The Osiris Files

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Zine
Title: The Osiris Files
Publisher: PK&BH
Osiris Publications
Editor(s): Joy Harrison
Date(s): 1987-1994
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: multimedia
Language: English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Osiris Files is a gen multimedia fanzine. There are eight issues.

a flyer advertising the series

About

As described in the zine's ad:

Devoted to the many and wonderous realms of science fiction and fantasy, in these zines you can fly with the freedom of an eagle aboard a unique super-sonic helicopter; travel through space with a rag-tag fleet of refugees as they search for safety on a possibly mythical world; combat an evil, corrupt Empire with the brave warriors of the Rebel Alliance; explore new worlds and new civilizations on the starship Enterprise; explore the ancient civilizations of our own world with Indiana Jones, and much more.

Controversy Regarding a Story in the First Issue

About "Survive the Alliance":

An unauthorized version of this story appeared in OSIRIS FILES 1 and 2, but the official version [was] available in a stand-alone 'zine from Sharon Monroe. The scoop, from Laura Michaels: Sharon Monroe pulled her story from [OSIRIS]. The Osiris Files continued to publish *their own version* and claimed the story was theirs. Sharon went on to publish the *entire* story in Survive the Alliance (her 'zine). Osiris Files did not have the entire story so could not publish an identical piece. They started with Sharon's work and supposedly diverged from there. [1]

From the editor in issue #2:

As our readers ere no doubt by this time aware, the following story underwent a complete change of authorship following publication of Part II In our predecessor fanzine PURPLE AND ORANGE? — which ceased publication following issue #20 solely because the editorial staff chose to go on to other, more professionally satisfying fanzines under the OSIRIS banner. However, because of the terms of the copyright under which we operate, confirmed by a written agreement with the principal original author, the story remained the exclusive property of OSIRIS Publications. What follows should therefore not be confused with any other story bearing the same title, as no one else is legally authorized to continue this adventure.

For the information of our readers, and despite comments published elsewhere by Individuals no longer associated with OSIRIS Publications, we were never "blackmailed/coerced/convinced/bribed...to try this story as a serialization." It was, according to the original authors and perpetrators, to be a series of related short stories, each one complete in itself. Needless to say, we were misled ~ but do not wish to mislead our readers, to whom we apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience this situation may have caused.

Following is the conclusion of the only authentic, legally authorized version of ["Survive the Alliance"].

Controversy Regarding a Story in the Second Issue

Regarding the story by Joy Harrison called "For Fortune and Glory" -- "This story previously appeared in a somewhat different form in the fanzine FORTUNE AND GLORY #1, published by Alvyren Press, and was printed without the author's permission in the final issue of OUTLANDS, by Pandora Publications."

Controversy Included in the Seventh Issue

The editor included two open letters in the seventh issue. These letters explained in great detail an altercation regarding zines, alleged theft, and boycotts. See The Osiris Press Open Letters.

Issue 1

cover of issue #1
title page of "None So Blind" -- artist is Toni Hardeman

The Osiris Files 1 was published in 1987 and contains 120 pages.

From a flyer:

The Osiris Files is a general-media fanzine from OSIRIS Publications, covering all the many and diverse universes of cinema and television.
a flyer

In our premiere issue, you will find an all-new AIRWOLF story, in which Stringfellow Hawke finds himself accused of a series of vicious political assassinations. He can't see a way out of the trap...

It's Christmas-time, and a little girl sees an "angel," when Ralph Hinckley flies again as THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. The scene shifts to the planet Sagittara, and the time to the night of the ill-fated Armistice with the Cylons. Workers hurry to put final touches on a new shuttle for the commander of the Battlestar GALACTICA, only to find themselves in the middle of an invasion...

Last of the fiction offerings for this issue is "Survive the Alliance," our ultimate tribute to the multi-media story. The Visitors have invaded Earth, the Resistance has called for help — and the Colonials and Cylons have both answered. While on reconnaissance, Apollo is shot down by a menacing something that resembles a marine mammal with a propeller beanie, and Starbuck is kidnapped by...a talking automobile? The Firm is called in to help investigate the wreckage of an alien spacecraft, and the A-Team joins the battle...

