Wasting Aliens
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Wasting Aliens |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Brenda Cunningham |
| Date(s): | 1990 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | War of the Worlds |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Wasting Aliens is a gen War of the Worlds anthology edited by Brenda Cunningham.
The submission request said it was "G-R. Slash is not welcome. Crossovers are accepted as long as WOTW characters get top or equal billing."
From an ad in The Monthly: "Includes a possible future for the Blackwood team, Norton experiences troubling dreams on the the eve of the Second Invasion, Ironhorse battles intruders in the cottage, and the Colonel goes to a dentist who causes him a lot of trouble."
Contents
- Third Invasion by David Koukol
- Quinn, poem by Lana Merkel
- Nightwatch by Alice Aldridge (Suzanne discovers the real Ironhorse.)
- The Third Invasion by David Koukol (An alternative universe story.)
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Tammy L. Croft
- Auguries by Lana Merkel (Norton experiences troubling dreams on the eve of the Second Invasion.)
- Mus by Elyse Dickenson (Intruders infiltrate the Cottage.)
- Pied Piper Dreams by Linda Watson (A trip to the dentist produces unexpectedly painful results for Ironhorse.)
- Monument by David Koukol (A possible future for the Blackwood team.)
- Arms and the Man by Jan Lindner (A dialogue between Ironhorse and Blackwood. From the "Damage Control" Universe [1])
- poetry and art by Lana Merkel
Submission Request
If you love "War of the Worlds/ no matter what, this zine is for you. WA is dedicated to preserving the elements of WOTW that the fans fell in love with: specifically, the friendship/family of Harrison Blackwood, Suzanne and Debi McCullough and Norton Drake and Lt. Colonel Paul Ironhorse. WA is seeking stories from first and second season. If you like John Kincaid and the new aliens, by all means write about them. If you choose to ignore the second season, that's fine, too. Perhaps you can create an alternate universe where Paul and Norton do not die or you can bring them back so they can carry on against the second wave. This is. science fiction.... The main purpose of this fanzine is to be entertaining, not to provide controversy but it can be used as a way of getting satisfaction since WOTW fandom was turned upside down and to ease the heartache for fans of Ironhorse and Norton, Richard and Phil. WA is also just a fanzine for fans who want to write about the characters they love -- WOTW characters. Use drama, comedy, romance, action/ adventure, hurt/comfort or a Jack Crain original. Vignettes, short stories, novellas, poetry, portraits, illustrations or cartoons -- all are eagerly sought. [2]
Reactions and Reviews
The first zine from north of the border, and I'm sorry to hear it's a one-shot. There's a nice mix in here, and some roughly drawn but very funny cartoons credited to miscellaneous aliens.
David Koukol's Third Invasion" is a good story outline, but I wanted to read more than a conversation. This could have been a novella, or a series of stories. The Q'arto plot alone was too interesting to dismiss with two sentences from Ironhorse.
Lana Merkel's "Quinn" poem presents another intriguing idea — the irony of the warrior-destroyer trapped in the body -- and feelings --of a creator. Neat.
"Nightwatch." Alice Aldridge. Another good character piece that treats the Blackwood team as adults. Suzanne's first reaction on seeing a badly battered Harrison & Ironhorse shows the author's profession peeking through -- I think a non-medical person would see scrapes and bruises, rather than abrasions and contusions -- but it's an interesting peek at Ironhorse's past. This gets a bit talky in spots, but it's believable -- and I don't think anyone's done a better Kensington.
Tammy L. Croft's "Tomorrow and Tomorrow" has a plot similar to a story in To Life Immortal #2, but minus the alien invasion. Ironhorse is injured on vacation, and is rescued by a female Native American Vietnam vet. It's well-written, but holds no surprises.
Lana Merkel's "Auguries," a precursor to TSI, has Norton and Ironhorse feel Junior walking on their graves. It's a good serious mood piece, and the Norton portrait that follows it would have been better placed at the front; it and the cover are some of Lana's best art so far.
In "Mus," Elyse Dickenson tells a stirring tale of Blackwood and Ironhorse struggling to master the technology needed to defeat one of humanity's oldest adversaries.
"Pied Piper Dreams." Linda Watson sends Ironhorse to the Dentist from Hell. Good characterization of the regulars, lively dialog, an interesting plot, and lots of noble suffering. A few quibbles; the outrageous coincidence that puts Ironhorse temporarily in alien hands, the sometimes noisy saidisms, and a stereotypical pysch nurse who seems to have wandered in from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." But this story would probably have made a good episode, and it's enough to send anyone with a dentist phobia running for cover.
I don't have a price on WA, but it's a fine no-frills zine. The only technical gripe is a faulty spacebar that produced such interesting words as "tothe" and "inhis." Not much of a problem. I appreciate how much work goes into a zine, but hope that sufficient encouragement might persuade Brenda to reconsider her decision to make this a once-only.[3]
References
- ^ The "Damage Control" Universe: Close Encounters in To Life Immortal #2 | Damage Control in Dee-Pice #1 | Rumors of War in Bring 'Em Back Alive #1 | Arms & The Man in Wasting Aliens | Shadow of Thy Wings in Dee-Pice #2 | War In the Gates in Bring 'Em Back Alive #2
- ^ from The Blackwood Project #6
- ^ from The Blackwood Project #9