Phantom Notes
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Phantom Notes |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Jenn Bills |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | 1988-1992 |
| Frequency: | |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Phantom of the Opera |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Phantom Notes is a newsletter and letterzine that has twelve issues that were published between October 1988 to September 1992. It contains poetry and fan art.
Issue 10
Phantom Notes 10 was published in Sept/Oct 1991.
Issue 11
Phantom Notes 11 was published in April 1992.
Issue 12
Phantom Notes 12 was published in Aug/Sept 1992.
Reactions and Reviews
Review: Phantom Notes, one of the earliest 'zines on the POTO theme, is a 12-issue newsletter. The layout here is not as sharp as later publications, like Beneath the Mask, would have, and the spirit of the newsletter, like a gathering of fans, is more open to personal reporting of Phantom experiences and what the show means to its followers, than printing hard news coverage. The graphics content of Notes is quite high, and includes noteworthy cartoons by Thomas Bevel, who draws a great (and funny) Erik. Notes may not surprise you with much new information, but it will remind you of everything you enjoy about chatting with fellow fans. [1]
Phantom Notes was the US Phantom fanzine, which ran for six years. All the issues can be bought from Avon Boutique, so, since I've pinched some of their ideas in this issue, I thought I'd review the publication.
Phantom Notes is mostly made up of letters from fans around America, Canada and some from Europe and other places. Most British fans won't know many of the casts mentioned, though there's a lot about Dave Willetts in it. Of course I have my usual complaint of not enough Peter Karrie, but with so few contributions from Britain that's not surprising. There are also some wonderful stories and amazing artwork and cartoons in it.
I noticed, reading it, that the American fans seem to interpret much more of the show than we do over here, and read much more into the staging and lyrics. There were times when I thought some people over-interpreted, like a reader who read great meaning into Peter K catching Christine in Toronto, when he does that because that's what they all do here. On the other hand, I found myself thinking about aspects and details of the show I’d never considered before, and it was interesting to discover the differences between the US and UK productions.
For American fans who want to know more about casts they've seen than we can give them, Phantom Notes is invaluable. For other fans, it's also pretty invaluable... I personally can never read enough about the show and story, and 12 issues of fans' observations is wonderful, especially when I don't have to type them! <ref> from the editor of Beneath the Mask, printed in #6 of that zine <ref>