Also included in THE OSIRIS FILES #1 are eleven beautiful STAR TREK and STAR WARS portraits by Hugo-winner Joan hanke-woods. First done ten years ago, these portraits have never before been published. They are printed on fine linen stock, in a format suitable for framing, and can easily be removed from the zine.

  • Mori is the cover artist
  • A Special Message from the Staff of The Osiris Files (3)
  • Editorial: An Armed Camp? (3)
  • None So Blind by Linda Ruth Pfonner ("Hawke is accused of a series of vicious political assassinations.") (Airwolf) (5)
  • Tenth Anniversary Art Portfolio by Joan Hanke-Woods (Star Wars) (49)
  • Angels We Have Heard on High by Mary Robertson ("A little girl meets an "angel".") (Greatest American Hero) (63)
  • Tales of Sagittara by Lisa Mudano ("On the night of a longed-for armistice with the Cylons, workers at a space dock find themselves in the middle of an invasion.") (Battlestar Galactica) (69)
  • Star Dancing by Mary Robertson (Original Fiction) (86)
  • Retrospective Art Portfolio by Joan Hanke-Woods (Star Trek (TOS)) (87)
  • Survive the Alliance, Pt. 3 by Lisa Mudano ("The Visitors have invaded Earth, the Resistance has called for help—and the Colonials and the Cylons have both answered. Apollo is shot down by a menacing something that resembles a marine mammal with a propeller beanie; The Firm is called to investigate the wreckage of an alien spacecraft; and Starbuck is kidnapped by...a talking automobile?") Battlestar Galactica/V): The Series (See note about this story at the beginning of this page.) (99)
  • From Deep Space (119)
  • Acknowledgments (120)

Issue 2

front cover issue #2, Jean C.
back cover of issue #2
flyer for issue #2

The Osiris Files 2 was published in 1988 and contains 170 pages. Jean C. is the cover artist. The artists are thanked in the publisher's afterward, but that list is incomplete. Combining this list and deducing from the signatures on the art itself, the artists appear to be Barbara Fister-Liltz, Pat Posadas, Kate Soehnien, Toni Hardeman, Gennie Summers, and Joan Hanke-Woods, Karen River.

From a flyer:

Indiana Jones returns to Cairo for the first time since his university days, seeking a powerful long-lost amulet he doesn't really believe exists. There's no danger — until he and Short Round stumble upon an ancient cult, and a particularly gruesome trap.

Thomas Magnum has been shot, and lies near death. In fact, he's already decided he's going to die, and has said farewell — at least in his mind — to all those he loves. Then he meets Judi, and nothing can ever be the same again.

Long before his fateful meeting with Leia of Alderaan, Han Solo is asked to rescue another princess. But, as he discovers, not all princesses are susceptible to his irresistible charms.

Halter Stock is a science fiction writer, and Walter Stock has a bad — possibly fatal — case of "writer's block." Varied and unrelated universes come together as he seeks a cure, and an idea for a new story.

What happened to his kitchen? A.J. Simon is pretty sure he knows, but he can't quite pin down the evidence in "The Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Caper."

Vincent and his beloved Catherine are torn apart when a conscientious police officer decides Vincent is a loose end in an unsolved homicide case. Can either of them survive, with the police investigating them, and a continent between them?

The Cylons are poised to attack Earth, and the Colonials of the battlestar GALACTICA must join with the reptilian Visitors and the Earth-based human Resistance if they are to have any chance of defeating their ancient foes, Meanwhile, Stringfellow Hawke, MacGyver, and Remington Steele join Michael Knight and the A-Team in an effort to stop the rebel Diana and her fellow renegades. But after the long mutual distrust, can they all possibly work together — even if the prize is the survival of the planet they cherish? The conclusion of "Survive the Alliance" brings even more of the excitement, drama, and humour followers of this story have come to expect.

