Deceptive Journey

Zine
Title:	Deceptive Journey
Publisher:	De-Van Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Lynda Vandiver & Joyce Devine
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	April 1984
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Wars
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

cover by Bonnie Burns

Deceptive Journey is a Star Wars 78-page novel by Joyce Devine and Lynda Vandiver. The art is by Bonnie Burns.

Summaries

[from an ad]: Legal cargo hauls were so unexciting. or so Han Solo thought. He had been wrong before.

[from a flyer]:

Live with Han Solo through one of his earlier adventures before Star Wars.

Join him on the planet of Pyrine: "The Only thing we can do now if find a fast buck, buy a new power cell and get off this rock." The anthropoid growled again... this time a warning. The man laughed slapping his partner on the back. "Don't worry. How much trouble could we get into a place like this?"

Explore Chrystaline; its beauty belies its dangers: His darting eyes could see beneath the landing gear to his co-pilot's mammoth legs grappling for a stance on the slick surface. Looking around the ship, he could see Chewie had both arms raised, muscles straining to ward off his attacker. "My God," thought Han, "How big was this thing?"

The deception unfolds aboard the ADI: "Wouldn't it be unfortunate that the one with the most questions experienced the answers," Han's eyes narrowed on Trillon. He shifted his gaze to Chewie who acknowledged with a faint nod. A threat of any kind never went unheeded by his co-pilot friend.

Escape to Tizon and the, one place where Han Solo KNOWS what he's doing: "From the squareness of their shoulders, he was sure they all had blasters leveled on him. Anger shot through him; he should have known LarHew would be well guarded. It was the oldest game in the book and he had fallen for it."

Zine's Dedication

This fictional endeavor is dedicated to the most mysterious, wonderful, and mischievous character ever given "life".... HAN SOLO.

And to Mr. George Lucas who's genious [sic] has enriched all our "fantasy" lives. Thank you for allowing us the priviledge [sic] of playing in your seemingly limitless "back yard."

[snipped]

This publication in no way intends to infringe upon the copyrighted productions upon which this fannish work is based. We did it for fun.

Editorials: "Why Have You Stolen My Money??????"

There are two editorials in the zine, one from Joyce and one from Lynda.

Joyce's editorial has a focus of zineds who don't send fans the zines they paid for:

Hi, it seems right to start off by saying THANK YOU! You trusted us or rather good a shot in the dark on unknown authors and bought this zine. Your interest in our work is the best motivation I know for what we've done.

There's mistakes. I saw them when I was typing the final master but there comes a day when you say "this is it, we print." If Uncle George had "perfected" STAR WARS before it was ever filmed, we wouldn't be here today. I sincerely hope that you can find something good and entertaining within the pages of this zine. I you do, it was worth it.

I don't do LOCs to letterzines but this is my own publication soooooo......

WHY HAVE YOU STOLEN MY MONEY??????

Not all of you are at fault, most of you truly know the meaning of honesty but --- and it's an expensive [missing word/s] but --- some of you are thieves. I realize this is a hobby but when money exchanges hands for the delivery of goods or services it becomes a business even if it is non-profit.

How many times has someone told me Harrison Ford's biggest appeal was his everyday, common, HONEST attraction as a general all around good guy. Would Harrison steal? Then why, if we're so devoted to Harrison, do we steal from each other? ---- payments for zines that never happen/purchases of goods that never arrived--- You know, it's a shame when we profess be to in fandom because of a dedication to an actor and his creations, then we don't even follow his standard of decency.

The entire STAR WARS trilogy rests on a foundation of love and loyalty while the people of fandom steal, backbite..... I rest my case.

Lynda's editorial doesn't have as much as an ax to grind:

I never dreamed when I first "discovered" fanzines that I would ever be on the writing end of an editorial. I'm sure many zine editors thought the same thing when they started. There will be things I'll wish I had said and things I'll wish I hadn't said.

One fact I am certain of; during the two years we've worked on "Journey": the writing, rewriting, having it edited, finding an artist, advertising, making flyers, missing deadlines, having the artist renege on artwork, finding a new artist, resetting deadlines, the final typing, SASEs with deposits we are responsible for, finding a printer we could afford, etc. on and on. I know I have gained a TREMENDOUS amount of respect for zine editors. Now "I KNOW" what you go through! The experience was worth it.

[snipped]

The one question that we have been asked over and over is: "How can two writers work on one story?" We're not the only writers who have collaborated on a piece of work, but you have to have an honest and open exchange of ideas, some give and take and some fights, ha. There was only one area where we thought we weren't going to "weather the storm." Then George Lucas comes up and does the same thing in RETURN OF THE JEDI!!!! Oh well, so much for justification in fiction.

Although we've had other pieces, written jointly and separately, published, this is our first one-shot. There are errors, flaws and what ever else it takes to make up an amateur endeavor. I'm sure readers will spot our literary shortcomings.

[snipped]

In two years, that I have been reading zines, I've enjoyed the stories, poems, prose, cartoons, artwork and other creative endeavors by everyone. Some I've loved, some I hated, some made me cry, some made me laugh ro think, but ALL made me enjoy fan fiction. Such creative and talented authors. I'll never have the opportunity to meet or thank everyone so I'd like to do so here. "Thank you for adding a new dimension to my reading pleasure."

