#robin and jerome's excellent adventures

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

*Sees a post in my other, current main fandom that gives me pause and makes me realize something about my OCs in this fandom.* So, I make no secret oflong-term being into Trigun and of having been swept BACK into that fandom by the recent "Stampede" reboot. That set of fiction has influenced me greatly in life and my fiction writing (fanwork and regular writing) in a big way. I just sort of had a revelation today about my clone OCs. Everyone who ever did stuff with Horde clone stuff in this fandom, particularly when it was a fad, had their own takes on them and did "Instant OC, just add water" to them - because the canon just had them as random minions and wouldn't and couldn't spend a lot of time on them because that was not the story being told. They were essentially free for the fandom to use post-series and so, a lot of fun. We generally had fun with them being / coming from a hive mind, but still having had some independent thoughts the entire time (even though they had to suppress them, because, you know, cult) and discovering their independence. I remember even when I was full-bore into Spop and not into my old fandom as much thinking about Horde clone parallels to the Plants of Trigun. I'm especially thinking about it now, but even then... It's not entirely the same, as the Plants are not in a cult (more like what a human cult worships - see manga and Stampede, it's not detailed in the '90s anime), but they are a used and abused enslaved race. The number of "Independents" (including the protagonist and antagonist of the series) can be counted on one hand. Anyway, without digressing into chattering about my other fandom too much, I saw a thread about Vash the Stampede's and Millions Knives' brotherly relationship, particularly about Knives' twisted protectiveness of Vash and I just had this weird flashbang to my Spop Horde-clone OCs. So, Robin and Jerome, I'm talking about them again, even though I've pretty much decided never to write about them again for personal reasons (death in my family last year that I took pretty hard, making them a bit "too real" for me, given the themes of their stories). I'm glad they existed in my brain, I do believe that they prepared me for what I didn't know was coming. They helped me parse grief before I had it? Anyway, even though the two are literal clones, I gave them an adopted brotherly relationship that was an "older brother, younger brother" thing. One is of an older batch and the other is from a younger batch, but most of their relationship is more like the "gruffer, more stoic clone" and the "sensitive, emotive clone." (Granted, Robin isn't like Knives at all - he's not genocidal. I'd say he's probably more like Wolfwood if you wanted to find any parallels, sans having a giant gun and a bad smoking habit - Wolfwood's even an undertaker instead of a priest in the new series, which made me raise my eyebrows). And then Jerome has as one of his defining characteristics some rather prominent scars. (Vash-influence. Vash is just RIDDLED with scars, although there aren't any of them on his face like what I did with Jerome). So, I don't know... I think I am being confronted with how much of my love of good ol' Vash I actually put into one of my OCs here - a sensitive guy who is treated as the "younger" of a set of unnaturally-born brothers mainly based upon his sensitivity and who's got some gnarly scars (for trying to save a life). An older brother who has an urge to protect his more sensitive younger brother (albiet the fact that Robin is in no way twisted and abusive in his protection). Still, some of the same gist. I recall some of it being purposeful, but some of it was probably subconscious, too. Thank you for letting me talk about my OCs for once in a dog's age. (For all of maybe two of you who care)? (My blog, my rules, I'll talk about whatever I want, even if it's stupid).

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

Old fanart of my two main clone-ocs, by Luna Tiel.  Was done somewhere back in August ‘21.  Since I just had a long conversation about Horde-clones, I figure “Post art of my ocs” - but Luna’s art is better than my own of my guys. I do have some art around here somewhere, but have been shy about posting it because I’d rather get around to creating new stuff that is hopefully better.  And... this is the best art anyone has ever done of my characters - possibly any ocs of mine for any fandom ever.  I just really like Luna’s style.  If you want to know more about them, you can check out “Robin and Jerome’s Excellent Adventures” on Ao3 under Shadsie.  The stories are more serious than the name lets on - I just needed a name for the series and it popped into my crazy brain.  I’ve thought about re-labeling it the Reaper Brothers’ Series.  Most people who make clone-ocs meant to discover new lives post-canon tend to make them doctors or bakers or something kind of sweet like that.  My dudes?  They’re undertakers. 

Robin and Jerome

I love reading about these two, and it took me longer than planned to finally get to drawing them. Of course, me being obsessed with all things having to do with birds, I had to have Robin making friends with a little robin. Jerome is cleaning his glasses only because I wanted an excuse to draw more detail on his face without his glasses obscuring it.

Robin and Jerome belong to @shadsiethewriter

[gellavonhamster]

Book review: Sailing by Orion’s Star by Katie Crabb

The sea is haunted. He’s certain of that. It is too ancient, and too many people have breathed their last out here for it to be otherwise. Sailors get their stories from somewhere.

Years ago, I had the pleasure to read an excellent Les Mis fic by @kcrabb88 - a fic that transported Victor Hugo’s characters to the West Indies of the Golden Age of Piracy, reimagining them as pirates and naval officers. Yesterday I finished reading the first part of the trilogy born out of this fic - Sailing by Orion’s Star, Book 1 of The Constellation Trilogy. In many ways, it felt like revisiting a familiar story - and yet I found that a lot of it was new to me. What was already  well-crafted, well-researched, gripping as fanfiction became even better as an original novel. 

