Phil Foster
| Fan | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Phil Foster |
| Alias(es): | Pint O' Scrumpy; Pinta Scrumpy; Brother Drunk; Phil "Ian" Foster |
| Type: | Fanwriter |
| Fandoms: | X-Men, Marvel, Subreality Cafe, Vertigo, The Common People |
| Communities: | Subreality Cafe, CFAN, ACFF, RACMX, Outside the Lines |
| Other: | |
| URL: | Fonts of Wisdom; The TCP Warehouse |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Phil Foster is known in comics fandom as the writer of the first ever Common People story and one of the "Brothers Drunk" who had a tendency to pop up in Subreality Café stories, even without writing them himself. In his own words from the acff "Inner Circle" biographies, circa 1996:
Ian Phillip Fosteraka Phil, the Untitled Knight
Place of residence: Computer Labs/East Slope Pub, Sussex Uni, Brighton, EnglandFanfic written so far: Pryde & Wisdom (8-parter), Apocalypse Soon-ish, X-Men #49 (re-write of)
Description in terms of X-characters: Physically: Picture Bobby, but about Logan's size and build. Psychologically: somewhere between Hank and Guido
Length of time reading x-books: Waaaay too long (about twelve years)
Describe yourself in three words: Ahh. Um. Oh.
Internet X-sites regularly attended: RACMX, untold-l, excalibur-l, clubnate (on and off), RACDV, Hawk's webpage about twice a week =)
Non-X related interests: Drinking. Studenting. Computering. Rugbying. Writing. Sunbathing. Tai Chi-ing. Sci-fi-ing. Debating. Generally annoying people by actually being pretty good at quite a diverse range of things. (Modesty? Me? Nah. Gave it up for Lent three years ago. =) )
What the hell does 'Pinta Scrumpy' mean?: Okay. Scrumpy is a drink they make and sell back where I come from originally -- Cotswold hills in Gloucestershire. Farming country, basically. You think Sam's accent is bad? Wait till you hear mine. =) Scrumpy is (theoretically) a cider, but is a little on the strong side. It kills raging bulls at a hundred paces. Of course, being a farmin' lad meself, I'm a bit of a Scrumpy drinker -- hence the name.
An important point to remember about Scrumpy is not to get it mixed up with Scrumpy Jack, which is a totally different drink that merely bears a similar name. Scrumpy Jack is a relatively normal, although slightly strong cider made and sold all over the country. Scrumpy is a drink that is only made properly in remote farmers' pubs in the middle of the country side, and is a cider only in that the process of making it does involve apples somewhere along the line.
Intentions for joining the Inner Circle: To discuss the art of writing, to learn how to write from others and to learn how to give a good criticism of other people's work.
Phil's stories tended to have a humorous bent, as you can probably tell from the titles, but he also wrote serious stories such as "Stories You Hear Down the Pub" which dealt with a mutant 'coming out' story. His pieces were to the point, witty and did much in a few words.
Notable Works
- TCP: Firefight (The Common People Project) - The first Common People story written and the one that helped launch the genre.[1] A mutant with the ability to manipulate fire decides to put his x-factor to good use.
- TCP: Street-Fighting Years (The Common People Project) An invitation has a man recalling how he'd used his mutant power.
- Pryde and Wisdom (Excalibur)- The original Pryde and Wisdom fanfic, with great British atmosphere, lots of pub-crawling and a number of in-jokes for real racmx old-timers.
- Apocalypse, Soon-ish or Days Of Future Last Tuesday Evening, Just Before The Football (X-Men) - Tired of the endless angst of Marvel's too-many-times-redone Days of Future Past, Phil decided to come up with his own version.
- TCP: Stories You Hear Down the Pub (The Common People Project) Pete Wisdom isn't the only mutant who likes to have a pint at the local pub...
- Seven Magpies (Sandman) A classic Gaimanesque Sandman tale, about a dream of perfection and the satisfaction of all desire.
- Fetch (Sandman) In another classic Gaimanesque Sandman tale, a father tells his son about a dream sheepdog that will protect him in his nightmares.
- Welcome to the Show - (Subreality/Vertigo) A fan-fic writer is introduced to Subreality and its roots in the Dreaming.
- Yer Name's Not Down, You Ain't Comin' In (Subreality) An interesting Bouncer's-eye view of Subreality.
Reviews and Recommendations
The writer is another of Fan Fiction’s brightest, Ian Phil Foster, and he shows with deft precision why he holds his position. Stories... is the tale of friends down at the pub on a Saturday afternoon, like many of us spend them, recouping from Friday’s excesses and preparing for Saturday’s. However, a fight and a critical injury forces the narrator to reveal his mutant ability. It is a rough story, both in language and setting. The Estuary English of the narrator pervades the piece, bringing the writing into a startlingly clear focus. One can almost taste the Guinness and smell the scent of old wood, cigarette smoke and sour beer which is the comfort of the local pub. The most important thing is that all of us could imagine the situation, could see our friends react like the characters and can use the same lines without feeling the slightest bit odd. It is a real story, which hits at the heart and the brain and the stomach, driving home its message with simple and honest power.Reader's Rave #2 by Dex review for Stories You Hear Down The Pub
Phil Foster, or Pinta Scrumpy has been around a long time, and his work has long been one of the most esteemed. His bright wit, wry situations and masterful dialogue have served as examples for a score of writers since him. He has produced an impressive body of work, including pieces based off of the mad conversations in the early days of Alt.Comics.Fan-Fiction (ACFF). One of those served as the inspiration for Apocalypse, Soon-ish or Days of Future Last Tuesday Evening, Just Before the Football. Certainly, one of the most accomplished of the early comedic gems of fanfiction, it combined English-style wit and surreal comedy with a biblical styled retelling of the days of Apocalypse. The parody crackles with mad delight, images of weighty confusion and insanity. One of the funniest sequences deals with the ridiculous nature of Marvel continuity itself, especially where the Summers/Grey clan is concerned.
Archives/Zines/Collections/Communities
Archives
As Archivist
As Contributor
- Subreality Central
- Common People Warehouse
- Fonts of Wisdom
- The Itty Bitty Archives
- Shifting Sands
- Magik's Fanfiction Page
Communities
Conventions
References
- ^ Xmen: The Common People, 1/1 acff post by Hawk, Aug 5, 1996