Grip/Issues 1-5

See the main page, Grip, for more information.
Issues 001-005	Issues 006-010	Issues 011-015	Issues 016-020	Issues 021-025	Issues 026-030	Issues 031-035	Issues 036-040	Issues 041-045	Issues 046-051

Zine
Title:	Grip
Publisher:	Other World Books
Editor(s):	Roberta Rogow
Date(s):	1978-1996
Series?:
Medium:	print zine, fanfic
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	multimedia
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Grip is a gen multimedia anthology of fiction, art, poetry, and commentary edited by Roberta Rogow.

There were 51 issues published.

The series had an emphasis on Star Trek and Star Wars.

Rogow created this zine series to encourage and highlight fans who did not have a lot of previous experience creating fanworks.

Rogow was very out-spoken in her her mission to keep "Grip's" material G, or mildly PG, rated, and the title, "Grip," was a poke at Grup, a sexually explicit Trek zine.

Some regular features were the editorial ("The Editor Shoots Her Mouth Off"), fanzine ads ("Backscratching Department"), and letters of comment ("Air-LoC"), the last two spelled a variety of ways.

Issue 1

Grip 1 was published in February 1978 and contains 25 pages.

front cover of issue #1, Amy Harlib

back cover of issue #1, Mark Quiles

The art is by Amy Harlib, Nancy Brown, Caroline Hedge, Mark Quiles, P.J. Venino, Eric Van Der Velden, and Roberta Rogow.

From the editorial:

You are holding the first issue of GRIP, a Fanzine designed to hold your interest. After having read through a few hundred of the things in the process of doing Trexindex, I decided to join the rest of the crowd and do one for myself. GRIP is meant to be a showcase for hitherto unpublished writers and artists. So why, you may ask, does the Editor allot to herself one and a half stories and a filk-song? Because no one else wanted to print these particular items, and I thought they were funny and/or interesting. Future issues will feature more stories by other people and less by me.

GRIP deals mostly with the Star Trek, Star Wars, and Close Encounters Universes, which is not to exclude anything else that people may decide to submit. There are only two things that will be rejected out of hand -- sex and gratuitous violence. GRIP is rated P-G, and stories with explicit sex or too much gore will be sent back with the address of The Obs'zine and a few comments on the construction of the story. The same applies to artwork. In GRIP, no nudes is good nudes.

[see origin of the title]

So this is GRIP — some stories, some poetry (both serious and not a sweatter pattern, and a few cartoons. In future issues I will print any LoC's that may come in, as well as stories, poetry, and artwork by some of the young Trekkers around the country.

Keep on Trekkin — Forcefully!

• Editorial Comments by Roberta Rogow (2)
• Trek Stop, cartoon by Eric Van Der Velden (3)
• Close Encounter at the Welfare Office, fiction by Carolyn Venino and Roberta Rogow (Roy Landon's wife is frantic and desperate after he disappears.) (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) (4)
• The Affirmation of Nellie Gray, fiction by Roberta Rogow (Star Trek) (7)
• A Neutral by Any Other Name, poem by Ellen Rowe (Star Trek) (12)
• A Ballad Explaining the Misinformation of the Star on High, poem by Anthony Citro (original science fiction) (13)
• Four Days in the Monkey House, or, What I Did at Star Trek America, a con report by Miriam Rogow (15)
• A Fiasco to Forget, review by Anthony Citro and Miriam Rogwo (topic: Fifth Annual Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy Film Awards, telecast on Saturday, January 21, 1978) (15)
• A Lament to the Station Manager, filk to the tune of "Last Time I Saw Paris," by Miriam Rogow (reprinted in Rec-Room Rhymes #1, where it had the title "A Complaint to the Station Manager") (19)
• Song for a Closely Encountered Person, filk to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," by Miriam Rogow (reprinted in Rec-Room Rhymes #2) (19)
• Star Wars Promo, filk to the tune of "The Sunday School" by Roberta Rogow (reprinted in Rec-Room Rhymes #2) (20)
• Puzzle Page (word find and maze) by Carmine Tierri (21)
• Shaggy Dagger Joke, cartoon by Nancy Brown (22)
• Star Tracks, a sweater pattern to knit, by Brunswick Yarns, Inc. (23)
• I am Curious (Green), vignette by Carolyn Venino (25)
• Max, cartoons by Caroline Hedge (26)

• 

  from issue #1, Amy Harlib

• 

  from issue #1, Caroline Hedge

• 

  from issue #1

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

"Close Encounter at the Welfare Office" was superb -- I'd wondered what would happen to Ronnie and the kids after Roy took off. I'm sorta surprised that when Lacombe spoke to her he couldn't be bothered to help her, but if your mind is on the wonder of ET contact and running an international agency as huge as his, perhaps it's easy to overlook one small, very ordinary human. Poor woman. And the social worker was nicely characterized as a basically kind, humane woman with just too damn HUGE a case load, all needing her help.