For a short summary of the plot, let me just quote the one given on the cover of the book:

In the 18th century West Indies, stories hold the ultimate power. Sailors spin yarns about pirates. Newspapers tell tales full of half-truths. Myths spread like whispered wildfire.

East India Company sailor Nicholas Jerome has no patience for pirates, determined to leave his father’s thieving past behind. After a convict and an enslaved woman escape his grasp with the aid of an aristocrat’s mysterious wife, he faces one last chance to save his career. Finding an unexpected home with a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, the son of his wealthy captain and the grandson of Jamaica’s cruel governor.

But there’s a storm brewing in the Delacroix household. For René and his best friend Frantz, the Robin Hood tales about legendary pirate Ajani Danso and his famed female quartermaster are a lifeline amidst the governor’s abuse. Danso robs greedy merchants, frees slaves, and shelters queer sailors, inspiring the downtrodden across the New World.

When death and betrayal shatter the lives they knew, René and Jerome each face a choice: obey, or rebel.

A war for history’s favor begins, and as an uprising against colonialism erupts on the ocean, everyone must choose a story to believe in.

This is an adventure novel, and the way it is written suits the genre perfectly. I feel like third person present tense works best with either short vignettes aimed at describing a particular moment or longer works with a lot of action, which is the case in this book. It really felt like watching a movie, so vividly the events passed before my eyes. This is also a story about stories - how they inspire and connect people, how narratives get obscured or preserved - which brings to mind another piece of pirate-related media, Black Sails, which I love dearly. I wouldn’t say, however, that they are too similar - SBOS, while dealing with the topics of abuse (including domestic abuse), slavery, and systematic violence, is a much kinder story. It’s not YA - most of the characters are adults, though some are also children that we’ll see grow into adults in the course of the trilogy - but, in my opinion, it’s a kind of book that can be read and enjoyed by all ages, reminding me of such adventure classics as Treasure Island and In Search of the Castaways. I have a feeling that such novels have become a rarity, so it’s great to have another one get published.

There’s a broad, diverse cast of characters, and I’m really curious as to how many readers who have read Les Misérables but were never in the fandom and/or don’t consider it one of their favourite books will be able to discern Les Mis characters in certain SBOS characters. While these characters have become independent, with many unique traits distinguishing them from their prototypes, in most cases it is still easy to recognize who was inspired by whom - or is it that easy for a casual reader? That would be interesting to find out. The original characters have also evolved in comparison to the fic, now that they’re equal with the characters who originated in Les Mis. Astra and Arthur are definitely my favourites. As to the characters who came from Les Mis, my favourites so far (because this is just the first book and we haven’t met all of them yet) are probably Nicholas and Auden... not telling you which Les Mis characters they once were, you’ll have to find out for yourself. 

I read this book very quickly because I was so eager to (re)learn the entire story. It’s the kind of story that is difficult to put down. Now I’m looking forward to part two - because, while this novel is a solid read in itself, it is also only the beginning, with the promise of many more adventures ahead. May the wind be always at its back.

[amazingstories]

The other day I got into a brief discussion of cover mentions throughout the history of the science fiction magazine.

Of course we all focus on the cover image first, but unless it is a really extraordinary sample of the genre’s art (between BEMs and brass brassieres it’s a bit tough to hit “extraordinary”) the very next thing we look at are the names of the authors to be found within.

To the first time buyer, these mean little to nothing.  To the aficionado however,  they can serve as an instant assessment of the expected quality of the issue.  Lots of top names, stands a chance of being an excellent issue.  No recognizable authors – well, either the title is on its way out (the editors are scraping the bottom of the submission barrel) or – we’re about to discover the next great thing to come down the genre pike.  This latter possibility can only be found in the “vanishingly small probability” box, and represents more of a hope for the reader than a real possibility.

I decided to take a look at how the various magazine titles handled this bit of self-promotion.  I then decided to use 1953 as my exemplar year.

Why 1953?  Because 1953 was THE banner year for science fiction and fantasy magazines.  And because the frenzy surrounding this boom year somewhat resembles what we’ve been seeing for the past several years – an explosion of electronic magazine titles, each of which carefully lists it’s available contents.

1953 was also a year in which the genre was changing;  more markets meant that more authors could stretch, had a few more places they could pitch to.  Many of the “old guard” were still publishing, and a lot of familiar names had become firmly established.  The short story was still the dominant form for the genre and thus, it’s at least as good a year as any other to pick on.

(Wikipedia only lists 219 SF novels published in 1953.  There were undoubtedly a handful of others, but this is a pretty good indicator of how few novels were published, as opposed to short fiction in the magazines.)

Here���s a gallery, displaying the magazine covers from 1953, in alphabetical order by magazine title.

