StarQuest (Star Wars zine)
For articles with a similar title, see Starquest.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | StarQuest |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Sandi Jones |
| Date(s): | 1988 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Wars |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
StarQuest is a 216-page Star Wars fanzine published in 1988 by Sandi Jones. It has front and back color covers by Scott Rosema (front cover) and Dianne Smith (back cover). The interior art is by Nora Dennis, Cheree Cargill, Ronee, Dani, Jean Kluge, Maggie Nowakowska, Catherine Churko, and Sandi Jones.
This zine was a 1989 Fan Q Nominee for Best SW Zine.
Dedication
Sir George, a wonderful and fascinating mentor.
Mark, Harrison and Carrie who brought the big three to life, and friendship which makes it all worth it.
From the Editorial
Well, it's done. The zine is ready to go to the printer and all I have to do is write my comments to you, the reader, I have looked forward to this moment for almost a year. See, it was about a year ago that I happened to mention to a oouple of friends that I was contemplating putting out a zine. The reactions were mixed. Half of the people said, "You're nuts. and the other half were elated that there would be a new SW zine. Well, they're both right!
It has been a lot of work, but I hope that what you are holding in your hands will be a delight to you and in keeping with the quality zines that have gone before it.
[snipped]
To everyone else who has had anything to do with this zine I say thank you, and to those of you who buy this zine I hope that you will enjoy it and above all — LoC it! We writers and artists are hungry for your feedback no matter what it is!
[snipped]
Well, that's it fans. Long live Star Wars and May the Force be with You.
Hopelessly lost in the Blond-side of the Force,
Contents
- Descending Darkness by Marti Schuller (5)
- Partners by Cheree Cargill (27)
- Sexual Politics by Patricia D'Orazio (reprinted in You Could Use Another Good Kiss) (37)
- Alone on the Desert by Matthew Whitney (59)
- A Question of Intentions by Lynda Vandiver (63)
- Imperial Interview by Patricia D'Orazio (66)
- People of the Light by Carolyn Golledge (69)
- Catalyst! Filks by Jenni (93)
- Images by Ronda Henderson (99)
- Daughter Mine (100)
- A Moment in Time by Sandi Jones (103)
- The Longest Night by Susan Zahn (105)
- Decision by Veronica Wilson (111)
- As Gentle as Silence by Carolyn Golledge (also in Never Say Die and Facets) (117)
- Art Portfolio by Ronee and Jean Kluge (119)
- Strings by Maggie Nowakowska (127)
- Revelations and Secrets by Karen Ripley (Episode 6 of "The Virgin Prince Series" - the other parts are in The Wookiee Commode) (135)
- A Slash Storee by Jeanine Hennig, her "swan song to Star Wars fandom" (147)
- A Day in the Life of Han Solo by Carolyn Golledge (149)
- Guess Who's Jedi Now? by Samia Martz (part of the First Steps Universe) (155)
- Excess Data, "satire newsletter" by David Jones (163)
- Shauni's Song for Luke, filk (164)
- Luke's Song for Shauni, filk (165)
- Ruled by Duty by Sandi Jones (167)
Sample Interior
Nora Dennis
Ronee
Sandi Jones
Dani Lane
Sandi Jones
Ronee
Ronee
Jean Kluge
Maggie Nowakowska
Catherine Churko
Catherine Churko
Reactions and Reviews
[the art]: This particular Star Wars zine has the type of cover art that makes you swoop down with screams of joy when you spot it on the dealer's table. Both Scott Rosema's Han and Luke (front cover) and Dianne Smith's Luke alone (back cover) are beautifully balanced, dynamic pieces reproduced in glorious color. Perfect binding is used and there is a reason that they call it perfect. Less attention to detail--a lot less-has been paid inside, though. Throughout the zine, the art has a tendency to creep towards, and sometimes right off of, the edge of the page. This is a margin problems. They need to surround every piece of art, and they need to be uniform. Most artwork looks better when set off by some white space anyway. Besides, reproduction gets iffy around the edges of the physical page, what with all the feeders and grippers and whatnot needed to get the paper into and out of the copier/press; better that the edge is nothing but blank paper than the intricate border an artist has labored so long over. And speaking of borders, there are a couple of pieces in StarQuest—Nora Dennis' on page four and Ronee's on page ten spring to mind-that have large black areas that just cry out to be put inside a frame which would ground the art and give the reader a reference from which to imagine depth. On the other hand, Dani Lanes's Virtuoso pen and ink renderings are a zined's