I LOVED "The Affirmation of Nellie Gray"! It may not be true Kraith, but the idea is delightful. I can imagine Kirk muttering to himself when he first heard of it, "Dirty Nellie"?

Affirm the Continuity??? Her??? Snurf -- why not me?" Lovely'. And Amy Harlib's illo was nice! I liked her Vulcans, they seemed a mite more approachable than most Kraithist Vulcans do. The lady next to Nellie Gray looks like she's saying, "Hang in there, kid, you're doing fine..."

I'm not familiar enough with the fundamentals of critiquing poetry to be able to say more than "1 like it" or "I didn't, but the story told in "A Neutral By Any Other Name" was good. One thing about poetry is that its spare leanness can tell a story in such a lovely short form. "The Ballad of the Star on High" was a nice, refreshing treatment of the theme.

"Four Days in a Monkey House" sounds like it was a GREAT Con!

"A Lament to the Station Manager" -- our own programmer doesn't seem to like "Spock's Brain" too well, but "The Alternative Factor", "...Last Battlefield"', and "Wink of an Eye" — Lordy, how he/she/it loves those episodes.

"Star Wars Promo" is delightful — wish I knew the tune. And if I could knit, I'd probably use the intriguing sweater pattern. I liked N. Brown's cartoon — there's a sweetly lunatic touch there that agrees with ray own sense of humor.

You mentioned that your aim in publishing GRIP was to give newcomers someplace to showcase their talents without fearing that they have to be able to write like Leslie Fish or illo like Connie Faddis, or edit like Paula Smith. If this is an example of further issues, I'll buy them with great cheer. GRIP was an entertaining, well-done 'zine, and I enjoyed it a lot.

...I am delighted with your new 'zine, GRIP... It turns out to be well enough padded with the skillful work of experienced hands to more than compensate for the beginners; indeed, I enjoyed Miriam's work mightily, with its sly look at Mamma from another point of view.

"Close Encounter at the Welfare Office" is so entertaining and well-written that I forgive its non-Star Trek content.

I shared Nellie's physical discomforts when I took part in one of Jacqueline (Lichtenberg's) Affirmations at a small Con in Texas -- glad to know that I am not the only one who has trouble holding that pose. (Editor's note: J.L. conducts Affirmations similar to the one described in the story, and I had trouble holding that pose!)

Nice covers. Amy is really coming along — cute illo for "Nellie. "

Your friend Amy (Harlib) does beautiful covers! You could use a few more artists.

"Close Encounters at the Welfare Office" was good, but it could have been developed a bit more. It is a good picture of the welfare office; it was too short, though. It ended about the time the reader was just getting interested in what would happen to her... Just think of the agencies she must have dealt with: police, welfare, business, sanitation, taxes -- it could be a classic story of frustration via government agencies.

I love "The Affirmation of Nellie Gray", not only because of Nellie's usual disrespectful mouth and warm heart, but because I like a good Kraith parody. I've found that I can respect Kraith, but I seldom really enjoy it. This, I enjoyed Amy's illos can really support a story. I can identify with Nellie -- she's people. Also a pain in the ass of authority.

Poetry-wise, I honestly was not too impressed. Both had ideas that got smothered, Anthony's more than Ellen's. Anthony needed to clarify a few points, and condense. I did very much like the image of his last stanza.

Of course the filksongs were the best© And you have also managed a first for fandom — I've never seen a sweater pattern in a fanzine. Always offer something unique, right?

"I am Curious (Green)" was mildly amusing, and a good piece to end with. You probably know your whole zine needs building up a little. looking forward to the next one.

I’m really impressed with the quality of the pieces in GRIP. Some of the ’zines I've acquired don’t match it with the it second (or third or fourth) issue.

The Close Encounters story is the first fanfic treatment of the movie that I’ve read. It tackled an aspect of the film that always irked me not a little. (Whatever happened to Mrs. Neary? You know, the nice lady down the street whose husband went crazy and ran off?) It’s kind of hard to sell a house with the Devil’s Tower in the living room.

Dirty Nellie is Dirty Nellie, and Mr. Spock "speculates” correctly with his first hypothesis — ”A brilliant young officer.” I’ve gotten to know Dirty Nellie is other publications and hope to see her bugging Captain Kirk again and yet again. As a short person I LOVED the illo. Oh, the dislocation I’ve suffered from reaching and stretching, not to mention the elbows in the throat and other sensitive anatomical parts.

Unfortunately, when it comes to poetry, I have trouble staying involved. I don’t think I agree with the theology of ”A Ballad Explaining..." but I’m not sure I understood it. What is exciting is to see religious topics discussed at all. I would have enjoyed ”A Neutral By Any Other Name” better had it been developed as a vignette rather than as a semi-poem. The Neutral’s solution delighted mo — everybody won!

”I Am Curious (Green)” really had me going. What dreadful act was Spock contemplating? Would Capt. Kirk and Dr. McCoy ever let him live it down? And then that fabulous punchline, held in reserve and delivered with maximum force.