AMAZING STORIES

Published by: Ziff-Davids Publishing Company Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Pulp

Charles Creighton, Mallory Storm, Chester Geier, Guy Archette, E. K. Jarvis, Paul Lohrman (2), Jack Lait, Lee Mortimer, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, H.L. Gold (2), Theodore Sturgeon, Harriet Frank, Walter M. Miller Jr., Kendall Foster, Henry Kuttner, Algiss Budrys, R. W. Krepps, Richard Matheson, Robert Skeckley (2), Vern Fearing, William P. McGivern, Wallace West, Evan Hunter 2/26

ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION

Published by:  Street & Smith Publications Edited by: John W. Campbell, Jr. Format: Digest

Poul Anderson (3), H. Beam Piper, John J. McGuire, John Loxmith, Hal Clement, John E. Arnold, Lee Correy, Mark Clifton (2), Alex Apostildes (2), Tom Godwin, Raymond F. Jones

0/11

AVON SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY READER

Published by: Avon Novels Inc, & Stratford Novels Inc. Edited by: Sol Cohen Format:  Digest

Arthur C. Clarke (2), John Jakes (2), Alfred J. Coppel Jr., John Christopher, Milton Lesser (2), Jack Vance

0/9

BEYOND FANTASY FICTION

Published by:  Galaxy Publishing Edited by:  Horace L. Gold Format:  Digest

Ted Sturgeon (2), Damon Knight, T. L. Sherred, Jerome Bixby (2), Joe E. Dean, Richard Matheson (2), Roger Dee, Frank M. Robinson, James McConnell, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, T. R. Cogswell, Philip K. Dick, John Wyndham, Wyman Guin, Richard Deeming, Algis Budrys, Franklin Gregory, Zenna Henderson, Ted Reynolds

1/23

COSMOS SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY MAGAZINE

Published by Star Publications Edited by Laurence M. Jannifer Format:  Digest

Poul Anderson, Carl Jacobi (2), Philip K. Dick, Evan Hunter (2), Ross Rocklynne, John Jakes, Bertram Chandler (2), Robert S. Richardson (2), B. Traven, N. R., Jack Vance

0/15

DYNAMIC SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Columbia Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

Cyril Judd, Raymond Z. Gallun, James Blish, Michael Sherman, Algis Budrys

0/5*

FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES

Published by:  All Fiction Field (imprint of Popular Publications) Edited by:  Mary Gnaedinger Format:  Pulp

Talbot Mundy, H. Rider Haggard, Ayn Rand, Kafka

1/4

FANTASTIC

Published by: Ziff-Davis Publications Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Digest

Samuel Hopkins Adams, Joseph Shallit, Kris Neville, Edgar Allan Poe, John Collier, Billy Rose, B. Traven, Stephen Vincent Benet, William P. McGivern (3), Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, John Wyndham (2), Esther Carlson, Evelyn Waugh, Ralph Robin (3), Walter M. Miller Jr., Robert Sheckley (2), Richard Matheson, Frank M. Robinson, Rog Phillips, Robert Bloch

2/27

FANTASTIC ADVENTURES

Published by: Ziff-Davis Publications Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Pulp

Frank McGiver, Peter Dakin, E. K. Jarvis, Mallory Storm, Ivar Jorgensen, Alexander Blade

1/6

FANTASTIC STORY MAGAZINE

  Published by:Best Books Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Edmond Hamilton, Murray Leinster (3), L. Sprague de Camp (4), Thomas L. McClary, Leigh Brackett, Henry Kuttner, Carl Jacobi, Horace L. Gold, Jerry Shelton, Ed Weston, Kevin Kent, Jack Townsley Rogers, Frederic Brown, Cleve Cartmill, Manly Wade Wellman, Otis Adelbert Kline, Roscoe Clark, Robert Moore Williams

1/23

FANTASTIC UNIVERSE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: King-Sized Publications Edited by: Sam Merwin Format: Digest

Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Belknap Long, E. Hoffman Price, Evan Hunter, Irving Cox, William Campbell Gault, A. Bertram Chandler (2), Walt Sheldon, Clifford D. Simak, Poul Anderson, Richard Matheson, Eric Frank Russell, Jean Jaques Ferrat, William F. Temple, Wallace West, C. M. Kornbluth, William Morrison, Philip K. Dick, Evelyn E. Smith

1/21

THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Mercury Press Edited by: Anthony Boucher Format: Digest

Fritz Leiber, Mabel Seeley, John Wyndham, Idris Seabright (2), Robert Louis Stevenson, R. Bretnor (2), L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Oliver la Farge, J. T. McIntosh, Wilson Tucker, Richard Matheson, Anthony Boucher (2), Kris Neville, Chad Oliver, Esther Carlson, Alan Nelson, William Bernard Ready, Poul Anderson, Ward Moore, John D. MacDonald, Edward W. Ludwig, Arthur Porges, Manly Wade Wellman, Winona McClintic, Tom McMorrow Jr.,

4/29

FANTASY MAGAZINE/FANTASY FICTION

Published by: Future Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey Format: Digest

Robert E. Howard (2), John Wyndham, (Philip K) Dick, Elliot, Fritch, (H.B.) Fyfe, H. Harrison, MacLean, L. Sprague de Camp, Pletcher Pratt

0/10

FUTURE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Standard Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

John Wyndham, Poul Anderson, William Tenn, Gordon R. Dickson, Kriss Neville, Robert Sheckley

0/6

GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Galaxy Publishing Edited by: Horace L. Gold Format: Digest

Philip K. Dick, Damon Knight, H. L. Gold, Willy Ley (3)*, F, L. Wallace, J. T. McIntosh, Theodore Sturgeon, Isaac Asimov

