U is for U.N.C.L.E.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | U is for U.N.C.L.E. |
| Publisher: | No Ka Oi Press |
| Editor(s): | Charlene Kirby |
| Date(s): | 1983-1991 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
U is for U.N.C.L.E. is a gen Man from U.N.C.L.E. fanzine.
Issue 1
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 1 was published in 1983 (reprinted in 1984) and contains 90 pages. It contains two stories by Charlene Kirby and has art by Mary Starr and Charlene Kirby.
- The Vinea Vitreaus Affair ("Someone is destroying Napa Valley wine - is the world next? It will be if Napoleon, Illya and Arsene can't stop them.") (67 ages)
- The Ripping Good Time Affair ("A decade ago, a madman killed a camp full of people and now he's back. Or is it just THRUSH using a legend as a cover? With any luck Napoleon and Illya can stay alive long enough to find out.") (27 pages)
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
The recent MUNCLE TV movie has sparked a resurgence in MUNCLE fandom. For that, I am very grateful. MUNLE was my first love, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for Napoleon and Illya (especially Illya). So, when I saw listings for MUNCLE zines, I ordered one. Since I’m basically a cheap person, I chose a moderately priced one. Normally, I shy away from zines written by one person, especially if I do not know author. Charlene Kirby was not a zine author who I knew, but I took the chance anyway, and I was not disappointed. The zine was worth the money. There are only two stories in this zine: ‘The Vinea Vitreaus Affair’ and ‘The Ripping Good Time Affair.’ The first is the longer. It faithfully follows the series and is a good spy yarn with planty of action and pretty girls. The characters Charlene creates are believable and interesting. The story line is logical and flows well. I offer my kudos to Charlene for doing her homework on chemistry and wine making. I am not enough of a chemist or wine expert to know if she was exactly correct but it was good enough for me. I have a pet peeve about writers who are ignorant of their topic and therefore make mistakes. The second story was my favorite. It was also a good spy story, but it had an element of spookiness that I enjoy. All I will say about it is that it made me shudder at the end. One warning for the squeamish, it is a bit bloody. So much for the compliments. The zine does have a few problems. It was done on a computer and the dot matrix print took me time to get used to. My real complaint is the errors. There were far too many for a manuscript done on a computer that I presume has word processing capabilities. Then, there’s the art. It ranges from fair to not-so-good. The portrait-like drawing of Mr. Waverly, Napoleon, and Illya by Mary Starr are uninspired but solid. The drawings by Kirby, for the most part, adequate but did not reproduce very well. All in all, the zine is a good buy, and I recommend it to any MUNCLE fan. If you are hunting for good, solid spy stories, this zine will fill the bill. [1]
Issue 2
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 2 was published in 1984 and contains 133 pages. It has four stories by Charlene Kirby, artist Mary Starr.
"This fanzine is dedicated to AT&T, ITT, the Xerox Corporation, and big business everywhere. Anyone who's done a zine knows what I mean."
- Do Not Tilt Affair by Charlene Kirby (also in Who Rides for Justice #1) (6)
- Crab Apple Cove Affair ("New Year's Eve is going very badly for Illya. Thankfully, help is close at hand.") (also in The Paladins Affair #2) (Man from UNCLE/MASH) (60)
- Little Boy Blue Affair by Charlene Kirby (66)
- Run, No Header Affair ("THRUSH has a new memory storage device and UNCLE wants it, but not as badly as the Japanese do.") (94)
Issue 3
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 3 was published in 1984 and contains 40 pages. The fiction and the art is by Charlene Kirby.
It is a holiday issue. The front cover has an illo of a gift tag which some fans/the editor filled in with the zine owner's first name.
- Mistletoe Affair by Charlene Kirby (revised and lengthened story originally printed in Diverse Dimensions) (1)
- Idle Day Terror Affair by Charlene Kirby (36)
Issue 4
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 4 was published in 1985 and contains 70 pages. The cover is by Mary Starr.
- The Rattan Bumber-Shoot Affair] by Charlene Kirby ("Napoleon and Illya are assigned to take a seemingly harmless old lady on a whirlwind tour of the globe, but can they keep her alive along enough once THRUSH catches their scent?") (29 pages)
- The Night He Came Home Affair by Charlene Kirby ("UNCLE plays host to a VIP from The Surete - hopefully they can survive the visit") (crossover with The Pink Panther) (9 pages)
- The Midnight Dreary Affair by Charlene Kirby ("Someone is maiming both THRUSH and UNCLE agents and an uneasy alliance is formed to get to the bottom of it.") (also in Errantry #1) (27 pages)
title page for the story, artist uncredited
from The Midnight Dreary Affair, artist illegible
from The Midnight Dreary Affair, artist illegible
Issue 5
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 5 was published in 1985 and contains 69 pages. It was the "Our Halloween Issue" and has four stories by Charlene Kirby, artists Charlie Kirby, Denetia Arellanes & Mark Rogers.
- The Come Into My Parlor Affair ("Someone is killing the Section Two CEAs and guess who's next?") (also in Mixed Doubles #2)
- The Taken For Granite Affair ("Badly injured by THRUSH, Napoleon heads home to Vermont to recuperate and attend his niece's wedding. Do you hear a car blowing up?")
- The Addams Affair by Charlene Kirby
Issue 6
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 6 was published in 1986 and contains 48 pages.
- The "Sloop John B Affair" (an UNCLE/Miami Vice crossover)
- Northstar Affair] by Charlene Kirby ("It's off to summer camp for Illya. And Napoleon Solo - sex slave??") (crossover with Meatballs)
- The Pain in the Neck Affair by Charlene Kirby
Issue 7
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 7 was published in 1987 and contains 70 pages. It is a single novel called "The Aloha Oe Affair."
Issue 8
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 8 was published in 1988 and contains 110 pages.
- The Things Go Better With Affair by Charlene Kirby ("An UNCLE agent is struck down, carrying a can of infected soda. It's up to Napoleon and Illya to brave the wilds of San Francisco and the west coast to track down his killer and put THRUSH out of the soda business.") (38 pages)
- The Wait Till The Cows Come Home Affair by Charlene Kirby ("After his father has a heart attack, Napoleon heads home to take care of the farm and drags his partner along for the ride.") (16 pages)
- The Touring Affair by Charlene Kirby ("Napoleon and Illya set out on a cross country rally unaware that they have been misidentified as drug runners.") (55 pages)
Issue 9
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 9 was published in 1989 and contains 84 pages and two stories.
- You Can't Go Home Again Affair (sequel to "Romanian Affair")
- Be Still My Beating Heart
Issue 10
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 10 was published in 1990 and contains 95 pages. It contains a single novella by Charlene Kirby called "The Cyanide Flats Affair."
Summary: "Scientists are killing themselves and the only thing they have in common is nothing."
Issue 11
U is for U.N.C.L.E. 11 was published in 1991 and contains 93 pages. It contains short stories set in Hawaii.
- The Haleakala Affair (33 pages)
- The Menehune Affair by Charlene Kirby ("When UNCLE needs help with a certain bad guy, who's hidden himself in a Hawaiian swamp, who do they call for help? Why, Special Agent Fester Addams, of course! Crossover with The Addams Family.") (32 pages)
- The Fawlty Tower Affair by Charlene Kirby ("Illya is sent to England to track down a new THRUSH threat. Guess what hotel he check in to? Crossover with Fawlty Towers.") (17 pages)