As for non-fiction articles, I also attended a Con, but I couldn’t find an after-hours party. Believe me, I looked!

And I think George Burns deserved his Best Actor Award (for the Science Fiction Film Academy Awards) It’s quite astonishing to act ALIVE at that age.

A knitting pattern in a Trek fanzine was a giggle for me, and an example of Infinite Diversity. Other giggles were produced by the filksongs and the cartoons. I really dig that ’’Shaggy Dagger.” He’s a bit touche’, but a fine fellow for all that.

All in all, you and your contributors have done yourselves proud. Just show me my place in line for #2.

"The Affirmation of Nellie Gray": OK, you’ve got me hooked. More Dirty Nellie, please (read Warped Space -- ed) "A Neutral By Any Other Name": if Ellen Rowe isn’t careful, she’ll start me liking poetry. "Four Days in a Monkey House" was a little unbelievable the first time I read it. However, after spending a Con (Feb. ’79) In the same room as some of those people, I’m sure Miriam didn’t tell the whole story. As a devoted filk-song lover I Just want to say that "a Lament to the Station Manager" and "Star Wars Promo" were great... A sweater pattern in a fanzine? Well, I guess if you’re the editor a and want to print a sweater pattern, you print a sweater pattern. ...If I don’t see more Max, a lot more, I’ll become extremely something.

Issue 2

Grip 2 was published in July 1978 and contains 28 pages.

front cover of issue #2, Amy Harlib

back cover of issue #2, Mark Quiles

The art is by Amy Harlib, David Jones, John Gonzales, Mark Quiles, Ellen Rowe, and P.J. Venino.

• Some Words from the Editor (2)
• Air-LoC, letters of comment (4)
• White Elephant, fiction by Gloria Tookmanian (Finnegan gives a gift to Kirk.) (Star Trek: TOS) (7)
• As You Wish, Captain Chekov by Steven Stark (Star Trek: TOS) (12)
• Letters to Luke by Anthony Citro (Star Wars) (16)
• Song for a Closely Encountered Person, poem by Roberta Rogow (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) (18)
• A Fire in the Mind, poem by Arawa Kreish (Star Trek: TOS) (19)
• The Vanishing Speck, fiction by Ellen Rowe (Star Trek: TOS) (20)
• I'll Never Check Into a Hospital Again, review of the movie "Coma," by Anthony Citro and Miriam Rogow (26)
• Fanzine Ads (27)
• Max, cartoons by Caroline Hedge (28)

• 

  from issue #2, Caroline Hedge

• 

  from issue #2, John Gonzales

• 

  from issue #2, Mark Quiles

• 

  from issue #2, unknown artist

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

It's nice to see new writers getting a chance to have their work printed. I enjoyed "White Elephant." Gloria Tookmanian's style needs some work, but I think this story is a good debut. Steven Stark also does well with his story. I liked the poetry, the info about the writers, and "Max." The movie review was well written, although no longer of current interest. The art, except for the cover (Amy's work is always cool) was mediocre, and "The Vanishing Spock" was too cute for my taste. Now, to "Letters to Luke Skywalker, from Princess Leia." how could anyone write a story like that? I can start crying again if I think about it too long, and it keeps coming back into my mind. The ending could be changed because the story is so sketchy. It needs details and explanations. Why was Leia on that planet? What were Luke and Han doing? A long story would also have led up the ending, preparing the reader. This would have lessened the shock, but not the sadness.

Another filk. Oh wonderful person to keep writing and printing filks....Ellen wrote a story about her Neutral; what joy! What a great Con (Sept ’78) to buy ’zines...There was more Max, for which I am highly grateful.

"Letters to Luke" seems to have offended some people. I wrote it as an experiment, and then wrote the anticlimactic sequel to appease the heartbreak it was causing. Why shouldn't the Princess die? Am I supposed to buy the fantasy that everything has a happy ending? (It does in GRIP -- Ed. )

Issue 3

front cover of issue #3, Chris Cominetto

back cover of issue #3, Chris Cominetto

Grip 3 was published in November 1978 and is 61 pages long.

The front and back cover are by Chris Cominetto, other art by Anthony Citro, Juan Gonzalez, Amy Harlib, Caroline Hedge, S.L. Kaiafah, Terry Lapanovich, Allan Parker, Richard G. Pollet, Mark Quiles and Ellen Rowe.

From the editorial:

Well, people, here is the third issue of GRIP, You will note that there is no "Dirty Nellie" story in it. This is quite complicated, but what it amounts to is that there are several stories in the sequence which have to get into print before I can get Nellie OFF the Enterprise and INTO another line of work entirely. Therefore, since the story which was SUPPOSED to be in GRIP #3 depended on Nellie being off the Enterprise, I have had to postpone it to GRIP #4. Such are the difficulties inherent in having a series printed in

two or three fanzines at once. For Dirty Nellie fans, I will say this: she will be appearing in WARPED SPACE at more or less regular intervals. And, possibly next Christmas, there will be a "Compleat Dirty Nellie" that has ALL the stories (including the first two, and the "Oriana" stuff).

