Docking Bay

Zine
Title:	Docking Bay
Publisher:
Editor(s):	Cyndi Hartman
Date(s):	October 1981-1984
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Wars
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Docking Bay is a gen Star Wars zine. Later issues contain some Indiana Jones stories.

The zine ran for five issues.

Issue 1

front cover of issue #1, Dot Sasscer

Docking Bay 1 was published in October 1981 and has 98 pages.

The art is by Gee Moaven, Kathy Moore, Carol McPherson, Sue Campbell, Dot Sasscer. The cartoons are by Dot Sasscer, with the animated flies of Cathye Faraci, illustrating her favorite scenes from "Fly Wars", "The Empire Flies Back" and (natch) "Raiders of the Lost Fly."

Inside the zine, the publication month is September, on the cover it says October.

From the zine: "(Hoping someday to make it to #94...)..." and "Dedicated to Harry Chapin, a very special man, marvelous performer and good friend. Your lyrics mean a lot to us, Harry. Thanks for everything."

From the zine: "If anyone knows (and surely someone out there must?) anything about the unauthorized collection of Susan Matthews' work coming out of Inclination Press in Tucson, Arizona, please contact Susan immediately at [address redacted]. This collection is being printed without the permission of any writer, artist, or editor concerned, and it could hurt Susan's chances of being published professionally. However, the collection being prepared by the Phantom Press in Ramsey, New Jersey, is authorized and does have the consent from everyone involved. In other words, the New Jersey collection is perfectly legal, the Arizona one is definitely not. Please contact Susan if you have any information on the latter."

From the editorial:

Allow me to introduce myself, I'm a Capricorn and I've been in fandom since 1978, You see, I didn't want

to go see STAR WARS and finally had to he literally dragged into the theater by a friend who later discovered that she had created a monster.

[snipped]

Now I gotta talk about RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, I've become its biggest fan in Rockford (I don't know if that's saying a lot or not), and I love it as much as, and probably more than, STAR WARS or THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The result of all this being that I will print RAIDERS material in this 'here zine if it's good. Hear that, writers? I can't print what I don't have, so submit something! That doesn't mean that I won't print the usual STAR WARS stuff. The Guidelines for any submitted fiction: type it (have you ever seen an untyped final manuscript?) and. single-space it. Yes, I said single. Eyestrain notwithstanding, it's a heck of a lot easier to estimate how long the story'll be in the zine if the manuscript is single-spaced, I will accept double, if you already have it done that way, but single is easier on me. Any type of fiction will be looked at -- action, romance, philosophical stuff, whatever, I'm trying to keep a variety, I'm also looking for poetry and the like, also unusual things like articles, Artist, send some samples of your work, and I'm sure I'll find something for you to do, (Chances are you'll be sorry you asked,) Always include return postage with any correspondence, I ain't rich.

Future columns in DOCKING BAY include a penpal list ing and an LoC section. For the former, just send any information about yourself; no real guidelines on that. For the latter, I welcome any comments, good or bad, on this issue of DOCKING BAY, I not only welcome them, I need them. Please write me a letter! I take criticism very well, after the initial crying session...anyway, I will print good letters automatically unless you don't want me too -- tell me this, I'll also print addresses, since I believe in fannish

communication. Tell me if you don't want that, too, I'd. also like to hear comments on what people out there think of RAIDERS, or anything else. How about a bloopers section, being the bloopers fan that I am, I'm waiting to hear from you!

• Fly in the Ointment by J.A. Berger, art by Gee Moaven (On a rebel mission to transport medical supplies, Han becomes gravely ill. Can Luke help him in time?) (4)
• Gimme, filk to the tune of "You Don't Bring me Flowers, by Marcy Robin (of the L.A. Filkharmonics) (28)
• Yoda Wept, poem by Jan Gaut, art by Kathy Moore (29)
• More Than Meets the Eye by Marcia Brin, art by Carol McPherson (Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica (1978)) (30)
• Droid of Constant Sorrow, filk to the tune of "Man of Constant Sorrow," by Anne Wilson, art by Kathy Moore (of the L.A. Filkharmonics) (42)
• Sanctuary... A Single Act by Irene Shafer, by Irene Shafer, art by Sue Campbell (43)
• The Bystander, poem by Karen Miller, art by Kathy Moore (57)
• A Power Passing, poem by M.H. Loughlin, art by Kathy Moore (58)
• Vader's Grey Shadow by Rhiemmenth, art by Dot Sasscer (61)
• The Others (ads) (91)
• front cover by Dot Sasscer

• 

  art from issue #1, Gee Moaven

• 

  art from issue #1, Gee Moaven

• 

  art from issue #1, Dot Sasscer

• 

  art from issue #1, Kathy Moore

• 

  art from issue #1, detail from a page, Kathy Moore

• 

  art from issue #1, Sue Campbell

• 

  art from issue #1, Dot Sasscer

• 

  art from issue #1, Carol McPherson

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

I've just finished DB #1 and I think it was very good indeed. The stories were all excellent but "More Than Meets the Eye" was one of the most original pieces I've seen in a long time. Marcia had me fooled right up to the very end. A very good job. My favorite piece of poetry was "The Bystander", but the best part of the zine was the cartoons...Cathye Faraci's "Raiders of the Lost Fly" was perfect! She is definitely not a fly-by-night talent.... The art was as good as any I've seen. Moaven and Sasscer know their stuff. I have only one complaint, and that's the binding. It doesn't stay together well. I don't know if there's anything you can do about this. Maybe some kind of transparent tape on top of whatever glue you're using would help. [The editor responds]: I tried that and it does work; also staples—the zine is thin enough so most staplers will work. I think I won't use that binding again.)