Also included in THE OSIRIS FILES #2 is poetry by L.A. Carr, and magnificent art by Karen River, Gennie Summers, Toni Hardeman, Kate Soehnien, Joan hanke-woods/Mort, and others. All this — 170 skillfully written and beautifully illustrated pages — can be ordered by sending a check or money order for $18.00, payable to Joy Harrison in U.S. dollars only...

From the long editorial:

OSIRIS Publications takes grout pride in producing fanzines that are as professional as possible in both content and appearance. We work hard to do it, and enjoy what we do; and if we didn't enjoy the end result, we most likely would never do it at all. But we take the idea of professionalism quite seriously. Just because a fanzine is an amateur publication does not mean it must be an amateurish one.

[snipped]

Editing a fanzine is not always fun. It cannot be. There are deadlines to meet, tempers to be cooled, egos to be soothed. Those who merely take a manuscript, retype it, then print it are not editors, whatever they may call themselves. They are publishers, nothing more.

We have long contended that being an editor entails far more responsibility than it does privilege. Yes, an editor is free to select the stories to be printed, and is free to edit those stories as he or she sees fit, although each editor must also be aware that any rewriting should always be done by the author, not the editor. To be an editor, the person doing these things must above all else know what he or she is doing. It can be hard work indeed — but rewarding if what the editor then publishes is the best work it can be.

We bring this to the attention of our readers because of a number of newcomers to the fanzine scene — publishers (not editors, for even now, many of them do not yet know what the word truly means) who believe fanzines should be fun for all, nothing but fun — and first and foremost, fun for the fanzine staff. They talk at great length about "putting the fun back into fanzines" — but the only fun they mean is their own.

A good movie is fun, A good party is fun, A day at the beach, or a zoo, or a ballpark is fun.

But is it "fun" for a writer to labour for hours over a particularly crucial scene. In order to get it just right? Is it "fun" for an artist to work and rework one tiny corner of an illustration or portrait again and again. In order to capture the specific nuances of a character's smile? Is it "fun" for an editor to cast and recast a sentence for a writer, until all the words flow just so, and make sense to everyone reading it — or to reject a story written by a friend, because the characterisations are too flawed or the plot too unbelievable, or too weak?

Well, yes. In a way. It can be fun — but far more often. It is work more than pleasure. It is work we do in order to bring pleasure to others, not to ourselves. We do not write, illustrate, edit, and publish fanzines for our pleasure, for our fun — but for the pleasure of our readers.

This is something these newcomers to fanzine editing and publishing do not yet understand. They prefer creating a "funzlne" to creating a fanzine. Given time, many of them will mature enough some day to know we get our own greatest enjoyment from the pleasure, the "fun" of others. Some, unfortunately, will never learn, for they are incapable of recognizing even their own shortcomings, let alone those of others.

But the ones who do learn — their fanzines will one day provide the entertainment, the pleasure,
the "fun" we hope ours do today.

Issue 3

The Osiris Files 3 has a cover by Sandra Santara. The zine was published in May 1989 and contains 158 pages.

cover of issue #3, Sandra Santara

From a flyer:

Robert McCall receives a menacing telephone call, and recognizes a hated voice out of his past, a voice that threatens what he holds most dear, while Vincent intervenes in an apparent mugging in Central Park, only to ultimately endanger the entire world Below, as THE EQUALIZER Joins BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in L.A. Carr's unforgettable story, "Saved by a Pawn."

Old nemesis Colonel Roderick Decker resorts to truth drugs, H.M. Murdock "forgets" how to fly, the usually impeccable Faceman becomes disheveled, the Aquamaniac is back on the jazz, B.A. Baracus is his customary charming self — and someone else is out to trap the A-TEAM in screenwriter Joyce Ashcroft's fast-paced adventure for television, "Forget Me Not, Sucker."

Stringfellow Hawke is badly wounded, and the KGB is hunting him as he flees with a Russian scientist who possesses the antidote to a new and lethal plague. AIRWOLF flies to the rescue — but the disease is loose, MIGs are on the way, and Hawke is dying. In master story-teller Linda Ruth Pfonner's tense and gripping "Plague Bullet."

