The Declassizing of Bodie
| Fan Art | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Declassizing of Bodie |
| Artist: | |
| Date(s): | May 1991 |
| First Published: | in Chalk and Cheese |
| Medium: | |
| Genre/Style: | |
| Fandom: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Declassizing of Bodie is a Pros illo by Suzan Lovett.
A fan in On the Double #23 said it was better known as, "Have you seen Page 96A in Chalk and Cheese 8?"
It was commissioned by a fan named Kathy for the Ellis Ward story Breaking Cover, "Breaking Cover" was the victim of a plagiarism incident. See Cover Up.
The Illo and Photo References
On page 96A of this issue (accompanying the Ellis Ward story) is a Lovett artpiece that used an perfume ad for its reference source. In the drawing Bodie is in a tux with his tie undone and Doyle is in blue jeans and a cut off top. Doyle has Bodie pressed up against the wall. In the original ad, which appeared in a book of advertising, the original Doyle character was a woman. The use of professional ads for reference material was not always welcomed in fandom. This image has been held up as an example of where the artist should have changed the female model proportioning to fit the fact that the characters were male.
Fan Comments: Regarding the Illo
[regarding the Lovett reproduction quality]: Many thanks for sending me chalk and cheese 8, which was excellent...There is just one thing I was very disappointed about in the zine. I had seen a friend's copy before mine arrived, and was stunned by the Suzan Lovett colour art, so when my copy arrived, the first thing I did was to look at the art. What a crashing disappointment. I think the colour photocopier (or whatever) must have been playing up, as the colours are totally wrong. Doyle looks to be wearing multicoloured jeans (a mixture of green, pink and purple) and Bodie's trousers are the same. When I placed my copy beside my friend's copy, the difference is staggering. In fact, they almost look like to completely different pieces of art.
Sorry to go on about it. I guess if I hadn't have liked it so much, I wouldn't have been so upset. [the editor responds]: Fiona, I understand your agitation and I'm sending you out a new colour copy of Suzi's piece. However, you must realize that it, too, will not be exactly like your friend's, as it sounds like she got one from the first print run. When Suzi sent me the original artwork to copy from, I had over 200 copies made, as many as I could afford to pay for up front. When those ran out, I had to make copies off of one of the first copies, as Suzi had since then sold the original artwork. So the quality did go down some, but it was unavoidable. Then, too, we're talking Kinko's here, folks, the ones with color blind employees. I hope the new copy will be satisfactory. Let me know.[1]
The art again was right on the button. To reiterate, Suzan's piece in "Breaking Cover" was no less than inspired. The B&Ws in "...Bodie" are sneaky. The first on pg. 190 is just cute, with Bodie eyeing the luscious buns, but pg. 195 is lethal. Alone, it would have been a hurt/comfort, but with the story, a puddler. [2]
I enjoyed Chalk and Cheese 8 very much. Ellis Ward did her usual superb job. "Breaking Cover" was my favorite, and at MediaWest, everyone ran around all weekend asking, "Have you seen Page 96-A?" Suzan's illustration was breathtaking and thank you so much for reproducing it in color. When Ellis and Suzan team up, they are an unbeatable combination and I look forward to more collaboration from these two; they are easily the best at what they do in Professionals right now. I have heard rumors about a work in progress along similar lines to Master of the Revels, although a different storyline. I can't wait to see the outcome. [3]
"Breaking Cover" is still my favorite story in the zine. And I must mention Suzi's unbelievably fantastic (color, yet!) illo—what I wouldn't give for a print of that, Suzan.)... [4]
And for probably the 634th time you've heard this from people, let me say how much I loved the full color Suzan Lovett insert: AAAMAAHHHHMHHHHHH! Thank you. [5]
What turns people on in art is very individual to them. For me, most explicit art makes me yawn/giggle as I turn the page (could it be the truly heroic proportion of their thingies?) whereas *very good* erotic art evokes an inner passion, e.g. I have a Lovett that shows a fully clothed, very determined Doyle pushing a fully clothed Bodie up against the wall (no borders, no background clutter). He's just removed Bodie's tie & jacket and is in the process of unbuttoning his shirt. While Bodie looks positively stunned, he also looks like a man who's just had his dream come true. *For me* this is way sexier than if they were completely nude with rampant erections, and, imho, such nudity would take away from the erotic message.
This piece of art puts new fantasies in motion every time I look at it. [6]
Through No Fault of Its Own, In the Middle of a Plagiarism Scandal
OPEN LETTER TO FANDOM: It was a dark and stormy night... well, since this is about writers who borrow from other writers, I thought I would borrow a little on my own. It was two weeks before MediaWest and all through the houses the fans were astirring, every one all. The zines were at printers, or editors were begging authors and artists to finish at last. The anxiety was building as I watched time slow down. First it was two weeks and four days, then two and three, then two and two. Drat, would the time never come. What was needed, I thought, was a diversion, something to keep the fans talking until the big day arrived. I pondered and pondered and came up with naught. But, this is fandom: it always finds a way to fill the void. My salvation came with a phone call - as is usually the case. (Pac Bell should write paeans of praise to the fannish rumor mill.) It seemed, god forbid, plagiarism had been discovered. Gasp! Gosh! Horrors! This was not your normal plot theft, however, this was grand theft story. Last year at MediaWest, Ellis Ward was acclaimed by one and ail for her story "Breaking Cover", (rightfully nominated this year for a Fan Q award), which was inspired by Suzan Lovett's "The Declassizing of Bodie", or better known as, "Have you seen Page 96A in Chalk and Cheese 8?" Anyway, what to my amused ears should arrive, but a tale of a story in First Time 31 by Kay Wells that was not just similar, but in which whole paragraphs had been copied verbatim. Now really, self, I said to myself - that isn't kosher and it isn't fair. Especially since I bought the picture and commissioned the story in the first place. I mean, after all, if you are going to steal, at least be subtle. Subtle is fun - blatant is stupid. What was Ellis Ward's reaction to all this? "I haven't had such a fun day in a long time. It made my day. All I could picture was Kay Wells retyping the story and going through her thesaurus to find different adjectives." I would like to thank Kay Wells, author(?) of "Cover Up", for giving us something to talk about and fill up these interminably long two weeks. On a personal note - Kay, I understand you are an artist as well. May I recommend Suzan Lovett as a role model. If you are going to copy, copy from the best. Sincerely, Kathy