Marginal Error

Zine
Title:	Marginal Error
Publisher:	Alvyren Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Mary Jean Holmes
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):	Mary Jean Holmes
Date(s):	1987
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Real Ghostbusters/Star Wars
Language:	English
External Links:
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Marginal Error is a gen crossover 142-page novel written and illustrated by Mary Jean Holmes.

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On the cover: "A Cross-Universe Comedy in Several Supernatural Acts."

One of the people this zine was dedicated to was Misty Lackey, "who is ultimately responsible for this story's existence (a tale I'll tell someday, somewhere, but not here)."

Author's Notes

From the author's notes in the zine:

In spite of appearances, this story does not take place within tne known universe; hence, any apparent discrepancies and inaccuracies in established locations, existing landmarks, persons, events, practices, etc. can be attributed to the variation in dimensional structure (and how's that for a load of misleading pseudo-scientific gobbledygook? I've had lots of practice, lately...).

In store I Mention as Ernie's owes a significant part of its existence and ambience to a Midwest company known as the American Science Center. Short of Its proprietor (who is nothing at all like Ernie), they bear a remarkable resemblance to one another....

Also, the character of Franklin owes even more to my late and much-missed friend, Henry J. Phillips, who was the best darned Mad scientist I ever knew...

Since, this story contains more than the usual share of humor drawn from sources both obscure and inobscure, I think it only fair to offer apologies to just about everyone. This was all meant in fun....

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Reactions and Reviews

1987

Marginal Error is a quite unusual crossover novel by Mary Jean Holmes that is almost impossible to capture in a mere description. But here is " the basic idea: Luke is dumbfounded when his mentors start disappearing, an even of cosmic importance according to Ben and Anakin. When Ben vanishes like Yoda, Anakin conspires to persuade Han to believe. With his help, Han invents a device to repair the interdimensional hole that will cause "Universal Destruction," and "The End of Life As We Know It."

Luke, with a less-than-willing Han, heads for Dagobah, the focal point for the interdimensional leak, to retrieve his friendly ghosts from the Other Side. What he finds is the source of hilarious adventures, as he and Han are cast into 1987 New York, and the headquarters of a comic band of psychic investigators known as the Ghostbusters.

This novel is zany, crazy and a laugh a minute.

1988

While I enjoyed Ghostbusters when it first appeared in the movie theaters, it was not necessarily one of my all-time favorites. I found it to be an entertaining movie, but not one that stayed with me. I should confess that before I read the story, I wasn't sure what to expect; however, having the utmost confidence in whatever Mary Jean Holmes writes, I was willing to take a chance (what the heck!). Any reservations I may have had were due to the fact that, while I enjoy humor — and personally feel that it is an essential part of the Star Wars universe tires and take-offs often leave cold. I am glad to say that Marginal Error did no such thing. Your characterizations were better than the original film.

Marginal Error was thoroughly amusing, this despite the fact that your technical jargon was so well-written, I often had no idea what the characters were talking about? Therefore, any poetic license you nay have taken with scientific explanations went completely over my head, convincing me that you knew exactly what you were talking about. My favorite part of the story came when Anakin took it upon himself to "haunt" the unbelieving Han. The Corellian's reactions to this troublesome ghost were so in character, the natural humor of the situation had me laughing out loud, causing my ten-year-old son to wonder if his mother hadn't completely lost it.

I'm writing to say that I was taken to the gates of comic heaven and back with your Marginal Error.

I loved the technique and pacing of the flipping back and forth between the two universes in the first part, along with the rising hysteria in both (in the events and attendant reactions of the parties involved). The repartee between Luke and Anakin and Obi-wan about incorporeal Jedi's tolerance, forgive ness, and the cantankerous one was wonderful, not to mention the interchanges between Ray telling Egon about, "Mumble, mumble...." You do have the Ghostbusters down quite well in characterization, from Venkman's almost slimy POV of life along with his sarcastic skepticism and whining (I remember you telling us in the hallway at MediaWest about your gleeful trashing of Murray), Egon's deadpan manner and rather narrow focus outlook and Ray's sense of wonder mixed in with a dose of growing determina tion. The bedroom and bathroom invasions were ghoulie funhouse heaven.

Your portrayal of Han's techno-snobbery was great. I got off on your descriptions of the lightsaber and analyzer using molecular-circuitry boards. And coming up with the scene of "marginal error."

The howling, chittering, cavorting, gleefully mischievous, sliming spuds were a delight. Apart a set of descriptions to write! CYeah, that's about what I thought!

You win the "Trashing" award of this dimension's year for what you did to New York' The Empire State Building was...words cannot describe (someday, I'll have to try a hand at a sketch of that). And the ride through Central Park and Times Square — wow! All that subverted matter!

