Masiform D

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Zine
Title: Masiform D
Publisher: Poison Pen Press,
in 1986, T'Kuhtian Press had permission to copy and distribute these zines/parts of these zines
Editor(s): Deborah Michel Langsam & Devra Michele Langsam (first three issues), then just Devra
Date(s): 1971-1998
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Language: English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
a 1980 flyer printed in Warped Space #43

Masiform D is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology of fiction, art, occasional articles and a bit of Star Wars, Star Trek: TNG and Battlestar Galactica content. It is the fourth title that Poison Pen Press issued.

Some issues were scanned by Fanac.org.

Origins of the Zine's Title

In the first issue, the editors write: "No, it's not a bra zine - not a bra size, either.[1] Look it up in your CONCORDANCE."

"Masiform D" is the antitoxin, a powerful stimulant that could administered via a hypospray, McCoy used on Spock in the episode, "The Apple."

Special Issues

Some History

Masiform D is the zine that continued Spockanalia. In the last issue of Spockanalia, the editors wrote: "Spockanalia will be split into two fanzines."

Boldly Writing says: "These two zines were to be Masiform D with Devra and Debbie Langsam as editors and "Nevertrodden Worlds" with Sherna Comerford Burley as editor. Nevertrodden Worlds never got off the ground."

Fan Remarks and General Comments

What I like about M-D, even on those occasions when its overall contents are not exceptional (as in this issue), is the feeling of being home. Now that fandom has permanently branched out from solely ST fanfic, I've come to treasure and respect the still active and vital remnants of that period when fandom just meant ST. If it were not for ST and those devoted fans that kept it alive, like editor Devra Langsam, there'd be no fandom today to speak of. M-D #15 is a comfortable mixed bag of serious and new attempts at ST fiction, old ideas, and easy humor. [2]

MASIFORM D is a carefully printed mimeo genzine genzine with a very 'homey' feel. In its pages appear fantasy, science fiction, and STAR TREK material. Fiction, essays, parodies, transcripts of fan panel discussions, poetry, puzzles, illos, and extrapolative articles appear regularly in this zine; indeed, this diverity is MASIFORM's greatest asset. [3]

One of the best buys in fandom, especially at the unbelievably low price. The material is generally well written and edited, and contains a variety of topics and moods that should have something of interest for everybody. The poetry is better than that usually found in 'zines. [4]

Issue 1

front cover of issue #1, Alicia Austin -- Devra Langsam comments on this cover in the second issue of "Masiform D" -- "The cover on our first ish, which brought us a couple of strange letters, had another interesting effect. I gave a copy of MD#1 to Leonard Nimoy, when we trapped him at the stage door of the Hyannis Theater, where he'd been playing Tevyeh in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Mr. Nimoy took one look at the super space ranger whip-and-chill (as my Canadian friends call it) and his eyes nearly bugged out. Not what he had expected from a bunch of trekkies, ya betcha. (Good thing I hadn't brought along that PLAYGIRL picture of him Spock.)"
Ruth Berman wrote in 1971 in No #9: "Afterwards, we waited around and saw Nimoy briefly. Devra gave him a copy of Masiform-D (and he did a doubletake at the sight of the cover -- instead of the trekkish drawing you might expect from such a title, possibly a picture of Mr. Spock being sick, the cover is a drawing by Alicia Austin of a sensuous woman wearing black gloves and black stockings)."
back cover of issue #1, Claire Mason

Masiform D 1 was published January 1971, "published very irregularly. Available for 50 [cents], trade or contribution, or review." It was edited by Debbie Langsam and Devra Langsam. It has art by Allan Asherman, Alicia Austin, Connie R. Faddis, Alexis Gilliland, Sue Johnston, Deborah Langsam, Rosalind Oberdieck, and Andy Porter.

It had a print run of 350.

Some interesting facts regarding the "work credits": typing by Devra Michele Langsam, handcutting artwork by Juanita Coulson, bacover printed by Al Schuster, "tear sheets of Mr. Bradbury's story generously donated by AT&T."

From the editorial:

Three years ago I entered the weird and perverty world of fandom, primarily through the agency of the SATURDAY REVIEW, which printed Dick Plotz's letter.[5] The appearance of Tolkien in that august periodical aroused a spark, etc, etc, …Sherna Comerford (now Burley) and I attended a moot at Dick's house, and thus were lured into devastation. Open ESFA, meeting Brian Burley - WKF, Lunacon… and then correspondence with Juanita Coulson, who wrote, "Why don't you two do a STAR TREK fanzine?" Strange how such innocent bait hid the many pitfalls awaiting two neofemmefaneds. (Tsk. If I had known then.,..)

With Sherna and my cousin Debbie (keep a close eye on her) I co-edited SPOCKANALIA for two long maddening frustrating blissful years. SPOCK was as secondary universe fanzine, in which we assumed that the STAR TREK universe was the real world. It was in this hard school that I learned about the tendencies of all stencils to shred, of all ink repositories (of whatever, make, brand, or form) to leak, of all paper to catch and rip, I also learned about the difficulties of locating "the man who has that nice illo for you," about' "the rule that the postawful must lose at least one batch, of illos for each fanzine, and how even the best contributors (and we had them) are sometimes a bit later than they thought, A rewarding and enlightening experience it was too,

In the spring of 1969 STAR TREK was cancelled and left the airwaves, Although it immediately returned via syndication, there could be no new authorized material to work, with. This, and the difficulty of editing a massive zine with two editors forty miles from the third, and one of the two in a pre-med course, impelled us to split up the zine.

Original Cover Art and Layout: Issue 1

  • from issue #1, the front cover, original instructions for the printer, Alicia Austin is the artist

    from issue #1, the front cover, original instructions for the printer, Alicia Austin is the artist

  • from issue #1, the front cover, original instructions for the printer

    from issue #1, the front cover, original instructions for the printer

  • from issue #1, some front cover components

    from issue #1, some front cover components

  • from issue #1, some front cover components

    from issue #1, some front cover components

  • from issue #1, some back cover components, Claire Mason is the artist

    from issue #1, some back cover components, Claire Mason is the artist

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

[Variations on an Unoriginal Theme]: We got quite a bit of flak about the main story in our lastish, most of it accusing us of being sexist. This produces a problem. VARIATION is a funny, well-written story, with a rather woman's magazine orientation. It's a perfect example of the kind of writing that people sigh over every day, except, of course, that the heroine is a Vulcan.

VARIATION was written, accepted, and illustrated more than two years ago. I thought that it was a good story then, and I still feel that it's a good story. Perhaps if it were submitted to me now, I might feel a little more worried about the "attitude." Perhaps not. However, having accepted such a story, I most certainly would not send it back after holding it for two years, because I'd become "liberated." That is crude.

Despite the cries from a few of our readers, VARIATION is still a good story, still well-written, and still funny. I just don't quite agree with it anymore. And that, as every one knows, doesn't really count. The editors need not necessarily agree with everything they print. [6]

[zine]: This is the new zine of 2/3 of the editing staff of SPOCKANALIA, that best of TREKzines...but this is no more than a semi-TREKzine.

The first attention-getter is a lovely Alicia Austin semi-nude cover...which is very nearly worth the price of the zine all by itself.

After the introductory editorials, the first item is "Ray Bradbury and the AT&T." Remember an ad for AT&T regarding holographic computer pictures written by Bradbury a while back? Well, this article consists of that ad (donated by AT&T on slick paper) and an interesting if downbeat commentary on it and the society it envisions.

Next is "A Speculation" by Ruth Berman, a TREKarticle regarding romance in the series; "The Free Enterprise" by Rosalind Oberdieck, a TREK- comedy story; an "SF Double- Crostic" by Miriam Z. Langsam; TREKromance taking place on the Enterprise but with mostly original characters; a very odd story called "Getting Out," by Eleanor Arnason; a considerable amount of generally good poetry.

This is not yet up to SPOCKANALIA standards...but for a firstish it's excellent, and has great promise of improvement. [7]

[zine]: A genzine, but heavy on the trekkish items. 44 pages. Excellent repro: mimeo (electrostencilled illos) with offset covers. 50 cents from Devra Langsam [address redacted]. The trekishness consists of a whatever-became-of-the-Scalosians article by Ruth Berman, two poems (humorous), a Terran-boy-meets-Vulcan-girl story, and numerous illos (the bacover is a Claire Mason McCoy) . SPOCKANALIA fans will be glad to know that THE FREE ENTERPRISE is back , this time written by Rosalind Oberdieck; there' s also the sort of editorial chatter that we came to dread eagerly await in each issue of M-D's motherzine. Good clean fun, despite the Austin cover. [8]

Issue 2

Masiform D 2 was published in March 1972 and contains 72 pages. It was edited by Debbie Langsam and Devra Langsam.

The cover was printed by Al Schuster.

It had a print run of 350.

front cover of issue #2, Alicia Austin
back cover of issue #2 -- "The back cover, also by MRO, is a portrait of Strider on horseback (of course, he looks like Leonard Nimoy -- but pointed ears and bangs?)." [9]
the collators for issue #2 make their mark on the title page

The art is by Alicia Austin, Connie R. Faddis, Alex Gilliland, C. Lee Healy, Deborah Michel Langsam, Devra Michele Langsam, Sandra Miesel, Mike Miller, Rosalind Oberdieck, and Andy Porter.

Devra writes in the editorial: "The latest word on Sherna's projected secondary universe zine, NEVERTRODDEN WORLDS, is quite hopeful. She has all of her material together, is working on lettering and art and such, and has some hopes of being ready moderately soon."

Original Art and Layout: Issue 2

  • from issue #2, one of the original components for the front cover of issue #2, showing layout

    from issue #2, one of the original components for the front cover of issue #2, showing layout

  • from issue #2, one of the original components for the front cover of issue #2

    from issue #2, one of the original components for the front cover of issue #2

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

MD is a genzine with trekkish overtones; this issue is about half-and-half. There are two or three (depending on how you interpret one of them) very good Spock poems, miscellaneous cartoons and drawings, and a short Spock's-childhood story. The trekkish main course is a couple of dozen pages written and liberally illustrated by Rosalind Oberdieck, entitled 'People Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn't.' The transporter malfunctions (again); McCoy's brain and/or personality ends in Spock's body, and vice versa -- the story is a study of the two men's reactions. Although a few details seem lacking in verisimilitude, the idea is original, the writing is good, handled with a light, humorous touch. An illustration of McCoy/Spock and Spock/McCoy does somehow manage to look like those two bodies with transposed personalities.

In the 'other' department, Marion Zimmer Bradley has compiled a glossary of her Darkovan words and phrases (I enjoyed it, though I've read none of the books); there are two Dark Shadows-style parodies of Lewis Carroll by Marian Turner...

The back cover, also by MRO, is a portrait of Strider on horseback (of course, he looks like Leonard Nimoy -- but pointed ears and bangs?). And so forth. Oh -- another Austin cover. [10]

A handsome partial trekzine.

I will not comment on the Darkovian glossary (although I do wish I knew who the Darkovians are) or the short humorous verse concerning the Dork Shadows tv series ,but rather will go on to the rest.

There is some fairly good fiction (good for trekzines). Joyce Yasner's Homecoming is well executed, tho not very substantial, while Mary Oberdieck's People Who Live In Glass Houses Shouldn't... obviously inspired by both Spock Must Die and The Turnabout Intruder by setting up a transporter goof which mixes the minds of Spock and McCoy, gives us some witty dialog, but a rather unbelievable plot (really now, a transporter can only do certain things).

Devra and assistant editor/cousin Deborah like poetry and they supply some ranging from the Spock worship variety to the Dark Shadows type mentioned previously, to more mundane subjects like the pleasant 4-liners by Eleanor Arnason concerning roaches and planes.

