Computer Playback
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Computer Playback |
| Publisher: | Janet Hunt |
| Editor(s): | Janet Hunt & R. Merrill Bollerud |
| Date(s): | 1977-1982 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Computer Playback is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology published in the UK. It reprints fiction that has previously appeared in other zines.
Similar reprint zines are K/S Relay, Relay, and Archives.
General Fan Comments
Computer Playback 1, 2, and 3 are put out by Janet Hunt. Each issue is a collection of four to six stories (usually long out of print), by a single author. Gerry Downs is in CP 1. Connie Faddis in CP 2, and Marion Zimmer Bradley (better known for Darkover) is in 3. This is an English 'zine, although Yeoman Press sometimes has copies. The stories are excellent and the production quality is high. The paper is A4, a little longerer than 11 inches, so it doesn't stack as well with the U.S. zines. [1]
From the Editorial in the First Issue
At Terracon '77 in Liverpool last year, a number of fans got together and discussed a problem in fandom over here. Specifically the difficulty in getting zines from America to the UK. Due to regulations concerning currency leaving the country, it's very difficult, slow, expensive and frustrating to get issues of US zines across the ocean... No workable ideas came out of those con discussions, but the Existence of Desire was brought to life... The months and ideas came and went and then one one of us came up with a Brilliant Idea. I think it came from getting our copies of Archives, a reprint zine from Yeoman Press... To whit: If we got the stories from the US sent over here, we could reprint them over here, sell them over here, and the money would never leave HM"s shores. Now, in effort to do something just a little bit different in a reprint zine, here is our plan: Each issue of Computer Playback will contain the stories of one US author... We will hope to get out approximately 3 to 4 issues per year and to give you, the reader, the widest possible variety of stories by some of the best US authors in the fandom.
Issue 1
Computer Playback 1 contains fiction by Gerry Downes. It is undated (but published in 1977 or 1978) and contains 59 pages. Art by William R. Peterson (the author's brother), Virginia Jacobsen and Gerry Downes.
- Editorial by R. Merrill Bollerud (2)
- Presenting Gerry Downes: Some Biographical Notes on This Issue's Author (3)
- Full Circle (appeared in Stardate: Unknown #2) (4)
- Two Tickets, Please (appeared in Warped Space #23 and Stardate: Unknown #4) (14)
- He's Your Brother George, Only You Call Him 'Sam' (appeared in Stardate: Unknown #4) (18)
- Paved with Good Intentions (appeared in Stardate: Unknown #3) (38)
art from issue #1, Virginia Jacobsen
art from issue #1, William R. Peterson
art from issue #1, Gerry Downes
art from issue #1, William R. Peterson
Issue 2
Computer Playback 2 is not dated but was published in 1978 and has 66 pages. It contains stories by Connie Faddis.
It contains one piece of original art by Mike Eason, and the rest of the art is by Signe Landon and Connie Faddis and reprinted from Interphase and The Other Side of Paradise.
From the editorial:
You know once I was a normal human being...really....then I saw Star Trek on T.V., discovered Star Trek fandom, and then my great downfall...fanzines. I'm totally addicted to then now. Because of the currency regulations its very difficult to get hold of american fanzines for the British fen, so in a spirit of anglo-american detente Ruth and I got together with the idea of reprinting the best of stories from american zines. So 'Computer Playback' was born, our plan is to reprint stories, where ever possible concentrating on one author at a time and producing 3 or 4 zines per year, (we nope to do an X rated adult zine in the summer). The zine is primarily for sale in Britain but we also accept orders from overseas. Any suggestions for stories you would like to see reprinted would be welcomed.
[snipped]
This leaves me with just one problem, my fanzine addiction, perhaps I could distill the essences of fanzines down to a liquid for injection directly into the bloodstream, so by-passing my eyeballs!
- Editorial by Janet Hunt (2)
- Presenting Connie Faddis (bio) (3)
- The Place of Men-Made-Stone, art by Connie Faddis (from Interphase #3) (4)
- The Third Wheel, art by Faddis (from Interphase #4 and Contact #3) (17)
- The Birthing Place, art by Elizabeth Marshall, from Neutral Zone Outpost #3 and Off the Beaten Trek #3 (24)
- McCoy art by Mike Eason (32)
- Genius Loci, art by Signe Landon reprinted from The Other Side of Paradise #2 with some of the original art, but not the foldout (33)
- You are Receiving this Zine Because (62)
from issue #2, portrait by Mike Eason
from issue #2, Signe Landon for "Genius Loci"
from issue #2, Signe Landon for "Genius Loci"
from issue #2, Signe Landon for "Genius Loci"
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2
See reactions and reviews for The Third Wheel.
Issue 3
Computer Playback 3 was published in 1979 and contains 59 pages.
The editor writes: "Now a word about CP4. The word is.... "Well?" Ruth will be returning to the US in March of 1980, so Janet will either have to take over the editing of CP on her own, we'll have to do a lot of long-distance communicating (hard enough at our present 90 mile distance, but several thousand?), or we'll have to give up CP altogether."