• Getting a Word in Edgewise (1)
• Air LOC (3)
• Sittin' in the Dealer's Bay, filk by Allan Parker (5)
• Con-Versations, self-insertion meta fiction in script form that is also a con report, by Dennis Chien and others (a reminiscence of Star Trek Atlanta) (6)
• Drag-Con by Mirian Rogow (con report for Star Trek Atlanta) (6)
• Lament of an Under-Age Trekker, filk by Miriam Rogow (12)
• Lament of a Garden State Trekker by Miriam Rogow (12)
• They are Not Pigs! by Allan Parker (subject: Tellarites) (Star Trek: TOS)(13)
• The Stranger, poem by Anna Marie Kulina (Star Trek: TOS) (14)
• Why Space?, poem by Ellen Rowe (16)
• Eye of the Beholder, fiction by Ellen Rowe (Star Trek: TOS) (17)
• You Call This Clean???, fiction by Steven Stark (Star Trek: TOS)(25)
• Starship Portfolio (31)
• Luke Faces the Black Death, fiction by Anthony Citro and Roberta Rogow (Star Wars) (37)
• Who Am I?, poem by Richard Pollet (Star Trek: TOS) (42)
• Trekkin' Through the Kitchen by Carol Kengeter (article about Star Trek cookbooks, both fan and pro produced) (Star Trek: TOS) (43)
• That Bad, Huh? by Anthony Citro and Miriam Rogow (review of "Starship Invastions") (44)
• A Sting at Four Bucks by Anthony Citro (review of "The Swarm") (44)
• Battlestar: Disasterca by Anthony Citro (review) (46)
• Mork and Mindy: Yorkh! by Anthony Citro (review) (46)
• An Opposing View by Roberta Rogow (some comments on the preceding reviews) (47)
• Fanzines You Might Like, Or, You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours (48)
• Tooting My Own Horn, ads (49)

• 

  from issue #3, Caro Hedge: "Aw, Max... I don't think you look like a scrod at all!"

• 

  from issue #3, Anthony Citro

• 

  from issue #3, filk by Miriam Rogow (age: about 14), "Lament of an Under-Age Trekker"

• 

  from issue #3, Terry Lapanovich

• 

  from issue #3, Terry Lapanovich

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

It contains several reviews, poems, filksongs, and some mediocre artwork. There are good cartoons, although the drawing on them is not done well. Also included are three generally well conceived stories which deserve recognition.

"Eye of the Beholder" (Ellen Rowe)- Part of a continuing series, Speck is Spock's sister and a member of the Neutrals. This group is not a member of the Federation, nor do they swear allegiance to any other group, but are dreamers who believe that faith and courage can solve all problems. They are under Organian protection and are often called in to rectify Federation messes. In this story, it is her duty to remove survivors from a lost colony near the Neutral Zone before the Romulans discover them. But the last survivors do not want to leave and she must convince them of the danger involved. "You Call This Clean??!!" (Steven Stark) — The Enterprise is to be formally inspected by Commodore Berry of the Federation/Star Fleet Space Safety Board. Just as inspection is to commence, a chimp-like animal escapes a medical laboratory and creates havoc among the crews' quarters including the Commodore's. "Luke Faces The Black Death" (Anthony Citro and Roberta Rogow) — Luke Skywalker crashes on a planet after being shot down. Leia has been captured and is being held somewhere on the planet. With the help of a rebel cleaning lady, he gains entrance to the Imperial offices and demands to see Lord Vader. In the ensuing fight, Luke is saved by the cleaning lady. She throws a bucket of water on Vader, short-circuiting his light sabre temporarily and they escape.

White cover and pages, 48 pp. nicely done and deserves credit for its literary, not artistic, contents. Rating: B

.. ."I'm glad you've got a neat cover in the works, because this one was not up to your usual standard. That Kaiafah has really got it! I don't suppose you would be interested in lending her address? She'd be just what we need for some illos for "The Lighter side of the Force" next year,

The filks were good, too. "lament of an Under-age Trekker" is probably the best I've seen all year. Give Miriam a great big handshake (or something morel). "They Are Not Pigs" was interesting, but it needed, I think, more of a point. Still, it seems nicely done. "The Stranger" was more frustrating because there were some great images mixed in with the occasional clunkers. But great feeling there. "Eye of the Beholder" has a nice pace, though sane holes in the logic and plot. And the science was weak, what with the invisibility. That was the characteristic that made it seem overly Mary Sue and contrived. More explanation on Jenkins and why he was separate might have been in order. I'm interested in seeing the continuation. "You Call This Clean!" was a good idea, but I was under the impression that the author had never stood a formal inspection, since that idea didn't come across well. Can I ask if the characters are Tuckerized? I mean, Kelly Garrett?!! Hee, heehee! Nice starships! Do you need some more? One of my students does a fair star-ship. I've also got one that does delightful flying beasties (though I admit they tend, to look similar to one another!) and another person, considerably older, who has a few interesting stories. Hard to get them at the moment, but in a few months?