I just received DB #1 and I think it is greatl The stories were really interesting and very well written. The artists were all superb! The cartoons were crazy and the zine was altogether fantastic... I really thought Marcia Brin's story combining BSG with SW ["More Than Meets the Eye"] was very intriguing. I loved BSG and SW, so combining the two was superl I congratulate you, Marcia, on a very good story...

At long last, I'm getting around to writing you and saying how much I enjoyed DB #1. That is one nice zine. Whoever J.A. Berger is, she's great. She has an incredible knack for dialogue. It's gotten to the point that, if any zine has one of her stories I buy it. I've never been disappointed yet.... Here's my blanket comment: I like DB #1 a whole lot. J.A. Berger's piece ["A Fly in the Ointment'] was my favorite, but everything had merit.

DB #1 is a lovely debut production with a straightforward layout, entertaining stories and exquisite, clear reproductions, especially of artwork. (The printing of my illustrations [for "A Fly in the Ointment"] was one of the best I have seen, including that of higher budget zines!) I was quite taken by Marcia Brin's "More Than Meets the Eye", which was an absolutely ingenius story that managed to provide a delightful explanation of the Empire's corruption using the components of the "Battlestar Galactica" universe (and the gorgeous Captain Apollo) as tools. It showed refreshing wit and imagination and may well become one of my favorite SW vignettes for its sheer cleverness.

I also enjoyed Irene Shafer's "Sanctuary", which was a very sensitive, touching explanation of Luke's past and highly noteworthy for the fact that it maintains Luke's innocence in the face of the disgusting onslaught of 'Vader-ls-Luke's-father' stories. Of course, my very favorite story was J.A. Berger's "A Fly in the Ointment" for its exciting plot, fine style and high entertainment value, but I really shouldn't say that as her obviously biased artist! Mrs. Berger Is a constantly fine writer and she proves her talent once again with this story. I must also compliment Dot Sasscer for her beautiful cover illustration of Han, and Carol McPherson for her fine rendition of Apollo and Leia on page 39.

All in all, DB was a highly entertaining and commendable first Issue and I'm very pleased to have been a part of it.

I thought DB #1 was fine, although I wasn't crazy about "Vader's Gray Shadow"..."More Than Meets the Eye"...I liked because of who Trant turned out to be. But the part where everyone meets the Emperor was a little hokey, I thought. It was too simple a meeting. Also, I'm not really fond of mixed universes and hope you don't go that route... "A Fly in the Ointment", I thoroughly enjoyed. It was entertaining and had just that touch of mystery. Nice art too, but then I'm not surprised—both the story and the illos were penned by familiar names. The other things I liked about #1, and hope to see in #2, were the animated flies, Sludge and the binding. Those flies are great! I get a real kick every time I see one...a great idea. Sludge was funny also. I like zines with touches of humor. You know, I've seen Dot's work in other zines and somehow her illos for "Vader's Gray Shadow" seemed incomplete; hurried or something... I don't know exactly what, but it did help the story. Looking forward to more good stuff from you; DB looks like a winner.

Issue 2

cover of issue #2, Cathye Faraci

Docking Bay 2 was published in May 1982 and has 112 pages.

The front cover is by Cathye Faraci, and the interior art is by Faraci, Alicia Maria Priore, Carol McPherson, Sue Campbell, J.A. Low, Yvonne Zan, and Lin Stack.

There was to have been a back cover by Gee Moaven, but as per comments by the editor in the next issue, this art was was non-existent: "Timing and Post Awful complications kept it from getting here, and I just plain forgot to white it out from the ToC. I apologize to those who were looking forward to seeing it (and who wasn't?)."

From the editorial, some zine housekeeping:

I suppose I should outline my editorial policy, which isn't very complicated, hardly a policy at all. I follow Lucasfilm's guidelines, period. I'm always open to look at submissions of SW or Raiders material, and Galactica, too. I'm considering adding yet another subject to the zine (I ain't telling what it is until I decide whether I'm going to or not), but am sort of balking from it for fear of becoming too varied. Comments, anyone? Anjrway, please do submit your creative work to me; there's always a time that lasts a few weeks or so when I'm in an absolute panic because there's no material to speak of for the next issue. That time usually passes quite soon as friends come to my rescue, but I don't want to use the same names again and again, ok? Please include return postage with any submission, I promise to answer you within a few days; I'm rather good at that, if I do say so myself. (And I do.)