0/10

GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

Published by: Galaxy Publishing Edited by: Horace L. Gold Format: Digest

This “magazine” Doesn’t really count as these are single novel publications.  However, for completeness’ sake:  John Taine, Isaac Asimov, J. Leslie Mitchell, James Blish (2), Lewis Padgett*, Edmond Hamilton

0/7

IF WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Digest Publications Edited by: Larry Shaw Format: Digest

Walter M. Miller Jr., Ivar Jorgenson, Arthur C. Clarke, Jack Vance, Walt Sheldon, H. B. Fyfe, James Blish, William Tenn, Mark Wolf

0/9

ORBIT SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Hanro Corporation Edited by: Donald A. Wollheim Format: Digest

Richard English, August Derleth (2), Mack Reynolds, Charles Beaumont (2), Paul Brandts, H. B. Fyfe, John Christopher, James Causey

0/10

OTHER WORLDS

Published by: Clark Publications, later Bell Publications Edited by: Raymond A. Plamer & Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

H. B. Fyfe, Richard S. Shaver (2), L Sprague de Camp (3), Eric Frank Russell, (William F.) Temple, (Robert Moore) Williams, Edward L. Smith, (Joe) Gibson, (Raymond A.) Palmer, S. J. Byrne, Robert Bloch, James McConne

0/15

PLANET STORIES

Published by: Love Romances Edited by: Jack O’Sullivan Format: Pulp

Bryan Berry (4*), Roger Dee, Gardner F. Fox, Robert Moore Williams, Ross Rocklynne, William Tenn, Ray Gallun, B. Curtis, Gordon R. Dickson, Hayden Howard, Stanley Mullen, Leigh Brackett, Ray Bradbury, Fox B. Holden

1/17

ROCKET STORIES

Published by: Space Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey, Harry Harrison Format: Digest

(?) Bernard, (Henry) De Rosso, (John) Jakes, (Milton) Lesser (2), (Poul) Anderson, (Algis) Budrys, (?) Cox, (James) Gunn, (A. F. ?) Loomis, (?) Mullen

0/12

SCIENCE FICTION ADVENTURES

Published by: Space Fiction/Future Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey, Harry Harrison Format: Digest

(William) Morrison (2, (Alan E.) Nourse, (George O.) Smith, (Erik) Van Lhin* (5), (Chad) Oliver, (Algis) Budrys, (Raymond Z.) Gallun, (Theodore R.) Cogswell, (Robert) Sheckley, (Poul) Anderson, (Irving E.) Cox (Jr.) (2), (Samuel) Moskowitz, (Richard) Snodgrass, C. M. Kornbluth

0/20

SCIENCE FICTION PLUS

Published by: Gernsback Publications Edited by: Sam Moskowitz Format: Slick

Eando Binder (2), Hugo Gernsback (2), Philip Jose Farmer (2), John Scott Campbell, Dr. Donald H. Menzel, Richard Tooker, Clifford D. Simak (2), Raymond Z. Gallun, Frank Belknap Long, F. L. Wallace, Robert Bloch, Harry Walton, Murray Leinster (2), Pierre Devaux, H. G. Viet, Gustav Albrecht, Frank R. Paul, Chad Oliver, Thomas Calvert McClary, Jack Williamson, Eric Frank Russell (2), Harry Bates, James H. Schmitz

0/29

SCIENCE FICTION QUARTERLY

Published by: Double-Action Magazines Edited by: Charles D. Hornig, Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

Poul Anderson, Philip K. Dick, Randall Garrett, Milton Lesser

0/4

SCIENCE FICTION STORIES

Published by: Columbia Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Digest

Poul Anderson, Raymond Z. Gallun, Robert Sheckley, Algis Budrys, Philip K. Dick, Noel Loomis, M.C. Pease

0/7

SCIENCE STORIES

Published by: Clark Publishing, Bell Publishing Edited by: Raymond A. Palmer, Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

Jack Williamson, John Bloodstone, S. J. Byrne, T. P. Caravan, Mack Reynolds, Edward Wellen, Richard Dorot

0/7

SPACE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Space Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey Format: Digest

H. Beam Piper, (John) Christopher, (William) Morrison (2), Damon Knight, T. L. Sherred, Lester Del Rey, Poul Anderson

0/8

SPACE STORIES

Published by: Standard Magazines Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Leigh Brackett, William Morrison, Sam Merwin Jr.

1/3

SPACEWAY STORIES OF THE FUTURE

Published by: Fantasy Publishing Co Edited by: ? Format: Digest

Only a movie title is listed.