The brightest spots in the zine are the editorials by Devra and Deborah and Devra's Antsy-Climax. This and the art work ranging from passable to excellent (love the Alicia Austin cover) help make for a pretty good zine. So much for being a compose-on-stencil kid. [11]

Issue 3

front cover of issue #3, Alicia Austin
back cover of issue #3, Alan Andres

Masiform D 3 was published in September 1973 and contains 84 pages. It was edited by Debbie Langsam and Devra Langsam.

It had a print run of 350.

This issue contains art by Alan Andres, Alicia Austin, Alexis Gilliland, Peggy Hagen, Carolyn Hillard, Janice, Sue Johnston, Debbie Langsam, Devra Langsam, Wendy Lindboe, Claire Mason, Rosalind Oberdieck-Ludwig, Andy Porter, Gerry Stout, Anne E. Trembley, Mary Ann Walther, and Joyce Yasner.

  • Formazine, and other irritating substances, by yed (5)
  • Chemistry Songs, collected by Debbie Langsam (8)
  • Fan Writing Panel or Don't Make Him Say That! by Sherna Burley, Debbie Langsam, Devra Langsam, and Joyce Yasner (took place at the first Star Trek convention in '72; advice for fan writers about accurate characterization, consistency, fanon, the Lay story and other matters. Pornography and censorship received brief mentions in terms of their use in writing. Slash was not discussed other than a brief mention of "is Spock queer".) (9)
  • Even More Illogical Verses by Judith Brownlee (37)
  • Word Search by Allyson Felix (38)
  • The Secret Life of Monica Miller by Monica Miller (39)
  • … And Divided We Fall by Claudia Jane Peyton (43)
  • Partial Translation of Expanded Outlines for Instructors at the Vulcan Academy by Debbie Langsam (44)
  • Eleanor Arnason's Farewell to the Five Boroughs (45)
  • A Further Fiendish Puzzle by Miriam Z. Langsam (46)
  • Sleepwalker's World, a review by Ruth Berman (48)
  • Training the Teacher by Anne F. Trembley (51)
  • Answers to the Fiendish Puzzle (53)
  • Further Songs of Collinsport, filks by Marian Turner (54)
  • Warning by C. Hillard (article)
  • Lady Lilane and the Green Churl by Sandra Miesel (an Authurian story) (55)
  • I Remember by Steve Young (64)
  • Lines We'd Like to Hear by Carolyn Hillard (65)
  • Ads (66)
  • Another Episode by William Pugmire (W.H. Pugmire) (Star Trek story) (67)
  • Beginning by Joan Verba (SF story, Verba's first submission to a zine. Later, the author wrote in Boldly Writing: "As with most writers who look back at their first stories, I am somewhat embarrassed by it now, since I could have written it much better today. In retrospect, I wonder why Devra took such an amateur effort. At the time, however, it was a thrill to be published. I was so proud of my efforts that I purchased several copies for relatives, friends, and acquaintances.") (68)
  • Witchcraft by Nancy Giudice (81)
  • Warning by Carolyn Hillard (82)
  • Graffiti by Maureen Wilsons and Margaret Harris (84)


Issue 4

Masiform D 4 was published in April 1975 and contains 74 pages. Front cover by Janice Scott; back cover by Claire Mason. Edited by just Devra Langsam.

front cover of issue #4, Janice Scott
back cover of issue #4, Claire Mason

It had a print run of 350.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4

  • Stokaline ("It'll put a little green in your cheeks" - editorial)
  • Adrego's coffin / gen fantasy, not ST. Cute, though.
  • Elementary, my dear Captain / essay on Spock & Holmes
  • Conversation at a Navigation Console / Sulu/Chekov vignette
  • A Sneaky Murder Mystery (logic puzzle)
  • The Free Enterprise / the E gets a freep
  • Here We Go Again / a parallel universe adventure with Spock's counterpart a female
  • Filks: The 12 Days of Christmas (at Starfleet Lost & Found)
  • Poetry: The Searcher
  • Cheetah Avenged / Planet of the Apes complaint
  • Puzzles: A Modest Propuzzle [12]

Issue 5

Masiform D 5 was published in December 1976 and contains 98 pages, mimeo.

The art is by Alan Andres, Allan Asherman, Kathy Bushman, D.L. Collin, Connie R. Faddis, Alex Gilliland, Carolyn Hillard, Sue Johnston, Wendy Lindboe, Sandra Miesel, Bawn O'Beirne-Ranelagh, M. Rosalind Oberdieck-Ludwig, Kevin O'Brien, Pat O'Neill, Andy Porter, Cara Sherman, Gerry Stout, Gennie Summers, Mary Ann Walther, and Sally Wyant.

It had a print run of 500.

Regarding the story "The Collector," a story based on a Larry Niven universe, from the editorial:

  • from the table of contents page: "I have read The Collector, by Gerry Stout and found no major discrepancies with the "Known Space" line of history. However, the story is not to be considered part of the main line. --Larry Niven

From the editorial:

I got Larry Niven's permission to print the "Speaker" story. Anyone else who wants to write and publish stories in Mr. Niven's 'world' must get his permission to do so. Mr. Niven says that, contrary to his previous statement, he is considering writing more of the "Known Space" stories.

Also in the editorial:

I'm very happy to say that my copyright dispute with said Bantam Books has been settled. They had neglected to include my copyright statement when they published a story drawn from SPOCKANALIA #5 in The New Voyages, people told me that I should ask for money, too, but I hate fights (9 parts chicken, that's me).

front cover of issue #5, Connie Faddis
back cover of issue #5, Cara Sherman

Contents:

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

It's an absolute steal at one dollar. [13]

Masiform D is not the usual Trekzine; it's a genzine, which means the content includes Trek and other worlds and fandoms. Variety also comes in the types of material printed; articles, short stories, illos, poetry, brief humorous thingies are fairly evenly sprinkled throughout.

There are three main Trek dishes. 'Emotional Honesty and Proper Social Behavior Among Vulcans' by Lee Burwasser discusses telepathic and facial signals which might go unnoticed by non-Vulcans. 'Vulcan Emotional Suppression: The Reasons Why" by Rosalind Oberdieck Ludwig covers a lot of points which have been mentioned before, but not pulled together. 'Time of a New Beginning' by Jean Lorrah tackles the problems of pon farr's irrationality with respect to both Starfleet careers and being a Vulcan female. The short story raises interesting questions, such as: If the female bondmate were the challenger, would a Vulcan male in pon farr spare her life?

In the non-Trek sphere, 'The Collector,' by Gerry Stout, is set in Larry Niven's Known Space Universe. It's a little weak in character and plot development, but it's nice to visit with Louis Wu and the Kzin.

Lee Burwasser has an article which will tell you all about cyborg operatives.

'One Day at Worldcon' by Dee Beetem has the Enterprise running in to a planet which seems literally to be an entire world con. This sort of thing has been done before, but this one's a fun, fannish romp anyway.

Paula Smith's 'The Magic T'ree' is a punny short short for the Fun and Games Dept.

Ruth Berman's short sonnet sequence, 'The Nightingale Woman,' is... beautiful.

More poetry and short humor (the ever present Free Enterprise, for example) round out the zine. The artwork is liberally dispersed, of many different styles, and includes Martynn's illos for 'Time of a New Beginning,' Cara Sherman's sketches, another strange female -- this time by Connie Faddis -- for the cover. (Masiform D #1 and #2 also had strange females for covers...), a nightengale woman by M. Rosalind Oberdieck Ludwig, cute illos from Wendy Lindboe, and other pieces too numerous to single out. The layout and mimeoing are tops. The key word here is variety.

If not everything in Masiform D appeals to you, at least you're bound to like something. [14]

  • Stokaline (editorial)
  • Emotional Honesty and Proper Social Behavior Among Vulcans / Vulcan Academy lecture - etiquette for the telepath
  • The Collector / Collector of galactic felines get his just desserts when he goes for a Kzinti
  • Vulcan Emotional Suppression / essay on historical development
  • Time of a New Beginning / Vulcan officer makes her own challenge at her wedding
  • Nightingale Woman, a sonnet sequence
  • The Magic T'Ree / fairy-tale style S/K/Mc pablum
  • One Day at Worldcon /Pretty entertaining take on the old real-Star-Trek-guys-transport-into-a-convention storyline.[15]

Issue 6

Masiform 6 (archived here) was published in July 1977 and is 94 pages long.

front cover, #6, Carol Walske
back cover of issue #6, Gerry Stout

The art is by Carol Walske (front cover), Susan Armstrong, Kathy Bushman, D.L. Collin, Jocelyn Feaster, Alexis Gilliland, Kathi Lynn Higley, Carolyn Sue Hillard, Sue Johnston, Mary Oberdieck-Ludwig, Sandra Miesel, Monica Miller, Pat O'Neill, Janice Scott-Preston, Carolynn Ruth, B. Schlemmer, Stu Shiffman, Gerry Stout (back cover), Gennie Summers, Martynn, and Sally Wyant.

It had a print run of 990.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 6

This issue of Masiform D offers a strange selection of ST and non-Trek subjects for the enjoyment of the reader. Take Berserksgang by Lee Burwasser as an example. It is probably best regarded as a medieval story, or maybe sword & sorcery, or some mixture thereof, and a bit hard to explain. Read it. You'll know what I mean. Detailing pithy, symbolic-laden plots ain't the easiest thing to do in the space of one paragraph.

Next, there is a beautiful portfolio of artwork drawn after Ruth Berman's sonnet of Nightingale Woman, and Ruth introduces the portfolio with a short article on the nature of sonnets and the origin of her creation.

A short story following this called The Fishpacking Plant" is straight SF but interestingly told. Eleanor Arnason describes for us the invasion of earth by Saurian creatures and the subsequent enslavement of one poor soul who is put to work in a fishpacking plant. The style of writing reminds me something of Thomas Disch (remember him?) or Theodore Sturgeon.

"Escape Artist", later on in the zine, is another SF or fantasy story about a young girl who paints to escape, except ... she really can escape into her paintings. Interesting, but it's been used many times before in SF/Fantasy lit and is a somewhat standard plot. The author, Elizabeth Carrie, does tell the story very competently though.

A Tale of Two Cities by Jean Kluge is an article about the original version of Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever which not all fans are familiar with. The fanzine Babel originally carried an account of the script but this is the first description of the original to appear in a fanzine in several years. Interesting reading if you have never heard the full details of Harlan's original.

Dale Kagan also has an article on ESP in this issue of M-D. Barbara Wenk has an interesting version of what really happened in The Enterprise Incident in her story The Enterprise Coincidence. Makes you want to think about it.

The final piece of fiction wrapping up this issue is To Know Dishonor by Fern Marder & Carol Walske. It leads off with a list of characters. You see there is Kor Alkarin, who is the Ormen, the emperor of Nu Ormenel ... So begins this relatively simple story [16] about Kor (the character from "Errand of Mercy") and his son, but you wouldn't know it was a simple story by reading the introduction. The reader is engulfed in words or all sorts made up to describe the Klingons and their culture. I almost expected to find whole pages written entirely in Klingon. It would have been a nice story had it not been SO murderously bogged down in a graduate course in linguistics. Spaced apart as the words are in Kraith it might not be bad, but jammed together in the confines of a short story makes this almost impossible to even finish page 1.

The zine as a whole contains better than average art....The only story inside that could have been left out or reworked is a short parody that suffers from too many overused gags. Otherwise the material within is very good. Recommended. [17]

Ms. Langsam has done it again. Producer a real zinger of a zine. From the beautifully done sketches of Kang the Klingon on the front cover to the Klingonese tale 'To Know Dishonor,' 'Masiform D' is a delight.

First, there is a delightful Trek parody called 'Meanwhile, Back on the Bridge' by Carol Hansen that was hilarious. Then there was the more sobering 'Berserksgan' by Lee Burwasser that gave a realistic twist to the more fairy tales and conventional tales of Robin Hood.

