Shadowstar/Issues 29-30
Issue 29
Shadowstar 29 was published in Autumn 1988 and contains 114 pages.
The art is by Mary Jean Holmes, Mary Wood, L.J. Juliano, Wanda Lybarger, John Sies, and Diana Stein.
It contains Real Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea fiction.
- Letter from the Editor (1)
- Memorial Day by Mary Wood (Star Wars) (2)
- One Magic Night by Marti Schuller (Luke is instructed by the ghostly image of Ben Kenobi to go to the Terra System and this time he MUST take Han along. What awaits them on this unknown world is beyond their wildest imaginings.) (Star Wars) (5)
- Tell Me a Story by Kathryn Agel (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) (reprinted in Below the Surface #5) (35)
- An Imperial Christmas, filk to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," by Pat Molitor (42)
- Beyond the Maelstrom, part four by Michael Dayne Winkle (43)
- Rachel Was Special by Paula Freda (Blade Runner) (72)
- Half-Second Thoughts by L.A. Carr (Star Wars) (75)
- The Holly and the Dryad by Mary Jean Holmes (The Real Ghostbusters) (76)
- Luke's Wish, filk to the tune of "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," by Pat Molitor (114)
- ads (115)
from issue #29, Mary Wood
from issue #29, Mary Wood
from issue #29, Mary Wood
from issue #29
from issue #29, Mary Jean Holmes for "The Holly and the Dryad"
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 29
Shadowstar 29 is a special holiday issue, with stories that have the spirit of the season. Mary Wood's "Memorial Day" celebrates a new Jedi holiday Luke created in memory of past Jedi. This particular Day of Memory represents even more as it confirms the link between past and future. "Half-Second Thoughts," by L.A. Car}', is a brief vignette of Han's worries in carbon freeze over Luke's feelings for Leia.
Marti Schuller's "One Magic Night" is a story that shines with Christmas joy. Luke is sent by Ben to the Sol System and ordered to take Han with him. With Leia and Chewie along, the foursome land at the correct coordinates to find a frozen landscape, a brightly lit village, a small plump woman and her jolly husband who needs special modifications made to his sleigh. The result is a Christmas all will remember. [1]
Issue 30
Shadowstar 30 was published in Spring 1989 and contains 149 pages.
The art is by Mary Jean Holmes, L.J. Juliano, Wanda Lybarger, Carol Paulson, Sandy Schreiber, John Sies, Diana Stein, and Mary Wood.
It was the winner of a Star Wars 1990 Fan Q Award.
- Letter from the Editor (1)
- The Legend by Marti Schuller (Star Wars) (2)
- The Little People by Kathryn Agel (part of The Starbird's Children Universe) (Star Wars) (23)
- Starshower Dreams, part one by Linda Ruth Pfonner (Star Wars) (25)
- Dream a Little Dream by L.A. Carr ("Editor's note: Unless I'm mistaken, this story is from the author's SW variant universe, in which Palpatine never overthrew the Republic, Anakin never fell to the Dark Side, this Luke and Leia were never separated, Ben Kenobi was not killed, etc. Other stories from this alternate have appeared in other fanzines.") (50)
- The Forgotten by Catriona Campbell (Star Wars) (52)
- Obligatory Sick Cartoon (72)
- Han and Leia by Paula Freda (72)
- Turning Points, part one by Janice Lemel (Star Wars) (74)
- The Deadly Deception by Deborah Kittle (102)
- Graven Image, conclusion by Mary Wood and Mary Wood (115)
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 30
[The Forgotten]: ....masterfully authored... I found this story a sensitive, insightful and extremely stirring account of members I seldom considered before Treena's skills called my attention to them. Being a child of the Viet Nam era and having lost a friend to that horrid waste, Treena's story struck a chord deep within that still flinches like an old wound. Superb writing and better reading. I strongly urge especially our younger members to seek it out. [2]
[zine]: SHADOWSTAR #30 has, besides Marti's "Legend" story, "Star Shower Dreams" by Pfonner... Han is shipwrecked on a fascinating planet with neat culture/beings delineated and mysterious as to just where the planet is located... very lyrical. It also has the conclusion of "Graven Image" by Woods/Holmes. A very exciting post-ROIJ story of Luke beginning to set up his Jedi school amidst much suspicion and doubts from some quarters, Han and Leia and their relationship and their troubles in setting up the new government. They throw in a lot of good comment and speculation on what Pat and Jacqueline inquired about in re nonhumanoid/human status. Wrap it up in good characterizations and intrigue. Parts 1 and 2 are in issues #27 and #28, respectively. [2]
In 1988, Mary Jean Holmes produced five SW zines (four issues of Shadowstar and one novel); but even she had to slow down in 1988 and only two issues of Shadowstar were published. Considering that most zine publishers have trouble releasing just one issue a year, this is still quite an achievement; and luckily for readers, Shadowstar is always full of well-stories, often from new writers. Number 30 is no exception, with a wide variety of subjects for its fiction, from the early training of Yoda to the ordinary grunt's life in the Alliance.
An all-SW issue. Number 30 leads off with Marti Schuller's well-thought- out story about a small slave named Hoyalodah, whose friendship with a fierce Styg is the first step on a path that leads to the planet Dagobah. Another powerful story is Catriona Campbell's "The Forgotten," a look at the real lives of those men caught up, sometimes against their wills, in the Rebellion.
When Leia keeps losing things, Han tells her it is the Corellian little people, who must be bribed with cakes to get them to give the objects back. "The Little People," by Kathryn Agel, is a witty variation on old legends. Deborah L. Kittle sends Han into danger, based on a chance message from a beautiful woman who owes him a lifedebt, in "Deadly Deception."
L. A. Carr has written a series of humorous stories set in an alternate universe, where Anakin never turned. "Dream A Little Dream" is a more serious short piece, in which an exhausted Luke sleeps, only to dream of a young moisture farmer caught up in a galactic and personal struggle. When he wakes, his father is there to help him understand the importance of such strange dreams.
Two longer stories begin in this issue. Janice Lamel's "Turning Points" sends Han and Luke to contact the Resistance on Sheraani, Alderaan's sister planet. The true identity of its leader turns out to be quite a surprise. The other new story is "Starshower Dreams," by Linda Ruth Pfonner, an alternative to events following The Empire Strikes Back. When Fett's hyper-drive fails, the only survivor is frozen in a block of carbonite. The High Priestess of Hiorr uses her powers to bring its prisoner back to life, but with his memories disturbed. As Han settles into his new life, Luke and Leia trace every clue for his whereabouts, but without success.
Finally, there is the conclusion of the multi-part "Graven Image," by Mary Wood and Mary Jean Holmes. A special conference on the future of the Jedi is not going well, due to internal politics and the strange behavior of Luke Sky walker. Only when Han discovers that the exterior of Luke's lightsaber has been poisoned with a rare virus, does his behavior make sense; but then Han, as Security Chief, must find his friend before the virus kills him, and must set a trap for Luke's assassin. [3]
References
- ^ from "1988 in SW Zines," in The Wookiee Commode #6 (1989)
- ^ a b from Southern Enclave #24
- ^ from "A Consumer Guide to 1989 SW Zines, or The Year of the Disappearing Fanzine," in The Wookiee Commode #7