STARTLING STORIES

Published by: Better Publications Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Damon Knight, Murray Leinster (2), George O. Smith, Sam Merwin Jr (3)., Chad Oliver, Kendall Foster Crossen, Willy Ley, Fletcher Pratt, Noel Loomis, Philip Jose Farmer, Theodore Sturgeon, Edmond Hamilton

0/15

THRILLING WONDER STORIES

Published by: Beacon/Better/Standard Magazines Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

L. Sprague de Camp, Kendall Foster Crossen (3), Damon Knight, Katherine MacLean, Wallace West, R. J. McGregor, George O. Smith, Dwight V. Swain

1/10

TOPS IN SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Love Romances Edited by: Jack O’Sullivan, Malcolm Reiss Format: Pulp

(Ray) Bradbury, Leigh Brackett (2), (Robert) Abernathy, (Hugh Frazier) Parker

TWO COMPLETE SCIENCE-ADVENTURE BOOKS

Published by:Wings Publishing Edited by: Katherine Daffron Format: Pulp

Like The Galaxy SF Novel, these “magazines” only published two full length novels, so it doesn’t really fit the standard pulp magazine cover listings thing.  However –

James Blish, Vargo Statten, Killian Houston Brunner, Bryan Berry, Poul Anderson, John D. MacDonald

0/6

UNIVERSE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Bell Publications, Palmer Publications Edited by: Raymond A. Plamer, Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

Theodore Sturgeon, Murray Leinster, Nelson Bond, Robert Bloch, William T. Powers (2), William Campbell Gault, Gordon R. Dickson (2), Mark Clifton, Sylvia Jacobs, Roger Flint Young, Poul Anderson, (Isaac Asimov, (L. Sprague) de Camp, (Eando) Binder, F. L. Wallace, George H. Smith

1/18

VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Specific Fiction Edited by: Chester Whitehorn Format: Digest

(Nobody listed on the cover, probably owing to the fact that this was a terrible magazine.)

WEIRD TALES

Published by: Weird Tales Inc Edited by: Dorothy McIllwraith Format: Digest

Everil Worrell, Joseph Payne Brennan, Leah Bodine Drake, August Derleth (2), (Manly Wade) Wellman, C.(lark) A.(shton) Smith

2/6

WONDER STORY ANNUAL

Published by: Best Books Edited by: ? Format: Pulp

Jack Williamson, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Henry Kuttner, Isaac Asimov

0/5

***

Text markup key:  A bolded name is an author who still resonates today (at least in my estimation); italics indicate a pseudonym – sometimes a house name, sometimes not; a number in ellipses indicated that the author was cover mentioned more than once during the year’s run.

The numbers following the names related the ration of female/male mentions for the year’s run.  The best that can be said about this is that Space Stories managed to achieve 33%, while the majority of the magazines featured no female authors.

***

Thirty Eight different titles, if we include serious name changes:

Amazing Stories, Astounding Science Fiction, Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader, Beyond Fantasy Fiction, Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, Dynamic Science Fiction, Famous Fantastic Mysteries,Fantastic Adventures, Fantastic*, Fantastic Story, Fantastic Universe, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction*, Future Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction Novels, If Worlds of Science Fiction, Orbit Science Fiction, Other Worlds, Planet Stories, Rocket Stories, Science Fiction Adventures, Science Fiction Plus, Science Fiction Quarterly, Science Fiction Stories, Science Stories*, Space Science Fiction, Space Stories, Spaceway, Startling Stories, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Tops in Science Fiction, Two Complete Science-Adventure Books, Universe Science Fiction, Vortex Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Wonder Story Annual. (*This was a title change) (and I’ve got 32 of the 38 first issues in my personal collection!)

Phew!

Incidentally, if you’d purchased all of these at the newsstand back in the day, it would have set you back a grand total of $55.80.  Adjusted for inflation, it would be a bit over $500 bucks today.  That’s a bit low.  There are 176 issues in question and current asking price for a digest magazine on the stands these days is $7.99.  At that price, these issues would have set you back about $1400.00.  This suggests that things really were cheaper back then!  (It’s also a lot easier to scrape up 25 cents looking for pennies on the street than it is to find $7.99….)

Beyond anything else, I simply can not imagine what it must have been like to be standing in front of the racks of a 1953 news shop.  During they heyday of my purchasing magazines from news shops, I had Amazing, F&SF, Fantastic, Galaxy, If, Analog, Odyssey, Galileo, and a handful of reprint mags to choose from, as well as a number of “graphic” magazines like Heavy Metal and “media” magazines like Star Warp.  I’d have been overwhelmed and terribly frustrated to find 38 different titles – I wouldn’t be able to choose which ones to spend my nickles on!

Truth be told, though, the regularity of these magazines was anything but regular.  If you averaged out their production over twelve months, there’d only be 15 titles to choose from at any given time.

No doubt quality suffered to some degree, but the chances of finding good stories was also increased.

Note, interestingly, that only 45 percent of these titles include the identifier “science fiction” in their name.  Among those that don’t include “science fiction”, seven consist of a descriptor and the word “stories”:  Amazing, Planet, Rocket, Science, Space, Startling, Thrilling Wonder, and two a descriptor plus “story” – Fantastic and Wonder.

I think it safe to say that the majority of magazines back in 1953 still felt the need to be very specific about what they were offering readers.  The cover image was apparently not quite enough, though I’m sure they worked hand-in-hand:  the outre image would catch your eye and the properly worded title would confirm your suspicions:  rocketships plus “Amazing” equals “science fiction”.  (Anyone seeing a scantily clad “space babe” and hoping for titillation was going to be sorely disappointed, and unlikely to be interested in anything “science stories”.)

