Southern Seven/Issue 007
Southern Seven is a long-running gen Blake's 7 anthology of art, fiction, and poems.
See more at Southern Seven.
Issue 7
Southern Seven 7 was published in April 1992 and has 201 pages.
The art is by Mariann Howarth (front cover, interior), Leah Rosenthal, Randym, Samantha Hayman, Billie Phillips, Jane Mailander, Sheila Paulson, Gayle F, Laura Virgil, Kathryn Andersen, Mary Gerstner, Kate Knepper, Katrina Larkin, Suzan Lovett, and Theresa Buffaloe.
The production of the zine was plagued with delays. On the Blake's 7 mailing Lysator rumors began circulating:
"...editor Ann Wortham took the entire print run of whatever the last issues of "Southern Seven" was with her to MediaWest, *including* those that had been pre-sold by mail order. Somehow, the entire print run got sold off the table, even those earmarked by advance sale. She has always paid for her current publication with the advance sales of the upcoming publication; in other words, the money is spent before the last issue is paid off, she is forever in debt, and now that the first print run has been inadvertently sold over the counter, she has no money to go to the printers for a second printing. Her entire publishing operation has ground to a standstill because of lack of funds."[1]
From the editorial:
Hello one and all and welcome to the zine that's late. What a concept! A late With any First off, I am zine! Well, I used to think it wouldn't happen to me, but there you are. luck you're holding this zine in your hands at MediaWest Con 1992 (and NOT 1993, 1994, 1995...).
I've got some good news (I hope!) on the zine publishing front, now computerized. This means that if I'm holding any submissions from you and you can send them to me on 3.5" disks then the zines will start seeing print quicker. Also, all new submissions can be sent this way! However, I can NOT accept 5 1/4" disks, only the 3.5". More good news; I've changed printers again and I think you're going to find the zines getting printed up much faster in the future. I can't promise that I'll do my best to keep I'll be too fast at processing orders, though. Unfortunately, my job allows me limited time to process orders and get them mailed out. caught up, though.
In line with the above, if any of you folks know of any good fannish bulletin boards or any software that you think might help with publishing the zines, etc., please let me know. I've already dabbled with network called DELPHI at the advice of Linda Knights. Leah and I are novices at PC's but we're having fun.
- Editorial (4)
- Letters of Comment (5)
- Wheels within Wheels, fiction by Shannon (24)
- Deathsong, fiction by Tyndara Meffe (25)
- Subterfuge Part One Part Two Part Three, fiction by Anne Collins Smith (33)
- You Got the Hook by Anne Collins Smith (filk, You Got the Look, by Prince) (42)
- Rich Man, Poor Man, Joker, Thief, fiction by Barbara T ("Avon must come to terms with the fact that he is a thief living among criminals.") (44)
- Waltzing with Bears by Sharyn Sobel & Diana Klopf (filk, Waltzing with Bears) (49)
- Gambit by Anne Collins Smith (filk, Branded) (50)
- Naughty Girls Need Love Too, fiction by Michelle Lelouche ("A little R&R goes awry for Blake and Avon when they run into Servalan...in the strangest place!") (51)
- Deliverance, poem by Shannon (55)
- Sweet Dreams, fiction by Roxie Ray (56)
- Only Mistaken, poem by Jacqueline Taero (58)
- Ghosts, fiction by Kristy Merrill ("There’s someone or something onboard the Liberator and it has already killed the crew of another ship.") (60)
- Mutoid's Lullaby by Mary L. Orwig (filk, Monster's Lullaby) (71)
- Vila Nearly Got Pushed Out an Airlock by Jeff Morris & Mary Morris (filk, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer) (73)
- The Birthing, poem by Jacqueline Taero (74)
- Long Remember, fiction by Jean Lorrah (75)
- Forgive Me All My Sins, fiction by Robert Collins ("Long time since Gauda Prime but Avon still remembers and tries to forget.") (80)
- File Closed, fiction by Cheree Cargill (85)
