Reclassified Affairs

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You may be looking for the UNCLE zines by the same publisher called Declassified Affairs OR Classified Affairs.

Zine
Title: Reclassified Affairs
Publisher: Markate Press
Editor(s): Marion McChesney
Date(s): 1998-2001
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Man from UNCLE
Language: English
External Links:
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Reclassified Affairs is a slash anthology of Man from UNCLE fiction previously published in other multi-fandom zines.

Issue 1

cover of issue #1, Suzan Lovett
interior art by Jan Davies, from the story "Fever"

Reclassified Affairs 1 was published in 1998. It has a front cover by Suzan Lovett, one piece of interior art by Jan Davies, some screenshots, and some clip art.

From the editorial:

Welcome. Reclassified Affairs has been planned on a reprint zine, consisting solely of U.N.C.L.E. slash stories that were originally published in multi-media zines. It was suggested to me by Jan Davies as something that would be neat to do, and as most of my friends know, I am extremely susceptible to suggestion and easily talked into things. And after thinking it over, I decided it made sense. A lot of U.N.C.L.E fans don't buy mixed media zines, and so miss out on these delightful stories. So, here I am now with the first issue. There will be at least one more, most likely next spring. I would like to thank the authors who kindly gave me permission to reprint their stories. I hope this zine does their work justice. I would also like to thank Suzan Lovett for the contribution of her art which was originally used in Fruit Cocktail, herein used for my cover, and to Jan Davies for her interior art.


Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

See reactions and reviews for Fever.

Issue 2

cover of issue #2, TACS -- illustrates the "Russian Autumn Affair"

Reclassified Affairs 2 was published in 2001 and has 150 pages. The cover is by TACS. All stories come with a short preface by the individual writers. Interior art by Suzan Lovett (for "Bittersweet Affair"), Angi Towski (for "Midnight Madness") and Jane Terry (for "Room 101 Affair") .

Publisher's summary: "Spoilers for those who need a safety net: Vampires, drag acts, Starsky and Hutch crossover, jealous ballerinas, death, rape, flowers, depression, joy, Napoleonic wars, twisted Thrushies, defecting scientists, love, sex, secret fears, hidden longings and fishnet stockings."

The editorial by Jane:

Several years ago the idea of doing a zine with stories that had been previously published in multi-media zines was discussed on Channel L I told Marion that if she wanted to do it, I would help her to find the stories and as usual she was agreeable to the idea. I also gave her the name 'Reclassified Afairs.' The first issue was successful and we talked about doing one or two more issues. As most of you know. Marion died last June. Marlon had so many projects going and I wanted to see her work continue, but Reclassified Affairs was not foremost in my mind.

My co-moderator. Clare Chew had been nagging at me about doing another Reclassified Afairs for months. I patiently explained to her the limitations of doing such a zine. in that there are realy not that many U.N.C.L.E. slash stories that have been published in multi-media zines. I further explained that it would be difficult or impossible to contact most of the authors. I suggested that we wait a year or two and discuss the idea again at that time.

She continued to prod at me and insist that it shouldn't be too difficult. I have had my hands full with a lot this past year and realy didnt want to embark on another project so I suggested that she work on it. Which she did. Once I gave her the go-ahead, she embarked on the project with determination. I have been constantly amazed at the way Clare has managed to track down people who once wrote U.N.C.L.E. and have since moved on to other fandoms. About two months ago I came to the realization that she had enough stories to publish in time for Connexions this year.

Many of the authors who were represented in the first issue have contributed stories to this zine. There are also several stories which Marion wanted to publish in the first Reclassified Afairs but could not use because she could not locate the writers.

Clare also added a new feature to this volume: she requested that the authors write a paragraph or two about their feelings about the story, I would like to see this practice used again in other zines and I wil suggest it to those people who are writing for the Classified Affairs Tribute...

I would like to thank all of the writers and artists who graciously allowed their works to be reprinted m this publication.

The editorial by Clare:

Ask and you shall receive...

The idea to do this zine came when a post appeared on one of the U.N.C.L.E. listservs. It was from a person who thought that the first Reclassified Afairs was a great idea, and wanted to see a second issue. Another person agreed, stating that, since she did not buy multi-media zines. she appreciated the opportunity to read a coilection of Man from U.N.C.L.E. stories she would not otherwise see.