Those two elements were probably believed to be sufficient come-ons to new customers, none of whom had a computer or databases to consult.  (In fact, whether or not you ever even saw a particular title on the newsstands was often hit or miss:  if the magazine distributor didn’t cover a particular territory (or deliver to that territory that month), you’d never see the issue(s).

But then, most of the magazines also went ahead and put two other items on their covers.  Frequently a statement about the contents was made -All New Stories!- and the title and author of at least one story listed on the table of contents.

I find it interesting that they felt a need to proclaim “All Stories Complete!”  “All New Fiction!” and even “A Selection of the Best Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction, new and old.”  This was of course due to the fact that there were numerous reprint magazines on the stands (Famous Fantastic Mysteries among them) and woe to the reader who spent that hard-earned quarter, only to discover contents they’d already read!

Another thing regularly stuck on the cover of these ‘zines was a sort of sub-title:  Strange Adventures on Other Worlds…Preview of the Future…Stories of the Future…Science Fiction…Best in Fantasy….

If you stand back and take a look at all of the covers shown previously, you may notice that there seem to be two general format layouts – “framed” and “unframed”, and further that the unframed titles break down into two sub-groups – boxes or no boxes.

Framed layouts present the cover image, untouched, and surround it with (usually) an inverted ‘L’ shaped border (Galaxy, Space Stories), while unframed titles print a full-sized cover image and slap text directly over the image.  Some of these restrict the listing of contents or highlighted story in an opaque box (which is printed over the image).

It seems that two different schools of design thought were expressing themselves.  Both have advantages:  unframed present a larger image, framed present one that lets you see everything, no textual interruptions, please, but are small in area.

Also note that 1953 was a year of transition for magazine format:  some of the titles shown were published in “pulp” format (about 9 inches tall), such as Two Complete Science-Adventure Tales and Fantastic Adventures, while most had or were switching to the familiar digest (about 7 inches tall) format – such as Fantastic Universe and Galaxy.

The larger format almost exclusively utilized an unframed layout, while many of the digests went with the framed format, though not exclusively.  Notably, Amazing Stories seems to be all over the place.

Now, with all that being said…why’d they put those names on the cover?

These magazines had three basic markets they were trying to reach – the educated fan, the fan who didn’t know they were a fan, the casual reader.

The publishers didn’t really have to worry about the educated fan too much;  chances were they were a subscriber, or belonged to a club that subscribed, or had fellow fans who shared issues around.  Fan readers of SF&F were always hungry for more and needed no other motivation than “the new issue is on the stands” to go and seek it out.

Further, this kind of consumer had already developed their tastes and would have been pretty familiar with the regularly published authors and those who were considered to be headliners.  Any given name on the cover stood a 50-50 chance of attracting or deterring that reader.  You could get a lot for a quarter and a dime back then – almost a beer, almost a movie ticket; Mark Watney would probably like to know that ten pounds of potatoes cost the same as a magazine.

I ponder the wisdom of a promotional campaign that runs the risk of turning your potential customer off, up to fifty percent of the time.

On the other hand, publishers, at least in regards to this demographic, were probably counting on a few other things as well:  most fans were rabid fans by necessity.  Even if every single author in a given issue was disliked, there was still the editorial and the letter column (often worth the price of admission alone), whatever other features might be included and, of course, the cover, along with the interior illustrations.  (Remember those?)  Having probably already been through the demise of many prior titles, the experienced fan back then probably had a well-honed sense of historical preservation.  All of which would tend to encourage them to ignore front cover unpleasantness.

One thing is for sure though:  this segment of the market didn’t have to be sold.  They were already bought and paid for.  The only competition a magazine faced with this particular buyer was whether or not a competing title was more “attractive” this month.  Which suggests that one purpose of the names on the cover was to play one-ups-manship with the other titles.

This then leaves us with two segments – the unrealized fan and the casual reader.

The only difference between these two market segments is that the unrealized fan reader might have heard of an author or two.  I stress might, since the novels they might have been exposed to were few and far between and no one was advertising SF magazines on television or radio, nor even in the mass-circulation magazines of the day.  You weren’t going to see Isaac Asimov on a Wheaties box (though this might not be a bad idea…), Jack Parr wasn’t interviewing Ray Bradbury and the movies they might have caught rarely, if ever, mentioned the origin of their script.

Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, Tales of Tomorrow (ended this year), some fans might have caught Atom Squad, some kids were maybe watching Johnny Jupiter, Rod Brown was competing with Tom, and it would be several years before Science Fiction Theater, The Twighlight Zone and Men Into Space would grace the small screen;  these 1953 television shows did little to elevate the profile of the science fiction author.

Likewise, radio (still a popular medium) wasn’t producing much of serious fan interest either:  Dimension X had been off the air for a couple of years, and it would be a couple more before X Minus One would air (both prominently featured stories largely drawn from Astounding Science Fiction).  The radio companion for Space Patrol was airing, but, again, any author involved probably tried to keep as low a profile as possible.

The only real benefit any of the magazines might have derived from these other media might have been creating the initial interest in the subject matter.  Given the right circumstances, it is entirely possible that a consumer walking past a newsstand would make the connection between a television show featuring outer space and the image of a rocketship on the cover of one of the magazines.