drean. Clean, clear, exciting; and best of all, hard to screw up in the reproduction process. Up to now, I hadn't seen a thing of Jean Kluge's that I wasn't in awe of. Her pencil drawing of Luke in the portfolio section is probably as quietly beautiful as the rest of her stuff, but it's difficult to tell. It should've been screened prior to printing and was not. The black portions might've suffered, but it would've been worth it to see Luke in more detail... Zined Sandi Jones' own art is very much a mixed bag. Her one pencil drawing of Luke on page 109 is light years ahead of the pen and ink renderings she has scattered throughout the zine--so many that they appear to be done by completely different artists. Loving attention has been paid to the shadings of Luke's face and the folds of his clothing, but this drawing too suffers from marginitis; the right border is flush against the side of the page. He's also surrounded by just a little too inch white space—judicious cropping would have done wonders for the conposition. L-shaped cropping guides can be bought at the local graphics supply. Or cut from the back of the cereal box, for that matter... Future issues of StarQuest would benefit from a bit more cutting and repositioning, not to sention a lot more picking and choosing on the part of the zined. In the meantime, though, there's always those magnificent covers to gaze upon. [1]
[zine]: STARQUEST has "Descending Darkness" by Marti Schuller. A real good prequel with Ken-obi, fellow Jedi, Bail & Yoda, and Anakin and Palpatine. "People of the Light" by Carolyn Golledge is a beautiful story of a very Force-filled people on a secluded planet, who cannot escape being poisoned by the menace of the Empire. Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie come to both seek and lend assistance. "A Day in the Life of Han Solo" by the same author... the most uproarious get-Han story I've read so far! [2]
Star Quest was a surprise addition to zine publishing in 1988. Some very well-known names such as Carolyn Golledge, Maggie Nowakowska and A Patricia D'Orazio helped to make this a noteworthy debut.
The bulk of the stories stay within the framework of the film saga. For instance, Luke returns to his Tatooine home to find the smoking bodies of his uncle and aunt in Matthew Whitney's "Alone in the Desert." Luke's thoughts before rescuing Han are described in Sandi Jones's "A Moment in Time," and Han's feelings on the Ewok village platform are revealed in Susan Zahn's "The Longest Night."
Two traditional SW fan stories get new twists in "Partners," by Cheree Cargill, where a young Han Solo gets more than he bargained for; and in Marti Schuller's "Descending Darkness," another variation of Anakin's fall.
Lesser characters find prominence as well in Maggie Nowakowska's "Strings," about Mon Mothma's pivotal role in the SW universe; and in Lynda Vandiver's "A Question of Intentions," where Rieekan's handling of a certain security report will decide Han Solo's part in the Alliance.
Carolyn Golledge's writing is consistently excellent and her three entries here further add to her reputation. Han's past arises to endanger the Alliance and Luke in "People of the Light," and in "As Gentle as Silence," Luke fears how Han will react when Leia tells him the truth about Vader. And only Carolyn would have the sheer gall to send-up the typical bruise-our- Corellian epic for which she is famous, in "A Day in the Life of Han Solo."
Patricia D'Orazio brings her considerable talents to two stories. The first, "Sexual Politics," is a realistic portrayal of the pressures Leia undergoes to keep Luke tied to the Alliance; and "Imperial Interview" shows just how canny the Emperor was in this broadcast interview between Palpatine and the Empire's equivalent of Barbara Walters.
Karen Ripley is one of three authors to step beyond the events of the film trilogy. In another segment of the "Virgin Prince" saga, the threesome and their allies escape from the pleasure planet, Spirella, on route to rescue Jeetah and find the records of the Empire's elite breeding program.
Samia Martz continues her Jeni Petersen series with a collateral story showing just how unhappy the Force can make Han Solo when his son demonstrates the talent, in "Guess Who's Jedi Now?"
And "Ruled by Duty" was the reason Shawna gave when she left Luke to return and rule her home world, in this story by Sandi Jones. Five years later, the Alliance has scheduled a conference there, and both of them must come to terms with their emotions—and, for Luke, an unexpected surprise. [3]
References
- ^ from Artforum #1
- ^ from Southern Enclave #24
- ^ from "1988 in SW Zines," in The Wookiee Commode #6 (1989)