Liberator

You may be looking for Liberation, a Blake's 7 anthology or The Liberator Journal.

Zine
Title:	Liberator
Publisher:	Liberator Popular Front
Editor(s):	Anne Lewis
Date(s):	1978-1980
Series?:
Medium:	print, zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Blake’s 7
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Liberator is a gen Blake's 7 fiction anthology with ten issues.

It has a sister zine, a newsletter called Liberator Popular Front Newsletter.

The first edition of The Quibell Abduction was printed in 1980 as a "Liberator Special."

A fan in 1994 posted: "I really liked the "Liberator" zines. Even though they've been out-of-print for years, I do frequently see various issues for sale at various conventions, as people sell off bits of their collections; so it *is* possible to acquire them... if you're persistent (and obsessed) enough. ;)"

Anne Lewis is recognized as the first fan to popularize the term, wallow. It is used as a subtitle in the seventh issue.

Issue 1

Liberator 1 was published in 1978 and contains 49 pages. Susan Masters is the cover artist.

• The Mines of Piriton by Anne Lewis
• Return to Cygnus Alpha by Janet Ellicott
• Escape to a Strange Planet by Anne Lewis (Doctor Who crossover)
• I Was Only Quoting" and "I Was Only Quoting" (continued) by v (compilations of quotes from the show)
• untitled editorial afterword by Anne Lewis

Issue 2

Liberator 2 was published in 1978 and contains 54 pages.

It has a cover by Susan Masters and Pat Tharratt.

The zine is online here.

cover of issue #2, Susan Masters and Pat Tharratt -- on the cover in small handwriting: "There's nowhere to run, Blake!"

sample page from issue #2

• Diversion, fiction by Anne Harding ("Blake, Gan, and Cally are condemned to death by a planet who believe them to be invaders, while the Liberator has been called away to aid a strange dead ship.") (1)
• It's Blakes Seven Question Time...., quiz by Jo Banks (19)
• The Additive, fiction by Carole S. Fairman (20)
• The Fall, fiction by Anne Lewis ("A story of Avon's unsuccessful theft from the central banking computer.") (22)
• I Was Only Quoting, compiled quotes by Jo Banks (46)

Issue 3

cover of issue #3, Susan Masters

Liberator 3 was published in November 1978 and contains 55 pages. The front cover is by Susan Masters. Other art is by Ian Bell and Carol Keogh.

• Double Cross by Janet Ellicott
• In Which Vila Is Unbounced by Jo Banks
• JIRAC by Anne Harding
• Isolation by Carol Keogh and Anne Lewis (reprinted in issue #7)

Issue 4

Liberator 4 contains 45 pages and has a front cover by Martin East and other art by Damian Hughes.

• Centrifuge by Susan Masters
• Duel II by Ian Bell
• Doubleplay by Ian Bell
• Blakes Six and a Bit, graphic story by Anthony Murray & Damian Hughes
• The Liberator Incident by Michael Jenner
• Ode to Blakes Seven, poem by Susan Masters
• Avon's Alibi, poem by Jo Banks

Issue 5

Liberator 5 contains a single story, The Haunting of Haderon by Lillian Shepherd. It was published in 1979 and had 31 pages.

This story was also printed again in 1982 in a 39-page edition (by Shepherd herself), as well as in Star Three in 1996.

There may also be a 58-page issue floating about.

The story was originally posted online at the Hermit Library, which is now part of Archive of Our Own.

cover of issue #5, 1979, 31 pages

cover of the 1982, 39 pages

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

A genuine sf story (rarer than you might think for an allegedly sf fandom) with superb characterisation of the first season crew, and a beautifully drawn relationship between Avon and Vila. It's the sort of gen story that slash fans read for the emotional content, while still being a good political/adventure story. It was first published in the very early zine Liberator 5, then again by the author's own press, and then again in the zine Star Three. It's now available online in the Hermit library… Yes, this is the second story from Star Three I've recced. The zine is excellent, and is still available for those who like dead tree format, while several of the stories are available online.

Hey, I have to put in a good word for this one, too. I've always loved this particular story ever since way back when, and seeing the review makes me want to get out my copy and read it again. I loved the interaction between Avon and Vila in this one. Very nicely done.

...Speaking as I was of good aliens...

I ran across this story in the Hermit Library, having previously read it in print. It's a good, unpretentious action-adventure story, centred around Avon and Vila, who get on the wrong side of some ruthless settlers and end up dumped in the desert to die.

Nice characterisation, both of these two and of Blake (who shows his own ruthless side when protecting his own) and Cally (Lillian *always* does a good Cally portrayal) and a strong plot. Recommended.

This 31 page story much beloved by Avon and Vila fans is printed as part of Star 3. Left to die in the desert, Avon and Vila struggle to survive. Lots of angst.

Issue 6

Liberator 6 First edition: May 1979, second edition: September 1980. It has a cover by Paul Williams and contains 58 pages.

cover of issue #6, Paul Williams: "If I'm liberated, why am I being a cover girl?"

