Facets (Harrison Ford zine)/Issues 009-011
Facets is a Harrison Ford zine which includes reviews, poetry, art and fan fiction for Star Wars, the Indiana Jones movies, and other films starring Ford such as Blade Runner, Heroes (film), and The Frisco Kid.
The content was gen with some non-explicit het.
This zine series ran for eleven issues between 1979-1983. When this zine ceased publication, a similar zine, Flip of a Coin, began.
This page is for detailed information about issue #9/10 and #11. For information about the zine in general, see Facets.
For information about other issues of "Facets," see:
Issue 9/10
Facets 9/10 was published in 1983 and contains 185 pages, reduced.
It is unclear just how the contents of this compares to #9 and #10
The art is by Paulie, Cherie Abell, Larry Blake, Gordon Carleton, Wanda Lybarger, Pat Wynne, Leonard May Brecht, Martynn and Gee Moaven.
From the editorial, regarding timing, issues, and the work:
Greetings from K'zoo. This is another double issue (as you may have noticed), but from now on they will all be this size, more or less, but won't be considered doubles. Got that? As of #10 we are going to 2 issues a year. There simply isn't enough for everything that we want to do on top of putting out three issues of FACETS a year. If 2 issues is still pushing us we will go down to 1 issue per year, but we don't think it will go that far. A number of wonderful and willing typists have come forward and that relieves us of a tremendous eater of time. Neither of us can do more than 30 words a minute on a good day. Our next deadline is Sept. 1, '82. The issue after that will be next spring, April 1, '83, in time for Media West Con. Hopefully we can keep to this schedule with no further problems.
From the editorials, regarding Mary Sue and hard feelings:
We have had our Writer's Guidelines available for about 6 months now and have gotten good reaction and bad from them. If you are considering sending us a manuscript, please SASE for the copy of the rules before you submit it. We also give artists' guidelines in it. Careful reading of what we want as well as really paying attention to what is printed in FACETS would save some hard feelings, I'm certain. We try to be flexible and print different things on different occasions but our one hard and fast rule is; no Mary Sue stories. We have had five of them already this spring, partly possibly because there is some confusion as to what constitutes a Mary Sue story. I'll try to clarify it for those of you who are still foggy on the subject:
The term comes from STAR TREK. In specific, it is a story where a Lt. Mary Sue Somebody was practically running the Enterprise single-handedly, while nursing half the crew, and everyone loved her because she was so wonderful, talented, beautiful ... you get the general picture. The term has grown since to encompass any story in which the female lead is not believable as a human being. Many beginning writers fall into the trap of writing Mary Sue stories simply because much first writing is alter-ego writing, where the author puts herself in the heroine's place and she is the one in the SW universe with Luke as a best friend and Han as a lover (or vice versa). Most of us, even if we haven't put this story on paper, have thought about it simply because it's fun, but it's a very personal kind of fun. Outside of maybe a few friends nobody much cares about your adventures with Han and Luke. When this is really what you want to write it's tough to force yourself to write a woman character who is not an alter-ego and who is human, with all the frailties that the human species is subject to. Believable characters are not described as having 'slender, delicate, but calloused hands' that reach up to touch her 'beautiful heart-shaped face'. Anytime we get that sort of adjective list at the beginning of the character description we can almost place a bet that it will turn out to be a Mary Sue story. Nor is a non-Mary Sue related to any of the main characters — she is not Han's sister, or Luke's cousin, or Boba Fett's mother unless there is a damn good reason for it. She's not 'cute', 'sweet', 'wonderful', 'pert', or any of the other adorable things that Mary Sues are. She's not the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, the fastest gun, the greatest pilot, the best ... (And by the way, this goes for male characters, too — they must also be believable human beings.) They are just like you and me, just takin' care of business. They have good days and bad, ships that have engine troubles, checks that bounce and headaches. They probably have periods and they certainly go to the john. They dream dreams and get as depressed as anyone else when they don't come true. They don't always win, but neither do they always lose. They can be pilots, whores, rebels. Imperials, bounty hunters, or farmers, but the one thing that they all have in common is that they all have real feelings about real things. There is an excellent book out called AMAZONS edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson that deals with 'real' women in fantasy settings. I recommend it to anyone who is unsure how a strong female character can or should act. Also recommended is anything by Stephen King, particularly the book THE STAND The character interplay is excellent as are the characterizations of males and females.