'The Fish Packing Plant' by Eleanor Arnason begins on a note of whimsy but quickly and quietly sounds like a cry of pathos that wrings the heart.

'Escape Artist' by Elizabeth Carrie reminded me strongly of the Helen Reddy hit 'Angie Baby.' That story of a neurotic teenager's absorption in the make-believe world of her radio becomes here a story of an equally strange girl whose ability to transport people into the realities of the paintings she does is downright chilling.

'The Enterprise Coincidence...' by Barbara Wenk is the 'Enterprise Incident' as seen through the crafty eyes of that certain lady Romulan Commander has certainly caused me to rethink that episode.

Elizabeth Carrie returns again soon after that with 'Lines We'd Like to Hear.' Like the Trek parody done by Hansen, these lines of dialogue are hysterically funny.

Then there is Marder and Walske's 'To Know Dishonor.' This distaff view of the ST universe was refreshing to me because heretofore I'd never been exposed to Klingon Empire stories save of course, when said Empire collided with the Federation. I thoroughly enjoyed this view of how 'the other half' lives and have gained a tremendous respect for those 'badies' through reading it.

All in all, this is a fantastic zine, and I recommend it. [18]

  • Stokaline ( editorial)
  • Meanwhile, Back on the Bridge / rather dull parody
  • Berserksgang / medieval warrior stuff
  • Nightingale Woman / portfolio of drawings to go with Ruth Berman's sonnets in previous issue
  • Three Questions / speculations on Vulcan mysteriousness
  • The Fishpacking Plant / odd vignette of victims of Gorn-like slavers
  • A Tale of Two "Cities" / review of Harlan's "City"
  • Escape Artist / interesting version of a "going into the painting" tale
  • ESP-er / silly critique of Scientific American ESP study
  • The Enterprise Coincidence / version of "Enterprise Incident" in which it's all a set-up by the Commander
  • To Know Dishonor / Klingon tale of Emperor Kor, his son, and Kang. [19]

Issue 7

front cover of issue #7, Carol Walske
back cover of issue #7, Phil Foglio -- A rough sketch of a picture published in Klingon Empire Appointment Calendar, 5th ed.

Masiform D 7 was published in July 1978 and contains 90 pages. It was mimeographed and had a print run of 1000.

It has art by Carol Walske (front cover), Gordon Carleton, Hans Dietrich, Connie R. Faddis, Phil Foglio (back cover), Kathi Higley, Carolyn Hillard, M.R.O. Ludwig, Martynn, Deborah Lleyn Phillips, Janice S. Preston, Sarah Prince, Carrie Rowles, Carolynn Ruth, Gerry Stout, Gennie Summers, and Sally Wyant.

From the editorial, about the machine:

Well, friends, it's finally happened. My dear old mimeo will no longer feed reliably (I don't call a system where you have to hold the paperweight with your finger reliable), and the motor on the NOVA Enterprises shook the house so much that the landlady called down to find out what kind of factory I was running beneath her. The repairman cheer fully informed me that the Rosensteins' universal joint (that which connects the motor to the printer, transmitting power from the one to the other—rather like a dilithium crystal) was GONE. Sorry, lady. Of course it works manually — I just can't run the motor. SOOO—I have finally broken down (after hand-cranking 114 pages for Trexindex — NO, no, Barbara; don't hit me. YOU hand-cranked 99 of the pages!) and ordered a New second-hand mimeo. Until it arrives, I'm using yet another leaner machine. Thanks, Roger. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to get my own new one in time to finish printing this. Pray for me.

From the editorial, about needed art:

I again ask for contributions of art. I need small, filler pieces: ships, portraits of the main characters( I don't have a single Kirk in my file) and cartoons. But please, no large black areas. My printer was very happy about the centerfold poem (which he printed very beautifully)) but I was very irritated. . .printing that cost me $$$. (And just ask Barbara Wenk and Joyce Yasner about the walking-bird illo in #6 sometime. . .) Artwork should be in black ballpoint, india ink, or waterproof magic marker, with no large black areas or very dense zipatone shading. Full-page illos should have one-inch margins all around, and small illos shouldn't be either very tiny or tremendously large. I could also use some long, thin thin borders for the bottoms of pages. Please tell me if you want your originals returned.

From the editorial, about other fans writing in the Kershu fighter universe:

KLINGS—The first thing I want to point out about my Klingon stories is that they are NOT nu Ormenel Klingons. These are my own Klingons, and have no relationship to those of Carol Walske and Fern Marder.... I am very fond of my Kershu fighters, and have a second story partially completed, and a third story sort of floating around (although it's kind of stuck right now ). I don't mind other people playing around with the ideas in my story, or even writing stories about my people for their own pleasure. After all, the two Kershu stories planned for #8 were both written by other people. HOWEVER, these are my invention, my Klingons, as is the art of Kershu fighting. (I'm the world's expert on it /modestly buffing her nails/. The only expert.) I really don't want anyone to publish stories about Kershu unless I have approved them. Legalities aside, I would HATE to suddenly find someone trying to marry Janet to Master Kinet. . . .

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 7

[Prerequisite]: The beginning of Devra's Kershu series. Devra set the story in the future of the original series when a working peace existed between the Klingons and the Federation. The treaty allowed Terran students to go to Klingon planets to study the Klingon martial art, Kershu. The series ran for several issues and enjoyed a wide audience. [20]

[zine]:
  • The Hunting of the Press / Amusing rip-off of the "Snark" for fan-eds
  • Button, Button / Telepathic young dolphin-folk mess with the landing party's minds - and bodies.
  • Arena / critique of episode and original Frederic Brown story from which it was taken.
  • Co-Incidence? / rebuttal to Wenk's story - Kirk & Co are leading the Commander on now.
  • The Free Enterprise / "Local News," classifieds, and "Last Will & Testaments" of the E-crew.
  • Once Upon a Time / Spock goes back for Zarabeth
  • The Hoplite / David & Goliath. What the heck is this doing here?
  • Prerequisite / Kershu story; Fed exchange student Jan breaks the rules and ends up in a prestigious fighter class. [21]

Issue 8

front cover of issue #8, Martynn
back cover of issue #8, Randy Bathurst

Masiform D 8 published in February 1979 and is 88 pages long.

The art is by Susan Armstrong, Randy Bethhurst (back cover), Hans Dietrich, Caroline Hedge, Carolyn Sue Hillard, MRO Ludwig, Martynn (front cover), Pat O'Neill, Deborah Lleyn Phillips, Carrie Rowles, Carolynn Ruth, Carol Walske, and V.M. Wyman.

It had a print run of 1000.

Each issue now began to include "one obligatory Star Wars item."

Mimeo adventures, from the editorial:

One of the reasons I'm late (or later than usual) is that Old Faithful, my Congressional mimeo, finally stopped feeding. It had been sort of erratic, and got at last to the point where it was producing more crud than good sheets. So I printed almost all of Roberta Rogow's last Trexindex (more on this later) by hand, on the Nova Enterprises machine. This one is hand-crank only (having lost its universal joint). This may make strong bodies 12 ways, but it's definitely a lot slower. It was also the straw that broke the faned's back. I finally just called Gold Sealand bought a new (second-hand) Gestetner 360. This newer model (in addition to fancy dohickeys like an automatic jogger which sometimes works) is widely available. It's a lot easier to get parts for it, and to find someone who knows how to repair it. I've named the new machine Master Kinet, since I expect it to be a stern taskmaster to me. Master Kinet may also explain the paucity of color in this issue. My color kits are for the old hand crank machine, and I have to be very powerfully motivated to crank 1100 sheets by hand. . . .

Also from the editorial:

The Post Awful is up to its usual tricks. This time, it lost a set of pictures mailed to me in November, and now it seems to have misplaced the duplicate set the artist did. She mailed them January 11th, and it's now February 2nd, and nary a sign of them. I am delaying as long as possible, but I may have to either pull the story, or use substitute artwork from my files. I hate to disappoint the author, who'd like to see her story in print, or the artist, who's drawn and mailed the pictures twice now. It's really a rather sticky situation. Speaking of files. . . please submit stories, poetry, and articles for Masiform D. Pretty please. I have a charming story about Harry Mudd, a good ship story by A.M Hall, another of Barbara Wenk's scurrilous and nasty attacks on those upright dumb honest virtuous stupid kershu fighters, an article by Ruth Berman, and at long last, my survey. . .all of this good stuff to go into MD #9. BUT—I'd really like some more. (Lots 'n lots more.) Thish and #9 will pretty well clean me'out. How about some new entries for The FREE ENTERPRISE? How about some articles? How about….

From the editorial, more on the missing artwork (and an example of how these editorials were sometimes done in pieces over a period of time):

We finally found out what happened to the missing artwork. It was found kicking around the Post Awful down in West Virginia. Took it an entire month to go from one side of the room to the other. Therefore, Ruth Bollerud's story will appear in MD #9 (Ghu willing). I ask everyone to pray that we'll be third-time lucky, and that the artwork actually arrives before the next deadline.

  • Stokaline (editorial) by Devra Michele Langsam (5)
  • Solstice by Gaylen Reiss (from the editorial: "Gaylen Reiss wishes to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the Kraith Universe, and the writers of Kraith, who inspired her charming story, "Solstice".") (11)
  • Monarch of the Skies, filk by Jane Aumerle (29)
  • The Many Ways To Eden by Elizabeth Carrie, (a story in play form, spoof) (31)
  • Morning Has Broken, filk by Pat Kelly (53)
  • A Question of Superiority by Bawn O'Beirne-Ranelagh, (a Kershu story) (from the editorial: "By the way, Bawn O'Beirne-Ranelagh is not a pseudonym. She is neither me, Joyce, nor Barbara. Furthermore, she would probably walk across the water from London and beat me up at the suggestion. (And since she was a purple belt in Japanese-style karate last time I saw her, two years ago, this could be very awkward.)") (54)
  • The gnu sound: an alphabet by Devra Michele Langsam (64)
  • The War of the Well, translated and with an introduction and note by Sandra Wise, (a tale of pre-Reform Vulcan) (66)
  • Obligatory Star Wars Item (Skywalker portrait), (78)
  • The Four Mousekersheers by Barbara Wenk, (a Kershu story, the fighters go to Disney World) (79)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

See reactions and reviews for Solstice.

[zine]:

This is the compleatly fannish fanzine that took up where SPOCKANALIA left off. In fact, It looks a lot like the old SPOCKANALIA, what with the Free Enterprise and two articles on Vulcan emotionalism. It even smells fannish (pulp paper) . And it comes in six colors.

Jean Lorrah has an exceedingly well done story (not Sarek and Amanda) titled "Time of a New Beginning." In it, a Vulcan woman challenges her bonded mate in order to be able to live her own life. Martynn's illos enhance the story.

Ruth Berman's complete "Nightengale Sonnet Sequence", a shorter version of which won the Phinish Phineas contest at Equicon '74, is here. The ten sonnets may not be the "most passionate love sonnets" ever written, but they are gorgeously musical.

Dee Beetem's "One Day at Worldcon" Is a purely funny romp—how Our Heroes meet up with a motley crew of SCA-ers, huxters, people in plastic ears and just generally fans at a worldwide convention planet.

And Paula Smith even has a shortie, "The Magic T'ree," an old folk tale for old folks.