This works, potentially, for the unrealized fan, though it begs a question:  why didn’t any of the magazines attempt to capture this television show audience with various forms of tie-in?  (Tom Corbett Isn’t the ONLY Space Cadet.  We’ve got space cadets in every issue!  A New Short Story by the author of the latest Tales of Tomorrow episode!)  It could be suggested that most of SF on television back in the day was focused on “kids”, and that the magazines were going after an older audience, but most of the magazines on sale were perceived, at least  by the general public, as being kid-stuff too.  I can imagine a well-meaning parent, noting their child’s interest in Space Cadets, picking up a copy of Universe, or Science Fiction Plus, or Science Fiction Adventures (check out the cover art) as an attempt to support the kid’s interest.  But then again, we’re talking about an era that generally despised science fiction, so it’s more likely that mom or dad would be scheduling homework time during Corbett’s 15 minute episodes….

The casual reader…the only thing I can imagine that would attract them to an SF pulp (or digest) would be the cover art, perhaps reinforced by one of the come-ons.  But certainly not the names.

This of course brings us back full circle.  It’s pretty well established that the names on the cover did little to help market these titles.  Existing fans knew the titles and would pick them up regardless of who was featured;  unrealized fans could make no informed judgement about the content, and the casual reader would be attracted by art and possibly blurbs.

So why?  Why go to the trouble to select the names, why the belief that doing so was beneficial?  There’s probably only two reasons:  tradition (magazines had been printing the contents on the cover from the beginning) and ego boo:  ego boo for the authors (who were getting paid very little and had only two sources of fan interaction – letters and conventions.  Not to mention wanting to keep valued authors on the submission hook.  And ego boo for the editors and publishers who got to brag among themselves and play a game of one upsmanship.

So what have we got?  Here’s the list, most cover mentions to least, in alphabetical order.  There are quite a few names we still engage with these days…and quite as many we have forgotten.

14 Anderson Poul 11 de Camp L. Sprague  8 Leinster Murray  7 Dick Philip K., 7 Sheckley Robert  6 Asimov Isaac, Budrys Algis, Matheson Richard, Morrison William, Sturgeon Theodore, Wyndham John  5 Berry Bryan, Blish James, Bloch Robert, Brackett Leigh, Bradbury Ray, Crossen Kendall Foster, Gallun Raymond Z., Knight Damon, Lesser Milton, Lhin Erik Van,  4 Chandler A. Bertram, Clarke Arthur C., Derleth August, Dickson Gordon R., Gold Horace L., Hunter Evan, Jakes John, Ley Willy, McGivern William P., Merwin Jr Sam, Oliver Chad, Russell Eric Frank  3 Binder Eando, Christopher John, Clifton Mark, Cox Irving, Farmer Philip Jose, Fyfe H. B., Hamilton Edmond, Jacobi Carl, Kuttner Henry, Miller Jr. Walter M., Neville Kris, Robin Ralph, Simak Clifford D., Smith George O., Tenn William, Vance Jack, Wallace F L., Wellman Manly Wade, West Wallace, Williams Robert Moore, Williamson Jack,  2 Apostildes Alex, Beaumont Charles, Bixby Jerome, Boucher Anthony, Bretnor R., Byrne S. J., Carlson Esther, Cogswell Theodore R., Dee Roger, Gault William Campbell, Gernsback Hugo, Heinlein Robert, Howard Robert E., Jarvis E. K., Jorgensen Ivar, Kornbluth C. M., Lohrman Paul, Long Frank Belknap, Loomis Noel, MacDonald John D., McIntosh J. T., Mullen Stanley, Piper H. Beam, Powers William T., Pratt Fletcher, Reynolds Mack, Richardson Robert S., Robinson Frank M., Rocklynne Ross, Seabright Idris, Shaver Richard S., Sheldon Walt, Sherred T. L., Storm Mallory, Temple William F., Traven B.,  1 Abernathy Robert, Adams Samuel Hopkins, Albrecht Gustav, Archette Guy, Arnold John E., Bates Harry, Benet Stephen Vincent, Bernard (?), Bester Alfred, Blade Alexander, Bloodstone John, Bond Nelson, Brandts Paul, Brennan Joseph Payne, Brown Frederic, Brunner Killian Houston, Campbell John Scott, Caravan T. P., Cartmill Cleve, Causey James, Clark Roscoe, Clement, Hal, Collier John, Coppel Jr. Alfred J., Correy Lee, Cox (?), Creighton Charles, Curtis B., Dakin Peter, De Rosso Henry, Dean Joe E., Deeming Richard, Del Rey Lester, Devaux Pierre, Dorot Richard, Drake Leah Bodine, English Richard, Fearing Vern, Ferrat Jean Jaques, Fox Gardner F., Frank Harriet, Fritch Elliot, Fyfe H.B., Garrett Randall, Geier Chester, Gibson Joe, Godwin Tom, Gregory Franklin, Guin Wyman, Gunn James, Haggard H. Rider, Harrison H., Henderson Zenna, Holden Fox B., Howard Hayden, Jacobs Sylvia, Jones Raymond F., Judd Cyril, Kafka , Kent Kevin, Kline Otis Adelbert, Krepps R. W., la Farge Oliver, Lait Jack, Leiber Fritz, Loomis (A. F. ?), Loxmith John, Ludwig Edward W., MacLean Katherine, MacLean Mabel Seeley, McClary Thomas Calvert, McClary Thomas L., McClintic Winona, McConne James, McConnell James, McGiver Frank, McGregor R. J., McMorrow Jr. Tom, McGuire John J, Menzel Donald H., Mitchell J. Leslie, Moore Ward, Mortimer Lee, Moskowitz Samuel, Mundy Talbot, Nelson Alan, Nourse Alan E., Padgett Lewis, Palmer Raymond A., Parker Hugh Frazier, Paul Frank R., Pease M.C., Phillips Rog, Poe Edgar Allan, Porges Arthur, Pratt Pletcher, Price E. Hoffman, R. N., Rand Ayn, Ready William Bernard, Reynolds Ted, Rogers Jack Townsley, Rose Billy, Schmitz James H., Shallit Joseph, Shelton Jerry, Sherman Michael, Smith Clark Ashton, Smith Evelyn E., Smith George H., Smith Edward L., Snodgrass Richard, Statten Vargo, Stevenson Robert Louis, Swain Dwight V., Taine John, Tooker Richard, Tucker Wilson, Viet H. G., Walton Harry, Waugh Evelyn, Wellen Edward, Weston Ed, Wolf Mark, Worrell Everil, Young Roger Flint