- Ye Old Editorial (1)
- The Market Place (3)
- Bagels 'n LoCs, letters of comment (3)
- Artist Dedication by Cherie Abell (5)
- Wandering Heart, poem by Jane Firmstone-Rafferty (Star Wars) (17)
- In the Cockpit by Karen Ann Weikert (Star Wars) (18)
- Indiana, Where Have You Been? by Wanda Lybarger (Indiana Jones) (20)
- Goddess by Cathie Whitehead, (Indiana Jones) ( (23)
- Corellians by Karin Zygowicz (Star Wars) (25)
- Raiders of the Lost Orc by Martie Benedict (Indiana Jones/LOTR) (26)
- Letter of Complaint, "translated" by Cathie Whitehead (from the Egyptian man who rented Indiana Jones the jeep he destroyed in the movie) (29)
- Kenny, poem by Marcia Wickes (Heroes) (31)
- Twink by Martie Benedict O'Brien ("Set before Star Wars: A New Hope. Han goes to Yaniwess to help an old friend and gets involved in a planetary power struggle.") (Star Wars) (32)
- Two Rode Together by Lynne Terry (Frisco Kid) (53)
- Just Like Starting Over by Lindsey Nuttal (Star Wars) (56)
- Indy, poem by Sara Fensterer (Indiana Jones) (62)
- Gunhand of Fate by J.A. Berger "(An army payroll is stolen, two men are shot, and the evidence points to Tommy Lillard.") (Frisco Kid) (64)
- The Canceled Debt, poem by Cathie Whitehead (Gunsmoke) (92)
- Print, poem by Marynn (Gunsmoke) (92)
- Troubleshooter by Martie Benedict O'Brien ("Han is trapped into helping a munitions company find out who has been blowing up their transport ships.") (Star Wars) (93)
- Advancement by Jacqueline Taero (Star Wars) (112)
- Ultimate Fan-tasy by Eva Albertsson (multifandom) (114)
- Han Solo, filk to the tune of "Danny Boy," by Tia Nichols (Star Wars) (121)
- Winterstalk by Wanda Lybarger (Star Wars) (reprinted in Bright Center of the Universe #8) (122)
- Where in All Creation? by Martie Benedict (Indiana Jones) (160)
- Then I'll See You In Hell, poem by Garcia Fay Elwood (Star Wars) (162)
- Beginnings by Roberta Stuemke ("An alternative look at the rumored court martial of Han Solo." This story was originally planned to be in issue #7/8.) (Star Wars) (163)
- Sing a Song of Solo by Jacqueline Taero (Star Wars) (166)
- Corellian Thoughts by Yvonne Harrison (Star Wars) (167)
- If I Only Had the Gold, filk to the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain," by Tia Nichols (Star Wars) (170)
- A Small Accident by Mark Walton (Star Wars) (172)
- Hero of Yavin by Marcia Wickes (Star Wars) (175)
- Back of My Mind by Martie Benedict (Heroes) (176)
- Persuasion by Sheila Paulson (Frisco Kid) (178)
- Raiders of Slave One by Kaz and BJ (multifandom) (181)
- Regrets by Marcia Brin (Star Wars) (182)
- Wanted by Karin Zygowicz (Star Wars) (184)
from issue #9/10, Cherie Abell (Indiana Jones, meta)
from issue #9/10, Larry Blake (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Gordon Carleton (Indiana Jones)
from issue #9/10, Wanda Lybarger (Heroes)
from issue #9/10, Patrick Wynne (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Patrick Wynne (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Patrick Wynne (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Patrick Wynne (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Patrick Wynne (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Leonard May Brecht (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Paulie (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Cherie Abell (Indiana Jones)
from issue #9/10, Gee Moaven (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Martynn (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Martynn (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Gee Moaven (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Martynn (Frisco Kid)
from issue #9/10, Karen River (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Barb Stultz (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Lin Stack (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Wanda Lybarger (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, J.R. Dunster (Indiana Jones)
from issue #9/10, Karen River (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Gordon Carleton (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Larry Blake (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Wanda Lybarger (Heroes)
from issue #9/10, meta
from issue #9/10, Carol McPherson (Star Wars)
from issue #9/10, Wanda Lybarger (Star Wars, hoka)
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9/10
The basic question to be answered in a review, I think, is "is this zine worth buying?" Now, there are those who will buy anything-they have the money, the time and the interest. There are those who won't have one or more of those three, and they want to know what's behind a pretty cover. In the case of FACETS 9/10 the answer to my question is a qualified yes. Obviously-or maybe not so obviously for a new fan-FACETS is devoted entirely to the TV/film roles of Harrison Ford. hence the title. Therefore, it is not for everyone. However, a good third of this issue is given to SW-born material, and thus may be interesting to any SW fan.