Rating: Graphics 5 Contents 4 $ Worth 5[22]

[zine]:
  • Solstice / a variety of solstice celebrations on the Enterprise, eventually including Spock's brew.
  • Monarch of the Skies / filk on G&S "Monarch of the Seas"
  • The Many Ways To Eden / "Eden" spoof in screenplay format. Come on, it's too easy... filbert, filbert.
  • Morning Has Broken / launch-pad filk
  • A Question of Superiority / more Kershu. Didn't actually read this one
  • The War of the Well / pseudo Old-Vulcan stuff. Not my cup of tea.
  • Obligatory Star Wars Item (Skywalker portrait)
  • The Four Mousekersheers / the kershu fighters go to Disney World [23]

...there really are zines around which are fun to read -- and are not such a drain on the pocketbook that the reader has to apply for a federal loan to subsidize their purchase. 'Masiform D' grows out of the SF traditions that gave us Spockanalia, the first and one of the most famous of all Trek zines. Masi #8 bears many resemblance to 'Spockanalia'. It has a nice chatty editorial in which the editor lets us see a glimpse of her outside ties and interests, as well as letting us into some of her 'inner workings' of an editor's life -- postal problems, machinery breakdowns, etc. It's enough to make a person want to write a LoC just to say, 'Hey, I understand about the delay!'

But even more than the editorial, Masi's variety of contents is reminiscent of 'Spockanalia.' Masi is a genzine. It features stories, poetry, and articles on a variety of subjects.

'Solstice' is a seasonal 'Christmas aboard the Big E' story. Although the tale has been done before, it has seldom done this well. We get a clear picture of the Enterprise as an inter-racial, inter-species vessel. Moreover, the problems encountered by Mr. Spock in relating to and accepting the strange seasonal customs of the emotional beings he is traveling with are handled realistically and delicately. There is a 'relationship' here, but it doesn't not stand in the way of the story. And this is a story, even down to change and development within the protagonists.

'The Many Ways to Eden' is a satirical retelling of the ST 'Way to Eden' episode. It's a distinct improvement. If this version had been aired, at least we could have laughed at the show.

'The War of the Well' is a secondary universe epic in the tradition established by 'Spockanalia.' Treating the Star Trek universe as real, it purports to be a translation of an ancient Vulcan poem recounting the bloody battle of a pre-Reform clan in desperate need of water rights. The poem is complete with footnotes, references to other works, etc. It has a remarkably authentic and 'real' feel to it. Also, it feels more like poetry than most of the unmusical musings that try to pass off as poetry in most zines.

'A Question of Superiority' and 'The Four Mousekersheers' are both based on Devra Langsam's 'Kershu fighters' universe -- it's a universe in which the peace movement foreseen by the Organians has come into effect and the first cultural exchange programs have been instituted. Among the exchange programs? Students, of course... Devra's kershus stories appeared in earlier issues of 'Masiform D'. Derivative tales by other authors are now appearing. Bawn's story deals with the 'moral superiority of karate.'... It is a well-written, enjoyable tale. No Kirk. No Spock, no Big E. A whole new corner of Star Trek woods. Great literature? No. But damn straight fun to read.

As is 'The Mousekersheers,' a tongue-in-cheek tale that pits an unwitting Disney World against Janet and her three Klingon teammates. Barbara writes well, and gives a beautiful delineation of character in a few brief and acerbic conversations. Artwork is, on the whole, quite good. V.M. Wyman has done some excellent pieces, as has Martynn, MRO Ludwig, and Hans Dietrich. Graphics, while not innovative, are neat and clearly throughout. [24]

Masiform D' is a quality zine that's well edited and nicely produced in clear mimeo. Contents are almost entirely ST and SW universe.

In the literary efforts, 'Solstice' is a Christmas/Holiday story, thoughtfully written wherein Spock discovers the season of brotherhood is for him, too.

'The Many Ways to Eden' treats us to a hilarious example of a 'rejected' script from of of ST' less than inspiring episodes.

'War of the Well -- offers a translation of an original Vulcan Pre-Reform poem about the tribal war that resulted in the founding of the city of ShiKar. This is an imaginative idea that's very well-developed.

Also included are two tales about the Klingon kershu fighters. Kershu is a Klingon fighting technique, and these stories are set in the future where the Federation and the Empire have struck an uneasy peach.

'A Question of Superiority' is about a Klingon/Federate student competition in the marital arts that threatens to become other than peaceful; 'The Four Mousekersheer' is a humorous recounting of a visit to Disney World.

In addition, the zine includes art, poetry, an 'Obligatory Star Wars Item,' and two pages of 'The Gnu Sound: An Alphabet.' Enjoyable and recommended. [25]

MASIFORM-D is a descendant of SPOCKANALIA, and thish shows its ancestry pretty clearly. It's a relaxed, fannish-feeling zine with a tendency toward light humor and a rather unquestioning admiration of things Vulcan.

The latter trait informs Gaylen Reiss' "Solstice", yet another tale of Christmas on the Big E. There's a twist, though. While the humans on board have been going about their Yuletide occasions, Spock has quietly been observing the Vulcan winter solstice, a time of intense meditation and personal re-evaluation which would, on Vulcan, culminate in a period of dancing and celebration. This fact comes to the attention of the Captain and the good Doctor, who then persuade Spock to contribute something of his own culture to the Terran seasonal observances. Which is basically good clean fun and could provide an insight or two. It doesn't. The trouble with this story, and with other faintly Kraith-flavored tales like it, lies in the assumption that humans know little of Vulcan civilization and, backward chauvinists that they are, are not particularly eager to learn. "Spock realized that he would always have difficulty melding the definitive Vulcan way with a human way that was illogical and even self-contradictory at times. Humans only understood the tip of the IDIC ideal of beauty in diversification;... " Et nauseam cetera. Homo sap cetainly has his faults, but I'm personally a bit tired of seeing the species sold short in this fashion. One of the clearer implications of both Amok Time and Journey to Babel is an ingrained Vulcan reluctance to share their culture and social institutions with—gawd forbid—outworlders. The xenophobic shoe is on the wrong foot here, methinketh.

"Solstice" is followed by Elizabeth Carrie's "alternate" script, "The Many Ways to Eden". As a parody of a travesty, it is at times a bit much, but it does manage to get off some awfully good lines.

Bawn O'Beirne-Ranelagh's "A Question of Superiority" deals with a competition between a group of human karate students and practicioners of the Klingon kershu style. It is well-made, and would be very good indeed if the author had assumed rather less knowledge of the martial arts on the part of her audience. After a second, very careful reading, I still don't know whether Kertac was shamming dead, or the referee was lying, or the human instructor did in fact perform some sort of resuscitation.

"The Four Mousekersheers", by Barbara Wenk, turns some of the same characters loose on Disney World, to predictably horrific results. This tale is perfect of its type, as is the gift the Klingon students select for their kershu master—just the sort of thing one would buy for one's maiden aunt in Peoria.

The class piece, though, is Sandra Wise's "translation" of the pre-Reform Vulcan elegy, "The War of the Well." Wise has caught the patterns and mannerisms of much primitive human poetry exactly — human poetry being the only model we have, after all—and managed to tell a stirring and affecting story at the same time. The Armstrong illustrations which accompany the poem are also outstanding.

In fact, the visual quality of the zine is excellent throughout, with fine work by Martynn, Vicki Wyman, and Hans Dietrich especially notable.

At two bucks a hit, this is a definite best buy. Recommended. [26]

I admit I am prejudiced, in a way —- Devra has started a new series that incorporates two heavy interests of mine: martial arts and Klingons. The three stories I’ve read so far have all been written by different authors, but the quality is consistently high, which is rare in ’shared’ universes. I have the feeling that as long as Devra keeps a steady hand on the editorial reins, all will be well. The rest of the zine is excellent, too. I may as well add, not meaning to slight her other selections in my enthusiasm for the pleasures of Kershu. But it preys on my mind. One of her stories deals with her characters searching glitchy souvenir shops at DisneyWorld to buy their master a gift. I had a little difficulty restraining myself at a student meeting soon after reading that story, when we were discussing what to get our Sifu for his birthday. Hey, Devra, give me a break! I already have enough trouble separating reality from fantasy![27]

Issue 9

front cover of issue #9, Susan Klasky
back cover of issue #9, Amy Falkowitz
You are Receiving this Zine Because from #9

Masiform D 9 was published in August 1979 and is 106 pages long. The art is by Kathy Carlson, Susan Crites, Hans Dietrich, Amy Falkowitz (back cover), Caroline Hedge, Kathi Higley, Susan Klasky (front cover), Terri Laponovich, Nan Lewis, MRO Ludwig, Steven Miller, Jane Peyton, Deborah Lleyn Phillips, Carrie Rowles, Carolyn Ruth, Janice Scott-Preston, Mike Symes, Barbara Wheel, Allyson Whitfield, Sally Wyant.

It had a print run of 500.

From the editorial:

When I was collecting the material for this issue, I didn't notice anything odd about it, but now that I have it all together, I can't help feelingthattheissuehasadefinitely—well—frivolous look. All ofthe stories have a decidedly humorous bent, and even the articles seem less than serious. Barbara Wenk tells me that it's obviously a summer issue, light reading, designed for use with a hammock and a pitcher of lemonade (or possibly diet pepsi?).

In this issue, Devra announced that the annual convention for fanzine readers, editors and contributors would leave Michigan in 1980 and take place instead in New York. It was to be sponsored by Devra, Joyce Yanser and Elyse Rosenstein. This convention was called Mos' Eastly Con:

CONNED AGAIN--Despite firm statements, I've gotten suckered sucked in again, and am currently working as Art Show Director on the Second Darkovan Grand Council (Julyl3-15), as Treasurer of Lunacon '80, and as Treasurer pro ten for the NY:86 Worldcon Bidding Committee. Then there's the little, intimate STAR TREK/STAR WARS/Mediacon Joyce Yasner and I are thinking of running next year. I must be out of my mind. (But of course.) Speaking of that little con, it will be called Mos' Eastly Con, and will be held over the Memorial Day week end of 1980. (There'ssome small confusion as to which weekend that will be (hurray for governments that keep juggling holidays!) but . . .) Attendance is limited to 350, and we will have NO guest stars, NO cash prizes for anything, FEW films, and NO disco Santa Clauses. We have a tentative agreement with our hotel (the Laguardia Sheraton), and hope to get a contract signed REAL SOON NOW. Membership is $10 plus 2 SASES until Dec 1. Dealers' tables will be avail able, (whew).

Also from the editorial:

The Post Offal is once again lurking in the wings, threatening to mash us with another raise in the 4th class postal rate—this time from 48c to 59c? for the first pound. That's a cumulative rise of 29c per pound since last year—and I can remember when it was only 18c! Sometimes I wonder if they really are trying to crush the small publisher, the bookseller, and the magazines. The postal increases really hit us, since so much of our business must of necessity go by US mail. It's impossible to finance a zine just by con sales; there aren't enough buyers at a con, and the expenses totally overwhelm the sales.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

... there's another kershu (Klingon martial arts) story in it. I won’t let my mad passion for the adventures of this hardy band run away with me — suffice it to say Barbara Wenk’s story "The Bet" about how Jan gets sucked into having to try and seduce fellow-classmate, Kintam, whose dislike of Terrans (she is) is legendary gives me giggle fits every time I re-read it. So does her other, ...er...piece, "Jedi Nights." Reading this sort of thing is probably what gave Darth his start in heavy breathing.

Also includes an interesting survey report on visualisation and its relation to writing, and other high-quality articles and stories.

Masiform D, as I have perhaps mentioned before, is that incredible rarity, a mimeoed zine that is actually legible. (My mimeo and I stand in humble awe of Devra's repro.) This printing method keeps the cost quite reasonable. [29]

  • Jedi Nights / (teaser for sultry novel)
  • Sunday Afternoon at the Con / yet another con-goer winds up on Enterprise for real
  • Mayan Calendar / Spock's birthday calculated according to the Mayan calendar
  • Peoples of Vulcan - the Sea People / (more constructionist stuff)
  • Now You See It - a Survey on Visualization / results of questionnaire on how writers and artists work
  • The Bet / Kershu stuff. A Jan, Korbas et al. story involving a dare/bet of Jan taking Kintam to bed
  • Notes on the Talos Report / more exploration of minor plot points in the ST Universe
  • Mudd In Your Eye / Starfleet misfit Isobel Schuster is kidnapped by Harry Mudd, who believes her to be a ransomable VIP incognito.
  • Cylons Is Golden / coining "Galactica" terms/puns [30]

This issue is numbered Poison Pen Press #55, which guarantees you are not ordering from a fly-by-night outfit. It may be unacceptable for a zine reviewer to publicly admit to having favorites in fanzinedom, but I will do so anyway.