Science fiction writer Walter Stock is back, this time with enough ideas to keep any author busy for a lifetime. But his computer is quite literally possessed, and his latest unwelcome visitors — including a demon assassin, a hologram, a paranoid mutant, time travellers, and the police — are a peculiar lot indeed, in Rodney Ruff's delightful multi-media romp, "Writer's Cramp."

And still more, drawn from the universes of STAR TREK, INDIANA JONES, SIMON AND SIMON, BLADE RUNNER... Stories and poetry by Jeannie Webster, Beth Bowles, Mary Robertson... Art by Toni Hardeman, Dorinda Frances, Pat Posadas... A magnificent cover and interior illustrations by professional artist Sandra Santara... Breath-taking portraits (suitable for framing!) by award-winner joan henke-woods...

From the editor:

This issue of our zine turned out to be pretty fantastic, too. We've always had stories from some of the best writers in fandom, but they've outdone themselves this year. L.A. Carr understands the characters of Vincent (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) and Robert McCall (THE EQUALIZER) better than anyone else we know, and has captured both them and the essence of their series in "Saved by a Pawn." Joyce Ashcroft, a professional screen-writer new to our pages this year, has given us an A-TEAM that lives and breathes as if actually on screen — as "Forget Me Not, Sucker" was originally meant to be. Jeannie Webster finally provides a realistic — if highly uncomfortable — history of Marlon Ravenwood, one-time love of a certain already-named archaeologist. In her brutally plausible "Price of Survival." And no one knows — or writes! — AIRWOLF better then Linda Ruth Pfonner, as "Plague Bullet" so aptly illustrates... Our artists this time are also some of the best ever. Toni Hardeman and Kate Soehnien, Pat Posadas and Dorinda Francis, they're all as good as we've come to expect. And as for Sandra Santara and Joan hanke-woods, now known as Delphyne Mori.

  • From the Wolf's Den Editor's Desk: Something Dreadful (focus on the importance of literacy) (3)
  • Guest Editorial: On Coming Out (proud to be a pagan) by Lisa M. Mudano (5)
  • The Writer's Challenge (6)
  • Saved by a Pawn by L.A. Carr ("McCall receives a menacing telephone call, and Vincent intervenes in an apparent mugging.") (Beauty and the Beast/The Equalizer) (7)
  • Musings of a Country Doctor by Mary Robertson (Star Trek (TOS)) (40)
  • The Price of Survival by Jeannie Webster (Indiana Jones) (41)
  • Blue Monday by Mary Robertson (Simon and Simon) (50)
  • Forget Me Not, Sucker by Joyce Ashcroft ("Colonel Decker resorts to truth drugs, and someone else is out to get the A-Team.") (The A-Team) (51)
  • Images Art Portfolio by Delphyne Mori (Blade Runner) (87)
  • Plague Bullet by Linda Ruth Pfonner ("The KGB hunts Hawke as he flees with a Russian scientist who possesses the antidote to a lethal plague.") (Airwolf) (97)
  • Damned If I Do by Beth Bowles (Star Trek (TOS)) (113)
  • Damned If I Don't by Beth Bowles (Star Trek (TOS)) (113)
  • Writer's Cramp by Rodney Ruff ("Walter Stock is back, with enough ideas to keep any author busy for a lifetime; but his computer is quite literally possessed, and his latest crop of visitors include a demon assassin, a hologram, a paranoid mutant, and the police.") (Multimedia) (114)
  • Official Guide-Lines for OSIRIS Publications (156)
  • From Deep Space (157)
  • Acknowledgments (158)

  • from issue #3, Sandra Santara

  • from issue #3, Sandra Santara

  • from issue #3, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #3, sample poem

  • from issue #3, Toni Hardeman

  • from issue #3, Kate Soehnien

  • from issue #3, sample text

  • from issue #3, Delphyne Mori

Issue 4

front cover of issue #4, Delphyne Mori
back cover of issue #4, Delphyne Mori

The Osiris Files 4 was published in May 1990 and contains 138 (plus eight pages of flyers) pages. Delphyne Mori did the front and back covers.