"Luke Faces the Black Death" lacked impact, for some reason. Leia needed a bit more time to be killed off, Luke needed more time for reaction, and Rolla came across a la Foster's "Splinter." The ending was certainly different! I have no comment on cookbooks, but some on the reviews. Anthony has a nice way with words, but sometimes they get in the way of a clear opinion. I think, too, that he saw a different episode of BG than I did — where did he get that stuff about a supernova? Or did I miss something while I was busy cursing the presidential announcement that split our transmission of the show into two halves? 1 think, too, that Anthony doesn't have a subtle sense of comedy in regards to Mork and Mindy, but that could be a local prejudice. It does have some bad spots. I notice the address of Right of Statement here. Thanks! I needed that. Is it turning out any good? I think I'm going to switch from Scuttlebutt, for some reason! (Not really, but it does sound good.)

Well, have I attacked enough? I think your zine is really improving, by the way, and I notice it is twice as big this time, too. Keep those people chained to the typewriter! And yell if you need anything, border-wise.

The artwork is generally better than in previous issues, and the cartoons are all funny. The plea on the Atlanta Con is great. It's nice to know business as usual went on there. I don't understand "Drag-Con". I liked "They Are Not Pigs" very much, I've never seen anything like it In a 'zine before. "Why Space" Is an excellent poem. I don't think Spock feels quite as lonely as the author of "The Stranger" feels. "Eye of the Beholder" is better than the previous Spock stories, but rather sketchy in spots. "You Call This Clean??" was very funny, but co-ed living quarters on a ship? "Luke Paces the Black Death". The title made me think of the plague. Why is See-Threepio with Luke? Why does Luke have the right to order other pilots to do anything? I can't believe Luke wouldn't regret Causing the death of other rebels. It seems to me that Luke is drawing his light-saber three lines after it's been taken away from him. The tone of the ending seems wrong. Darth Vader is not funny! Most importantly, while it is comforting to know that Anthony Citro did not mean for Luke to be dead at the end of "Letters to Luke" (Grip #2), after the strong emotional effect that story had on me, this story is anticlimactic. Perhaps any sequel would seem that way, but I think a story In which Luke killed Vader would have been satisfactory.

What happened to Max? Oh, well even if Max is missing, there are three filks...and another Neutral story. Keep up the good work, Ellen! Anthony, the fact you were sitting next to me when I was reading "Mork and Mindy: Yorkh!" was the only thing that kept me from screaming....I think you totally missed the point of the whole idea behind "Mork and Mindy." It’s a comedy, for Pete’s sake. That is all it ever intended to be. As a comedy it’s pretty good. Robin Williams is a complete and total nut, and as such he’s getting away with making a lot of people laugh every week. What’s so terrible about that? OK, now the gloves are off. Anthony, it’s a good thing you were nowhere around when I read "Battlestar:Disasterca"...What the --- were you watching? It certainly wasn’t the first episode. Having watched it, and cursed out the President along with anyone else watching, and now paid $3.50 to see it with no Presidential interruption, I can safely say that there was no A) Planet going super-nova and B) construction of a mothership. (By the way, since when do planets Supernova? I thought it was stars that did that). Your remarks about the ship design I considered your opinion. But the next paragraph, that’s another story. To begin with ...you started with "As for the later shows" and went on to describe something that took place in the opening episode. And what the --- is wrong with women warriors shouting "Frack" and "Felgercarb"? The male warriors were shouting those things too... I’ll be the first to admit that they had some story problems, as soon as I heard the scripts had improved I started watching again.

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, S.L. Kaiafah

Grip 4 is 52 pages long and was published in February 1979.

From the editorial:

Hello, once again, faithful readers! GRIP has made it into a second year, and no one is more surprised than I am. I started GRIP as a showcase for new people, and I have presented several writers and artists to the world of Fandom in the last year. GRIP #4 marks the debut of a very young writer, a couple of artists, and a writer of short stories. I've also included a Dirty Nellie story (very much out of sequence, but it couldn't be helped) and a rebuttal to the review of "Mork and Mindy" in GRIP #3.

I must now deal with a very unpleasant subject: MONEY! There was a time, Ions ago in a galaxy far, far away, when fanzine editors were so eager for readers that they practically gave their fzines away. Those days are gone, along with the 7-day work week. Unless one has access to a mimeo machine, one must pay a printer to get copies of a fanzine, and in my case, there is a cash flow problem. Ergo, GRIP #1 and GRIP #2 were very short (less than 20 sheets each) and were correspondingly cheap to print. GRIP#3 was larger, and GRIP#4 is larger still (28 sheets) and the price must go up accordingly.