There will usually be some delays in mailing after the printing date. I'm on an extremely limited budget, and most of the money from advance orders goes to pay the printer. So I can't mail out copies until more money comes in, from convention sales and my own paychecks. Then I go straight down the list (more or less), mailing as my wallet fills up (consequently emptying the wallet again). So if your friend has her copy but you don't, don't panic; it just means you're further down the list. I got all the copies of DB #1 mailed within six weeks of printing, and will try to shave that down for this issue, which shouldn't be too hard, what with MediaWest sales and full-time (hopefully) summer jobs. When it comes to cashing checks, I don't necessarily wait, as some zines do, until right before printing to go to the bank. My balance tends to float dangerously close to the minimum, so I have to keep money in there. Hence, I cash checks as they come in, so when you get your check returned, don't assume the zine will be coming soon too, 'cause it ain't necessarily so. Another advantage to this method: the area around my desk is usually a Mess (it's organized, honest, but things sometime disappear mysteriously. But it is organized....) Having the money in the bank is safer than having it haphazardly flung in my top desk drawer. Anyway, if the delay between Check Returned and Zine in Mailbox seems

unreasonably long, feel free to SASE me and I'll tell you how the issue's going and what the latest, revised estimate of the printing date is.

From the editorial, regarding the fly illos:

The most asked question these past months has got to be "What's the story behind the flies?", so I'll tell it, for all you curious people out there. You see, I was tickled by the fly that buzzes into Belloq's mouth in the canyon scene in Raiders. That little monster really got to me. [snipped]. Cathye Faraci seemed the right artist to draw what I had in mind, so I approached her with the idea and — lo and behold! — she somehow came up with exactly what I wanted! A true meeting of the minds. Now she includes various flies in most of her letters, and I'm building a collection. The Millennium Flycon seen on my stationery and address labels is now The Official Mascot, and then there's Flybacca, Indiana Fly, Luke Flywalker (that name worked well, didn't it!) and many more. Keep it up, Cathye, and may the Flies be with you!

From the editorial, about the fiction:

We start out with Rhiemmenth's "Mission to Miopav", which should thrill Luke fans. It's to be continued in DB #3, illustrated by Cathye again. I think this story shows Cathye's talents as a serious artist as well as the cartooning talent she's shown us with the flies.

"Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" is rather different than the run-from-the-Imps story. In fact, I don't think there's an Imperial in sight in the whole tale! A refreshing change of pace!

"Snakes and Roses" is DB's first Raiders story, and I hope an example to other writers to submit some to me. Eva does meticulous research for her stories, and it shows.

"Next Stop: Tatooine" almost made me change my attitude towards Lando. Almost. Nice try, Susan. Carol McPherson came up with some wonderful illos for it that let me be creative in doing layout, and I think the whole thing turned out pretty well. I hope to be able to include more things like this in the future.

"Milk Run" is part of a larger series of stories with Sharra Kerevan. Anyone interested in learning more about them — most are unpublished, I think write me and I'll pass it on to Linda.

Some coincidences came up when I was doing layout. For one thing, there seem to be quite a few swimming scenes around; this was not intentional. The shortage of Leia wasn't either, I assure you. (She makes a few guest appearances in about two stories, but that's the extent of it.) There will be a bit more of her in #3, but not all I'd like. Please, someone, submit Leia. (Stories, I mean, though I wouldn't object to the actual Princess appearing in my mailbox!)

• LOCs (5)
• Mission to Miopav, by Rhiemmenth, art by Cathye Faraci ("On a mission, Luke meets up with a little girl who just might be the one everyone's looking for!") (Star Wars) (7)
• The Splendor, poem by Alicia Maria Priore (Star Wars) (22)
• The Challenge, poem by Irene Schafer, art by Carol McPherson (Star Wars) (23)
• Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime by Karen Miller, aret by Sue Campbell ("Luke couldn't have had a chance to learn how to swim on Tatooine — Han's out to change that.") (Star Wars) (25)
• The Last Flight by Marcia Brin, art by Carol McPherson (Battlestar Galactica (1978)) (44)
• Soliloquy on Starbuck, poem by Joni Gillespie, art by Gee Moaven (Battlestar Galactica (1978)) (47)
• Snakes and Roses by Eva Albertsson, art by J.A. Low (Indiana Jones) (49)
• Next Stop: Tatooine, poem by Susan Matthews, art by Carol McPherson (Star Wars) (61)
• Milk Run by Linda Shadle, art by Lin Stack ("A simple mission turns into something more than Han and Chewie bargained for.") (Star Wars) (65)
• The Others (ads) (107)

• 

  from issue #2, Carol McPherson for "The Challenge"

• 

  from issue #2, Cathye Faraci

• 

  from issue #2, Cathye Faraci

• 

  from issue #2, Cathye Faraci

• 

  from issue #2, Carol McPherson

• 

  from issue #2, Lin Stack

• 

  from issue #2, Judith Low

• 

  from issue #2, Gee Moaven

• 

  from issue #2, Judith Low

• 

  from issue #2, Sue Campbell

• 

  from issue #2, Sue Campbell

• 

  from issue #2, Sue Campbell

• 

  from issue #2, Carol McPherson

Issue 3

front cover of issue #3, Cathye Faraci

back cover of issue #3, Wanda Lybarger

Docking Bay 3 was published in October 1982 and has 122 pages.