Masiform D has a consistent high level for quality in content and repro, with is relatively rare and wonderful. I approve. This issue includes 'Jedi Nights': two and a half paragraphs of amusing adjectives. 'Sunday Afternoon at the Con': artfully written Fan-on-the-Enterprise story. Enjoyable. 'Now You See It': a survey on visualization, interesting, unusually readable survey report, providing you have a passion for intellectual fannish trivia.

'The Bet': a Kershu story, kershu being the editor's Klingon fight student's universe (university, actually)... Best of Zine Award: When the various written offerings are nearly identical in skill, I have to choose on some other basis. This one offers originality. A GOOD bedroom farce (still suitable for delicate sensibilities) is not often seen in fanfic.

'Mudd in Your Eye': new-character-drives-Kirk-crazy story, nicely done.

Small items and Fillers: clever. Overall Contents: good to marvelous. Repro: excellent as always. [31]

There's quite a bit of variety in this issue, but most fun is its light-hearted fiction.

In a diverting story by Ruth Bollerud, a fan finds her flagging spirits raised considerably in 'Sunday Afternoon at the Con.' when she's accidently beamed aboard the Big E, fanzines and all, in the middle of a crisis.

'The Bet' is about Jan, a Terran, who wont be able to get Kintam, a most reluctant Klingon who hates humans, to go to bed with her. It's another Kershu tale, delightfully written, with characters that have real personality.

And 'Mudd in Your Eye' is about the adventures or, more correctly, the misadventures of one Yeoman Isobel Schuster who proves to more than a match for Harcourt Fenton Mudd. Well concocted and funny.

Of the nonfiction, Ruth Berman's 'Notes on the Talos Report' is an interesting attempt to rationalize the seeming inconsistencies in Starfleet's interdiction against visiting Talos IV.

The issue also contains a survey on visualization as a factor in art and creative writing; an introduction to the Sea People of Vulcan; a calculation of Spock/Nimoy's birthdate on the Mayan Calendar, and a touch of poetry.

All in all, a good read. [32]

Issue 10

Masiform D 10 was published in May 1980 and contains 114 pages. Front cover by Bev Zuk; back cover by Phil Foglio.

front cover of issue #10, Bev Zuk
back cover of issue #10, Phil Foglio

The art is by Sheryl Adsit, Kathy Carlson, Hans Dietrich, Lilianne Forbin, Caroline Hedge, Carolyn S. Hillard, Vida Hull, Sue Johnston, Doug Lovenstein, M R O Ludwig, Steven Miller, Pat O'Neill, Deborah Lleyn Phillips, Carrie Rowles, Carolynn Ruth, Carol Walske, and Allyson Whitfield (calligraphy).

It had a print run of 500.

From the editorial:

Then, of course, there was The Novel. I've printed a novel before: Fern Marder and Carol Walske's excellent Threshold. (It is now out-of- print!) However, Barbara Wenk's novel is twice as long, and the considerations of collating (125 sheets plus cover plus. . . time 500) and binding (stapling through how many inches?) drove me hither and yon like a demented chicken. There, also, were the gaps and gaplettes so dear to the reluctant writer. And . . . Suffice it to say that I spent a great deal of time on One Way Mirror that should have gone to MD#10. But the novel was more exciting, more troublesome (I knew I was printing MD#10. and I didn't need to call strangers and price their per-page cost, and will you bind if I bring you the collated material, and how much are those little screw-posts?) The result of all this is that One Way Mirror and MD #10 will be appearing simultaneously, at Mos 'Eastly Con. (Printing a zine, preparing a novel for the printer, and planning a con to come out the same weekend is definitely not a smart thing to try, folks.)

From the editorial, Devra wrote of being invited by Gene Roddenberry to the opening premier of Star Trek: The Motion Picture:

The movie itself, in my opinion, was not a marked success. I found it disappointing: far too long in the special effects, and lacking the humor, character interaction, and plot excitement familiar from the TV show. Maybe they'll re-edit it; I understand that there were miles of film cut out… The reception, however, was a success. I, a rather picky and snobbish cook, found nothing to fault in the catering. It was exotic, plentiful, and tasty. Filet mignon, crab claws, rumaki, cheese platters, aspic'd ham and turkey, fruit baskets, hot biscuits, shrimp, coffee with whipped cream and liqueurs, open bars—I particularly enjoyed the cream puffs shaped like miniature swans, and the rum balls. Thanks, Gene.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 10

[... And Comfort to the Enemy]: An issue of Masiform-D (Devra’s successor to Spockanalia) had a story by – I forget her name, and because my issues of Masiform-D are fitted tightly into the shelf and difficult to pull out, I’d rather not pull them out to check. In her story, a Terran and a Klingon have a romance that they have to abandon because of the political pressures against such a relationship. I felt that the characters might have struggled harder for their right to love whomever they loved, and wrote a sequel, but Devra told me that she thought the author would not like to have a sequel written changing the characters’ decision. It occurred to me that I could re-write the story, to make it a different couple in love, and not a sequel, so I did that, and Devra thought the story worked that way, as a stand-alone and not a direct sequel, and published it in Masiform-D. [33]

[zine]:
  • Mandatory Star Wars Item / (Leah cartoon)
  • The Kinderhook Centennial / Through a set of diplomatic events, Spock appears to be romancing a lovely local
  • The Resh-Fish and the Sage / Not particularly Star Trek. Thief Blackie tries to give up his character in an alien culture that won't let him.
  • Mat-zelloff / Crewwoman seeking a minyan for Kaddish discovers Vulcan/Hebrew links
  • In the Time of the First Beginnings: the Bronze Age on Vulcan / more mythical history
  • Accident / Loner and happy about it, Engineering Technician Nadine Nallet tries to become a team player to advance in SF, but finds it not in her make-up, with disastrous consequences for Scotty.
  • ... And Comfort to the Enemy / Kate and Ktalgar embark on a human/klingon romance and find it ultimately unworkable. [34]

[zine]: This zine contains five stories, an issue of THE FREE ENTERPRISE (the tongue-in-cheek paper supposedly put out by the enlisted personnel of the Enterprise) , an article on Vulcan's Bronze Age, some poetry and a great deal of art work.

As with all the zines I've seen from Poison Pen Press, this one has a very good selection of material. Everything is well written, and there is no sexually explicit material. The cover is an especially nice one by Bev Zuk on a good grade of paper. The rest of the zine is on colored recycled paper.

However, the contents are quite good and the price is lower than fancier zines, so I think it's worth buying.
 Four of the stories deal with the Star Trek universe and one is a general science fiction story. There is a balance of serious and lighthearted
 themes in the stories.

I particularly liked Barbara Wenk's story, "... And Comfort to the Enemy." Her characters always seem so real and well developed.

Vida Hull's "Matzeloff" is a delightful comedic story on the Jewish members of the Enterprise.

The article on Vulcan's Bronze Age by Sandra Wise was really interesting. I think this is the best article I've seen on the "history" of Vulcan. It's really entertaining as well as "scholarly."

The selection of material in THE FREE ENTERPRISE is hilarious, as usual.

There is a great deal of art in this zine. It varies from serious, involved line drawings to "cartoon" type artwork. I enjoyed looking at the illos and thought they were quite appropriate. I have not reviewed the poetry. I don't care much for poetry in general, so I don't think I can make a judgment on the work in this zine. [35]

Issue 11

front cover of issue #11, MRO Ludwig
back cover of issue #11, Carrie Rowles

Masiform D 11 was published in February 1981 and is 118 pages long.

art from issue #11, artist unknown

The art is by MRO Ludwig, Susan Crites, Carrie Rowles, DEA, C. Lee Healy, Caroline Hedge, Carolyn Hillard, Sue Johnston, C. Jany Peyton, Janice Scott Preston, Bonnie Reitz, Carol Waterman, and Sandra Wise.

It was the last issue to be produced on a mimeograph.

It had a print run of 500.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 11

  • Gateway Assault / Rather confusing & not much worth trying to sort out. A Gorn, a shape-shifting wolf-woman-warrior and a Klingon band together to destroy an automated station across a gate into a far corner of the galaxy, which is keeping their ships in frozen orbit.
  • Lament for T'Sana / More pseudo pre-reform Vulcan literature
  • A Woman's Place / A female Robin Hood type on a female-oppressing colony world assists a Federation delegation (none of our friends) overcome evil Barons to set up a treaty.
  • The Endocrinological Basis of Pon Farr / Rather a nice study of pon farr as thyroid storm. Though the author seems to believe in species selection in evolution.
  • Hizzoner Mudd / Yeoman Bel Schuster is back. A pretty amusing Mary Sue with Bel rescuing the maladroit bridge crew from Harry Mudd, now mayor of a province on Llannon where we left him in issue #9. Nice touch of McCoy having to stop curfew from ringing. [36]

This issue of MASIFORM D contains real old-fashioned action/ adventure stories (with feminist overtones) that are a pleasure to read in this day of Star Trek-oriented pornography. Gosharoonies, Batman! This zine has stories with both plot and characterization. MASIFORM D #11 contains three major pieces of ST fiction. My favorite is "Hizzoner Mudd", written by Marian Lois Turner and illustrated by C. Jane Peyton. It is a delightful tongue-in-cheek tale of the further adventures of our old friend Mudd and his downfall at the hands of Yeoman Isobel Schuster. It seems that Mudd had a nice scam set up as mayor of a rural town on the peaceful planet Llannonn. It took the authorities some time to realize that Happy Lands Central City was falling behind in its taxes, and when they did they called in the Federation and "special agent" Bel Schuster, the thorn in the side of the Enterprise. It's fun to watch Mudd match wits with his equal. I also enjoyed very much "Gateway Assault", written and illustrated by the talented Bonnie Reitz. In this offering, a Klingon, a Gorn, and a female Pakari Warrior (werewolf) team up to investigate a mysterious alien military complex which threatens both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. It has some nice action/adventure sequences, and Ms Reitz does great alien characterizations. The third offering, "A Woman's Place", is written by Joan Marie Verba and illustrated by Carol Waterman. This story investigates the role of women on the planet New Plymouth, which was settled by humans, but had been out of touch with humanity for some time before being rediscovered by the Federation. The question is "to join or not to join." And Roberta, the innkeeper, suddenly finds herself caught up in the political struggle over this question. I also enjoyed Geraldine Stout's article,"The Endocrinological Basis of Pon Farr." In this she compares the Vulcan Pon Farr with a human condition called thyroid storm, and find some remarkable similarities. [37]

Issue 12

front cover of issue #12, MRO Ludwig
back cover of issue #12, Phil Foglio

Masiform D 12 was published in February 1982 and is 108 pages long.

No longer produced on a mimeograph, this issue was offset and perfect bound.

It had a print run between 1000 and 1050.