Now we come to that eternally sticky ticket, the Post Awful, and its ever-increasing rates. I send GRIP Book Rate, 48 cents a shot. It tends to mount up, which is why I have to ask people who want GRIP by mail to pay the postage. People who, save me the effort of going to the Post Office by buying GRIP at a Con don't have to pay for postage, ergo GRIP costs 50 cents less by hand. (If someone wants GRIP First-Class they have to pay a dollar more to cover the extra postage).

There are a few old-timers who deplore the practice of making subscribers to a fanzine pay for the postage as well as the printing. They remember the Good Old Days when a fanzine cost $2 and that included First-Class mailing. Today, in order to cover the basic expenses, most fanzine, editors wind up dipping into their nest eggs. A fanzine has to pay for itself, otherwise the editorfs husband gets a little surly. Actually, GRIP barely breaks even, and most of the "profit" is put to a good use -- the next issue of GRIP!

• Some Words from the Editor (1)
• Air-LoC, a LetterCol (3)
• Bombs Away by Steve Stark (4)
• The Immovable Object and the Irresistible Force by Roberta Rogow (a Dirty Nellie meets Dirty Harry story, "The notes at the end of that tale explain what happens when a writer has stories published in several fanzines at once-, and one of them runs into legal difficulties.") (17)
• No Beach to Walk On by Richard Pollet (32)
• Spectres Within the Shadows by Randall Landers, his first fanfic, a Star Trek: TOS story (33)
• Contemplations by Cheri Tripp (43)
• Jawa Song, filk to the tune of "The Indians," by Roberta Rogow (reprinted in Rec-Room Rhymes #2) (45)
• Science Fiction Writers Deal with the Problems of Interstellar Flight by Allyson Johnson (46)
• How to Make a Flying Car by Thunder Rowe, age 7 (48)
• Technical Implications of Mork and Mindy... I'm Serious by Allen J. Parker (49)
• Review: Invasion of the Bodysnatchers by Anthony Citro and Miriam Rogow (51)
• Max by Caroline Hedge (53)
• front cover by S.L. Kaiafah, back cover by Richard Pollet, other art by Anthony Citro, Caroline Hedge, Shona Jackson, Randall Landers, Terry Lipanovich, Cheryl Newsome and Leah Rosenthal

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Cheryl Newsome

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Amy Harlib

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Leah Rosenthal

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Leah Rosenthal (Dirty Nellie and Dirty Harry)

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Terry Lipanovich, Richard G. Pollet

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Shona Jackson

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Randall Landers

• 

  inside page from issue #4, Anthony Citro

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4

"Bombs Away" was cute. Keep it up, Steven. Amy’s picture on Page 16 was great. "The Immovable Object and the Irresistible Force": OK, Roberta, you win. Where can I get hold of more Dirty Nellie?... By the way, I like Rabbit, keep him around... Max was back, and there was a nice filk. When you consider the age of the author, "How to Make a Flying Car" was quite good. Famous words. What happened to page 50?( The printer missed a page -- ed) "Technical Implications of Mork and Mindy" was quite good, at least the portion that appeared was.

Grip #4 was the most professional-looking issue of Grip so far. There was a nice assortment of writers and artists (and cartoonists). "Bombs Away!" was an interesting idea, but I think it could have been a little more detailed. For instance, Just HOW did Quinn manage to rip off the dilithium crystals without someone noticing something? Surely Spock would have seen it registered on the Bridge! He is very observant about things like that. I also think the illo could have been a little more realistic (I'm allowed to say that, after all I drew it!)... "The Immovable Object and the Irresistible Force" was very good. I really like your style of writing. I also like the illos done by Leah Rosenthal ( and I'm not even going to ask why the plates Nellie has say "Property USS Enterprise").

"Spectres Within Shadows" was a nice story. It's good to see some other adversaries besides the usual Klingons and Romulans. The picture of Kirk on the Bridge is good. However, I can't for the life of me determine just who drew it! It's signed "T'Klai-Dawn Singer" and the art credits list the person as Shona Jackson. (Ed. note: Shona's nom de plume is T'Klai when she's doing Vulcans, Dawn Singer when she's doing Indians or Klingons. Kirk is neither, so I gave her official name in the Art Credits).

The article on interstellar flight was very informative. I'm glad to learn that I am not the only person to have read "Orphans of the Sky" and remember it.

"Technical Implications of 'Mork and Mindy' was an original piece. The only problem is that my 'zine had a blank page, so I don't know now the article ended! (Ed. note: I've reprinted it, so you can find out! The printer owes me one.)

Anthony Citro and Miriam Rogow's review of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers was well written. I haven't seen the movie myself so I can't comment on the review as such. I do think that if those two keep it up, they are going to be as good at reviewing as Gene Shallit. (I hope they consider that a compliment. I like his reviews).

