curious sub-fandom. And curious is just about the right word too. Similar enough to a ‘real’ fanzine to lull one into a sense of false familiarity, some huge culture-gaps soon open up. Not so much the mere fascination with Star Trek—which as far as I’m concerned is not much crazier than any fascination with SF anyway—or even the ST fiction, crosswords, and all the rest.

No, what rocked me back was the peculiar glittery innocence of it all, a sort of Rowesque community bathed in light and friendship where everyone helps everyone else off and on with their Fancy-Dress and oohs and ahhs at the appropriate times at the Fashion Shows at ST cons, and gives an ovation for the hard-working organisers at the end, and generally all is sweetness and light. No one gets drunk, falls over, feels anyone else up, or feels shitty.

It’s the Fashion Shows that really knock me out, though. The descriptions of them herein are quite lyrical, exuding an almost perverse girlish fascination that almost but not quite slips over the line into the tastefully erotic. OK, so I’m exaggerating a bit but the thought is there. Actually City 3 (which is what I’m talking about) is not too bad, considering. Considering what, though, I’m not saying. [1]

Issue 4

"City 4" was published in 1977.

"We are still the cheapest. Only !30p!!"

cover of issue #4
  • Ramblings by the editor (1)
  • Kirk drawing by S. Tower (2)
  • a review of Alnitah #6 by Helen McCarthy (3)
  • LPG Day Out (4)
  • a review of Deep Grope by Helen McCarthy (6)
  • Birmingham Group Report by J. Felton (7)
  • The Friends, poem by S. Griffin (8)
  • drawing of Kirk from "Plato's Stepchildren" by Helen Sneddon (9)
  • In the Beginning, How I Got Into Trekking by Barbara Kitson (10)
  • Hand Across Space, poem (11)
  • Anachronism Rule O.K.! (12)
  • a drawing of Spock Trader by Sue Other (13)
  • Talking Points
    • Costumes by Helen McCarthy (14)
    • Women by P. Thomas (14)
  • The Wanderer, poem by S. Griffin (16)
  • Secure It, Eh? by C. Owens (17)
  • Pioneer Corps by M. Armitage (18)
  • Star Trek Jabberwocky by Spectre (22)
  • a drawing of LN as the King of Siam by P. Bridgland (23)
  • My Story by S. Griffin (25)
  • The Enterprise Memorandum... by K. Jones and K. Atkins (29)
  • Ship's Sehlat, cartoon by Helen Sneddon (36)
  • The Word Merchant by Helen McCarthy (37)

References

  1. ^ Burning Hell — Fanzine Reviews from Stop Breaking Down 4, March 1977, Archived version
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