Here is an all new column by an amazing and fantastic man who needs no introduction. However, the stule of this issue requires an introdiction for him. We only wish we could think of something to say that would do him justice. Perhaps we will. Stay tuned and see.
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Namfuak Yerrj
This is a column of faanzine reviews. A "review" is a dramatic rendering of the opinions of a "reviewer" (surely you can see how this contraction is formed) in a column in magazines like this; there has been an unfortunate trend in English language literature lately for reviews to be short and lacking in content but I'm sure that I hope you'll find my reviews long and bursting with content. (Next issue I'll write about "content.")
THE ENCHANTED DUPLICATOR #13, Sept., 1971; $1 or four for $5.00 (down from $10 per copy; the editors used to want only written response, but now they are encouraging subscriptions); monthly, from Arnie Katz, Rich Brown, Jay Kinney, Joe Staton, Joyce Katz, and Bob Shaw, all at the same address; 32 pp., gestetnered.
Every month for the last two months THE ENCHANTED DUPLICATOR has been pouring forth all over fandom in a great viscous tide of faaanishness. I predict a Middle Ages of faaanishness in the next month, led by the ENCHANTED DUPLICATOR crowd. It's been far too long since our last Middle Ages -- five or six hundred years, in fact -- and it's about time we had another one. This fannish Middle Ages will be characterized by a fannish Pope in New York, just like the old days, and a great resurgence of small manors and fiefs around fandom; it will be the age of the small, medieval fanzine. Lots of battlements. A brand new edition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. That is, if we're lucky, and if we don't talk about this Middle Ages.
The contents of this issue are indicative. There's a fabulous fannish reprint, consisting of all the introductory material from the best of Terry Carr's famous "Entrophy Reprints" columns. You won't remember these, but they are very highly regarded by those of us who do. Besides the vintage reprint there is brilliant material: a joint editorial by all the editors, written entirely in the first person; a hilarious article by Arnie about playing monopoly until three a.m.; a long but interesting essay by a new fan about taking the IRT for the first time (this is not a drug story); and a lettercolumn by Harry Warner.
This fanzine is highly recomended except that it will probably have folded by the time you read this. Sheer genius.
LOCUS 96, Sept. 24, 1971; 12/$3 or 26/$6; "weekly/bi-weekly", from Charlie and Dena Brown, 2078 Anthony Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10457; six pp. if you don't count the inserts. Mimeographed.
LOCUS has changed from its former happy, carefree, fannish self and is becoming sercon ("Seriously considered" in the fannish jargon.) Gone are the days of the old LOCUS; Charlie has led his fanzine off the beaten track and turned it into nothing but a pseudo-professional vehicle for serious discussion of news. Four out of six pages of this issue are devoted to news, and the remaining space (outside of a slightly fannish colophon) is taken up with a column of capsule fanzine reviews by Jerry Kaufman. I just don't understand the minds of the people who wish Jerry Kaufman would win a Hugo. Do you?
This fanzine will probably be around for a long time. No longer recommended.
ENERGUMEN 11, Sept. 71; trades, contributions or 2/$1, from Mike and Susan Glickson, Apt 203, 731 St. George St., Toronto 6, Ontario.
ENERGUMEN has been following a careful path down the middle of the road. It has been following this path so consistently that it is now in a rut. Each ENERGUMEN seems much like the last.
For instance, Ted Pauls' "The Salty Kumquat" is another group of notes on his weekend activities, reprinted from WOKL, Arnie Katz turns in a history of QUIP (Len Bailes' old fanzine, for those of you ignorant of fannish history), Rosemary records her witty ripostes with a blind newsdealer, Stephen Pickering does a sociological study of the criticism of Leon Taylor, Leon Taylor writes five pages on his reactions to the first five pages of Robert Silverberg's "The Nudes of Quendar III," and Dan Osterman compares his own approach to art with that of Jack Gaughan. Mike and Susan write their usual balanced editorials, Mike concentrating on Charles Burbee and Susan on Stephen Leacock. The lettercol is nearly incomprehensible, filled with references to some obscure in-group word, "prime". There isn't one single Austin illo.
Except for the probability that ENERGUMEN will win a Hugo, I can't see any reason for reading it. Recommend as a trend-setter, or to hang on your wall.
Brief Mentions:
CORRELATIVE 3, from Fred Mimsey. Fiction by Darryl Schweitzer, column by Dean Koontz, article by andy offutt, art by Dan Osterman and Mike Gilbert, and poetry by Mimsey.
PARALLEL 5, from Cynthia Wilsey. Fiction by Dan Osterman, article by Darryl Schweitzer, column by Fred Mimsey, art by Dean Koontz, and poetry by Mike Gilbert.
SIMILAR 4, from Jacob Blakey. Fiction by Mike Gilbert, poetry by Mimsey, Wilsey and Blakey, column by andy offutt, article by Dan Osterman and art by Darryl Schweitzer.
DITTO 7, from Sam Jaspey. I seem to have mislaid my notes on this, but see my reviews of CORRELATIVE, PARALLEL, and SIMILAR. I think Perry Chapdelaine may also have an article in this.
KRATOPHANY 1, from Eli Cohen. Shows a lot of power for a first issue.
PATTYPLAN 1, from Steve Stiles. Official Organ of the revived Mickey Mouse Club.
APPLESAUCE CAKE 1, from rich brown. Written from great experience about the dangers of cake. This is an official Publishing Frenzy Fanzine.
FRENZY 15-18, from Jerry Kaufman. This leading Publishing Frenzy Fanzine, a newszine of highly biased reporting and peculiar attempts at humor. At least it's frequent.
-- Jerry Kaufman
* Send fanzines for review to Jerry Kaufman c/o
Continued on page 47
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Hard copy provided by Geri Sullivan
Data entry by Judy Bemis
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