- Editorial by R. Merrill Bollerud (2)
- A Vulcan Valentine by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter H. Breen, art by R. Merrill Bollerud (reprinted from The Other Side of Paradise #2 (3)
- The Decision by Clair Gabriel, art by Christine March (reprinted from Quartet Plus One #1 and Berengaria #3; also in The Best of Amanda and Sarek) (5)
- The Immovable Object by Marion Zimmer Bradley, art by Signe Landon (reprinted from The Other Side of Paradise #2) (from Interphase #4: "James Kirk gets his first command with the Enterprise, meeting Spock and the crew, and learning to live with 'command decisions.' This is routine fare, but the brisk pace and the Landon illos keep you interested.") (16)
- Exposure by Sheila Clark, art by R. Merrill Bollerud (reprinted from Mahko Root #1, reprinted in Home to Roost #3) (48)
- You Are Receiving This Zine Because (56)
inside page from issue #3, the poem by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter Breen, reprinted from The Other Side of Paradise #2 where it had the note: "(Marion says about this poem: 'I think we both got the idea and played around with it until it could be called a real collaboration.')"
inside page from issue #3
inside page from issue #3, You are Receiving this Zine Because
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3
See reactions and reviews for The Decision.
See reactions and reviews for The Immovable Object.
Issue 4
Computer Playback 4 was published in 1980 and contains 72 pages.
From the editorial:
We have some marvellous stories for you, "The Gathering" is a story that gets under your skin, and I'm hoping that Michele will let me reprint some of her other stories.
"Family Affair" is a story set in Starfleet but off the Enterprise, usually I'm not too keen on non K/S/M stories by there is always an exception to the rule and this is it. Devra is very well known for her famous fanzine Spockanalia, the first ST fanzine, which began while the TV series was still being filmed. While fandom owes Devra a huge debt for her fanzines and conventions, I'm sure you will agree that she is also an excellent writer. (She is also very understanding if you stay with her and don't speak, just read. Sorry, Devra, that was very bad manners, can I stay again?)"
"The Healing Time" by Bev and Nancy is a story I read several years ago and its haunted me since.
- The Gathering by Michele Arvizu, art by Roo (reprinted from Berengaria #10) (McCoy returns to Earth on leave, and meets his ex-wife again.) (3)
- Family Affair by Devra Michele Langsam, art by Roo (reprinted from Spockanalia #4) (Tara Cochrane finds herself working with Storm, a Vulcan she knows from experience can be aggravating and exasperating.)
- The Healing Time by Nancy Kippax and Bev Volker, art by Laurie Huff (reprinted from Galactic Discourse #2) (A new Chief Medical officer, McCoy, and old friend of the Captain's, and Spock find that they have nothing in common except a friendship with Kirk, but that bond is the basis for a growing understanding as Kirk fights for his life.)
page from issue #4, Roo for "The Gathering"
page from issue #4, Roo for "The Gathering"
page from issue #4, Roo for "Family Affair"
page from issue #4, Roo for "Family Affair"
page from issue #4, Laurie Huff for "The Healing Time"
page from issue #4,Laurie Huff for "The Healing Time"
page from issue #4,Laurie Huff for "The Healing Time"
page from issue #4,Laurie Huff for "The Healing Time"
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4
See reactions and reviews for The Gathering.
See reactions and reviews for The Healing Time.
Issue 5
Computer Playback 5 was published in 1981 and is 71 pages long. Art is by Roo, Tim Groome, and Gerry Downes.
- The Captain’s Corporation by Helen Sneddon (reprinted from Enter-comm #2) (The author is a great admirer of JTK, as is the editor, but when this poem was first published some people were upset by it, but it's meant tongue in cheek.) (3)
- Clair de Lune by Connie Faddis (reprinted from The Other Side of Paradise #1, also in Archives #1) (6)
- A Human Touch by Nancy Kippax (reprinted from Galactic Discourse #1) (11) (Kirk sits in vigil at the bedside of a seriously injured McCoy, his thoughts turn back to when he was the patient and first met the doctor.)
- For Auld Lang Syne by Wendy Rockburn (reprinted from Enter-comm #1) (27)
- Trial by Ordeal by Connie Faddis (reprinted from Interphase #2) (37)
- Visit to a Weird Planet by Jean Lorrah and Willard F. Hunt (RPF) (reprinted from Spockanalia #3) (66)
art from issue #5, Tim Groome
art from issue #5, Gerry Downes
art from issue #5, Tim Groome
art from issue #5, Roo
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5
See reactions and reviews for Trial by Ordeal.
Issue 6
Computer Playback 6 was published in 1982 and is 62 pages long. Art is by Lesley Crowther, Carol Hart, Ann Humphrey, and Tim Groome.
- an announcement of a Star Trek Writers' Workshop, July-2-4th 1982, Wigston Stage Hotel in Leicester, Leslie Fish was a guest, there was a filksing and an art show, attendees limited to 120
- Hero by Teri White (reprinted from The Turbolift Review #1) (a deathfic, warns the editor) (4)
- I Resign, poem by Susan Wyllie (reprinted from Saurian Brandy Digest, Issue #25) (10)
- Through A Glass, Darkly by Teri White (reprinted from The Turbolift Review #1) (12)
- Foreshadowing by Frankie Jemison (reprinted from Paradise) (a deathfic, warns the editor) (18)
- All Things Heal In Time by Ginna LaCroix (reprinted from The Turbolift Review #2, also in Trek Encore #2) (28)
- A Wilderness of Arctic Characteristics by Gerry Downes (reprinted from Stardate: Unknown #4) (50)
- Alternative Intrepid Incident by Anna Walker (reprinted from Archives #2) (56)
- many ads for K/S zines (62)
art from issue #6, Lesley Crowther
art from issue #6, Carol Hart
art from issue #6, Lesley Crowther
art from issue #6, Ann Humphrey