The zine is online here.

• In Which a Search is Organised and Jenna Nearly Meets Travis Again, fiction by Anne Lewis (1)
• Blake's Eight and Counting by Ian Bell (5)
• Quisling, fiction by Delores J. Whitbread (6)
• The Argot Affair, fiction by Anne Lewis (13)
• Nearly Meets Travis Again" (not in second edition)
• Drake's Seven, fiction by Paul Williams (graphic story; AU humor; reprinted with permission from Felix, the newspaper of the Imperial College Union) (not in second edition)

• 

  image of Drake's 7 by Paul Williams

Issue 7

Liberator 7 is subtitled, "Special Wallow Issue". First edition, August 1979; second edition, January 1981.

cover of issue #7, D.H. (first edition)

cover of issue #7 by Jean Seward (second edition)

Some of the authors use different names in the first and second edition:

Anne had an idea for a ‘special’ issue of Liberator in which the stories would be deliberately over-sentimental. Rashly, I promised to contribute, but I didn’t want my ‘serious’ pen-name, Lillian Shepherd, associated with this enjoyable but awful genre. In the end, all contributing writers produced obviously false pen-names, the others being Winifred Dalgliesh and Oliver Plunkett-Rafferty. We were later joined by Oriole Alma Throckmorton. It was Anne Lewis who came up with the Ermentrude Postlehwaite and I added the Smythe. Oliver and Winifred later disappeared, but I retained E.P.S. for both ‘wallow’ and some humor. (Anne invented the term ‘wallow’ for over-emotional writing, and she will be remembered for that, if nothing else.) Primarily, it is intended as a warning that any story bearing the name is not to be taken seriously.

The first edition contains 50 pages.

• Helltide by Ermentrude Postlethwaite-Smythe
• The Lever by Owen Carpanini
• Silly Bits by Owen Carpanini
• The Killing by Oliver Plunkett Rafferty

The second edition contains 40 pages.

• Helltide by Ermentrude Postlethwaite-Smythe (1)
• Isolation by Carol Keogh & Anne Lewis (reprinted from #3) (27)
• The Killing by Dolores J. Whitbread (16)
• The Lever by Winifred Dalgleish

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 7

See reactions and reviews for Helltide.

Issue 8

cover of issue #8

from issue #8

Liberator 8 contains 35 pages and was published in January 1980. It has a front cover by Damian Hughes.

This issue contains a single story by Anne Lewis called "The Estradian Recruitment."

Issue 9

Liberator 9 was published in 1980 and contains 39 pages.

cover of issue #9. Pat Williams

It has a cover by Paul Williams.

• Ambush!, fiction by C.R. Casey (1)
• Limericks by E.P.S. (13)
• Yea, Though I Walk, fiction by Jean Sheward (14)
• Tribute, fiction by Anthony Murray (19)
• Red Run, fiction by Anne Harding (23)
• Nightfall, poem by Lillian Shepherd (33)
• The Trigan Incident, fiction by Sue S (34)

Issue 10

version of cover as Liberator #10

Liberator 10 contains 36 pages, was published in October 1980 and has a cover by Casey. It contains a single story, by Ermentrude Postlethwaite-Smythe called The Price of Justice. This novel was later published (along with Helltide from issue 7) as a single-issue zine, The Price of Justice.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 10

"I found this zine in a collection of used ones. Color cover, hand-typed stencil text, and paper all seem to match the pub date of October, 1980.

It is apparently part of a series called Liberator, of which it is Number 10. I love finding zines that were published before the series ended. If anyone has more EPS, or information about the Liberator series, I'd like to know.

This is the second EPS I've found, the other was Mindfire. Justice is far closer to an episode plot than the other. The main similarity is that EPS must have hated Jenna; she's portrayed badly here. EPS gets the other characters spot-on, dialog and actions echoing the aired eps without being sterilely imitative. This is an action-oriented plot, with good interchanges between Blake and Avon.

Sometime after Voice, but before Gambit, the Liberator crew arrive on Lindor to help with some anti-fed negotiations. They are welcomed warmely by Sarkoff, Tyce and Avalon, less so by many others. The negotiating sessions are tedious and less than fruitful, and eventually:

• Avon looses his temper. Blake allows himself to be provoked as well.
• They have a rousing row in front of the assembly, and Avon stalks out.
• Blake leaves to apologize. While enjoying a rare moment of honesty, they are attacked by an alien. Blake is severely injured, but Avon manages to use a Liberator gadget to heal him. However, when they are discovered, Avon has a knife in his hand, and Blake has not recovered consciousness.
• Avon is hauled away to jail and execution for murder, for it is announced that Blake died. (We know better. ;-))

I liked the characters, and the interaction. The mystery is a little lame, the explanations a bit wordy, the alien a little one-dimensional. But all in all, enjoyable."