I read it and nodded my head in agreement. Where was this second issue? How hard could it be to put it together? So I hit upon this briliant idea of asking a few writers I knew for old stories, and presenting them to Jane Terry. I thought that if i could get a couple of stories, it would encourage her to do a second issue.

But it backfired on me. Jane found out. and promptly told me to put the zine together!

Thanks to the following people for making it possible: The writers, for writing such an incredibly diverse range of stories, and for alowing us to reprint them here. Each tale is a peek into an alternate universe, not necessarily the one we saw on the show. Some stories wil be familiar and comforting, some wil surprise, and others wil be chalenging, perhaps even disturbing. Each is unique. I hope you wil be impressed and inspired, as I was. at what they have come up with.

The artists, for bringing the characters and the stories to life. A special mention must go to TACS. She colored in her original ilo for us (reprinted from If Their Mothers Only Knew) after puting up with my constant nagging.

The editors of the original multimedia fanzines, for giving permission to reprint and. in some cases, helping us to contact writers. And to the numerous fans, too many to mention by name, that I pestered for details on how to contact various writers, a special thank you indeed.

Anita, my assistant editor, for her wonderful recommendations and assistance. Without her and hertmsty scanner, there would simply be no zine.

Theresa Kyle, for choice recommendations, encouragement, and typing assistance. Sarah Lindsay, for proofreading.

[April Valentine]. for formatting advice and publishing this zine.

Jane Terry, for stage-managing everything. She knew people, she knew stories, and she brought this zine together. All did was follow orders.

And to Cadfael and Betty, and the other readers who wanted a second issue, this is for you.

Issue 2: Author Comments

[The Perfect Gentleman Affair]:

"The Perfect Gentleman Affair" is one of the first stories I wrote, not long after discovering fandom four years ago. It had been years since I had seen the show and I had no idea that fans were writing U.N.C.L.E. stories. It looked like so much fun I just had to try it, and it has proven to be an addictive hobby.

Perfect Gentleman is a simple story and I think the humor and characterization of Napoleon have held up fairly well. Nowadays I tend to write longer, more complex stories which feature a much more irascible lllya, a result of my having seen some of the original shows again and realizing that Illya could be quite acerbic at times. It quickly became an amusing aspect of his characterization to play with, and has become a standard in my later stories. However, this story was a lot of fun to write, too. I hope that readers wil enjoy the re-issue of it.

[In from the Cold]: When I first found slash fandom, oh those many years ago, I thought Kirk/Spock was the only slash fandom out there. Boy was I surprised when I attended my first con—the last IDICon In Houston, Texas—to find a table sporting Man From U.N.C.L.E. slash. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I hadn't seen an U.N.C.L.E. episode since It aired In the sixties, so I was surprised to find, on reading the couple of zines I bought, how well I remembered these guys—their voices, their expressions, their body language and verbal byplay, and especially their chemistry. Not to mention that lllya had been one of my first real crushes as a girl; It broke my heart at the time that I looked so awful In a black turtleneck...but enough about that. I've been In and out of a lot of fandoms since then, but I've never lost my Interest In Man From U.N.C.L.E., and I'm very pleased to have one of my stories reprinted here.

[Bittersweet Affair]: I'm a sweet, gray-haired retired woman—and there I was in the hospital. And then he came to my room, this beautiful blond young man by the name of lya Kuryakin. I'll never know why he was so concerned about me after that nasty dog attack. But, you know, afterwards, he even sneaked me a flask of gin which was strictly against hospital regulations. What a sweet boy to bring me a little tipple while I recuperated! Once I was released from the hospital, I couldn't get him out of my mind and when, by mere chance, I saw him coming out of a tailor shop with another dark-haired man, something in my imagination was unleashed. I was embarrassed by my first thoughts, carnal as they were, but followed my instincts and let my creativity have ful run of the typewriter. "Bittersweet Affair" was just one of my many explorations into the world I created for those two handsome men. You'd think a nice little old lady like me would know better, but...l have to say it's been fun and stimulating, and, after all, it's only fantasy.

[Midnight in Moscow]: For me, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is one of those epiphanies of life, from which one can never quite escape (and doesn't want to anyway). The show happened along just as I grew from child to pre-teen, and — if my memory is functioning properly over that many years!—I remember that a gigantic crush on the "blond Russian bombshell" was pivotal to my growth hormones. Decades changed, but when the show went into reruns (on cable?) in the 1980s and I was suddenly able to get tapes, I discovered what good taste I'd had as a kid. Not only this, but from the vantage point of the 1990s, one could look back at the 1960s with affection.

