Fantasite
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fantasite |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Phil Bronson |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | 1940-1944 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Fandom: | Science Fiction |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | Hosted online by fanac.org |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fantasite was a science fiction zine, and the official clubzine of the Minneapolis Fantasy Society.
About
The Fantasite was voted the no.2 fanzine in the last Widner poll. It received special awards from Fan Editor and Publisher for the best all-around fanzine, the most colorful fanzine, and for having one of the best depts. of the year and one of the four best letter sections, along with the grand award for good editorship. The unprecedented size and quality of the First Anniversary Issue brought it the special award in Fantasy Fiction Field's Fanzine Contest.In Fantasite you'll find: lithographed art-work; your favorite columns and departments (Among the Hams and Pros, Fantasiana, Recommended Reading, MFS Notes, Hell Fire, Fantascripts, etc.); select fiction ([Samuel D. Russell]'s "World Accused" in 1941 won FE&P's award for being one of the three best fictional pieces of the year); stimulating and thought-provoking articles; and all that goes into a pleasing format.
Then again, if you're looking for the best writers, you'll find them all in Fantasite. We might name a few who have been appearing in Fantasite in 1941-1942. Louis C. Smith, Samuel D. Russell, Larry B. Farsaci, John L. Chapman, Joseph Gilbert, Robert W. Lowndes, Clifford D. Simak, Forrest J Ackerman, T. Bruce Yerke, Harry Jenkins, D. W. Boggs, Carl Jacobi, Bob Tucker, Basil Wells, Harry Warner, Donn Brazier, L. R. Chauvenet, Lewis B. Martin, Gerry de la Ree, Rustebar, Squanchfoot, Joe Fortier, etc.
If you haven't read this old stand-by, ask anyone who has for verifiction of its top-ranking qualities. Send ina dime for one issue, or 25c for three, to Phil Bronson...
Headlines in the newest issue: "The Ice King", by Samuel D. Russell; "Alas, Poor Yorick", by D. W. Boggs; "The Golden Dawn", by Larry B. Farsaci; and a lithgraphed cover by Morris S. Dollens.
Ad printed in Spaceways #30, pg. 25. Sept. 1942.
Hell Fire
A column named Hell Fire offered the author's opinion on a number of subjects in fandom.
Fans speak of boycotting this and boycotting that, but there action always ends. No true action is ever put into effect. Sun Spots has been dropped — not flopped, mind you — dropped from stfandom due to a distinct boycotting from a popular froup of fans. This should be done to other select fmz. Namely? Well, Fan-Atic and Fantaseer for starters. It wouldn't be bad to try a little boycotting on the worthless publications — popular of course — such as Voice of Imagi-Nation and Mikros. The former are disgustingly worthless in format and material while the latter are haphazardly goodlooking but truly worthless as far as content is concerned. Fan-Atic is no more than another Sun Spots (is enough said?), and Fantaseer has been with us for about two years, always decreasingly good (if good is spoken with a broad sense in mind). VoM is most childish, to say the least, and merely contains comments on the last issue which in turn contained comments on the last issue, ad infinitum. Mikros has no place in stfandom, as far as I can see, for it is no more than a slovenly Technocratic bulletin. Let's keep Hoover and the Techs out of stfandom; stfan politics are okay, but keep the Native Daughters and Technocracy out of our group. Look how detrimental the Futurian group as a whole has been to stfandom. Notice how Socialistic DC'ers have made an attempt to tear things down....Hell Fire. Fantasite #5 pg. 17 (Sept. 1941)
It is a known fact that stfandom needs neat fanmags — not that there aren't a few — and boycotting is a method to get rid of the 'crummier' ones. Fan-Atic and Fantaseer are a couple to start cleaning out as swiftly as possible. There are several others, of course, but these will suffice to make a start. What is to be done thereafter? Make the established fmz a bit neater than before, is one suggestion, but that is not the prime necessity. Good quality counts a devil of a lot. That is why it is suggested to clean up VoM and Mikros in a good fashion. There are others, still again, which feature crummy material, but these mentioned have no place in stfandom as far as can be seen by an observing individual. These fellows who think they have the goods for another fanmag should start writing for the established fm that they wish to crack and replace such hacks as Warner, Bradbury, Ackerman, Fortier, etc., who would be willing to take a much needed rest from over-activity in the fan-field. Size doesn't mean too much if quality is to be featured. Here's the whipping point: which do you prefer of these two -- a 50 page Fan-Atic or a 12 page Fantasia, the same price for either? ...A final point is that better fan-art is a prime requisite. Omigawd! please glance hastily at one of those bacovers for VoM: ludicrous, aren’t they? To put it bluntly, the stench is most nauseating and odious.
Hell Fire. Fantasite #5 pg. 17
Reviews
#3 - 25 pp plus covers. Material not outstanding but extremely well mimeod. Passed.Louis Russell Chauvenet in Fantasy Fiction Field issue 36, page 3 (June 1941)
July - Vol 1, Number 4. 24 pp plus cover & ill. Multicolor mimeoing - quite attractive. Material improves over last issue. Recommended.Chauvenet in Fantasy Fiction Field issue 42, page 5 (Aug. 1941)
Another must: the anniversary issue of Fantasite, 15c... It's the very finest single fanzine issue since the days of Fantasy Magazine.Harry Warner, Jr. in Spaceways issue 28, page 20 (June 1942)