- Wishes by Mary Gerstner (filk, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, from Phantom of the Opera) (88)
- Heaven, fiction by Pam Auditore (89)
- Federation Space Academy Final Exam, humor by Roxie Ray (91)
- The Desperados, fiction by H.S. Levijoki (101)
- Countdown by Aya Katz (filk, The Rose) (108)
- Survivors, fiction by CarolMel Ambassador (109)
- The Psychopath Song by Mary L. Orwig (filk, the Lumberjack Song, by Monty Python) (114)
- Transaction, fiction by Kathryn Andersen (117)
- From the Log of the Hellhound, Book VI: Sins of the Fathers; The Stand; Deceit, fiction by Katrina Larkin and Susanne Tilley("THE LOG OF THE HELLHOUND continues in BOOK VI as the crew of the Hellhound is trapped by Nik Theodorides' plan. While Avon's torture is physical, Blake's is psychological, and the latter's lack of leadership in a moment of crisis may doom them all. Meanwhile, their only hope of rescue, the Snake-in-the-Grass, has been reclaimed by her former owners...") (118)
from issue #7, Suzan Lovett, portrays characters from the Blake's 7 Hellhound Universe, including Ray Doyle fan casted as the original character, "Dafydd Kildragon"
from issue #7, Suzan Lovett, portrays characters from the Blake's 7 Hellhound Universe, including Ray Doyle fan casted as the original character, "Dafydd Kildragon"
from issue #7, Picasso
from issue #7, Adrian Morgan
from issue #7, Mariann Howarth
from issue #7, Theresa Buffaloe
from issue #7, Katrina Larkin, portrays "Dafydd Kildragon," a fan casted Ray Doyle
from issue #7, Leah Rosenthal
from issue #7, Leah Rosenthal
from issue #7, Gayle F
from issue #7, Laura Virgil
from issue #7, Randym
from issue #7, Laura Virgil
from issue #7, Katrina Larkin
from issue #7, Katrina Larkin
from issue #7, Adrian Morgan
from issue #7, Adrian Morgan
from issue #7, Katrina Larkin
from issue #7, Leah Rosenthal
from issue #7, Leah Rosenthal
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 7
My favorite story in this issue is "The Desperados," in which a Gauda Prime housewife encounters three desperate men. I like the device of seeing our familiar characters through the eyes of a stranger.Remember that idea about Servalan in a brothel? Well, here's an example, in "Naughty Girls;" but it's voluntary, and the story is mainly for laughs. And of course to give Leah the chance to draw A and B in their undies! (Avon, as the story informs us and the illo faithfully shows, wears black leather briefs; Blake favors polka-dot boxer shorts.)
And of course there's a nice fat juicy chunk of Hellhound. My one complaint: fond as I am of Suzan Lovett's art in general, I don't like the way she does Hellhound Avon. His hair is too short for my taste. (I have the same complaint about this season's haircut for Sheridan in B5. Super-short hair is fine on women, but on men, ick!) But Katrina Larkin's own illos are very nice, showing us the authoritative version of what the various characters look like. Her style has made great progress since the earlier issues.
The Log of the Heckhound cartoon is priceless.
Oh, and I love the "FSA Final Exam" and its very funny cartoon illos. [2]
Southern Seven #7 has a cover that alone is worth the price of the zine: Mariann Howarth's Hellhound Tarrant. (I drooled majorly over the original, which was on display at the MediaWest art show last year.) It's luscious, lovely, stunningly gorgeous — sigh.
Official conflict of interest confession: I do have a few pieces of art in this zine, but they are a very minor contribution to this large and wonderfully diverse zine. Aside from the stunning cover, what strikes me most about this zine is the deliciously wicked humor. Picasso's "Hellhound Dayna" is wonderful. Then there's Jeff and Mary Morris' "Vila Nearly Got Pushed Out an Airlock," a filk to the tune of my favorite Christmas carol, "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." I also loved Mary Orwig's "The Psychopath Song," to the tune of Monty Python's "The Lumberjack Song." And Leah Rosenthal's "Log of the Heckhound" is my favorite cartoon of the zine. (Remind me to nominate it for a Fan-Q next year.)
