Renaissance (Star Wars zine)

Zine
Title:	Renaissance
Publisher:	M.J. Mink & Judith Klinger
Editor(s):
Date(s):	1997
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Wars
Language:	English
External Links:
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Renaissance is a Star Wars gen (with some "mild slash") fanzine published by M.J. Mink & Judith Klinger in 1997. It has 224 pages.

The art is by Nancy Stasulis, Z.P. Florian, Bert-Olof Lundin, Zyene, MJ Mink, and A.G. Steyn.

front cover, Zyene

flyer printed in Revenge of the Garbage and Elusive Lover #2

Contents

• Opening Scene by MJ Mink and Judith Klinger (4)

Adventures & Misadventures:

• Han Solo and the Urn of Ak-Ryul, by Rich Gawel (Follow Han and Chewie into a mystery. This story takes place between Han Solo's Revenge and Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley.) (9)
• The Back Door by Z.P. Florian (An Imperial office holds the key.) (23)
• Frangel, by Marti Schuller (Han, Leia, Luke and Chewie face a catastrophe.) (30)

• What A Coincidence by Mary Jo Fox (The scoundrel rises to the occasion.) (58)
• The Man in Love with You, filk by Deborah Kittle (Sung to "The Man In Love with You" by George Strait) (60)

A Little Interlude:

• Do Farmboys Dream of Moisture Evaporators? by Z.P. Florian (Well, do they?) (reprinted from Alliance) (63)
• The Blaster by MJ Mink (Nice kitty...) (69)
• Friendship by Sue Depping (Meeting Biggs.) 78)
• Like Any Other Boy, by Z.P. Florian (Almost. (reprinted from Hibernation Sickness #16) (82)

Always in Motion:

• The Future You See, by Z.P. Florian (So many possibilities.) (reprinted from Hibernation Sickness #14) (87)
• I'll Think of Something, filk by Deborah Kittle (sung to "I'll Think of Something" by Mark Chestnut) (91)
• Solo by the Book, by Z.P. Florian (Han meets his destiny.) (crossover with the movie "Witness") (92)
• Tattoine by M.J. Mink. (Alternate Universe, Imperial trooper Han must execute a young prisoner.) (96)
• The Best laid Plans by Z.P. Florian (Han's past catches up with him...and he likes it. Alternate of an alternate, sequel to "Takh Solo Anid Graal" (On A Clear Day You Can See Dagobah 8) and half a dozen Other stories.) (101)

A Dark Interlude:

• Take a Walk on the Wild Side, filk by Mary Jo Fox (Sung to 'Take a Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed. Reprinted from Blue Harvest #5) (115)
• Milk and Cookies, by Z.P. Florian (Anakin has a snack.) (116)
• Sympathy for the Emperor, filk by Belea Keeney (Sung to "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones) (120)
• Fathers by Z.P. Florian (Children are the same everywhere.) (Star Wars/Forever Knight crossover) (123)
• Touching by Z.P. Florian (Vader has an epiphany.) (124)
• Living in a Moment, filk by Deborah Kittle (sung to the tune of "Living in a Moment" by Ty Hendron) (126)

And Now for Something Completely Different:

• Exile, by Cara J. Loup (Luke is banished and Han goes searching.) ("Mild slash content.") (129)
• Favorite Son, by M.J. Mink (Would Darth Vader's son have turned out differently?) (166)
• Thorns of Love translated by Veronica Wilson (Sleeping Beauty and the Sith.) ("Mild slash content" -- "This first written version of an ancient Sith legend, here followed by a historian's conclusion, was later "purified" and altered to appeal to a wider galactic Republican audiences rather than a specific endogamous [sic] culture. Eventually it became a children's story whose many variations are known throughout the galaxy, but which would be barely recognizable to the original esoteric keepers of the tale.") (188)
• The Other by J.P. Treleaven (224)

Sample Interior

• 

  Z.P. Florian

• 

  A.G. Steyn

• 

  Zyene

• 

  Z.P. Florian

• 

  Z.P. Florian, illo of Anakin Skywalker

• 

  A.G. Steyn

• 

  MJ Mink

• 

  Zyene

• 

  Nancy Stasulis

Reactions and Reviews

First, about the various stories of Mink: Tatooine, the alternate: simply brilliantly twisted, would be worth to expand on it. Favorite Son: another example of her special talent to play hide and seek with the facts of the saga, turn them around and surprise the readers with putting the puzzle together in a way we wouldn't expect, loved this one, especially the wonderful Vader in it. The Blaster, go ahead, break my heart... Thanks for Depping's Friendship for putting it together again!

Gawel's Han story, fresh, good and blessedly male, and I was glad to see Bollux and Blue Max in a fanzine story.

Loup's Exile—there's a soft, warm sadness in this story, and magnificently written characters, who bear their fate with beautiful dignity.

Treleaven, The Other, I always wanted to know what had happened just before the three shimmering ghosts gathered at the end of Jedi. This vignette said it perfectly.

Schuller: Frangel, boy, that was an absolute riot when Leia tried to get Luke's attention by saying that the trees were attacking the lumberjacks. The story itself was a fine illustration of what the Jedi are good for in an emergency.

Wilson: Thorns of Love - Sleeping Beauty has never been this dark, this interesting, the Dark has never been this seductive, there have been plenty of Sith lords written, many of them magnificent, but none as attractive in his darkness, his power, his fragility as Astele, Star of the Night, elegantly embroidered onto the velvet cloth of a well-known fairy tale that will never mean the same to me again.

The illoes, loved them all: Zyene's soft, beautiful ones, Steyn's splendid yellow doggies with the Emperor, Lundin's clear strong lines, and Stasulis's Vader with Luke is probably one of the finest I’ve ever seen, fluid and balanced.

