Datazine/Issues 11-20

Issues 01-10 · Issues 11-20 · Issues 21-30 · Issues 31-40 · Issues 41-50 · Issues 51-63

Issue 11

front cover of issue #11, Stephen Clark

Forum 11 was published in April/May 1981 and contains 30 pages

• contains a listing for a Star Trek Amateur Press Association publication
• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" discusses the new no-frills trend in zines: "It's done as a way of holding down costs, but I can't help but think it also reflects the growing opinion that no art is better than printing mediocre stuff."
• a review of Sublight Reading #2, see that page
• a review of Owlflight, a science fiction and fantasy zine
• a review of Cheap Thrills, see that page
• a review of Enter-comm #4, see that page

Issue 12

front cover of issue #12, Leah Rosenthal

Forum 12 was published in May/July 1981 and contains 40 pages.

• this issue started a tradition adopted later by most media zines: editors identified fandoms not by spelling them out but by codes/initial. "ST" for Star Trek, and "SW" for Star Wars and so on.
• contains an annoucement by Teri Meyer that the sequel to Delta Triad would be named The Gallian
• Allyson Whitfield announces the publication of Comlink, co-edited by Carol Mularski
• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" discusses print shops and printing decisions regarding zine production
• a fan and a friend are selling a bunch of fanzines to buy gas to get to MediaWest* Con
• a review of Tales of Feldman, see that page
• two reviews of The Price and the Prize, see that page
• a review of Stellar Gas #2, see that page
• a review of The Battlestar Review, see that page
• a review of Spin Dizzie #5, see that page
• a review of Views of Intimation, see that page

Issue 13

front cover of issue #13, Stephen Clark

Forum 13 was published in July/August 1981 and contains 32 pages.

• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" discusses art in zines and "The Ten Suggestions for Artists"
• there are the usual notes from fans looking for other fans to send zine trib copies to, to request stories sent back to them that have not been chosen for zines, to communicate feedback... One fan wants photos of Leonard Nimoy in the bathtub in Catlow, and another fan declares she has split off from a former fellow zine editor who owes people money.
• a review of Duet #3, see that page
• a review of Trek Continuum #2, see that page
• a review of The Holmesian Federation #2, see that page
• a review of Stellar Gas #2, see that page
• a review of Twin Suns #2, see that page
• a review of Of Dreams and Schemes, see that page

Issue 14

front cover of issue #14, Stephen Clark

Forum 14 was published in August/October 1981 and contains 48 pages.

• from Boldly Writing:

  A letter from Maureen Garrett, director of the Star Wars fan club, appeared in Forum 14, and is notable because of the contrast between Lucasfilm's 'active and involved' policy on Star Wars fanzines, and Paramount's 'hands off' policy on Star Trek fanzines. In her letter, Maureen alleged that Lucasfilm had become aware of fanzine stories with "'Star Wars characters in x-rated, pornographic situations...we are going to insist on no pornography.' Many Star Wars fans protested, calling such an action 'censorship,' while other Star Wars fans, particularly ex-Star Trek fans who left because of K/S fanzines, applauded the action.

  Read more about this topic at Open Letter to Star Wars Zine Publishers.
• there is a note from Datazine's proof reader, Nancy Brown, who says this issue is the first one she's actually proof read as simply typing them took too much of her time and energy
• there is a "Final Statement of the 1981 Media Orientated Fan Fund" (Susan Matthews was the winner and she went to MediaWest*Con. There was also enough money to give a $100 honorarium to Pat Stall, the runner-up, which Pat used to go Shore Leave.)
• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" is about zine layout
• this issue has some lovely small art by Gee Moaven
• a review of the pro novel "The Entropy Effect" by Vonda McIntyre
• a review of Galactic Discourse #3, see that page
• a review of Something Hidden, see that page
• a review of Vault of Tomorrow #1, see that page

Issue 15

front cover of issue #15, Leah Rosenthal

Forum 15 was published in October/November 1981 and contains 20 pages.

• there is an annoucement that Nome #3 has been cancelled, see that page
• there is an annoucement that Saurian Brandy Digest #29 has been delayed due to a lack of paper; it has been on order for 12 weeks...
• there is an annoucement from two zine editors that say they have cancelled the zine, 'Istari Axandar.' Some of the money collected will be refunded, but not all of it, as they are both in bad financial shape, and some of the funds went to pay for emergency medical bills
• Susan Crites' column is not in this issue
• a review of Storms, see that page
• a review of APA Enterprise, see that page
• a review of The Princess Tapes, see that page
• a review of Out of Bounds, see that page
• a review of R & R #15, see that page
• a review of Menage a Trois, see that page

Issue 16

front cover of issue #16, Stephen Clark

Forum 16 was published in November/January 1981/1982 and contains 40 pages.