From a flyer:

Little Orphan Murdock and his invisible dog Sandy join the rest of the A-TEAM to take on a dishonest construction company. Hawke is kidnapped by a chemist with a lethal new drug, and a band of terrorists threaten the entire state of California (AIRWOLF). Jean-Luc PIcard meets a potentially dangerous youngster named Jimmy... (STAR TREK, THE NEXT GENERATION) And once again, Walter Stock returns; his novel finished, he has a blind date with a woman who is tall, lovely, and green — then his other visitors begin to arrive!

  • From the Wolve's Den Editor's Desk: Of Joy and Sorrow (An update on the editor's activities with the Timber Wolf Preservation Society, and about her dog.) (3)
  • Great Scotts by Mary Robertson ("Jean-Luc Picard meets a potentially dangerous youngster named Jimmy.") (Star Trek: TNG) (5)
  • Monologue, poem by Mary Robertson (Star Trek: TOS) (9)
  • The Big Bad Wolfe by Joyce Ashcroft ("Little Orphan Murdock and his invisible dog Sandy join the rest of the A-Team to take on a dishonest construction company.") (The A-Team) (10)
  • Heritage by Mary Robertson (Battlestar Galactica) (41)
  • Ransom Demand by Linda Ruth Pfonner ("Hawke is kidnapped by a chemist with a lethal new drug, and a band of terrorists threaten the entire state of California.") (Airwolf) (43)
  • Share the Night by Mary Robertson (Beauty and the Beast) (92)
  • Writer's Workshop by Rodney Ruff ("Walter Stock returns; his novel finished, he has a blind date with a woman who is tall, lovely, and green—then his other visitors begin to arrive!") (Multimedia) (94)
  • Stars and Sand, poem by Mary Robertson (Star Wars) (134)
  • Editor's Afterward (136)
  • Submission Guidelines (139)

  • from issue #4, Airwolf, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #4, A-Team, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #4, A-Team, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #4, Beauty and the Beast, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #4, sample text, Delphyne Mori

  • from issue #4, Star Wars, Delphyne Mori

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4

[The Big Bad Wolf]: Very well written, humorous story, written in the true fashion of the show's original episodes. The team help a woman save the foster home she runs from demolition by the army. [2]

[Big Bad Wolf]: I.M.O. it's an exceptionally good story, at least compared to the other A-Team zine stories I've read. Definitely worth checking out if you can find it. Not that the other stuff is necessarily bad, but [this is one] I especially enjoyed. Your Mileage May Vary. [3]

Issue 5

The Osiris Files 5 was published in May 1991 and contains 104 pages and has a front cover by Holly Bird.

From a flyer:

A Warrior takes a wrong turn late one night, and ventures into ...not the Twilight Zone, but a mad, drunken tale of offended territorial imperative (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA). Sam is a priest, and it's Christmas... (QUANTUM LEAP) Daniel Chalmers remembers his first, long-ago meeting with REMINGTON STEELE. Late library books make a waterlogged hero out of Rick (SIMON AND SIMON). Walter Stock Is guest of honour at a science fiction convention — and faces a raucous room party, an obnoxious roommate, pizzas, panthers, strange women in towels... Featuring a spectacular PHANTOM CF THE OPERA cover by talented professional Holly Bird, and more.

  • The Demon by Lisa Golladay ("A Warrior takes a wrong turn late one night, and ventures into...not the Twilight Zone, but a mad, drunken tale of offended territorial imperative.") (Battlestar Galactica) (5)
  • Hopes and Fears of All the Years by Mary Robertson ("Sam is a priest, and it's Christmas.") (Quantum Leap) (10)
  • Will You Steele Need Me? by Louann Qualls ("Daniel Chalmers remembers his first, long-ago meeting with Steele.") (Remington Steele) (25)
  • Overdue by Mary Robertson ("Late library books make a waterlogged hero out of Rick.") (Simon and Simon) (58)
  • Writer's Style by Rodney Ruff ("Walter Stock is guest of honour at a science fiction convention—and faces a raucous room party, an obnoxious roommate, pizzas, panthers, strange women in towels.") (Multimedia) (61)


Issue 6

The Osiris Files 6 was published in May 1992 and contains 109 pages. Cover art is by Holly Bird; interior art is by Holly Bird, Dorinda Francis, Karen River, and delphyne joan woods.

cover of issue #6

It premiered at the 1992 MediaWest*Con.