I didn't find the serious pieces in the zine quite as engaging. (Probably because there's not much Tarrant.) I did like "The Desperadoes," an interesting tale in which an ordinary Gauda Prime homemaker finds her self with some unwanted guests. (It's the farthest thing from a Mary-Sue — trust me.) The latest installment of Hellhound was a tad disappointing; the original characters seem to be taking over. It's all wandered a bit too far from "real B7" for my tastes.
The art is spectacular: Annie's managed to round up the most talented and diverse group of artists in fandom. Everyone who's anyone is in this zine. Southern Seven #7 is, as I've come to expect from Annie, a quality zine at a reasonable price. [3]
Great job as usual, on Southern Seven #7. Love the cover-- Mariann's luscious, lovely, stunningly gorgeous Hellhound Tarrant. (I drooled majorly over the original the MediaWest art show last year.)
Lots of deliciously wicked humor this time, even better than usual (which is saying a lot!). Picasso's "Hellhound Dayna" is wonderful. And Leah's "Log of the Heckhound" is my favorite cartoon of the zine. (Remind me to nominate it for a Fan-Q next year.) Then there's Jeff & Mary Morris' "Vila Nearly Got Pushed Out an Airlock"; "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" is my favorite Christmas carol, so I got a real charge out of this!
One of the high points of MediaWest was when Mary Orwig happened by our room. She enacted a sing-along of "The Psychopath Song" for us! (Luckily, her gun wasn't loaded...
Of the serious pieces, my favorite was "The Desperadoes." It's well-written, hard-edged, and definitely not a Mary-Sue! [4]
I just had to write to express my delight, amazement, and blissful happiness over the beautiful cover ofSouthern Seven 7. It's been a long hard battle, but finally we Tarrant fen are getting rewarded for our efforts. I'd like to commend Mariano Howarth on her artwork, and boy would I love to have the original. I'm sure it's long gone by now, though. Thanks for giving Tarrant the recognition he deserves.
Loved Leah's cartoon on page 43; who won? My money's on Travis!
I was also impressed by Kathryn Andersen's art on page 81; if Avon had looked like that in the series, things might be a little different for me now... nah, I'd still love Travis and Tarrant. Enjoyed Samantha Hayman's and Kate Knepper's work too.
My favorite story is "The Desperadoes," by H. S. Levijoki. It was well written, and most importantly to me, everyone stayed in character. Naturally, Tarrant being featured in it helped win my approval too.
And it's nice to see a Travis appearing in Hellhound. Will he tum out to be a chip offthe old block? I'm anxiously awaiting more about Rakhiel Travis.
Another great zine; now, for the big question: how long until #8?!!? [5]
Receiving my copy of Southern Seven # 7 was like finally reaching an oasis after a long (too long) slog through the desert. I appreciate the trouble you went through to get this one out, Annie, believe me.
I read it through over a few days, in order to keep my long-suffering husband from becoming a "'zine widower" (his phrase!)--fortunately, it's ice hockey season, so he didn't miss me too much.
I've read "Wheels within Wheels" over several times carefully, and I still feel as ifl'm missing something. I'm guessing that the "he" of this story is Avon, but then again...maybe you can enlighten me.
"Deathsong" had a lyrical feeling to its prose, very similar to that of Tanith Lee, no mean feat--the difficulty of writing as well as Kill the Dead's author is one of the reasons I've steered clear of trying this fandom. I had never noticed that "Myal" could be read as "my all." Duh. Very nice exploration of man's mortality and his reaction to it, among other things.
I have an admiration for stories that read like an episode of the series, and "Subterfuge" and "Ghosts" both fill the bill here. Gao was used well in the first of these, something I like to see, also. His character is too often ignored in fan fiction. This story shows that even Orac can jump to faulty conclusions! Not that he'll admit to it. The monster in "Ghosts" certainly knew what buttons to press with the crew members--telepathic, I assume. Action mixed nicely with Avonic angst, something I can't complain about. I also liked receiving more background on Avon and the B7 universe in general, and I see that Kristy Merrill was smart enough to kill off Losee so she wouldn't get ragged about original characters!-- seriously, though, that's one of the things that made this story so successful as an "episode." Good, solid tales both.