A number of poems are printed here on various subjects: the wanderlust of Han Solo in particular or of Corellians in General; the attractiveness of that lifestyle or of its practitioners; the growth of the relationship between Solo and Leia Organa.
For me, the best-the work of a genuinely poetic writer is Elwood's "Then I'll See You in Hell," an evocative and economic use of words to draw the line between Solo's statement in the beginning of TESB and his eventual fate, which any Renaissance man or woman would recognize as hell.
The shortest prose generally has a comic tone. "Just Like Starting Over" is Lindsay Nuttal's idea of both Han's and Leia's reaction to the seven-year itch. The idea behind the story is sound and Nuttal can write an amusingly real passage between this husband and wife (consort and ruler) of 15(?) years. However, this story and the other shorts eventually deep-six themselves because they ignore or abandon the serious themes beneath the funny scenes. For instance, with Leia and their daughter, Han may take off for the free-life once more, but can one, in fact, go home again? Nuttal provides a happy ending but doesn't quite satisfy the deeper question.
Mark Walton's "A Small Accident" is a vignette that might have led into a longer story, but stops before the payoff-whether comic or tragic. He provides believable/exciting dialogue, action and setting, but in the end we have learned little that is new about any of the familiar SW characters although only the droids are absent.
"Corellian Thoughts" by Yvonne Harrison may please some who think Solo is a detriment to the rebellion and, in fact, is a sloppy businessman capable of scuttling all the hopes/plans of the Alliance. The concept can be valid if presented well. The problem is, told in first person singular--a mode usually chosen for its introspective possibilities, the story shows us a surface-thinker who fails to cover his own ass and who learns nothing more than "next time I'll be careful not to get caught."
Eva Albertsson's "Ultimate Fan-tasy" is an exercise in the capital-emphasis writing one associates with novels written by Young Ladies of the Victorian Period and in crossing universes. The point of the story is a fanzine writer/news reporter (we have moved up in the world!?) who goes to interview the Mad Scientist on the Verge of the Black Hole (from the Disney film). She finds a late 20th Century Mary Sue Fan who translated herself into that universe with the specific purpose of using the stated technology to provide herself with copies of all the various personae of her favorite actor (guess who). The choice of style, an interesting one for the material, seems to have been made for comic purposes, but for me, it fails. The Authors of the past, lacking italics and desiring to duplicate their excitable natures in print, tossed Capital Letters onto any noun they felt to be important. They were serious about it. Such usage today more commonly signals the intention of the exact opposite, an ironic or satiric parallelism of the state of mind of such a writer. The theme I detect a warning against the dangers inherent in too-deep an immersion in the basic unrealities of fandom (whether film/show or actor) which might be served by gentle chiding but not by patronising one's readers. Like Jonathon Swift's "A Modest Proposal," this story cannot support the lecture and collapses under the weight.
A moment here (while talking about Ford's other characters anyway) to consider the non-SW material (since it certainly wouldn't hurt anybody to read a good story regardless of who is the inspiration.) The longest piece in the zine is of Fate" by J.A. Berger and is excellently written for the first part of a to-be continued story. This well-done western is most notable for the editors' decision to use two artists of varying styles and skills. Against Gee Moaven's textural still-frames, Martynn's more stilted figures and backgrounds seem lightweight and in a couple of places are unintentionally hilarious in their lack of logic or proportion.
The other notable non-SW piece is the one comic short story that works. In "Raiders of the Lost Orc", crossing RLA and the LOTR universe, Martie Benedict has created a punster's dream and still serves a serious undercurrent in her alphabet soup.