From a flyer:

Long retired from the spy business, Alexander Scott is reunited with an old friend — and a deadly enemy (I SPY). Jonathan McKenzie and Benny hunt a killer ghost, one whose haunts are painfully close to home (SHADOW CHASERS). Sam helps an old man keep the most important promise of his life (QUANTUM LEAP). Vincent and Catherine confront a satanic spectre, with the aid of a visitor from the books of Mercedes Lackey... (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) Also, SIMON AND SIMON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, more magnificent art from Holly Bird, and a special guest appearance by... (sorry, we're sworn to secrecy!)

  • The Domino Effect by Joyce E. Ashcroft Long retired from the spy business, Alexander Scott is reunited with an old friend—and a deadly enemy.") (I Spy) (7)
  • Red Tape by Mary Robertson ("Rick explains a case's expenses to an exasperated AJ.") (Simon and Simon) (33)
  • Kindred Spirits by Mary Robertson ("Jonathan McKensie and Benny hunt a killer ghost, one whose haunts are painfully close to home.") (Shadow Chasers) (37)
  • Zena's Diary: Starbuck by Lisa Mudano Dalton ("An Academy friend of Starbuck reminisces about Starbuck's romantic misadventures.") (Battlestar Galactica) (52)
  • Prince of Thieves Art Portfolio by Del Woods (Robin Hood) (61)
  • Dinosaurs Don't Dance by Mary Robertson ("Sam helps an old man keep the most important promise of his life.") (Quantum Leap) (67)
  • Writer's Vacation by Rodney Ruff (Multimedia) (74)
  • Hell Hath No Fury by L.M. Dalton ("Vincent and Catherine confront a satanic spectre, with the aid of a visitor from the books of Mercedes Lackey.") (Beauty and the Beast/Diana Tregarde) (75) [4]


Issue 7

cover of issue #7, Marianne Howarth

The Osiris Files 7 was published in May 1993 and contains 105 (plus ten pages of flyers) pages. Cover art is by Marianne Howarth; interior art is by Wes Fallon, Barbara Fister-Liltz, Marianne Howarth, and delphyne joan woods.

This issue contains the Osiris Press Open Letters.

From the lengthy editorial (that's mostly about wolves and pet dogs:

Was it only yesterday? Or has it been a century...? However long it seems. It was really only fourteen years ago that a friend called us and said, "Let's do a one-shot fanzine..." That was In the STAR WARS/BATTLESTAR GALACTICA days, and our friend wanted to try arousing fans in an attempt to save GALACTICA — a wasted effort, as it turned out, given what was offered as a continuation of a potentially promising series. Ever wonder why it is science fiction on television never seems to work for the "big three" networks, but is often such a smash hit on syndicated stations? Will the networks ever learn...?

Anyway, fourteen years ago, like an absolute idiot, we replied to our friend, "What's a fanzine?"

We honestly didn't know. But, needless to say, after fourteen years and some forty-five (!) publications, we now have a pretty good idea. A fanzine is...what you've got in your hands!

We admit that sometimes we wonder if it's all worthwhile — the work, the pressure, the dead lines, the clutter... Then we get your letters, or meet some of you at a con...

We're here to stay, for as long as you want us.

And, until next time, enjoy the many treats that follow! Blessed be!