The art is by Cathye Faraci (front cover), Yvonne Zan, Dianne Wickes, D.R. Drake, Mary Stacy-MacDonald, Virginia Rogers, Wanda Lybarger (back cover), and Carol McPherson.

From the editorial, regarding letters of comment:

You'll notice that there's no LoC column in this issue. I decided to omit it in favor of meeting deadline and getting some sleep. And that raises a question: does anyone really care if there is a column or not? If enough people want it, I'll put it back in. Feedback appreciated. In any case, I do send all of your comments on to the writers and artists, and they love hearing them (at least, those who said any thing about them said they loved them; the rest didn't say anything), so don't let the lack of a column keep you from sending those letters. Maybe you'll be even more likely to send one without a column, knowing that the only people who'll read them are the contributor and me, and we don't even care if they're wonderfully written or grammatically correct or even literate. A simple "Like it" or "Ugh" will do.

From the editorial, regarding the third movie in the series and the next issue's publication:

DOCKING BAY #4 will come out a little earlier than the usual late May, for a good reason. I had a choice: put the issue out before ROTJ, or wait until enough writers submitted things after ROTJ, 'cause who wants to read pre-Revenge material immediately after it comes out? I opted for the former choice and decided to make it a special issue. It'll come out in April (it will come out in April!) and will contain all of the Let's-go-rescue-Han and Who-is-the-Other and Luke's-Parentage stories that any writer wants to get into print before May 25th. Some of you may groan at this (I think I hear you now); yes, I know you're sick and tired of these types of stories! But try to think of it this way: it'll be your last chance to read new material of this type before all those wonderful speculations get squashed by The Truth. Your last chance to sit by the fire and read an Other story and be able to sit back and think "Hmmmm. I wonder if it could be...." or read a Parentage story and be able to say "Hey, maybe she's right; it certainly is a good idea." Because after May 25th you'll know if she was right or not, and it won't be fun anymore. There'll be plenty of time for post-Revenge stories this summer; let's enjoy the speculations while we can.

• Pav's Justice by Rhiemmeuth (The sequel to "Mission to Miopav" has Flassia mysteriously disappeared. Luke must find her before Vader does.) (Star Wars) (4)
• Love Lines, poem by Doris Telford (Star Wars) (24)
• Contained Reaction, poem by Bernie Davenport (25)
• Bloodstripe by Carol-Lynne Sappe (A story of young Han's adventures as an officer in Corellian Star Fleet; how does he manage to get in so much trouble?) (Star Wars) (28)
• Storytime Magic by Jean L. Stevenson (Indiana Jones) (28)
• Threnody by Irene Shafer (Indiana Jones) (57)
• I Know, poem by Sherry Magee (Star Wars) (72)
• Conundrum, poem by Jean L. Stevenson (Star Wars) (75)
• Galactic Tongues, article by Eva Albertsson (Star Wars) (76)
• The Ghost and Captain Solo by Kay Crist (Han Solo doesn't believe in ghosts, right? So what do you think happens when he meets one?) (Star Wars) (80)
• Night Thoughts, poem by Kay Crist (Star Wars) (1)
• Excerpts from the Alliance Manual on Imperial Ground Forces by Mark Walton (Star Wars) (93)
• Quadraphonic Symphony, poem by Laury Barnes (Star Wars) (98)
• The Long Way Home by Marcia Brin (In this alternate universe story, Vader captures Han after Bespin and Han discovers more than he counted on, but can he escape?) (Star Wars) (99)
• The Others (ads) (119)

• 

  art from issue #3, Cathye Faraci

• 

  art from issue #3, Cathye Faraci

• 

  art from issue #3, Dianne Wickes

• 

  art from issue #3, D.R. Drake

• 

  art from issue #3, D.R. Drake

• 

  art from issue #3, Mary Stacy-MacDonald (Marion from Indiana Jones)

• 

  art from issue #3, Cathye Faraci

• 

  art from issue #3, Virginia Rogers

• 

  art from issue #3, Carol McPherson

• 

  art from issue #3, Yvonne Zan

• 

  art from issue #3, Mary Stacy-MacDonald (Marion from Indiana Jones)