  • Editorial (3)
  • To Spock...After All These Years, by Judith Brownlee (9)
  • The Plot Sickens, by Sharon Foster (blurbs for episodes we never saw) (10)
  • A Matter Of Tradition, by Geraldine E. Stout (A half-Vulcan woman upsets Spock with her display of emotion but saves the day anyway.) (12)
  • The Life of a Captain is a Lonely Life, by Phyllis Johnpoll (32)
  • Spock's Women, by Sandra Wise (essay about how Spock goes for a woman like Mom) (35)
  • The Affair of The Xixobrax Jewelworm, a tragicomedy, by Sandra Wise (Kirk and Koloth square off.) (38)
  • Masiform D Contest Results (65)
  • Koon-Ut-Kal-I-Far, by Kathleen Gaitely (The outcome of Amok Time: T'Pring has miscalculated.) (68)
  • The Horse Is Lovely, by Nancy Guidice (72)
  • Portfolio Of Mythological Beings (73)
  • Random, by Jocelyn Feaster (78)
  • Thoughts, by Cathy E. Phillips (79)
  • Domestic Arrangements, by Lois Welling (Spock marries T'Ayrian and they start their life together on the Enterprise.) (80)
  • Mandatory Star Wars Item (a cartoon on the last page)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 12

  • The Plot Sick- er, Thickens / Blurbs for episodes we never saw.
  • A Matter of Tradition / Half-Vulcan T'Ehri upsets Spock by her display of emotions, but saves the day by successfully challenging a planetary warlord by dance, freeing the captured landing party.
  • The Life of a Captain is a Lonely Life / Vignette: cadet putting the moves on Kirk
  • Spock's Women / Essay: Spock goes for women like Mom
  • The Affair of the Xixobrax Jewelworm / Nice romp - Kirk & Koloth square off on planet Bazaar to obtain a Jewelworm for the nasty, spoiled wife of the Clan Lord of a planet up for membership.
  • Contest cartoons / "I dreamed I .... in my Masiform D."
  • Koon-Ut-Kali-Far / Outcome of Amok Time in the ISS alternate universe, where T'Pring has miscalculated. Nice.
  • Portfolio of Myths / mythological creature art
  • Random Thoughts /ST title games
  • Domestic Arrangements / Really quite nice tale on the premise of Spock having married T'Ayrian and the start of their life together on Enterprise. Embarassment is illogical. [38]

I must admit that I've never not enjoyed an issue of MD and #12 is no exception. After Devra's usual rambling editorial, I found the contents of this issue to be quite good. The printing process is superior, and this is always nice. The binding is absolutely perfect!

'A Matter of Tradition' is a nice little story about a new crewman. She's Vulcan and Sulu's quite a bit interested in her. Spock can't stand the fact that she, too, is only half Vulcan, yet she lets her human half show through all the time. Her problem with Spock isn't resolved, even though she manages to save Kirk and company. All in all, it's a good little piece, somewhat forgettable, but not a disappointment by any means.

'The Affair of the Xixobrax Jewelworm' lives up to its subtitle; it is a tragi-comedy. Undoubtedly based on a line from Blish's adaptation of 'The Trouble with Tribbles,' Wise does an excellent job in coming up with turns here and there to keep the reader guessing. The surprise ending was quite delightful, and I was pleased with the piece.

'Koon-Ut-Kal-i-far' is an excellently chilling vignette of a Mirror, Mirror universe alternate ending to Amok Time. Thoroughly enjoyable.

'Domestic Arrangements' is a nice story about Spock and his new bride and how they adapt to living on the Enterprise, especially if she were an officer under his... division. There's some mild erotica, but this is always refreshing when not gratuitous. It added to the story, and I was glad to see it included.

The artwork in this zine is quite mixed, from Gordon Carleton's humorous artwork, to Bonnie Reitz' excellent work, from Eluki bes Shahar to Martynn, but the work isn't as fantastic as some art I've seen.

A few extra pieces here and there as well as a fantasy art portfolio make for a well-rounded zine. My quality level rating is 88-89. [39]

Issue 13

front cover of issue #13, Barbara Wheel. Description from the editor from issue #15: She writes that her first name means "honeybee" in Hebrew, that her last name means "slowly" in German, "hence the bees and the turtle. The poison/ink bottle on top comes from the logo of my press name and the motto 'Masiform D et mais amis' I hope is fairly obvious."

Masiform D 13 was published in September 1983 and is 120 pages long. Front cover: Barbara Wheel; back cover: Miriam Harvey. In the editorial, Devra Langsam writes, "I am abandoning the fannish haven of mimeo forever."

back cover of issue #13, Miriam Harvey

It had a print run between 1000 and 1050.

Filks:

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 13

See reactions and reviews for Remember.

See reactions and reviews for Decision Point.

See reactions and reviews for A Bitter God to Follow, A Beautiful God to Behold.

[zine]:
  • Prelude / Ruth sends young Kirk off to his first command, refusing to follow.
  • Preliminary Report on the Inscription on the Kh'Marr Bowl / yet more Vulcan archaeology
  • Connect / Spock eases Kirk of a splinter
  • Reach Out / a young Vulcan at SF Academy is encouraged by his roommate to contact his betrothed, contrary to tradition
  • The Other Man / "Amok Time" events from T'Pring's pov
  • Speculation on 'Mudd's Women' / non-fiction discussion of pheromones and the Venus drug.
  • ST II: The Kahn Job / pleasant spoof, with one really great line when Kirk refuses to go aboard because, as McCoy explains, they are now all wearing red shirts and all have an equal probability of being killed.
  • Decision Point / temporarily trapped in a cave, Spock & Christine overhear a Vulcan/Human pair in meld
  • The Heir is Missing / a SW piece
  • The-Girl-Who-Wanted-To-Be-A-Fighter, a Kershu Bedtime Story / more Jan & Korbas, now married with children
  • Do Not Grieve / vignette of Kirk musing over his broken glasses after Spock's death
  • Remember / vignette of McCoy breastbeating to Scott about not having stopped Spock
  • A Bitter God to Follow, a Beautiful god to Behold / the Enterprise recovers a Klingon ship, with a single survivor - a priest, who convinces the SF chaplain that he must kill himself on religious grounds. Nicely crafted philosophical story. [40]

[zine]: I must admit that this is the first issue of MASIFORM D I've ever read from cover to cover. As a die hard K/Ser, I rarely venture into the genzine realm (except to read R&R and VAULT OF TOMORROW) anymore, but this zine made me want to buy the next issue and buy this one, since a friend loaned it to me.

The zine, technically, is very well done. It is clearly printed, the art is well reproduced (as a fan of your work, Pat, I think they did a nice job) and the typos are few and far between. Almost every piece is illoed. There is a mix of Trek and Wars stories and poems as well as a filk and an "article". The quality of work contained in the zine is generally high and I suspect the few pieces I did not care for touched on topics I don't care for; the writing itself in those pieces was good.

"Prelude," by Lynda Carraher, presents an intriguing aspect, an interpretation of the Ruth/JTK relationship and focuses on the sad premise that love often means sacrifice.

"Connect," by Linda Slusher, is a parody of the classic series of hurt/comfort stories that have appeared in CONTACT over the years. It pokes gentle fun at the genre and should bring a smile to those who enjoy hurt/comfort.

Phyllis Johnpoll offers "Reach Out," a good story in terms of its premise that ancient Vulcan customs must be brought into the 23rd century. The lead characters, S'memon (the Vulcan) and Tim, however, seem like clone shadows of another Vulcan/human team as they might have been if they'd been together during their schooling and, in fact, as they are in adulthood.

"The Other Man," by Dee Beetem, is excellent. (I do not know if this was intended as a K/S story - I suspect that it was not - but it does focus on the obvious love Kirk and Spock have for another.) The story explains, quite well, why T'Pring acted as she did, and once again, the theme of love and its sacrifices comes up.

Leah Rosenthal and Bad Company provide readers with "Star Trek II: The Khan Job." It is a superbly written parody of the film; the delightful Carleton illos augment and complement the humor that pervades the piece.

In "Decision Point," Christine is given the opportunity by author Vivian Gates to tell Spock off while making him face a part of himself that he tends to run from. Unfortunately, the circumstances that allow this to happen "feel" too contrived. Gates does create, as a catalyst, two interesting characters -one Vulcan and one human - who would be good subject material for a story of their own. (I want to know what happens to them!)

"The Heir is Missing," by Joyce Yasner is apparently part of a series and is a very well done turn around of the Wars universe in which the Alliance appears to be the villain and Han Solo is Leia's fan boy/consort.

The editor's contribution, "The-Girl-who-Wanted-to-be-a-Fighter," is a Klingon moral tale that is entertaining even to someone not familiar with her version of the Klingon universe.

"Do Not Grieve," by Elaine Batterby, and "Remember," by Anne Batterby, are a pair of vignettes that focus on the sad circumstances of ST:WK's ending. "Do Not Grieve" is particularly effective in illustrating the optimism associated with Kirk's character.

"A Bitter God to Follow, A Beautiful God to Behold," by Susan Crites, is an excellent story of the breaching of the immense cultural void that separates the Klingon peoples from those of the Federation. Religion provides a common ground for communication and a tentative understanding that could ease mutual fear. The ending is a lovely thought, especially in a day and age when the threat of nuclear destruction hovers all too close.

The poetry selections are highlighted by "Blue Rose," written by Cheryl Ann Hendricks. It is a poignant, well-crafted poem about Spock's bittersweet memories of love.

Ruth Berman's "The Book-Card Bandits" is a vivid reminder of the censorship some would impose on others.

"Mudd's Song," by Becky Bockover, is a clever piece that captures the essence of Harry Mudd.

"(Finnegan)," by L. Giovanni, "Apology to a Hard Rock," by Nancy Giudice, and "Lost Warrior," by Patricia Demetri, offer different perspectives on their respective themes.

For filksingers there is an offering by two of the best -Fish and Rogow. Teresa Sarick's "Hotel Federation" brings new meaning to an Eagles tune.

In addition to the foregoing, there is an "article" by D. Booker, "Preliminary Report on the Inscriptions on the Kh'marr Bowl". In this piece, the author cleverly reconstructs Pre-reform Vulcan by using a scientific article format to analyze and interpret the meanings of inscriptions on a recovered pottery vessel.

The art in this zine is excellent. Gordon Carleton contributes his wonderful versions of the characters. Hedge, Summers, Rowles, and White are among the other well-known, terrific artists who lend their unique insights to the pieces their work accompanies.

The best material in the zine, however, (and if you will buy a zine just for art, then . . .) is Pat Kilner's work. Her portrait of Christine highlighted by a shadowy, Spock background profile is lovely both in terms of theme and execution. Her interpretation of T'Pring, especially in the portrait on the broken shield, gives T'Pring a haughty beauty and strength of character that accentuates the theme of T'Pring's dilemma in Beetem's well-written prose portrait. Beetem's story, Kilner's art, Crites' story, the parodies by Slusher and Rosenthal et al., and Hendricks' poem stand out in this zine that is well worth buying. [41]

Issue 14

front cover of issue 14, Gennie Summers
back cover of issue #14, Carrie Rowles

Masiform D 14 was published in May 1984 and is 128 pages long.

The art is by Gennie Summers, Kathy Carlson, DEA, eluki bes shahar, Caro Hedge, Nan Lewis, MRO Ludwig, Roni Markowitz, Patrick Daniel O'Neill, C. Jane Peyton, Carrie Rowles, Carolyn Ruth, Geraldine Stout, Mel White, Christie Wood, and Sally Wyant.

It had a print run between 1000 and 1050.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 14

See reactions and reviews for Footprints in the Sand.

See reactions and reviews for Officer Material.

[zine]:
  • Officer Material / Pike in conflict with SF to send cadet Spock to command training. Nicely done.
  • Errand of Mary Sue / broad spoof
  • A Question of Kol-in-Ahr / non-fiction speculation on Spock's between-shows activity timeline
  • Pon Farr Perjury Panned / Excerpt from scandal sheet "Federation Enquirer"
  • Footprints in the Sand / Kirk & McCoy, lost in a duney desert, are cared for by a race of un-dead and their robots.
  • Mudd of the Bounding Main / Another Bel Schuster / Harcourt Mudd romp, this time swashbuckling on Llannon's Deep Water Province to rescue children taken hostage by Klingons.
  • Poetry: Memory Touch / McCoy trying to "Remember"
  • This issue's "Mandatory Star Wars Item" is a cartoon of "Han Sulu." [42]

[zine]: Someone oughtta give Devra Langsam a medal. For so long she kept her zine at an unheard of price of $4.75, consistently churning out a quality product. It was only very recently that she raised the price by a mere $.25. As a person living on the official government-calculated poverty threshold since I was born, I thank her deeply for making at least one zine accessible to me.