• Maureen Garrett sends another letter which states: "We hope you understand that our policy is an exercise in OWNERSHIP not censorship...Lucasfilm supports the publication of Star Wars fanzines."
• In response to these letters, Jani Hicks writes: "Due to the move by Lucasfilm to attempt prior restraint and censorship of Star Wars fanzines, I will not be publishing, editing, writing, illustrating, or buy any professional or amateur Star Wars products after the appearance of Twin Suns 3 in May of 1982."
• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" discusses zine production and layout
• a review of The Captain's Woman #3, see that issue
• a review of The Farthest Star #2, see that page
• a review of Stardate #10, see that page
• a review of TREKisM at Length #2, see that page
• a well-known Star Trek: TOS fan, [S E], has this printed in the "Personal Statements" section:

  As God IS, and is my Witness; as sure a JOHN 3:16 does appear in EVERY translation of His Holy Bible, the reason why I have been out-of-sight and sound for so long is this: I made a near-fatal error the summer of 1980 by touching an Ouija board -- to find an idea for a story; thought I knew better and had been warned by good friends. I've regretted that ever since, for I encountered an invisible-ranging thing there -- one who claimed to be a 'good guide' who had given its soul to Christ AFTER death. The great love I bear for all -- especially agape love -- made me hope the message was true. Eventually, though, my answer was BULLFEATHERS! To THAT! The result of my rashness was a serious illness... but not insanity. Thank God, I was spared what others have suffered. A recent paperback, 'You Cannot Die,' tells of horrors I never saw nor encountered. Read that to find out what I escaped. If anyone manages to find my phone number and asks for details, I WILL hang up on them. I will also refuse to answer any written inquires. Rest assured, I'm all right, and have been for a long time... Thanks for your patience and your attention. Also, many of you out there helped me through my trial. You know who you are and what you did -- Let this be my thanks. We do remember you in our prayers. [Another well-known fan, name redacted] sends her regards, too.

Issue 17

front cover of issue #17, Stephen Clark

Forum 17 was published in January/February 1982 and contains 41 pages.

• Nancy Brown comes on board as editor/publisher
• there is a long, long letter from Leslie Fish which takes on Maureen Garrett's Open Letter to Star Wars Zine Publishers. She calls it "An Open Letter to Maureen Garrett"
• this issue contains a copy of a letter that Lucasfilm sent to two zine editors. It quibbles about what constitutes offensive content, and requests that the editors send four issues of the zine to Lucasfilm: "bill us for three and send one gratuitously. The latter becomes part of the Lucasfilm Archives."
• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" writes of rub-on, also known as "dry transfer," letters on zine
• there are 53 all-Trek gen or het zines listed, and 2 K/S zines listed
• a review of several issues of Variations on a Theme, see that page
• a review of Cordrazine see that page
• a review of a vampirism and necrophilia booklet called "Undinal Songs"
• an announcement for Bloomn'Con, a Star Trek con held July 2-5, 1982 in Bloomington, MN

Issue 18

front cover of issue #18, Stephen Clark

Forum 18 was published in March/April 1982 and contains 44 pages.

• "They Laughed When She Sat Down at the Typewriter" is a very technical, detailed overview of zine layout. It includes the comment: "Recently I noticed a new tidbit of information, the calculation of cost per page of a zine included in a review, and I hope this becomes a trend."
• a fan responds to the Maureen Garrett's letter:

  I have read some of these stories and hardly find them [porn].... The failure to set a standard of what is and isn't porn is hardly likely to inspire fans to be willing to follow guidelines that do not exist. I have the impression that [Lucasfilm] expected to be allowed to judge what we write after it's published and then decide if it's porn or not. This won't do; you cannot expect fans to wait for you to decide on a whim what is and is not acceptable. Zine editors set standards for their zines, and [Lucasfilm] has to be will to do the same, not go after people when they refuse to follow guidelines that do not exist. Either give us a clear set of ruls or give up of this talk of going after alleged porno stories. I would suggest the latter; any other action will only do severe damage to you. You will bet the one who started the attack on fandom and are doing everything you can to make it hard on us. It's you, and people like you, that do the most damage by trying to decide what we can and cannot read. This kind of attitude does not belong anywhere near fandom.

• a review of R & R #15, see that page
• a review of Free Spacer's Press, a general science fiction zine with a strong emphasis on the short story, see that page

Issue 19

front cover of issue #19, Leah Rosenthal

Forum 19 was published in April/June 1982 and contains 44 pages.

• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" is a column discussing the nitty gritty of zine layout and production
• a review of Transition, see that page
• a review of The Ninth Quadrant, see that page

Issue 20

front cover of issue #20, Cathy Schlein

Forum 20 was published in July/August 1982 and contains 32 pages.

• the editors apologize for the late issue. One reason was they are "in the process of putting all the listings on a Word Processor."

• "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Typewriter" is a column discussing the nitty gritty of zine layout and production
• a review of Dimension 4, see that page
• a review of Eternal Triangle #2, see that page
• a fan makes a personal statement:

  Some of the readers of Chris (Star Trek: TOS newsletter) (a newsletter for Chapel-Christine/Spock fans) will be tying to get out-of-print C-C/S stories to one another by way of the information in my newsletter. The information column I run each month will have names of those wishing to exchange materials. It will also run the strong suggestion that they track down and contact the authors/editors for permission before xeroxing anything and that no money change hands beyond the cost of copy, postage, etc. Most of the authors I know would not mind this, however, if you have written C-C/S materials that you do not wish to be copied at cost... please let me know. I will then list specific authors who do not wish their materials copied. Of course, I can not assure that my suggestion will be heeded. That, must remain up to the personal integrity of the fan.

• a review of a video game called "Star Tilt!":

  It's no secret that videogmaes are IN. This is a source of ecnomic dismay to owners of pinball machines, which are on their way OUT. So naturally they are trying hard to at least hang onto a portion of the market. One way of doing so is to go for media appeal, which brings us to the subject of this review -- the Star Trek pinball machine... To play this wonder of our electronic age, one merely drops in a quarter, which causes the game to toot the opening bars of the TV show theme, sounding like a Moog synthesizer whittled down to harmonica sound.