  • Mixed Doubles by Joyce Ashcroft (I Spy/The Avengers) (9)
  • Twins by Lisa M. Dalton ("Psychic twin teenagers are caught in the middle of an assault on Life Center.") (Battlestar Galactica) (40)
  • Men: A Study in Similar Contrasts by Lisa Dalton ("When the Millennium Falcon rendezvouses with the Fleet, Cassiopeia and Leia have their own encounters with Han and Starbuck. ") (Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica) (49)
  • Links to the Past by Lisa M. Dalton ("Han tells Leia the story of how he earned his Corellian Bloodstripe.") (Star Wars) (52)
  • Commercial Enterprise by Rodney Ruff ("An alien virus causes chaos on the Enterprise when it causes the crew to start mimicking twentieth century commercials.") (Star Trek: TOS) (57)
  • Once Upon an Enterprise by Mary Robertson ("Picard and Data explore a malfunctioning holodeck program where the original Enterprise crew have been blended with characters from children's literature.") (Star Trek: The Next Generation) (89)
  • Alliances by Joy Harrison ("Morgan receives some possibly-divine assistance when rescuing a lost child." Previously appeared in slightly altered format in The Deryni Archives #13 under the title "Strange Alliances".) (Deryni) (96)

  • from issue #7, Marianne Howarth, portrays characters from I Spy/The Avengers (TV)

  • from issue #7, Marianne Howarth, portrays characters from I Spy/The Avengers (TV)

  • from issue #7, artist not known

  • from issue #7, Barbara Fister-Liltz, portrays Han Solo

  • from issue #7, Marianne Howarth

The Osiris Press Open Letters

This issue starts with two long, long two-page open letters. The first is dated March 1992 and a two-page follow-up is dated November 1992. They detail an altercation between two fans that involve the alleged theft and/or destruction of zines and other fanworks that involved law enforcement and legal proceedings. The first letter begins with:

In November 1990, at the Visions '90 convention in Chicago, OSIRIS Publications was approached by a representative of a ROBIN OF SHERWOOD convention called Herne's Con, who invited the Timber Wolf Preservation Society (TWPS), a not-for-profit organisation in Wisconsin which we represent, to be an official charity of that convention in 1991. After considerable thought, and with a good bit of hesitation, we accepted the offer and made arrangements to attend. On 31 May 1991, the OSIRIS Publications special fanzine THE SACRIFICIAL KING made its first official appearance at Herne's Con II (also known as "Son of Herne's Con") at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

After the convention, all remaining copies of THE SACRIFICIAL KING, along with over $1,100 worth of other OSIRIS Publications merchandise (including both THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER #4 and #5) and approximately $1,000 worth of merchandise from the TWPS, were packed in three shipping boxes and left at the site for shipment back to Morton Grove, Illinois. Our agent, Ms. [C H], was to ship everything the Monday after the convention.

One week later, Ms. [H] reported that the three boxes left at Cornell had been removed from the premises without her consent, and in spite of her strong objections - removed by Ms. [C B], the woman who had issued the invitation to us and who had chaired the convention.

I immediately wrote to Ms. [C B], politely requesting that she return the three boxes of merchandise. Two weeks later, after receiving no response, I contacted the police in Ithaca and the Department of Public Safety at Cornell, reporting what by then appeared to be a theft, and requesting their assistance in getting the stolen property returned.

[much, much snipped]

Fandom may well be a microcosm of the world around us, but that does not mean we must stoop to the world's lowest levels. Thieves, frauds, liars, and the like should have no place among us. I am sure you, as concerned fans - no, as concerned individuals! - agree, and I thank you for all your patience, understanding, and support.

  • first page of the first letter, some redactions

  • second page of the first letter, some redactions

  • first page of the second letter, some redactions

  • second page of the second letter, some redactions

Issue 8

The Osiris Files 8 was published in May 1994.

References

  1. ^ THE A-TEAM FAN-FICTION INDEX, Archived version
  2. ^ The A-Team Fan-Fiction Index
  3. ^ from The A-Team Fan-Fiction Index
  4. ^ fail_fandomanon: FFA DW Post # 388 - Re: Why didn't anyone TELL me?, Archived version (March 10, 2016)
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