The Monocle (Wizards and Warriors zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Monocle |
| Publisher: | Camarand Press |
| Editor(s): | Melva L. Gifford |
| Date(s): | 1985, 1992 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | print zine |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Wizards and Warriors |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Monocle is a gen Wizards and Warriors anthology. There were two issues.
Issue 1
The Monocle 1 was published in 1985 and contains 164 pages.
From the flyer: "161 plump pages of material on a great universe: The Monocle."
- Ten Little Greystones by Dana Kujan
- Dirk's Revenge (Dirk has discovered the ultimate revenge against Erik Greystone, and the Prince of the South is not happy.)
- Wizard of Aperans (Dorothy of Oz thought she was going home to Kansas. That was until Vector fouled up one of his spells.)
- When Worlds Collide (Vector gets his Monocle back, and Dirk faces a new challenge in his exile -- Diana of V.)
- Dark Angel (The South has formed an Alliance with one of the northern kindoms against Dirk, and the youth, Lee, is the only one who can stop Blackpool from getting the treaty.)
- Awakening (Dirk confronts his revived father.)
- Geoffrey's Battle (Geoffrey Blackpool makes an alliance with the South against his brother.)
- The Challenge (Dirk must beat Erik or face peace with the South.)
- The Velvet Fist Series: a collection of vignettes, poetry and art dedicated to Dirk Blackpool
- a glossary for the show
- an interview with Don Reo
- fiction by Lewis, Zynaa, Merrill, Baker, Hayes, Martin and Snyder
- art by Dunster, Brinkmeier, Zynaa, Kolar, Chase, Watson, Bastion, Christson, Martin and Ditric
- poetry by Ambassador, Smith, Habel and Grayson
inside art from issue #1
inside art from issue #1
inside art from issue #1
inside art from issue #1
inside art from issue #1
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
The subject for today's lecture is one of the biggest fan-publication bargains of the year.
I'm speaking of THE MONOCLE — a pleasingly plump zine, nicely printed — some first-class art, the usual run of poetry, and a wide selection of fiction that runs from "fair" to "better than we have any reason to expect. And all for a price well under the going rate for such quality. And — before some smart-ass in the back of the room asks — I'll admit there is a catch. The zine's "universe" is one that a lot of people may not be aware even exists — Wizards and Warriors.
So a bit of an explanation may be in order here... Back in the first part of '83, CBS ran eight hour-long episodes of this series which — as the name implies—is basically "sword and sorcery." There's good versus bad, black magic versus white (the "monocle" itself is a source and amplifier of magical power). Also handsome princes, a wildly conceited princess, and a gorgeous witch who slinks around in (so my husband says) one of the sexiest outfits in network TV history.
The show is very clever, witty, and out of the ordinary, which, of course, sealed its doom, but thanks VCRs, there are still copies of the show available in fandom. This zine will appeal mostly to people familiar with W&W, but it does include an episode guide and a glossary of the characters and terms from the series so other sword and sorcery fans might enjoy it as well.
The fiction itself is mostly short — with a plot along the lines of evil prince Dirk Blackpool and his wizard Vector trapping a young girl who's on a secret diplomatic mission, and good prince Erik Greystone saving her. Not Shakespeare, but fun.
One odd thing is that among fans the "bad" guy is much more popular than the "hero." Blackpool is the main character in almost every story, is the front cover illo, and has a whole section, "The Velvet Fist Series" of art and poetry. He has my vote as favorite lord of darkness (think of Darth Vader, but as a young man almost sinfully handsome), too, "but there's something a little unsettling in so many authors trying to explain Dirk isn't really so tad "underneath." More J.R. Ewing than Josef Mengele.
The one longer story, "The Challenge," does treat the characters more evenly and not as something that just stepped out of a comic book or video game by Dawn Snyder, it's a first class piece of work.
All in all, I don't think there's anything in THE MONOCLE to confuse a reader who isn't all that familiar with W&W (although in one story — "When World's Collide" - the reader has to know that the same actor portrayed both Dirk and Charles in V if it's to make any sense).
Fans of W&W I'm sure would love the zine and it may well send others on a search for the series to see what they've been missing. [1]
Issue 2
The Monocle 2 was published in 1992 and contains 48 pages.
From Media Monitor: "Features 'New Heart' -- what happens when Ariel finds herself trapped in another woman's body in the Stratford Inn in Vermont? 'Dirk Blackpool Eats Quiche' settles once and for all whether or not real men eat quiche, more."
- New Heart by Dana Kujan (crossover with Newhart)
- Dirk Blackpool Eats Quiche
- other unknown content