This issue greets you with a stunning Gennie Summers cover of Khan and goes right into Devra's "Editorial Meanderings," always a fun, long, interesting section, and a nice change from most dull editorials.

After that is a lovely little poem by Teresa Sarick called 'It's The Way We All Feel, Mr. Spock," a touchingly brief presentation of Uhura's feelings when Spock arrives in TMP.

"Officer Material" by Pat Foley is easily the best offering this Issue, set on the Big E under Captain Pike's command and, as the Captain announces: "Once again, Starfleet has selected the Enterprise as a host ship for approximately twenty senior Academy cadets. They'll be with us for about two weeks, and I expect you senior officers to insure that your departments provide your respective cadets with the best orientation Starfleet can offer. One of those cadets is a young, brilliant Vulcan whom we all know. The story tells of Pike's growing interest in the Vulcan boy because of his genius and his encounters of discrimination at the Academy. Starfleet considers Spock a troublemaker (because his family doesn't want him in the Fleet) and views him in a very prejudiced light. Pike, looking for a replacement science officer, becomes a champion for Spock, and challenges the Fleet's evaluation of him. The writing is crisp and clear, as is the plot development. Pike, Spock, and Pike's science officer, Matt Nelson, are all drawn sensitively and three-dimensionally. Their characterizations are quite poignant. Nan Lewis' illos, while mainly portraits rather than full illustrations, project strong, detailed emotions.

"Errand of "Mary Sue" by Linda Slusher is an insane parody of ·Errand of Mercy with Captain Mary Sue Magnificent of the starship Underdeveloped and "her inscrutable Vulcan science officer T'Marisu" on a mission to Catatonia where they meet the Klingfrees... you get the idea. Mel White's illos to this are hilarious and add to the general lunacy.

Roberta Rogow has a nicely rhythmical and lyrical filksong called "Saavik's Song" sung to the tune of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen." It's one of the few filks "sung to the tune of ... " that I was able to play and sing with no meter trouble.

"A Question of Kolinahr" by Christie Wood examines Spock's activities immediately after the five-year mission and calculates how much time he must have spent studying/meditating/whatever to achieve Kolinahr. It also explains how Spock could have known the new Enterprise in TMP so well. Well-written and convincing, the article is coherent and concise. Wood should write more. I also like her one illo of Spock and Saavik for the article. Her style has neat lines and attractive black and white contrasts.

"The Free Enterprise" is another entry (group compiled) into the Big E's newsletter. Enjoyable, but I've seen funnier ones in past issues.

"Some Letters Home" by Christine Matson has a bunch of letters from TWOK's cadets, Uhura and Spock, all saying 'Don't worry about me, this is only a simple training mission.' Matson also offers us "Pon Farr Perjury Panned," and "Excerpt from The Federation Enquirer, The Federation's Largest Distributed Magazine and Scandal Sheet." A Mr. Still, Special Information Officer of the Vulcan Mission to the Federation Council, sharply repudiates all this Pon Farr nonsense at a press conference, attributing it to "Mr. Spock's sick and twisted mind." Ya know, when I read these crazy things, I really get to worry about our future.

"Footprints in the Sand" by Joan Verba is a fascinating adventure on a desert planet with ghosts. As usual, one of Verba's favorite themes - Spock's development of his self-awareness and emotions - plays a part in the proceedings and her subtle characterization scenes are the best moments. Kirk and McCoy's ordeal in the sandstorm also gives us some fine glimpses into the Doctor's personality. M.R.O. Ludwig's illos for this are interesting as they show us the Big Three in turbans and robes. I'm a student of the Middle East and I loved the thought of Spock looking like Lawrence of Arabia.

"Mudd of the Bounding Main or The Tour That Went Wrong" by Marion Allen is a rather bizarre, overlong, occasionally funny piece with pirates, Harry Mudd as their king, a radical teenaged girl with a stiletto, the spoiled daughter of an industrialist, Klingons, and the Heroine Lieutenant Isobel (Bel) Shuster. This would have been funnier had it been shorter. Comedy is best when it's brief.

This is the longest issue of MD, a point of surprise noted by the editor. In a fandom where zines have grown to mammoth proportions (thus driving up their price), I find this quite refreshing. Cartoons, poems and filk round out the issue. [43]

Issue 15

wraparound front cover of issue #15, Signe Landon
back cover of issue #15, Signe Landon

Masiform D 15 was published in May 1986 and contains 120 pages.

The art is by Kathy Carlson, Julie Cesari, Connie Faddis, Caro Hedge, Vel Jaeger, Pat Kilner, Signe Landon (front cover), Mary Rosalind Oberdieck, Roni Markowitz, Jim Mueller, Patrick Daniel O'Neill, Deborah L. Phillips, Bonnie Reitz, Leah Rosenthal, Carolynn Ruth, Nancy Stasulis, Gennie Summers, Sherry Veltkamp, Barbara Wheel, Mel White, Sue Wilson, Christie Wood, and Sally Wyant.

It had a print run between 1000 and 1050.

The editor has bought a computer!:

Having gotten 'The Golem' in December, I've had to spend an awful lot of time learning his little ways and entering my business records into his guts... The Golem, by the way, is a Leading Edge, IBM-compatible computer Model M, with 640K ram and a 20meg hard disk, a Motorola amber monitor, and a C.Itoh A-10 printer... I can now accept stories on 5-1/4 disks." As reported in the next issue, this computer was stolen in a home robbery, and its replacement was named "Prometheus."

Poetry:

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 15

See reactions and reviews for More Than a Starsong.

See reactions and reviews for For the Good of the Service.

[zine]:
  • More Than a Starsong / Scott brings a bundle of belongings from a dead crewman to his wife and children living the simple life in New Hebrides.
  • News Flash / plot draft for ST 4 - The Wrath of Starfleet
  • Variation / an alternate to This Side of Paradise in which Sarek and Spock free the crew from the spores
  • The Truth About Number One / spoof tabloid teaser
  • Meeting in a Bar / Commodore Chekov & Sulu catch up on what happened to all their old shipmates
  • Addendum to Spock's Women / Chapel, Reena & Saavik's places in Spock's life
  • Aftermath / post-Genesis Saavik soliloquy
  • Survive and Succeed / Kor undergoes surgery to look more like an earther
  • Day of the Turkey / Day of the Dove send-up
  • To Change the Present / Alternate-Spock logics his Kirk into saving the Halkans
  • Fighting Women of Star Trek / essay
  • Traditions / (another Kershu story - didn't read)
  • Mandatory Star Wars Item/ punny idyll between Anakin & Midori
  • The Infamous Enterprise / SF Command training entrance interview questions
  • The Runes of T'Lusanna / more putative old Vulcan stuff
  • For the Good of the Service / Pike forces Spock to remain with Enterprise rather than join him on his new command, which he fears would damage Spock's career - resulting in Spock determining on emotional distance in his new place [44]

[zine]: Of the long stories, Pat Foley's "For the Good of the Service" is the most interesting, because of its serious and successful attempt at characterization of Christopher Pike (Number One and Spock also get some character focus). Yet another entry into her Pike series, Foley's principal theme is Pike and his style of captaincy. In this piece, Pike has been transferred to command of the REPUBLIC, and the occasion offers a chance for reappraisal of his tendency to hold onto his officers--11 years with Spock, e.g.--and not recommend them for transfer, thus hold back their careers. This examination is done with the help of Dr. Boyce, who, as usual, comes off almost as a clone of McCoy. Pike' s principal concern is Numer One, who be believes deserves a Starship captaincy of her own, while Starfleet limits her to command of a light cruiser. The scene with Number One (who apparently does not want command) contains a common problem with most fan attempts at portraying her. She is far too flat, much more so than in 'The Cage.' But there are hints of humanity in Foley's characterization of her, as in Number One's keen understanding and compassion of Pike's frustration at the Fleet's prejudices against her, and of his desire to understand why she does not wish to pursue command. Foley does imbue her with realism and practicality, and a fine awareness of her own limitations to take on command. Spock, with whom Pike has a father-son relationship is Pike's second problem. Pike realizes he must let Spock free of his command, instead of taking the young Vulcan on the REPUBLIC with him. But Spock is strongly attached to Pike. Foley handles this forced separation with intelligence and sensitivity, showing us why Spock's behavior changed so much from what we saw in "The Cage" to his life on the ENTERPRISE under Kirk. It's unfortunate that not enough fan writers delve into Spock's years under Pike, especially since most of his Starfleet career was spent under the latter's command, not Kirk's. Leah Rosenthal has an adequate rendition of the young Spock, though her profile of Pike is weak. Pat O'Neill's portrait of Pike and another officer who I don't recognize (the story gives no clues) are genuinely good, stylish pieces with distinctive features. One piece by Gennie Summers is a mystery to me. It's a BEM (bug-eyed monster for the uninitiated), and Foley's story makes no mention of such an alien.

Lynda Carraher's "More Than a Starsong" is a good Scotty piece. Forced to bring the possessions of a dead friend to the latter's wife, Scotty find the woman embittered against the Fleet and all that represents the modern world, which she holds responsible for her husband's death. Her elder son, however, does not agree, and Scotty finds himself in the middle of a bitter family conflict. While sensitive to the needs of the children and the necessity of living with the world and not away from it, Carraher crosses the line from belief in modern in technology into hi-tech chauvinism and blind faith in "progress". In this story, only modern technology offers aid to humanity, a rather naive presumption considering technology is always a two-edged sword. Carraher essentially loads the dice in placing the woman in such an extreme position, the point that she refuses the aid of a doctor for her injured young son. It would be interesting to read a similar story with someone not so irrational, someone who rejects modern civilization and can defend him or herself in a coherent, reasonable way. Sherry Veltkamp's illos add to the story, and place the characters in a firm setting by actually illustrating essential scenes.

Cheree Cargill's "Meeting in a Bar" has an elderly Sulu and Chekov doing just what the title says and talking about their past and present. I admit that I have a prejudice against stories that have our beloved characters in their later years, where death seems to be the main theme. Such stories usually wind up being rather depressing, and unfortunately Cargill's is no exception.

Susan Crites' "Traditions" is only half a story. Focusing on the young competitors at a kershu (Klingon martial arts) tournament, the main conflict stems from the daughter of a Klingon male and a human female, and the hostility directed at them by the Klingon competitors. I like Crites' desire to celebrate the diversity of cultures, and the show Klingons and humans interacting harmoniously, but to show this, Crites has the Klingons act and speak exactly like humans. The scenes with the young class of teenagers, humans and Klingons, strike me as identical to any situation with a bunch of rowdy American teenagers. Still, Crites' does make the reader interested in the coming tournament, especially in how the Klingons will accept the "defector" as a judge. Yet that's just when the story ends, so we never find out.

The best short piece is Sue Wilson' s "Aftermath", an all-too-short introspective view of Saavik thinking back on the experience she had with Spock on Genesis, and of her past feelings for him. I personally do not accept, as Wilson does, the possibility that Saavik ever had strong feelings for Spock, other than as a daughter. This does not, however, detract from my enjoyment of her vignette, which has powerful, intelligent and strong language (which, regrettably, descends into occasional triteness)...