[Weekend in New England]: What inspired me to write Man from U.N.C.L.E.? Gah, that's a hard one. I first discovered it thanks to a friend who ient me her copy of "The Project Strigas Affair" with strict instructions to oniy watch that episode. (I'm also a Hogan's Heroes and Werner Klemperer is in that one.) Needless to say, I didn't listen. But I think the reason I've stuck with it is because of the chemistry between Napoleon and llya. It resonates even when they're not speaking, even when they're not together. You can tell just by looking that they're each other's world: soulmates. It's not so obvious in the beginning, but later in the series it comes through like fluorescent day-gio neon.

[The Final Night Affair]: "The Final Night Affair" is a story I have a special affection for, since it was my first collaboration with Theresa Kyle. We had recently "met" through a Starsky and Hutch adzine and, finding out we both loved reading and writing U.N.C.L.E., began sharing U.N.C.I.E. stories we had written with each other. Then one time, while discussing various plot scenarios, Theresa and I came up with this idea: what if lllya and Napoleon were trapped in a Thrush prison somewhere and knew they were going to die the next day? Would they turn to each other for one last salute to life? Shortly after that I wrote this story, Theresa and I were later to write several stories together, but this story was our first "semi-collaboration." Hope you enjoy.

[Roses]: I loathe death-suicide death stories—Romeo and Juliet were a couple of idiot teens, and i have no respect for a protagonist who takes a coward's way out of his pain, in real life, bereaved people sundve; they live again, love again, and go on living and enjoying life. I'd think the biggest tribute to Solo's effect on Kuryakin's life would be Illya's ability to acknowledge his emotions, and his strength to recover from a devastating loss. (By the way, "grokking" was a '60s slang term, meaning "to completely and fully understand." It comes from the Robert Heinlein science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, a pop phenomenon of the decade. If you want proof, the book is mentioned in the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire.")

[Downtown Saturday Night]: "Downtown" is more to do with nostalgia for the '60s than with a pre-teen crush an the exotic agent with the golden locks. Looking back on the writing of it, I think I had been watching a bundle of '60s shows on video, one of which was almost certainly a "variety show" in which classy drag-act Danny La Rue performed. How the story came to take shape in my fevered mind, I have—now—no idea; but I'm glad it did!

[Dust]: First of all, I have to thank the editors for asking to reprint these two Man From U.N.C.L.E. stories. I was surprised, flattered, and then enthusiastic about the project, not least because it meant I read the stories for the first — time in five years. Re-visiting an old passion is always risky. Re-visiting old writing is often scary beyond belief. But to my great surprise, in this case I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had thought I would need to do extensive re-writing, but no, not a word has been changed (well, maybe one, so any typos probably remain intact) because I really didn't think the stories needed it, which is certainly not something I feel al the time—my more likely reaction is to cringe at my own inadequacies as a writer. But I loved lya and Napoleon so much (stil do, but not with that white-heat of desire that makes a fandom so obsessive) and they seem to have brought out the best in me. I can still remember the Christmas I got a Man From U.N.C.L.E. gift set for Christmas. The badge included In It was Napoleon's—I was so upset, lllya was always the focus of my attention, even when I was six, and not really aware of why I liked the pretty blond one who always got tied up. By the time I discovered fandom and was writing, I knew exactly why he appealed. He suffered beautifully, as the fan phrase goes. And he suffers in this story. A lot. He was so easy to write as well, I can remember that clearly: the whole story there in my head...

[Ashes]: Though I would have probably left "Dust" to stand alone, a friend of mine could not stand anything too unhappy, so I wrote the sequel, more an epilogue really, in "Ashes." I like that too...I love the idea of lllya and Napoleon living forever. Which in fact they do. Fandom is a wonderful thing. Thank you to everyone who has ever read anything of mine; sharing the pleasure doubles It. And if anyone wants to read a novel of mine, try http://www.waywardbooks.com, though there I write as Kit Fisher [for Wayward Books ].