Closing the rip was one wild storm; then, throw on top the poignancy of Luke and Han willingly staying behind! Of course, I was glad to have them find their way home. My only real complaint was that you didn't flesh out the goodbye, especially through wide-eyed Ray. I have a wondereye myself, and I'd identified with him, saying goodbye to such visitors. Well, I'd say Solo is made of stronger stuff than I, in those type of met a manners. I probably would have fainted.

Loved the final finale! (Only I'm not quite sure exactly what Zermain would be dreaming. That he was an actor playing Ray meeting Han and Luke in a holocomedy?).

Speaking of dreams and there being no such thing as fiction: is it a possibility, how ever infinitesimal, that you might consider a shortie exploring the flipside of our next world you so enticingly hinted at in the final two pages? I know of the cathartic element that you wrote about in SHADOWSTAR, the one that fueled this endeavor, so it stands alone — but, ah! the silly deliciousness of the otherside story.

To the illos. A couple just hit my artistic funnybone just right. I loved Anakin's smiling apparitionistic face in the bar with Han, if Luke and Han on Oagobah with the dead a-running by, especially Han's disgust as that little critter ran over his foot. Winston facing a beslimed Luke. Venkman dropping doyn behind Han's deadpan face. Nice composition in the lightsaber illo, along with Ray's look of wonder. And oh! poor Winston as the gang looks on in shock. They look great, and his expression as an avocado... priceless. I like Luke's expression as he discovers his mentors in the traps. And Han's at sacrificing their return. Teryl meeting Han.

And finally the cover, (which you probably don't remember, that I am the proud owner of). I grew even more delighted that I got it after I finished reading [Marginal Error]. Only, where are you hiding the other 500,000+ animation cells that make up the celluloid version of [Marginal Error]?

en I roll out of bed in the morn and head out of the room, I see it to my left, sitting propped up on a makeshift milk carton bookcase. The pink barrier complements (rather nicely) the picture of a pink nebula I happen to have had up on my closet door for a while, now. I really do feel that this illo's been pulled from the ranks of an already completed animated movie (like my beloved color theater display stills of Fantasia). That is the extra-extra artistic kick I get from it.

Thank you again for your creative endeavors!

I will admit, I'm not a fan of SW 'zines; yes, I loved the movies, but fan-written stuff never interested me much. Too many versions of the same Luke/Leia/Han Triangle (especially funny after RotJ!!), so I never paid much attention to SHADOWSTAR at cons, despite the fact that most of my friends bought it. So, I was not familiar with your version of the SW universe. In fact, I must admit that I tended to skim a lot of the strictly SW segments in ME. However, being a big fan of GB, I read (almost memorized!) all the rest!

I liked your characterizations of the GBs for the most part, though I really disagree with your view of Peter in ME. Even in the movie, he was never that slimy and whiny. Yes, he was a smartass, but he was also the mover and shaker, the one to get things going in the right direction, the one to kept everyone's feet on the ground, using humor to lighten tense moments. When the other guys got too far into "science," Peter gently brought them back to reality. He got the job done, even if he insulted everyone along the way. Too, his insults were too funny to be nasty, and Ray and Egon never seemed to mind. Not because they were dense or uncaring, but because they knew Peter really liked them, and teasing was just his way of showing affection.

Of course, this is my interpretation of the character, and you have obviously read different things into the same person, but I still think Peter would be impossible to like at all, if he had been closer to your view than to mine. Still, your views on Ray were pretty dead-on. I do think he should have been more expert at electronics and engineering than you showed him, and frankly, I don't think either Ray or Egon would trust Peter with any part of the work in rebuilding, no matter how pressed for time they were! Still, you captured Ray's enthusiasm and sense of wonder very well; even my roommate was pleased. (Nice, too, that they didn't waste a lot of time saying Ray was crazy. After all, if there are ghosts, why not Star Wars? Well, okay, it's not a good analogy...ghosts are quite possibly a result of psychic stress at death; SW is...um...).

As for Egon (my favorite!), I was quite pleased with your view of him. You got his dispassionate manner down very well. Not as unemotional as Spock, but still enough to make people wonder. I also liked the way he worked with Han's equipment, never giving up the quest for knowledge (Han was a snot, by the way!). I love it when my heroes are shown to be as extraordinary as I think them to be.

Janine was handled very well. One tough lady, that gal, and she has the brains not to give up on Egon (I would). Winston is treated very well indeed, which is hard to do, since it's difficult to get a handle on him, except to say that he's the only "normal" guy in the group.

Early 2000s

The only one of Mary Jean Holmes' Ghostbusters novellas that is still unavailable online, and the first GB fanfic ever printed. It is so old that it's based on the movie Ghostbusters, in fact. And it's a crossover with Star Wars...

Verdict: Must be seen to be believed. Will probably irk Peter fans, since the movie version is in full character.