Sample Interior

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Reactions and Reviews

This is a story about Han Solo (in his pre-ANH career) and a mean, callous, bitchy law-abiding pilot. Desperate for cash, Han takes on a legal run with her (with an alias persona, Captain Dannon). When he learns that this impossible woman, named Mirage, is going to be his boss during the mission, his ego is of course in a tizzy. Mirage, after all, has the gall to dish out everything he gives to her. She immediately gets under his skin by committing the heinous crime of complaining about his ship taking up so much space in the docking bay, leaving little room for her own vehicle to land and, not incidentally, causing some danger to both ships and herself. Han, of course, doesn't care about such things. Mirage is a bad little girl who takes her command seriously and won't stand for any of Han's arrogant shenanigans. The cargo is, after all, precious and the mission quite important. Instead of speaking softly and deferring to his wishes, Mirage does as she wants. She can't talk to him in any way but through sarcasm (tough, independent women are like that, you know— heartless, insensitive, cold, unfeeling). But when Han tells her exactly what she is ("You're the most interfering, obnoxious, bossy, contrary... maddening, conceited, self-centered, domineering, pig-headed female I've ever met in my life"), she falls apart and shows her true womanly colors. She cries, admits that she's all those things "and more" and falls into the Great God Solo's arms and his lips: "Mirage was shocked to find herself wanting to return his kiss. She had never allowed her emotions to surface like this. She was still held leisurely in the fold of his arm. Oh, how she longed to remain there, to rest her head on his chest in a kind of peace she" d never known before, to put aside the duties she'd sworn to uphold." (Independent women are like that—they hide emotions and pretend to be independent when all they're looking for is just a Solo to whisk them away from their feigned commitments and to keep them for himself.)

So begins Mirage's education. When they arrive at a decontamination station, they meet a beautiful, soft, fragile, submissive floosy called Joylyn and Mirage begins to see the error of her ways; "Joylyn seemed so regal, so graceful and friendly; not at all the contemptuous woman Mirage thought her to be upon their first meeting.. . Perhaps it was the warmth of her manner. Mirage sensed experience in the older woman, experience she wished was hers." This supposedly wise woman later tries to kill Han and Mirage because her fiance (a real lout, head of the decontam station) is killed by Han. After all, she's wise enough to realize that she has nothing to live for witnout her man, her protector. Mirage wants Han to ogle her the same way he ogles Joylyo so the latter sets about to paint her [Mirage's] face and give her a sexy gown to make her look more feminine, to please Solo: "Men's attentions had not fit into her plans, until now." She does indeed please Solo and therefore becomes worthy of his lustful attentions: "The strong-willed independent pilot had been transformed into a fragile, delicate female..." While he's ogling her and she's basking in this objectification, their cargo is being stolen and poison gas canisters are being secreted in their ships.

Never fear, they do escape unscathed and Mirage, now properly submissive ("Mirage was pleased that Dannon found her attractive. She did not want him upset with her now') cooks for Han and Chewie while they do the important man's work of repairing the Falcon. She is, of course, a great cook, as all women really are underneath. Mirage now begins to doubt her career choice. Han has shown her that she can be very happy having a man like him to depend on.

There's quite a lot more of this. There are scenes where Mirage falls apart and Solo says things like, "You did the best you could, honey. I'm proud of you." This is a trained, experienced pilot and security agent, yet Han does everything she should be doing and she fouls up at nearly everything she initiates. Then, of course, there's the worn-out ruse that forces Mirage to pose as a prostitute to complete her mission (which she doesn't do—Han does). This is usually the only solution possible and a great way to humble these "big-mouthed hussies."

Most of the second half of the story has Han expending a great deal of energy protecting Mirage. Everyone in this universe is sexist. Han acts as if he has never met a tough woman pilot before (or any woman pilot). Even Chewie doesn't trust Mirage to succeed in the mission because she is a woman. The people at the decontam station have never seen a woman pilot, so her sudden appearance is a big deal and the cause of a great deal of predictable sexist comments. It is Mirage who has to change if she wants a relationship with Han Solo, the man who rebukes her geniunely warm and caring offer of help when he is injured because 'the day will never come when I need a WOMAN'S help." Mirage becomes worthy of him when she admits she needs Han. (Such women are, of course, deviants because they refuse to admit they would be much happier being dependent on a man.) Finally, she resigns from her job to be with him. To the authors' credit. Mirage explains her decision as: "I want a chance at the galaxy, a chance to learn to laugh, to love, to experience living." This implies she wants freedom and independence from her job and that Han has shown her this freedom. This is a good element of growth but the overriding message is that she's given up her goals and training for him, and it strikes too close to all those old movies that ended with the tough female reporters seeing the errors of their ways and settling down to be a wife and mother, as one of the hookers (you know, one of those with "the heart of gold") tells Mirage when she leaves with Han: "You got a chance the rest of us only dream of. Make it work." Then, too, Han himself is too arrogant and chauvinistic, too damned conceited. Cocky he is, but he's not this unpleasant.

I generally avoid using sarcasm in my reviews but this novel had so many blatant, worn-out cliches about women that it begged for it. And that's frustrating because Devine and Vandiver can write. Their prose is clear, well-developed, vivid, fluid, and they are masters at creating a setting, characterization, however, is not their strong point (action is) and Han is elevated to literal godhood (a particular sore point with me in much of SW fanfic). To present him as someone unable and unwilling to give and take in a deep relationship does him no justice and does women even less. Han is gorgeous and a fine character, but if he can't bend his impossible expectations, then he's worthy of no woman.

[an addendum to the review in Southern Enclave #5]: One of the authors of this zine rightly pointed out that I should have paid a little more attention to the actual adventure of this novel. The adventure itself offers some fine ideas: mysterious deaths of ships and crews have occurred around a particular decontamination station. Han and Mirage stop there and run into quite a few problems. The pacing of the action combined with the periods of rest in between make for a fine, flowing read. The problem is that the main theme—the budding relationship between the two main characters— is handled in such a one-sided way that it keeps intruding onto the enjoyment of the adventure. The art offered in this zine is also badly reproduced.