[The Cultural Exchange Affair]: I have been a fan of Man from U.N.C.L.E. since the show was originally shown; it was years later, however, that I came to realize I could write about it. Even then, if it had not been for the editors of Mobile Ghettos, the 'zine this story was originally printed in, and Eros, I doubt if I would ever have published anything. My thanks and blessings upon Darien Duck and Phoebe Entwhistle, wonderful fans and publishers, for taking this story and sending it out into the world. And my very best regards and wishes to Eros, who told me my writing was worth the reading, and who read and critiqued and tried to help me write my stories well.

[Midnight Madness]: I started writing Man From U.N.C.L.E. slash shortly after I started watching the series (on reruns on TNT, I think). This was maybe 10 years or so ago. The caring and affection between Illya and Napoleon was just too obvious to pass up, and I loved the little bits of humor that showed them to be vulnerably human. I never did like characters who are too perfect; they're just not as much fun to play with! I think the inspiration for this story will be pretty obvious to anyone who has read it, or who gets to the first page! it was just an idea that I had to write. I could see and hear the story so clearly, i simply had to give the boys this chance to have a little fun. Boys? Excuse me, men. Even if they do occasionally act like teenagers' I had to set it during this time period rather than during the '60s, again for obvious reasons. Have fun reading it, and if you haven't seen the movie referenced in this story, get thee to a video store! It should be required viewing for any slash or kink fan.

[Russian Autumn Affair]: Having two degrees in history, I've spent much of my adult life immersed in social and cultural periods in the development of Western Civilization. To a certain extent, the history of concepts—democracy, equal rights, free will, et cetera—are more fascinating to me than the traditional forms of history (military, political, even social). And one of the best ways to learn or teach those forms is often through fiction. To that end, I've always read and appreciated historical fiction—for the concepts and the characters. And there are no more fascinating characters than those of the men from U.N.C.LE. When I started writing U.N.C.L.E. fiction, I found it easier then to take them out of their own setting—mid '60s Cold War—and put them into a setting that I was more familiar with. Thus, much of my first writing was alternate universe and historical. I especially enjoyed—as do most of us writers—the "first time" sfcy—how the agents ended up together both professionally and sexually. From that perspective, this story is one of my personai favorites!

[The Room 101 Affair]: I wrote this story in 1994, back when I was Just beginning to get into U.N.C.L.E. (for the second time, the first time being when it was originally on in the 1960s—yes, I'm that old!). It's a good representation of the kind of U.N.C.L.E. story I liked then, and still do—threadbare plot, not much background, just a situation where poor lilya is traumatized and Napoleon helps him to deal with it. lilya is so capable, so cynical, so tough, that I find it an overwhelming temptation to probe his vulnerabilities—to catch a glimpse of that hidden side of him that only Napoleon knows. I've tried to expand myself as a writer by getting into plot-driven scenarios in a few of my later stories, such as "Magic" (Relative Secrecy #4) and "Survival of the Fittest" (We Have Each Other #3) but to my chagrin I must confess that I still prefer writing this type of story over any other— Illya is hurt, he and Napoleon talk about it...and then, of course, make love.

Issue 2: Interior Sample

  • from issue #2 for "Bittersweet Affair" by Suzan Lovett. Napoleon reaches out to gently comfort a despondent Ilya. This art was originally printed in Liaisons #2.

  • inside issue #2, Jane Terry for "The Room 101 Affair" -- originally printed in Indigo Boys #2 where it was credited to Jan Davies

  • Angi Towski for "Midnight Madness" -- originally printed in Wild Cards #2

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

[The Cultural Exchange Affair]: The Cultural Exchange Affair is one of my fav crossover stories and MUNCLE stories. The whole story is told from Starsky's viewpoint, and it is a little sad, but wonderful. [1]

[The Cultural Exchange Affair]: [J] mentioned another fav of mine (I can't remember the name either, sigh) where Illya is undercover running a ballet troupe, Nap is a reporter, and Starsky and Hutch have been detailed to look after the premier ballerina and danceur. The perfect last line, from Starsky to Hutch, after watching Illya walk off, Napoleonless: 'If you ever want something from me, ask, damnit!' Oh yeah, it's The Cultural Exchange Affair, in the same zine with Turquoise Mine Affair.... [2]

References

  1. ^ from Sandy Herrold in Strange Bedfellows #3 (1993)
  2. ^ Sandy Herrold, from Virgule-L, quoted with permission (Oct 22, 1994)
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