• 

  art from issue #3, Yvonne Zan

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

Docking Bay #3, edited by Cyndi Hartman, offers a generous selection of Star Wars stories, two Raiders of" the Lost Ark stories, two articles, miscellaneous Star Wars poems, and a few cartoons. In terms of sheer quantity, the zine's worth the investment. Let me start off looking at the Star Wars stories, since those predominate and I am most heavily into Star Wars myself. Marcia Brin's offering is "The Long Way Home," based on the premise that Han Solo, not Luke Skywalker, is Darth Vader's son. Now, before anyone becomes unduly agitated about my giving away Marcia'. plot, the revelation of Han's paternity in this story is a given, and therein, I feel, lies the story's flaw. Many a fannish argument has revolved around why Darth Vader pursues the Millennium Falcon from Hoth when Luke Skywalker is right over the next ridge. Inevitably, the argument comes around to the idea that Vader is reading a Force-sensitive on the ship. Given Han's abilities as a pilot and his phenomenal "luck," he is as logical a candidate for Force sensitivity as any of the others-he may even be Vader's son, for all we know-but once so intimate a relationship is established between Han and Vader, Marcia, I feel, is obliged to explore it. It is not enough to use it merely as an explanation for Han's rather mysterious past or his Force sensitivity. All of the Star Wars characters, no matter who our favorites are, have an unnerving habit of taking over our stories. Marcia, having postulated a relationship between Han and Vader, must tell Vader's story. The logic of the story demands it. When she refuses to, "The Long Way Home" turns into nothing more than a description of Han's getting the Force, an experience he puts to very little use in the story. In short, Marcia's story fails because she has chosen the wrong story to tell. One possibility would have been to tell the story of the revelation. A better choice would have been to tell the story that wanted telling-that of Han's relationship to Vader, and Vader's to Han. "Pav's Justice" by Rhiemmenth is the story of Luke's rescue of the eight-year-old empath Flasia from the evil clutches of Darth Vader. I object on general principles to stories in which adorable orphans are rescued from the bad guys. It's as if, not having a strong enough hook to otherwise get me to, read her story, Rhiemmenth is playing on my sympathies. Everyone loves adorable eight-year-old orphans. If I don't like Flasia, I must be some sort of cad. Well, I find myself wondering if I would have found Flasia quite as engaging as an adult? I doubt it.

Rhiemmenth is also guilty of a failing similar to Marcia Brin's - that is, she brings up tantalizing ideas in her story and fails to develop them. Luke's mission at the story's outset is to find an Imperial mine. Why? Who are the worshippers of Pav? Why should their recognizing Luke's father's virtues (Vader is not he, in this case) make them any less repulsive? They sacrifice human beings, yet Rhiemmenth seems to feel their nodding acquaintance with Luke's father exonerates them. What is the debt they owed Skywalker senior? Language is a major problem in this story. It fluctuates between the colloquial and the high-falutin', for lack of a better description. Everyone refers to Vader as "Darth," as if they were all the best of friends. In all, I found "Pav's Justice" silly and irritating.

The remaining two Star Wars offerings in Docking Bay are a ghost story, "The Ghost and Captain Solo" by Kay Crist, rather amusing but for Kay's confusing meters with feet, and a story in which Han gets to rescue all of Corell from a few of his fellow Corellians in cahoots with some alien baddies, "Bloodstripe," by Carol-Lynn Sappe. This last was interesting, but again, didn't go far enough. A novel is hiding in here.

There are two Star Wars related articles, one by Eva Albertson on language in the Star Wars Universe, "Galactic Tongues," and a second on the structure of the Imperial military by Mark Walton, "Excerpts from the Alliance Manual on Imperial Ground Forces." Eva's is the better of the two; in fact, it's aImost the best Star Wars offering in the issue. Eva comes out rooting for plain old education to explain Han's linguistic ability; not the Force, not little bitty translation machines implanted in his brain, just plain old education. The article's well-written and tightly reasoned. You don't need a road map or a notepad to follow her argument. Not so Mark Walton's effort. It was needlessly repetitious and well nigh incoherent. I still have no idea how Mark thinks the Imperial military is structured-why, for example, are cruiser-based storm troopers part of the Imperial ground forces-and I read the article at least twice. A first read will leave most readers scratching their heads. Jean Stevenson has a marvelous Raiders story in here. Called "Storytime Magic", it tells of Indiana's marriage to Marion, the subsequent birth of twin daughters, and their adoption of an orphaned Dutch boy. The power of this story lies in the telling; Jean knows how to write. It's a trick story, which you can take as you will, but Jean's ability to draw realistic, human characters makes it altogether enjoyable.

Irene Shafer's Raiders offering is called "Threnody", an exploration of Marion's thoughts just after Indiana appears asking for the headpiece to the Staff of Ra. There's nothing much new going on here, since we pretty well know what Marion's thinking from the movie, but it's not an objectionable realization of the scene.

The poems in this issue are based on Star Wars, and except for Sherry Magee's "I Know" and Jean Stevenson's almost inevitable "Conundrum", pretty average. I object to poetry in zines primarily because it is used as filler and therefore editors don't seem to feel they need to work on it much. Poetry, unfortunately, is about the hardest form of writing imaginable. I think it's even harder than drama. To quote a poem on poetry from an old issue of Masiform D, "One word per line does not a poem make, any more than water without a shore would make a lake." I wish writers and editors would respect the art a bit more. Most of the art in Docking Bay #3 is by Cathye Faraci, who has a pleasant, cartoonish style. It works very well in "The Ghost and Captain Solo" and terribly in "Pav's Justice," where all the priests look like clones of the Emperor and Darth Vader tromps about in high-heeled boots. D.R. Drake, who did the art for "Bloodstripe", does wonderful portraits but is in desperate need of work on foreshortening figures.