I really enjoyed Renaissance and am very sorry there will be no future issues, though I'm sure I'll see more from the talented editor/publisher and all her contributors.

I really loved the very clever intro (opening scene?) instead of the traditional editorial.

The artwork throughout the zine was marvelous, but some of my personal favorites were MJ Mink's on page 127, Zyene's on pages 3, 95 and 147, Z.P. Florian's on pages 111, 117 and 203. Bert-Olof Lundin's on pages 64 and 98 were also great. As was Nancy Stasulis's on page 175. AG Steyn's cartoons on pages 57 and 68 were terrific and her incredible color art on page 121 was gorgeous!

I enjoyed the entire zine, but favorites stories were:

Han Solo and the Urn of Ak-Ryul by Richard Gawel - this was a well-written, fun adventure. I'd like to read more by this obviously talented author.

Solo by the Book by Z.P. Florian - what a wicked little story, but how cunningly told! Tatooineby MJ Mink - eerie alternate story, very well-written with a sly twist.

And my favorite of all. Fathers by Z.P. Florian. Though this was a short work, it was incredible. Brrrr! Marvelous!!!

Keep up the fine art and writing, people. You all deserve many, many kudos.

Thanks for a great reading and visual experience.

The cover was very well-done. The screening onto the transparency produced a nice effect, and the illustration of Our Heroes in period garb was a different, unique touch. Your intro story also was a unique way of introducing a zine, and the breakdown of material into thematic chapters was a good idea, too. Overall, it's clear that you guys tried to set yourselves apart from other zines, and I think it worked.

Marti Schuller's Frangel was probably my favorite story. Someone should show this to the folks at Bantam as evidence that our heroes can have a rousing adventure without facing off against some long-lost Imperial with some kind of superweapon. As a group, the chapter of stories about Luke's childhood was very imaginative and well-written. And my favorite filk was Belea Keeney's take on the Stones (the full-color illo was great, too).

The Back Door by Z.P. Florian is entertaining and plausible. I especially liked the evidence of Luke's nascent Force talent in his escape, and how the Dark Lord actually arranged it. Great 1st line!

Marti Schuller's Frangel is one of my favorite stories by this author, so full of a rich range of emotions, moving and completely believable as well. I especially like the moral that no knowledge is worth a single life, although I am still pondering whether I completely agree with that sentiment. Quite thought-provoking!

Do Farm Boys Dream of Moisture Evaporators is very charming, while The Blaster and Like Any Other Boy were exquisitely chilling and engrossing. I have to admit that I do not agree with the cold characterization of Owen these stories contain, but all of us interpret SW characters in different ways, and I am willing to ponder the notion and still enjoy these well-written and original stories.

The Future You See is brilliant and haunting. Poor Luke! Unfortunately, I find such futures more plausible than some authors' visions of domesticity and fatherhood for him. I hope to see more stories of this sort.

Milk and Cookies was another great tale, full of interesting subtleties about the intensity and unspoken resentments of Anakin and Palpatine's relationship—a fraught relationship I love to explore through my writing and others'. I love the characters' dry wits most of all!

As you would have guessed, I adored Touching - a Vader with such a moving, attractive, poignant set of intermixed strengths and weaknesses. Marvelous! Z.P. really outdid herself in this one! Cara Loup's Exile is beautifully written, and a fascinating scenario to ponder. Auron is a truly absorbing character, and the Han-Luke relationship both believable and compelling. Great stuff!

This entire zine is of high quality, and is visually exquisite. I do wish there were going to be a second issue, but will content myself with anticipating Face to Face. Renaissance was a terrific one shot, and I am sure that in several years SW zine collectors will be avidly searching for it! Well done.

What an awesome debut for two new editors! The zine looks just incredible; the layout is polished and easy to read, the slight changes in fonts are barely noticeable and not at all distracting. I liked the use of different paper to distinguish the different sections, it was a nice touch.

My favorite stories were:

The Blaster by MJ Mink. A touching little story, all the more realistic by using the syrrit's death. I think a lot of children kill animals accidentally and it was a nice segue into the concept of Darkside tendencies being inherited. An unhappy story but interesting all the same. The Future You See by Z.P. Florian was also a favorite. She gives us multiple visions of Luke's possible futures and interestingly, not all of them are happy. Z.P. didn't candy-coat the realities of a fragile Luke who is trembling in the Force, without any guidance. The Luke-lives-hermit-like-yet- happily-ever-after scenarios just don't wash with me. The stories with angst and conflict are more intriguing.

Exildoy Cara J. Loup was also a fresh perspective. Although the slash aspect wasn't offensive, it really wasn't necessary to the story. What was engaging was the idea of Vader saving his memories for his son. And Cara has a gift for using the language, setting into motion a pleasant swirl of words and phrases that are nearly lyrical and enjoyable. Her writing reminds me of Pat Conroy, the Southern novelist.

Overall, the artwork was wonderful, too. My favorites were Z.P.'s Anakin from Milk and Cookies, Nancy Stasulis's Luke and Vader from Favorite Son, and Zyene's Luke from the frontpiece. I like how all the artists made their characters show definite emotions in their work.

And I must comment on the stunning color artwork of A.G. Steyn's that accompanied my little filk. Her Emperor-with- his-pets painting was a knock-out! The rich golden tones were a lovely contrast to the dark Palpatine and the suggestion of an arid and surreal landscape beyond was arresting. Plus, it made the filk look so—so—well, important! A lovely surprise, too, the color in the middle of the zine.

So, can we talk you two into another edition? Perhaps in '99, when the first prequel is due to arrive??? Hmmm?? Thanks for the hours of reading pleasure you've given your