So Servalan has this fantasy about being a high priced call girl, ehh? She must have seen "Pretty Woman" one too many times. Maybe "Naughty Girls Need Love, Too" was simply an excuse to get Avon and Blake stripped to skivvies, (bet you hated drawing that illo on page 54, Leah ... not!) but hey, I can go for that! I couldn't help but think that maybe Servalan got a shot of the two of them arguing in that state and the publication of it started those slash stories circulating. Too bad about Blake's chest hair, or lack thereof I like chest hair.
Hard to believe that Orac would have the compassion to do what he did in "Long Remember," though, but perhaps I'm shortchanging him. Interesting what leaving out a few salient "facts" can do to people's perception of history, isn't it?
"Forgive Me All My Sins" is rare for B7 fiction (and science fiction in general, for that matter) in that it presented religion in a positive light. I like that, too. Yet there is that paradox here--how can one remain true to a belief in nonviolence in a violent world? Avon seems to have borrowed a bit from Mad Max: this time around. I also had the idea presented in "File Closed"--that Avon was working for the Federation, but I never got energetic enough to research or write it. I won't have to now, thank goodness, because Cheree Chargill handled it nicely. The only small nit I can pick is that I find it highly unlikely that the head of Federation Covert Operations would go into deep cover; there's no way he could perform his other duties and hold on to his power at the same time. Yet who can imagine Avon as beholden to anyone? Not me.
"Heaven" was just too depressing for words. I just can't see Vila as becoming this trashed out--he seems to have too much of an ability to land on his feet to ever let himself get into this sorry a state.
I'm not sure I want to think about what will happen if Avon and Servalan get together on the same side! It's a very interesting idea, and I'm looking forward to seeing what follows "Survivors."
I can't really comment on the filks, as I'm unfamiliar with the songs they are based on this time around--well, I do know "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," but not because I wanted to, and "The Rose" because it was sang at my first wedding, which has certainly destroyed my enjoyment of it since! On the poetry front, it would have been an interesting point counterpoint had "Wishes" followed directly after "Only Mistaken"--even telepaths can misread motives and psychological states, obviously.
Plenty of terrific illos, as usual. Howarth's cover was excellent--Tarrant looking quite studly. Susanne (resident Tarrant fan) should be enjoying that one immensely. Is that supposed to be Hellhound popping out of a black hole in the background? Hmm. I never have quite figured out what the "bloody big black ship" is supposed to look like. The back cover is great, too... Avon on the right hand, Blake on the left. That fits my perception of their political beliefs, all right. Lots of Leah's cartoons, too--can't decide if! like "Go Fish" or "Psychopath" the best. Oh, I should say that I really appreciated the "Psychopath" song this time around, having recently seen the original Monty Python skit. Mary Orwig is a very sick person. Good for her! The Bloom County cartoons were funny, too. Opus in black leather and studs... be still, my beating heart! (Susanne should go for that, too. She's also the resident Opus fan, and collects penguins. Nothing like a little personal tidbit, ehh, Susanne?) Like quite a few others (as I noticed from the LoCs) I enjoy looking at all the different Hellhound interpretations. It's interesting to see how others illustrate their hair cuts, clothes, etc.--every one of them adds something to my idea of what they look like. I do think that Lovett draws Avon's hair a tad short, but how can I complain when her work is so beautifully rendered, so evocative? Sevran and DafYdd together is particularly touching. Adrian Morgan and Theresa Buffaloe's wasted and bitter Avons stand out, too--tell me again how you manage to draw diamonds so perfectly, Adrian! Then there's Leah, in a class by herself Karl gets the goods on Dev... ack! Loved it. I hate and despise Karl, but he's fun to write. I should also mention, for Jeff Morris and others, that I do give artists references, if l can dig up photos of the people my characters are "played" by, so I'm not the only one who knows their true identities.