Mary Stacy-MacDonald's cover illustration for "Storytime Magic" is lost in single-value cross-hatching which makes the figure appear flat and the background busy. Part of the problem, I suspect, may be technical. There is only a given range of line that can be picked up in offset. Too fine lines can get lost; heavy lines can bleed together and lose definition. Stacy ought to experiment and learn what works in a given medium. And why, for heaven's sake, was Wanda Lybarger's fine ilio relegated to the inside back cover? It's cover material.

Overall, I liked Docking Bay #3. There's enough material and good writing to make it worthy buying.

Issue 4

front cover of issue #4, Deb Drake

back cover of issue #4, Suzy Sansom

Docking Bay 4 was published in May 1983 and has 142 pages.

The art is by Deb Armson, Deb Drake (front cover), J.R. Dunster, Cathye Faraci, Jenni Hennig, Wendy Ikeguchi, B.J. Kreuz, J.A. Low, Wanda Lybarger, Sharon Palmer, Suzy Sansom, Angela-Marie Varesano, Yvonne Zan, J.A. Low.

From the editorial:

Well, did we make it? For most of you, we didn't. Although this zine will be printed when I said it would be (barring disaster), most of you won't have your hands on it until after May 25th. I'm very sorry. This zine just couldn't get done any sooner. We tried our best. I sincerely hope that these stories aren't spoiled by being read after the fact, and apologies go to the writers who had hoped to get the stories out in time. Some people will have the zine before the 25th; most won't. Sorry.

This one's been fun, anyway. With such a wealth of good material, it couldn't have been otherwise. Gratitude this time around goes to the people who inconvenienced themselves to do extra work when it looked like it would be needed — and then it wasn't used. You know who you are, and thanks for it.

Some changes are coming up for #5, and all issues after that. I'll be starting college this fall and intend to be very busy. That's nothing new, but until things are settled down, I don't know how much time I'll have for zine work.

• Corellian Alliance by J.A. Berger (The Empire begins an attack on a Corellian colony world and Han, Luke, and Leia try to rescue a family there.) (3)
• Word Search: Characters in Empire by Lynda Vandriver (26)
• His Father's Eyes by Deb Armson (27)
• Credit Where Credit is Due, poem by Jacqueline Taero (35)
• The Arrangement by B.J. Kreuz (36)
• It's Not Over Yet by B.J. Kreuz (39)
• Incident on Izilden by Martie Benedict O'Brien (Han lands on a planet to find...unexpected trouble.) (40)
• He's Always a Lover, filk to the tune of "She's Always a Woman" by Billy Joel, by Deb Armson (49)
• Survivor, song lyrics by Martie Benedict (50)
• Places and Planets in the Star Wars Universe, article by Kay Crist ("Once upon a time, while writing a Star Wars fan fiction story, I found myself staring at a wall trying to think of an original name for the planet my characters were visiting. After reluctantly rejecting such eye-openers as "Eggnog", "The Planet Pencil" and "Doggie", it occurred to me that there might be an easier way. After all, there certainly has been enough "official" and "semi-official" SW material produced and approved by Lucasfilm, so why not use a planet name already created, then expand on its description? I seemed to recall seeing a few such orphan names kicking around in the books, comics, etc. So I did some research and the following list of planets, places and a few things associated with them where mentioned is the result. I was amazed at the number of locations revealed by these sources, and I think there could be a lot of inspirational material here. Of course, I'm not certain I found all places ever mentioned, but I tried, and perhaps my research can help some other fan writers out there.") (52)
• Hangover or "How Does A Corellian Mercenary Contend With A Nosey Ex-Farmboy On The Morning After?", poem by Deb Armson (56)
• Treasure Hunt by Sheila Paulson (Lando Calrissian has a job for Han and Chewie.) (57)
• The Last Time I Saw Lando, poem by Jacqueline Taero (81)
• What's a Duck? by B.J. Kreuz (82)
• Obi-Wan by Rhiemmenth (93)
• Captive Princess by Pat Nussman ("Was that Leia Organa in chains we saw in the JEDI trailer? Could it be that she's a ...?") (97)
• The Habit of Strength, poem by M.H. Loughlin (102)
• Timeline by Marcia Brin (106)
• The Second Time Around by Marcia Brin (134)
• Word Search Answers (136)
• The Others (ads) (137)

• 

  from issue #4, J.A. Low

• 

  from issue #4, Yvonne Zan

• 

  from issue #4, J.R. Dunster

• 

  from issue #4, Wanda Lybarger

• 

  from issue #4, Yvonne Zan

• 

  from issue #4, Jenni Hennig

• 

  from issue #4, Yvonne Zan

• 

  from issue #4, Angela-Marie Varesano

• 

  from issue #4, Cathye Faraci

• 

  from issue #4, Cathye Faraci

• 

  from issue #4, Wendy Ikeguchi

• 

  from issue #4, Jenni Hennig

Issue 5

cover of issue #5, Salemi

Docking Bay 5 was published in May 1984 and is 138 pages long. It is offset.

