Pipeline (Beauty and the Beast letterzine edited by Joan Ludlow & Mary Joan Ritter)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Pipeline |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Joan Ludlow & Mary Joan Ritter |
| Type: | lettezine |
| Date(s): | Spring 1988-1989 |
| Frequency: | bi-monthly |
| Size: | digest sized |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Pipeline is a Beauty and the Beast (TV) letterzine published by Joan Ludlow & Mary Joan Ritter.
It was billed as a letterzine for adults.
The issues contained letters of comment, clippings, and fiction.
The plan, as per the first issue, was to be bi-monthly.
In the end, there were only three issues. This was due to lack of fiction and letter submissions, as well as lack of time on the editors' part.
Evolving Description
The first issue: "a bi-monthly letterzine"
The second issue: "a letterzine"
The third issue: "a quarterly minizine"
Issue 1
Pipeline 1 was published in spring 1988 and contains 34 pages. It premiered at Space Trek.
It contains two editorials and two letters of comment.
- A Safe Place, fiction by Margo Coburn
- Surrender, fiction by Ann E. Huizenga
From Joan Ludlow:
I would like to talk about why we are a G to X rated zine, as just how far this romance should go was a bit of a hot topic at MediaWest*Con. Personally, I enjoy the tease the show has provided. I thought I would go crazy at times wishing so hard they would at least hug each other once in a while.
However, I think it's important for fans to have a place to explore their fantasies unrestricted. This is why we have no connection with any of the powers that be, including the official fan club. It can be fun to play with ideas that those in command might not want to deal with, and our letterzine is just the place to do that.
I do hope, however, that the relationship between Vincent and Catherine is allowed to progress naturally, however slowly. Some people at MediaWest*Con opposed any physicality between them, citing this as the reason Moonlighting and Remington Steele deteriorated so badly. I think society is in trouble if we can only find "the chase" romantic and exciting. (I thought the endless tease of Remington Steele got tiresome.) So, do we watch the shoe to see if Vincent "gets" Catherine or Catherine "gets" Vincent, or may it not be that it is the dynamics of this very different and very romantic relationship that make us tune in so avidly each week?
From Mary Joan Ritter:
...I guess I'm the old-timer. I've been in Trek fandom since 1960 and since then have become involved in Starsky & Hutch, Man From U.M.C.L.E., The Professionals, Hardcastle & McCormick, Robin Hood,
etc. My primary fannish interests are Pro's and Trek; until Beauty & the Beast came along that is. I can't remember falling for any show 30 fast or so hard 3ince Star Trek first aired. This in fact is my biggest frustration...since the show is so new the wealth of fannish material surrounding it is just now being generated. (Where's the zines?! Bring on the stories!) I had an ulterior motive in mind when conceiving Pipeline; I want to read Beauty & the Bea3t stories, what better way to ensure this than to publish a letter/fiction minizine. Pipeline is meant to fill the gap zines can leave in a fannish appetite. Zines are a wonderful thing but putting one together is a massive endeavor that takes months sometimes years. Pipeline will be a 'quick and dirty' quarterly publication. We intend to come out quarterly, sooner if we receive enough material. To do this we need YOU! Send in you letters, stories, poetry, artwork (remember on this that Pipeline is xerox'd and this medium never does justice to subtle shading and we don't have the time or budget to get art screened.)
From a fan named Maureen
I'm more than positive that I'll be running into a lot of familiar names among these pages. I was at a Miami Vice season opener party when I was introduced to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST for the first time. I'm thankful that t-o friends were taping the series that evening or I would have forgotten to catch the first episode. A lot of serious B&B fans were born that night. I know I couldn't wait to see it again.
Our group that traveled over to Zebra Con last October lugged over my portable VCR just so we could tape B&B while we were there. That ended up in a fun midnight showing to new fans and old. What a wonderful evening that was. Hello to all of you who were there.
My favorite things about the series (to name a few): the romanticism, Catherine, the love and caring expressed so fully between Vincent and Father, the writing and the writers great efforts at not turning B&B into a Beast rescues Beauty every script.
Sometimes Beauty even rescues Beast in this one. All the characters, especially those Below, including some that are no longer with us like Winslow (so sorry to lose that character) and Edie. Thankfully we still have the special people like Mouse, Joe, Pascal, Skipper, etc.
I'm looking forward to reading some of the fan writing just to fill in the lack of comfort in that episode. Too much hurt and not enough comfort.
I'm planning on going to the proposed Perlman Creation Con June 10th. Whether he's able to appear or not it's time for a trip to LA. Hope to hear some stories from other con's Perlman and some of the B&B writers have made.
I couldn't have been more pleased with the series closer. Koslow was right when he said they were going to do an ending in spirit with the seasons past episodes.
Issue 2
Pipeline 2 contains 50 pages.
The second issue's submission date was July 30, 1988.
This issue contains a couple of photos of Ron Perlman at Space Trek #5. It contains two editorials and one letter of comment.
- Power of the Demon, Face of Angel, fiction by Rita M. Palmer
- Interlude, fiction by Kat's Paw
- Phantom Lover, poem by Kay Simon
- Margaret's Story, fiction by Ann E. Huizenga
- To Winslow from Catherine, poem by Rita H. Palmer
A few business matters. Please remember (and tell your friends) that our prices are per issue, $2.75 does not get you a 4 issue subscription - that's $11.00. To my memory even back in the early days of Star Trek fandom $2.75 never bought a subscription to any fannish publication. I am finding out that more than half of the people getting Pipeline never heard of 'fandom' before and have never purchased a zine.
[...]
Joan & I do Pipeline in our spare time (Ha! Ha!). We get together on a weekend after it looks like enough material has come in to do an issue and start to work on it. This is also when we answer correspondence, so please don't be offended if we don't write back very quickly. If you need an answer urgently, say so when writing. I do open the mail when I receive it so I can put everything in the right file, and if I find something that needs an answer right away I'll try to comply.
[...]
I think you'll enjoy this issue. The stories are great, as are the poems (one of which was given to Ron Perlman at Space Trek this summer by the author), we received copies of some interesting articles, one subscriber compiled an episode listing for first season, and then there are the pictures of Ron... All I can say is his eyes are very blue, his skin is flawless and even his normal speaking voice can send shivers down your spine.
P.S. We have tapes of Ron's talks at the L.A. Creation Con and at Space Trek. Anyone out there interested in transcribing one or both tapes so we can print the transcription? We'll give you a copy of the tapes and a contributor's copy of the issue of Pipeline we print them in.
Issue 3
Pipeline 3 was published in 1989 and contains 44 pages. It contains two editorials, two stories, a clipping, and no letters.
The submission deadline was December 15, 1988.
- Sail Too Near the Wind, fiction by Barbara F. Trimble
- Birthday by D.V.S.