Grip #4 had the best layout and the best artwork of all the issues. "Bombs Away" was very good, and "The Trekker" was very funny. "The Immovable Object..." was kinda fun, but I can’t see Nellie and Kal deciding to stay together. Maybe when I finally read the story where they meet, I’ll understand. Also, how do you explain Harry Callahan as a Fed? "Spectres Within the Shadows" was good, and the ending was a surprise to me. "No Beach to Walk on" was touching. The article on science fiction writers was interesting, but seems unfinished. I am missing Page 50 (everyone is -- Ed!) and therefore the end of the Mork and Mindy article, but what I read was good tongue-In-cheek writing. I loved Max, as usual.

On the whole, I enjoyed the "Grips", although I don't much care for articles in zines (a purely personal preference). I prefer a 'zine to consist of either stories or articles. Poetry -- well, again I'm not much turned on by poetry, although I must admit that a good poem is always enjoyable, and some of your poetry was good. I don't much care for Star Wars fanfic -- this is no reflection on the writers, many of whom are excellent, rather it's a comment on Star Wars itself... The comments on Battlestar: Galactica were over my head as it's only just opening here [in the UK] and hasn't got my way yet.

Ellen Rowe struck me as a promising writer, but one who could still do with giving a little more thought to polishing her work. I like the idea of Speck and the Neutrals, but found the present tense presentation of "Eye of the Beholder" (Grip #3) very hard to adapt to, and if I had been editing that story I think I would have tried to persuade her to agree to changing it to past ense. (I tried -- Ed!)

Dirty Nellie -- I can't help wonder how she got through Starfleet's psychology tests! She's an excellently drawn character but I can't help feel that somewhere along the line her personality would be too abrasive on board the enclosed confines of a starship. To survive, sane, in such an environment, one would need to be a pretty thorough introvert, and Dirty Nellie is nothing if not thoroughly extrovert. However as a bit of light relief, Dirty Nellie does succeed. Whether or not you intend her to be entirely light relief, of course is another matter. (I am getting Nellie out of Starfleet -- by the time of "The Immovable Object..." she has left the Fleet and is off into her own career -- and the stories will take a turn for the serious...Ed.)

The quality of writing in Grip has definitely improved in the four issues and if it continues to do so you'll have an excellent 'zine there.

Issue 5

front cover of issue #5, S.L. Kaiafah

back cover of issue #5, Juan Gonzalez

Grip 5 was published in September 1979 and is 58 pages long.

The art is by S.L. Kaiafah (front cover), Juan Gonzalez (back cover), Bob Cochran, Nancy Duncan, Caroline Hedge, Abbie Herrick, Shona Jackson, Randall Landers, Teri Lipanovich, Cheryl Newsone, Richard Pollet, and Leah Rosenthal.

From the editorial:

This is the part of editing a fanzine that I really like, where I get to speak my piece about something that's on my mind. Right now what's bugging me has to do with the stories that are coming in over the transom, or in the mail, as it were. In spite of all my good intentions, I find that I MUST point out a few "holes" that beginning writers fall into all too frequently. If you discover any of these in that story you were about to send off to GRIP (or anywhere else, for that matter!), think again and start to re-write.

The first point deals with the characters who are based on a specific story or TV show: Star Trek, Star Wars, Galactica or what have you. If you are dealing with a batch of people whose characters have already been established, you MUST conform to the established facts. For instance, it has been established that James T. Kirk is respected and loved by his crew. If you have a character In your story who does not react in this manner, you'd better make it very clear WHY this is so.

Another point deals with the Enterprise itself. It IS a military vessel, and military protocol. Security, etc. must be maintained. Harlan Ellison himself ran afoul of this one — read the original script of "City on the Edge of Forever" to see just how wide of ithe military mark he got.

Now we come to a very sore point in SF -- Alien Cultures! Be sure, when you have them, to make them consistent within their own limits! In other words — don't have Telepaths with radios (they don't need them, do they?) or Space-goers still fighting with swords (unless, like Sulu, they do it for the exercise). And, if you are going to give them a Gadget, for Pete's sake, have some idea of the basic principles ,on which it works! You don't need full schematics — just figure out how it does what it is supposed to be doing, and tell us in the least technical terms possible. Death Rays, mutant viruses, etc. belong in this category as well — Space Opera is fine, but remember, we are writing SCIENCE Fiction, not FANTASY, I give notoriously short shrift to unexplained phenomena like the use of witchcraft, spells, or other mumbo-jumbo.

• The Editor Shoots Her Mouth Off (1)
• Air-Loc, the letter column (3)
• The More Things Change, poem by Richard Pollet (7)
• Reversal by Richard Pollet (8)
• Day by Day on the Big E, cartoon by Leah Rosenthal (21)
• Romulan Zone Rescue by Ellen Rowe (23)
• Star Trudge (parody) by Any Other Name (29)
• On Shore Leave Planet, filk by I Abro Cini (33)
• Luke's Dilemma by Abbie Herrick (34)
• Three Medals Each by Thunder Rowe (age 8) (37)
• Exodus, Ch. 13, poem by S.L, Kaiafah (39)
• Kobol, poem by Ellen Rowe (40)
• A Star, poem by Mark Billson (age 7) (41)
• All Too Human by Steve Stark (43)
• The Collator's Hymn, filk by Roberta Rogow (46)
• Technical Implications of Mork and Mindy by Allen L. Parker (48)
• The Star Trek Novels, reviews by Randall Landers (50)
• Roberta's Rebuttal by Roberta Rogow (53)
• Alien (review of movie) by Anthony Citro (55)
• An Examination of UFO Phenomenon by Bob Cochran (56)
• What's New at Other Words Books (ads) (58)
• Backscratching Department (fanzine listings) (59)