The art is by Suzy Sansom, B.J. Kreuz, Jenni Hennig, Martynn, Deb Drake, Wanda Lybarger, Martynn, Steve Wallem, Nancy Stasulis, Jackie Dunster, Angela-Marie Varesano. The front cover is by Salemi.

From an ad in Kessel Run #4: "What are Bothans and why are they dying to bring information to the Alliance? The results of this writing contest plus much more. Due spring of '84. Print run limited to pre-orders."

From the editorial:

I'm not going to be accepting submissions for DOCKING BAY #6 until I can see how next semester is going to shape up, both time- and money-wise. I don't want to go ahead and plan for DB #6 for next spring, then have to move it back six or more months, or cancel the issue altogether, risking the wrath of writers who hurried to finish for the deadline, and artists already halfway into the illos, and readers who already ordered the zine. That's why I won't commit to a next issue until I can be sure I can handle one. But I'd like to stress that this is not a retirement of DB; merely a rest, and a definitely temporary one. How temporary remains to be seen - the very longest will be three years (until I graduate), but I don't see that happening; it'll probably be closer to 6-8 months. Next fall you can start looking for, and will likely find, ads announcing that I'm accepting submissions. There are a few writers out there who are currently working on things for DB #6, and to these people I apologize: go ahead and send the stuff elsewhere; I don't expect you to save it for me, much as I'd like to have it.

To prove the non-permanency of this decision, I»d like to announce the establishment of Kit'eleanon Productions, under which DB will forewith be published. This doesn't mean much; it's just a symbolic title, the syllables of which all represent someone or something that means something to me, and it's about time DB had a press name! I hope to eventually print other things under Kit'eleanon, and will be keeping my eyes open for projects.

• Docking Bay '94, editorial (2)
• When Dreams Come Home by Rhiemmenth (4)
• Fear of the Dark, poem by Suzy Sansom (13)
• I Am Your Brother, words to accompany the L\ike and Leia theme, by B.J. Kreuz (14)
• A Sample of Tri-Dee Viewing In the Restored Republic by Mark Walton (15)
• Her Brother’s Keeper by Kathy Agel. (another entry in the 'Starbird' series concerns Han's sister, Cara, and her efforts to help retrieve Han.) (17)
• Leia 10, Ewoks 0 by Suzy Sansom (Star Wars) (49)
• Carbonite Enlightenment by Marci Erwin (Star Wars) (50)
• In Thy Service, My Lord (by Marcia Brin (presents Boba Fett as a loyal servant of Vader's, operating at Jabba's palace under Vader's orders to rescue Han.) (Star Wars) (51)
• Gratia Artis by Eva Albertsson (Told from the point of view of an intelligent snake called Zindra, it concerns Indiana Jones' slipping into a gate in the middle of his escape from the temple in RLA, whereupon he lands in another dimension.) (Indiana Jones) (54)
• 1970 Revisited, by B.J. Kreuz (poem, topic is United States politics, peace and idealism) (72)
• The Saga of Indiana Jones, filk to the tune of "Old MacDonald," by C.L. Smith (Indiana Jones) (73)
• Times of Rebellion, filk to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" by Dan Fogleberg", by Jenni (Star Wars) (74)
• The Sands of Home, filk to the tune of "The Sand and the Foam" by Dan Fogleberg", by Jenni (Star Wars) (75)
• Fatal Error, poem by Jacqueline Taero (76)
• Whatever Happened To Heroes…of the Rebellion by B.J. Kreuz (Star Wars) (77)
• The Phoenix (9 pages) by B.J. Kreuz (has an elder Luke, a Jedi teacher, directing political negotiations.) (not listed in the table of contents) (80)
• So You Want to Go Into Political Life by B.J. Kreuz ("Tips for the politically aspiring individual from Senator Leia Organa's forthcoming book.") (Star Wars) (89)
• Exoskeleton, poem by Liz S. ("The Princess' private reply to compliments on how well she is managing to cope with her losses, not long after Cloud City.") (Star Wars) (90)
• Danger in Them There Woods, and Skiff Soliloquy, poems by Jacqueline Taero (91)

• The Cross-Universe Get Story to End Them All by Jacqueline Taero (Harrison Ford roles) (reprinted in Flip of a Coin #8) (92)
• A Bedlamite’s Dream by Carol-Lynn Sappe. (An IJ adventure set in Norway, involving Nazi and heavy water experiments, a mysterious monster reminiscent of Doyle's Baskerville hound and—incidentally—a search for the fate of the lost tribe of Israel.) (Indiana Jones) (96)
• Word Searches by Linda Vandiver (133)
• The Others, ads (135)