Speaking of Benedict brings us back to SWars. She has contributed (besides song lyrics) two of her "before-ist" stories. "Twink" and "Troubleshooter" move with the pace of Lucas' movies-or Brian Daley's Solo-books. Han and Chewie are the only "familiar" characters although Benedict readers have met Ben Adrick and Trella before. Here are some good, action-adventure stories-and again, Benedict doesn't shortchange the reader. I think "Twink" is my favorite with its four-year-old heroine querying, "Cap'n Slow, are you a fox?" But "Troubleshooter" with its botanist, Saffalet the Jas, and Lethwell Purlee (who requires truly original interaction with Solo before beginning to fulfill her destiny) and the amazing Tac demonstrates just as well Martie's skill at constructing alien worlds, strange/familiar people, taut situations, logical and dynamic catalysts and very satisfying denouements. She seems a one-woman course in learning to write short stories.
And finally, we come to "Winter Stalk" with art and story by Wanda Lybarger. What can I say about a piece of work that taught me how to read and value 'comic strips? It's like a little movie! Here a closeup, there a long, poignant view of heart-felt effort and painful failure. And the action-figures caught literally in motion, .just as I've observed people with my own eyes. Of all the comic artists in fandom or the pro markets, she has mastered both the consistent likeness and the varied expressions of her people-be they human or non. And then there's the story, told frame by frame: tight, well-paced, with political and emotional punches never withheld, and likable characters. Again Han and Chewie are the only familiar characters, but it's a between-the-films story that shows Wanda has obviously given some thought to just who Luke Skywalker might be. A joy.
All of the above items reflect the development of FACETS over the past few years from the usual look of beginning zines. Jane Firmstone and Kelly Hill have been able to invest in a class print look-but the zine still suffers, unfortunately, from a high rate of simple typos that become steadily more frustrating as the reader proceeds. ("Irritation" substituted for "irritating" is one good example. Another is the one word punchline to a fairly good joke-except "anti venom" is misspelled.)
In addition, the artwork goes from barely recognizable (as with the at best confusing/hermaphroditic piece accompanying Brin's poem, "Regrets") to the Lybarger pieces I just raved about. But Larry Blake and Patrick Wynne deserve enthusiastic applause for their distinctive and dramatic styles, most appropriate choices to accompany Walton's vignette and Benedict's "Twink".
The ladies have used their editorial space for commentary on life in the wide world rather than just fannish concerns. This, I applaud. On the other hand, I must regret the editors' use of a cartoon such as that on page 180 which to me can be called neither a piece on a Ford character nor a labor of love-rather it's an intrusion on a human being's privacy. Not a nice taste to leave in the mouth. And it's happily forgotten in the inside back cover: Lybarger's" A Hoka with Big Ideas" is a gem and worth the cost of the zine. [1]
Issue 11
Facets 11 was published in May 1983 and contains 106 pages.
The art is by Martynn, Susan Perry-Lewis, Wanda Lybarger, Tim Eldred, Cheryl Fint, Lee Reynolds, Paulie and Barb Stults.
The editors planned to publish one more issue, but this one was the last one. From the editorial: {{Quotation|
Well, here we are at last. It’s been an entire year between issues this time, and for that we very heartily apologize, but we really had no alternative. Our printer is getting very testy about us owing him money for years, so we decided that we’d have to go the way of many other zines and start taking deposits. We hate it, but there seems to be no other way out in this day of soaring inflation. Was also had artist problems, which is why this appears to be the Wanda Lybarger/Martynn Memorial issue. One artist (after promising the sun, moon, stars and planets if we'd only give her another month) seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, and another packed her bags and left fandom — again.- Thank the Great Ghu that there are friends who are also incredibly talented artists and were willing to do some last minute illustrations so that we could deliver this zine into your sweaty little hands in time for Media.
[snipped]] For those of you who have been wondering if #10 has been put in carbon freeze, it’ll be thawed out sometime this summer(’83). Again, $$ problems.
The lettered is taking a break this ish, but will return in #12. We dropped it in the interest of reducing page count and because it’s not fair to have to read critiques on the half of a two part zine many of you don’t have yet.