No LoC from me is complete without editorial comment, so here we go. First, I do appreciate criticism (I'm afraid it's too late to do anything about the original characters, though) and helps spur me on to more writing-now I can finally finish the Book 10 confrontation between Avon and Sevran - and I am trying to improve my writing to the point where I can "go pro." (Susanne is doing the same.) So far, I have collected rejection slips and a few helpful letters from editorial assistants, etc. So if anyone has an uncle in the publishing business...! Yes, Brody does have a bit of Han Solo, my first fan writing interest, under his vest, and we do like The Professionals... the show and the stars. Dafydd is my personal favorite of the original characters, in fact. Thorn and Jim return later on, and they fare better than some. I liked the way that you warned people about "knowing" what's going to happen next in Hellhound, Annie, particularly in regards to Steffany. Perhaps they need to reread the introduction to Book I, ehh?
I think that Sally Flanagan's comments are worthy of an answer, too. She has an excellent point: friendships do tend to change when one friend marries another person. They can't be the same, in fact, they shouldn't be. Sometimes the marriage wrecks the friendship, or affects it adversely, as when the spouse is too possessive, but this doesn't always have to be the case, and I don't think it is between Blake and Avon. In Hellhound we are not interested in leaving the Avon-Blake relationship static, we are trying to show how it changes over the years. To my mind, at least, the "triangle" (if you want to call it that) between Blake, Avon and Steffany serves to add depth to the interaction--now Avon has two people sincerely interested in him, his best male friend and his lover. They are also friends with each other, which leads them to understand him better by seeing him through another "lens," so to speak, when they discuss him. (I think that seeing him through these two viewpoints gives the reader a better understanding of him, also.) The relationship between Blake and Avon is, indeed, central to the plot line of Hellhound, but this relationship is not the only one that either of them engage in, nor should it be. I'm afraid I don't quite understand the-I was going to say animosity, but that isn't the right word-mistrust toward heterosexual relationships in fan fiction that some fans seem to exhibit. It can't be that we don't like women. Most of us are women. We're (Susanne and I--we're sisters, if you haven't guessed from the rude stuff I say about her sometimes!) romantic enough (or perhaps interested enough in sex?) to want our characters to enjoy the fulfillment that such a relationship adds to life, and since we're both straight we find it easier to write straight stuff Blake and Avon slash does not appeal to us. (It doesn't bother us if it appeals to you, though. We're not into censorship or The Log of the Heckhound... very funny, guys!) A consummated sexual relationship between Blake and Avon would ruin the tension that is essential to Hellhound. There. Now you know one thing that isn't going to happen in Hellhound.
Here's a B7 story I can't resist telling: one day my eight year old and I were driving to school (I work there, she learns there). She had brought along her plastic action figures, since it was a "Teacher's Planning Day" and she was going to have to amuse herself while I worked. She had her collection of"The Real Ghostbusters" and was having a high time checking out the fright features, figuring out who has the biggest feet, and making the werewolf sing along to U2. To my surprise, she pulled out a cross-universe character: Thumper the rabbit from Bambi. "So what's Thumper doing with the Ghostbusters?" I asked. "Oh, he's scared," she answered. "He had to leave the forest after Bambi betrayed him." "What?" I was shocked. "Where did you get that idea?" She gave me an exasperated look, and said: "From Blake's 7, Mom!" Well, at least she hasn't tried writing B7 fan fiction yet (so far she's stuck to Macgyver) which is okay by me because I don't need the competition. And you had better believe she's not going to read Hellhound until she's eighteen--at least!
To wind this up, let me say that I wasn't at all disappointed with what was in Southern Seven #7, although I did miss Bizarro, and would like to find out what happened next in The Phoenix Project--S . C. Hall has told me just enough to tantalize me. But I will wait patiently, in hopes that it all unfolds in due time. Doing so has certainly paid off in the past! [6]
- ^ Subject: Catching up post dated Nov 21, 1992 (publicly accessible).
- ^ from Sarah Thompson at Judith Proctor's Blake's 7 site
- ^ from IMHO* #2 (1995)
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Southern Seven" #8
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Southern Seven" #8
- ^ from a letter of comment by Katrina Larkin in "Southern Seven" #8