• 

  from issue #5, B.J. Kreuz

• 

  from issue #5, Nancy Stasulis

• 

  from issue #5, Nancy Stasulis

• 

  from issue #5, Suzy Sansom

• 

  from issue #5, Martynn

• 

  from issue #5, Martynn

• 

  from issue #5, Yvonne Zan

• 

  from issue #5, Suzy Sansom

• 

  from issue #5, Suzy Sansom

• 

  from issue #5, Jackie Dunster (Marion Ravenwood from Indiana Jones)

• 

  from issue #5, Yvonne Zan

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

DB#5 is a fun, cozy, relaxing zine offering some memorable writing and art, as well as enough varied material to warm the heart of any Luke, Han or Indiana Jones fan. 'When Dreams Come Home" by Rhiemmenth is apparently part of an already established series, set after ROTJ, wherein Luke returns to Tatooine and meets up with his old boyhood friends (who are well-named: Deak, Windy, Fixer). Basically an interlude and not complete in itself, the story is memorable for its sensitive handling of human reactions, especially those of Luke's friends as they learn of their old companion's exciting adventures, Luke himself never fully comes alive, but the appearance of Wedge makes the character act more believably, as Luke's mysterious silence draws itself out.

Kathy Agel's "Her Brother's Keeper", another entry into her "Starbird" series, concerns Han's sister, Cara, and her efforts to help retrieve Han. Agel goes to great lengths to portray Cara as a female version of Han, but she largely comes across as a caricature of her brother, though occasionally a real human being does peep through. Events happen too quickly, and description and exposition are very sparse. There are seeds of a fuller story here, and Cara certainly has potential to grow in her own right. As it is, however, commitment from the reader is never fully elicited. But I think Agel should certainly keep at it. Marcia Brin's vignette. 'In Thy Service, My Lord' presents Boba Fett, a loyal servant of Vader's, operating at Jabba's palace under Vader's orders to rescue Han.

Thoughtfully written, as are most of Brin's pieces, it is a fascinating alternate version of the events on Tatooine in ROTJ (and certainly more logical and creative), if a bit too forced in exposition. In "Gratia Artis," Eva Albertsson offers the zine's funniest and most imaginative piece. Told from the point of view of an intelligent snake called Zindra (yes, you read right), it concerns Indiana Jones' slipping into a "Gate" in the middle of his escape from the temple in RLA, whereupon he lands in another dimension. There he finds intelligent snakes, hombears and humans all living together in (some) harmony. Zindra dislikes humans but she gradually learns to like Indy, just as he reluctantly learns to appreciate her. It was a joy to read simply because of the attempt to do something NEW with Indy.

"The Phoenix" by B. J. Kreuz has an elder Luke, Jedi teacher, directing political negotiations. Mainly an interlude ln the middle of a larger story, it fails to interest or involve the reader. Perhaps with more exposure, the story's ideas night become more interesting to the reader. But in itself, this piece stands more as an expository bridge without much impact.

Carol-Lynn Sappe's "A Bedlamite's Dream', the zine's longest story, is an IJ adventure set in Norway, involving Nazi spies and heavy water experiments, a mysterious monster reminiscent of Doyle's Baskerville hound (that remains unexplained) and—incidentally—a search for the fate of the lost tribe of Israel. The biggest problem here is that, because of all the many unfulfilled sub-plots, the story never fully coheres but I think any IJ fan will enjoy the love games between Indy and Marion and the straight action/adventure focus. I do wish Marion wasn't always shouting and complaining but her handling of the two shy German scientists was quite hilarious and believable. Action, and not characters, have the greatest impact here.

Of the filler pieces, the more memorable include *A Sampling of Tri-Dee Viewing in the Restored Republic" by Mark Walton which offers such viewing delights as "I Love Leia" and "Calrissian's Way") 'Leia 10, Ewoks 0" by Suzy Sansom which...ah...compares Leia's attraction against that of the Ewoks to the young male audience in ROTJ; B. J. Kreuz's poem, '1970 Revisited", which makes an interesting and sensitive link between the idealism of the 60'e and the dreams expressed in SW. There is also Jenni's two powerful, poetic songs told from Luke's point of view, "Times of Rebellion' and 'The Sands of Home" (to two of Dan Fogelberg's tunes) and "The cross-Universe Get Story to End Them All" by Jacqueline Taero, with all of HF's roles meeting and fighting each other.

Nancy Stasulis' full illos for Agel's story are a joy to look at and her rendering of Han's sister makes the character stand out more than she does in the story. Martynn's illos for Albertsson's piece match the author's humor, especially the one which has Indy rather upset at waking up to find a large snake in his bed. J. R. Dunster's illos to Sappe's story are particularly bold and dramatic, and it matters little if her faces don't quite resemble the characters themselves. Carol Salemi's front cover of Luke and Leia is beautiful and captures a very emotional moment between the two.

Overall, a fair, enjoyable, unassuming buy. A few typos only, and occasionally light printing ate the only graphic complaints.