The other two serious vignettes ('Survive and Succeed' by Julie Cesari and 'To Change the Present' by Renita K. Lane) could have been improved with some editing; the former has Kor thinking back on the experiment in which he participated that surgically altered his and other Klingons' appearance to look like humans. Now he has his crest and claws back, feeling much more like a Klingon. Clever idea, but sketchily written.

The second is yet another immediate sequel to "Mirror, Mirror" that suffers from run-on sentences and sudden switches in point of view (a common mistake throughout this issue).

Sandra Wise has two very short articles, called 'Fighting Women of ST' and 'Addendum to Spock's Women', which follows from her previous article on the subject. The second is a discussion on why Spock is not interested in Christine Chapel. The first posits that, while ST can certainly be accused of sexist portrayals of women, oftentimes in the series women were shown to be superior or as good as men in hand-to-hand combat. Wise's paltry examples of this claim are Uhura's successful struggle with Lars in 'Gamesters of Triskelion' and Yeoman Tamura's confidence (and Spock's confidence in her) in 'A Taste of Armageddon'. Unfortunately, these examples are problematical and too few. Uhura "won" against Lars because he stopped his attack. Tamura was guarding another female (Mea 3) which the men of ST would of course assume any trained woman can do. I see no proof of women being shown as superior to men in hand-to-hand combat at all in the series.

As for the poetry, the best poem is easily "Irae" by Cathy Thomas. Told from Khan's point of view, Thomas captures his joy in revenge at Spock's death with powerful and evocative language...

Christine Matson's amusing "The Infamous Enterprise" has a Klingon spy lecturing about Kirk and Co. to an unnamed audience, to which he discusses the Empire's view of the Federation. Matson includes a great mix of truth and interpretation to come up with a tangle of propaganda, not all of which is entirely baseless...

And Devra Langsam's "Mandatory STAR WARS Item" is a delicious take- off on Carol Hines-Stroede's SW universe. M-D # 15 sports a beautiful Signe Landon wraparound cover of three Spocks, one from the series, the others from the films.

There's nothing really exceptional here, but a good easy read with some fine art for a very reasonable price should not be taken for granted by anyone. [45]

[zine]: MASIFROM D 15 is now out.

Leading off the issue is "More than a Starsong" by Lynda Carraher. In this story, Scott goes to visit the widow of one of it's engineers. The widow is bitter over her husband's death, and determined that none of her children follow his into space — even to the extent of not exposing them to the simplest in modern technology. The characterizations are good, the plot and outcome believable.

"Variation" by Reynard is an alternate universe version of "This Side of Paradise" and "Amok Time."

"Meeting in a Bar" by Cargill has an older Chekov meet an older Sulu and discuss what had happened in their lives.

"Aftermath" by Sue Wilson explores Saavik's thoughts after STAR TREK III.

"Survive and Succeed" by Cesari is her way of explaining changes in Klingon appearance from the series to the movies.

"Day of the Turkey" by Linda Slusher is a satire of "Day of the Dove."

"To Change the Present" by Renita K. Lane is an epilogue to "Mirror, Mirror." In addition to these, Sandra Wise has several one-page observations on various aspects of Star Trek.

"Traditions" by Susan Crites, is the latest story (self-contained) in a series of "Kershu" stories, originated by Devra Langsam. In these stories, it is assumed that the Federation and Klingon aspire have attained the peaceful coexistence foretold by the Organians. The stories center around a few Terrans who go to the Klingon empire to learn the Klingon martial art of Kershu. There is a continuing cast of characters a Kershu master and his students, some Terran, some Klingon. In this story, there is a Kershu contest on a Federation world and a subplot about a half-Terran, half-Klingon teenager who is looking for praise from her father. The story features the usual wry humor found in the series.

"The Infamous Enterprise" by Christine Matson is a report on the ENTERPRISE from the Klingon point of view.

"For the Good of the Service," by Pat Foley, startled me because one of my favorite all-time Star Trek stories, by Ruth Berman (in T-NEGATIVE 1) has the same title. Another coincidence is that both stories have the same theme: promotion and its implications. Whereas Ruth's story deals with Spock's promotion between first and second seasons, Pat's deals with promotions given prior to first season, when Captain Pike and Number One left the ENTERPRISE. Because of the inevitable comparison, Pat's had to be a darned good story in order to win me over. To my (pleasant) surprise, it was. The characterizations are very good, very accurate, and very believable. The plot advances smoothly, the resolution is convincing. I still think Ruth's is the better story, but that is to take nothing away from Pat's, which is quite good. [46]

Issue 16

front cover of issue #16, Christie Wood
back cover of issue #16, Sue Wilson

Masiform D 16 was published in September 1988 and contains 106 pages.

The art is by Kathy Carlson, Caro Hedge, Pat Kilner, Claire Mason, C. Jane Peyton, Bonnie Reitz, Melody Rondeau, Carrie Rowles, Carolynn Ruth, Nancy Stasulis, Gennie Summers, Sue Wilson, and Christie Wood.

It had a print run between 1000 and 1050.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 16

The new issue of Devra Langsam's MASIFORM-D, #16 (1988), is up to her high standard.

I especially enjoyed Susan Crites' "Fair in Love and War," which is a "Next" story, deftly playing on Data's good intentions and imperfect understanding of emotions, either human or Klingon.

Although I don't usually care for Marian Allen's Bel-Schuster-and-Harry-Mudd stories (running too close to a Mary Sue), the one in this issue is immensely funny, a parody of Georgette Heyer's Regencies, with bits of the Scarlet Pimpernel, etc., mixed in (and good portraits of McCoy and Kirk dressed for the period, by Jane Peyton).

Among the short items, one that I thought stood out was Sandra Wise's speculation about Maltz, the not-quite-so-fanatic Klingon in "The Search for Spock."

In a rather odd publishing set-up, another item included is the first chapter of a novel, Ann Schwader's "Let It Be Remembered," a love (or is it friendship?) story about a human and a Klingon (an issue/theme?), which is the start of Schwader's BEYOND DIPLOMACY, to be published as a special issue of Wendy Rathbone's MORE MISSIONS, MORE MYTHS. Judging by the chapter, the novel will be well worth getting. [47]

  • Summation / post "Menagerie," Kirk is faced with the question of Spock's loyalty
  • About Malzt / essay; Maltz as peacenik
  • Fair in Love and War / Data attempts to solve Worf's problem of a lack of a mate, but Yar beats him to it.
  • Addendum / Kirk leaves a new will while taking McCoy to Genesis
  • Beau Mudd / Another wild romp with Bel Schuster and Mudd, now on a planet governed by punksters where the law is to make money, so Harry and his Georgian-culture-loving, harmonizing friends set about illegally losing money. Very clever.
  • Five Princesses / Amusing story of young Klingon officer escorting his tempestuous relative to be married against her will - and losing her in a card game on the way.
  • Fathers and Sons / vignette of Skon and Sarek
  • Close Encounter / ST meets Battlestar Galactica. Mildly amusing.
  • Let It Be Remembered / Starfleet diplomat caught between professional and personal loyalty when her friend the Thought Admiral appears at her door, presumed dead and on the lam. [48]

Issue 17

front cover of issue #17, MRO Ludwig
back cover of issue #17, Lois Morrison-Flack

Masiform D 17 was published in September 1990 and is 100 pages long.

The art is by Kathy Carlson, Diane Christensen, Gene Delapenia, Lilianne Forbin, Susi Leinbach, MRO Ludwig, Kevin Martin, Patrick Daniel O'Neill, Lois Morrison-Flack, Bonnie Reitz, Carolynn Ruth, Nancy Stasulis, Gennie Summers, Teegar, Barbara Wheel, and Christie Wood.

The editor estimates that it had a print run of 350. [49]

  • Amok Time, or, How To Live With Death, poem by Ruth Berman
  • Pavel's Sylvia, poem by Ruth Berman
  • Arrival, poem by Patt Demetri
  • Requiem, poem by Teegar

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 17

  • Good Time on Wrigley's / Nice romp - all the crew are in pursuit of fugitive gambler Linnie the Lout, the trail taking them through sundry of Wrigley's pleasure houses until they eventually trap her in a hall of mirrors.
  • Spock's Women II / did Christine take Spock's body while Henoch was in it?
  • Genesis Planet Epilog / Saavik's Starfleet memo on destruction of Grissom
  • A Gift From an Enemy / a prisoner passes Surak's work to his executioner
  • Trade Agreements / a logic puzzle
  • Bred In the Bone / examination of young Spock's pon farr on Genesis
  • The Sand Trap / not terribly amusing "Man Trap" spoof
  • When Duty Calls / Romulan commander's soliloquy, Balance of Terror
  • Full Function / Vignette of Data & Tasha, Naked Now
  • The Nature of the Beast / Nicely done Uhura/Pakari (werewolfish race) story
  • Poetry:
    • Amok Time, or, How To Live With Death / Childe ballad version of the episode
    • Pavel's Sylvia
    • Arrival
    • Requiem / security man fears the poison lillies & forgets to watch the phasers [50]

Issue 18

front cover of issue #18, portrait of Gene Roddenberry, by Bev Zuk
back cover of issue #18 by Christie Wood

Masiform D 18 was published in May 1998 and contains 88 pages.

The art is by Bev Zuk, Alan Andres, Alicia Austin, D.L. Collin, L. Morrison Flack, Lillianne Forbin, Caro Hedge, Carolyn Hillard, Bonnie Reitz, Carrie Rowles, C. Ruth, Nancy Stasulis, Gennie Summers, and Christie Wood.

The material is all Star Trek: TOS.

The editor estimates that it had a print run of 150. [51]

References

  1. ^ A reference to the long-running ad series for Maidenform bras. See this blog for some examples: Maidenform Ads: Inside the Madness, Archived version Given the, er, front cover on this one, the confusion is understandable.
  2. ^ from Datazine #45
  3. ^ from Time Warp #1
  4. ^ from Fanzine Review 'Zine #2 (1977)
  5. ^ Founder of the Tolkien Society of America, Dick Plotz corresponded with Prof. Tolkien and wrote a number of letters and articles to various national magazines in 1965-66. More at the Tolkien Fandom Review.
  6. ^ from Devra Langsam in issue #2's editorial
  7. ^ by Ken Scher, from the science fiction zine "Space and Time" #12, June 1971, published quarterly by Gordon and Rebecca Linzner
  8. ^ from Deck 6 #15 (August 1971)
  9. ^ from T-Negative #16
  10. ^ from T-Negative #16
  11. ^ from Star Trek Today #5 (1972)
  12. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  13. ^ from [[Interphase #4]]
  14. ^ from The Halkan Council #24
  15. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  16. ^ see Nu Ormenel Collected
  17. ^ from Spectrum #29
  18. ^ from Scuttlebutt #3
  19. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  20. ^ from Joan Verba in Boldly Writing
  21. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  22. ^ a review by Sharon Ferraro in Menagerie #11
  23. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  24. ^ from Right of Statement #3
  25. ^ from Scuttlebutt #14
  26. ^ by Jane Aumerle in Star Canticle #2
  27. ^ from Sufan #1 (April 1979)
  28. ^ a b c d Marian Allen's WEBLAHG - Fan Fiction. (Accessed 21 January 2010)
  29. ^ from Sufan #7
  30. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  31. ^ from Datazine #1
  32. ^ from Scuttlebutt #15
  33. ^ Ruth Berman comments on this story in Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Ruth Berman (2017)
  34. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  35. ^ from Universal Translator #7
  36. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  37. ^ from TREKisM #17
  38. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  39. ^ from Datazine #24
  40. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  41. ^ from Universal Translator #21
  42. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  43. ^ from Datazine #33
  44. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  45. ^ from Datazine #45
  46. ^ from Treklink #5
  47. ^ from Treklink #15
  48. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  49. ^ from personal correspondence with Devra Langsam, December 2013
  50. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
  51. ^ from personal correspondence with Devra Langsam, December 2013
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