#12, due for next Media, will definitely be our last issue. We simply can’t carry on full time school, full time work and putting out a zine without something having to give. Needless to say, it couldn’t be work or school. We rather like the way FACETS has evolved from a 25-page letter zine to its present form, and we like the way the quality has grown with the size. And we feel very fortunate in having made the acquaintance of some of the finest talent in fandom. Keep an eye on FLIP OF A COIN (see the ad in Marketplace) — they seem to be taking up where we’re leaving off. Best of luck to you, Paula and Jenny!
[snipped]
Lastly, but hardly least, and at the risk of sounding too philosophical: watch a sunrise, savor a sunset, hug someone you've been meaning to, and drink life like you're in a desert and it's your last drop of water. Warm buggies from us both, and enjoy the zine.
From: the essay "They TOLD Me There Was a Ford in My Future -- by Frank Benedict:
I'm the husband of a Harrison Ford Fan. In that I don't resent the situation I find myself in, and even encourage my wife's seemingly consuming infatuation with another man, I've been told my reaction is unusual. In fact, Facets asked me: "How come?" In the first place, while my wife loves Harrison in any of his movie roles ("facets" you might call them), she is not "in love" with Harrison-or anybody but me. I enjoy Harrison's movies and see all of them more than once, but fer Chrissake, does that make me queer for his body? Hell, no, it doesn't; anymore than that the reverse holds true for my wife. Of course, my wife sees his movies many more than a few times-and she writes about them-and draws pictures of him-and makes up songs about him and sings them. She even gets up at 4 a.m. to correspond with other women who love Harrison Ford, including probably, some who are in love with him. Y'see, there is a difference. I have it on good authority my wife is in love with Han Solo; she told me. - In as much as I love my wife dearly, I have to feel a little bit sad for her predicament; you want the best for those you truly love no matter what cost to yourself. Unfortunately, all of the fantasy writers in fandom can't compose a scenario which would really give my wife a crack at Han. So she has to pen her own fantasies-but I'm the one she brings her charged batteries to: I'm the one who gets the benefits of this "magnificent obsession." And if all that sounds like a smug bunch of crap to you, I'm sorry, but that's the way it really is in this household... And who will I have to thank for it'? Two guys: Harrison Ford for the inspiration--and me for the encouragement, love, and space that I gave her... [Name redacted] is no newcomer to fandom. She was a Middle Earth fan of Tolkien's long before the Corellian zapped her between the eyes in Star Wars. She has always wanted-and needed-a nook away from gritty reality to refresh and nurture her psyche. As a matter of fact, she-like other women of good taste-has had a history of falling for guys with big noses, asymmetrical faces and crooked smiles. I should know-I'm one. And 'I intend to keep her-with love and understanding and space when she needs it.
- Ye Old Editorial (1)
- Market Place (2)
- They TOLD Me There Was a Ford in my Future by Frank Benedict (5)
- Writing on the Wall by Roberta Rogow (Indiana Jones) (6)
- Battle With Bossk by Tim Eldred (Star Wars graphic story (13))
- Little One by Kelly Hill (Star Wars) (41)
- Cerullean Dawn by Martie Benedict (contains Wanda Lybarger's famous (or infamous) illustration "Corellian at the Take Out Window") (Star Wars) (42)
- Gunhand of Fate, Part 2 by J. A. Berger (Frisco Kid) (60)
- Drifter by Rene Schneider (Frisco Kid) (85)
- Soliloquy Mid-Watch by Michelle Quesnel (Force 10 from Navarone) (86)
- The Ballad of D'Kota Lee by Martie Benedict (Star Wars) (88)
- Relative Situations by Martie Benedict (Star Wars) (89)
- Griping Corellian Style by Joan Shumsky (Star Wars) (106)
from issue #11, Susan Perry-Lewis
from issue #11, Tim Eldred
from issue #11, Paulie, for the poem "Little One" -- "I know it's hard to keep your hands to yourself when the hurting words start to fly; bastard, by-blow, space whore's brat."
from issue #11, Wanda Lybarger, "the famous (or infamous) illustration 'Corellian at the Take Out Window'"
from issue #11, Wanda Lybarger
from issue #11, Martynn
from issue #11, Martynn
from issue #11, Cheryl Fint
from issue #11, music
from issue #11, Wanda Lybarger
from issue #11, essay
References
- ^ from Jundland Wastes #13