• 

  inside page from issue #5, Cheryl Newsome

• 

  inside page from issue #5, Richard Pollet

• 

  inside page from issue #5, Shona Jackson

• 

  inside page from issue #5, Abbie Herrick

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

Ms Rogow appears to have another winner. It contains an Enterprise story, a Battlestar Galactica story and poems, plus a Star Wars story. Their artwork improved considerably, from ish 3 to 4, and the trend should continue. Last but not least, included is "Reversal," a story by yours truly, the first one I ever wrote, about 3 years ago.

The fist thing I look for in a 'zine is its visual quality. GRIP lacks a trifle in that area. due to some of the artwork being crudely drawn or poorly centered. I've noticed that our dear editor's typing has improved remarkably, and the cover design is excellent, giving GRIP #5 an almost "pro" look.

I just got GRIP #5 and I have a few comments on it. I loved the front cover. The Klingons were great and a little bit of humor with Max and Grip makes it one of the best covers your 'zine has had.

The back cover was okay but it just didn't have the appeal of the front cover.

I'm afraid I don't really like "Reversal" by Richard Pollet. Something about it was not that appealing yet also it was too familiar

Nice illo by Cheryl Newsome She needs a little bit of work on her proportions Kirk's arm and hand just didn't fit together ....

Leah Rosenthal's cartoons were good, and Shona Jackson! Dawn Singer/T'Klai's illos were great!

I did not like Ellen Rowe's "Romulan Zone Rescue". The only part of the series that I have liked was the poem in GRIP #1. I do not like stories written in the present tense, but that may be a matter of taste. However, a mistake that isn't a matter of taste is the scientific error in this story, No surplus oxygen on a Romulan starship? You've got to be kidding! ...I mean, the invisibility bit was hard enough to overlook, but no extra oxygen? What if an air lock blows in a battle? Does everybody suffocate?

I didn't like the parody. Why didn't the author(s) of the poem "On Shore Leave Planet" give their real name? Is it because it is very similar to the song which was on an episode of Fantasy Island? I can understand why no one signed the parody, but not the poem. ("I Abro Cinii" is the fannish name by which Allen Parker prefers to be known. Now I've let the cat out of the bag -- Ed.)

"Luke's Dilemma" was okay, but it might be confusing, since Anthony Citro killed Princess Leia off a couple of issues ago. I'm sending you a short story that explains what really happened ... (It's in this issue...-Ed. )

"Exodus, Ch. 13" was well written. Once the weary band of travellers get to Earth, who knows what kind of myths and folklore will spring up? Good illo! I'm looking forward to the Isaac Asimov script. which features the arrival of a certain convoy at a certain shining planet ..... (This I gotta see!--Ed.)

"Kobol" was okay. I'm sorta deaf when it comes to poetry. Same goes for "The Star", and Thunders story was remarkable considering his age. "All Too Human" just didn't appeal to me but once again. I guess it's a matter of taste.

I loved my reviews. I disagree with your analysis of Spock Messiah. Your claims of it being a "gadget" story are true, however, the implications of a Watergate help make it the story, And why not a civilization that covers their heads? Talking about a truly "gadget" story. let's look at The Price of the Phoenix and its equally bad sequel. Here we have an invincible alien, invincible because of his Gadget, the Phoenix Machine. Fate is a sequel designed for those who read and liked the first one, and is designed so that the authors can get yet another book out of their Omne character. On Mudd's Angels, you are letting your fascination with the android culture get in the way of Chekov's character flaws, scientific errors, and the creation of Weinburg, a character whose role could and should have been filled by Chekov or another one of our favorite characters.

Like Anthony Citro, I think Alien is a modern classic. He probably won't agree with me, but I think this thriller is more believable than Star Wars or Close Encounters. The only thing I did not like was that the movie was rated R. I just can't figure it out. No nudity, very little explicit language, but it did have some gore. Why should that make it an R movie? As far as nudity goes, The Giant Spider Invasion and The Omega Man both had topless scenes and both were rated PG. Smokey and the Bandit had a lot more bad language in it, and Alien, unlike Jaws, does not show dismembered legs sinking into the depths. R? You're kidding!

The impression I got from "Examination..." was that the author was close-minded on the subject of UFO reports, and does not believe in the possibility of extra-terrestrial life, Me, I'm not so sure, so I try to be open-minded, (That was SUPPOSED to be a joke!--Ed.)

All in all, another fine issue of GRIP.