Resources for this article were obtained from Galactic Central and the Internet Science Fiction Database.

On Cover Mentions The other day I got into a brief discussion of cover mentions throughout the history of the science fiction magazine.

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

So, I was poking about some of my old fanfiction and hadn't realised that series had a complete / incomplete tag. I gave notes to and marked as complete Robin and Jerome's Excellent Adventures for anyone who was following that. I don't think anyone has been following it or expecting any new stories for it in years. Just in case, since I saw the mark/tag, I've put it on officially closed out as I do not plan to write any stories for it anymore (even if I ever get back into She-Ra and write clone-fic again). My decision doesn't have anything to do with any past drama in the fandom. It's because I lost a close family member in 2023, making the themes of the series too close to home. (Clone undertakers, naming the dead / creating a clone funerary-culture). It is strange how I've come to feel like that series actually helped me - it's like it made me prepared, somehow, just a little. I was in a place of working out my thoughts on the subject of death, probably due to the pandemic, but after being hit with a sudden, unexpected death in the family the series became something I couldn't engage with anymore. I do have a couple of subsequent She-Ra fics that were a "help-through" my process, both of them fairly lighthearted, actually, and not in that particular series.

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

The old Reaper Brothers stories.

So, a coincidence in @baggebythesea 's ongoing Choose Your Own Adventure poll-story got me thinking of a set of old fics of mine. Robin and Jerome's Excellent Adventures. The main OCs also show up in a few of my stray fanfictions that are not a part of the series. They premiered as random characters in a Hordak-centric fic and I borrowed their names for an idea I had an, well, it went from there. I haven't written a new fic for them in a while. This is mostly because the people who used to be interested in them aren't interested anymore. I had a falling out with most of the "clone fandom" that existed once upon a time over some misunderstandings and behaving very awful and self-destructively. I think interest was waning, anyway, and clone-fandom has never been a big subset of Spop fandom. It is very, very niche and I think most people like humor with them, not as much the drama that I like to do. At this point in my life, I do not know if I will ever write a full story / centric on them again. This is because of events in my life. It is honestly kind of weird that I basically spent 1-2 years parsing out a lot of my views surrounding the subject of Death via these stories. They started out as just an idea about the possible needs of clones in a more serious version of the She-Ra setting. I think it may have been possibly subconsciously inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic and seeing massive death-tolls in my own country as well as a comparison worldwide whenever I turned on the news. These were all people I would never know.* I probably had some switch flipped in my brain to deal with it with a fictional species who were of the "nameless mook" variety, because it felt like how most of us were at the time (us "essential" retail workers and such). Anyway, I did these stories and I'm glad I did them, even though they are often brutal and heavy and what humor in them trends pretty dark. (As I think clone-humor would, honestly. I headcanon that most Etherians cannot stomach clone stand-up shows because of the things they joke and laugh about for relief). As my life is now, well... I lost a couple of my aunts last summer. *(One a late-contractor of Covid, compounding a lung-condition). I was rather distanced from them, so I took their loss with a wistful sadness and a small, futile regret that I never got back to Arizona to see them again before they went. Last month, however, I lost my dearest friend. My 39 year old nephew (by my partner) who often came over for extended visits (and was with us for months on end during the lockdown), one of the three geeks in our "three geeks in a pod" group, my gamer-buddy, one of the few people on the planet who ever actually understood me died. I've been dealing with the Hell of grief full-on, although I feel a little better after he visited me in a dream the other night. (Those of you with a depressingly materialistic worldview are free to think that it was just my brain doing a thing, but I would like to keep this as something spiritual, if it's all the same). In any case, I am suddenly dealing with a lot of DEATH full-on in my real life, including "Okay, we have to figure out an appropriate memorial service" and it's making me just feel like I cannot continue this specific set of stories anymore. I can have Robin and Jerome show up in miscellaneous fics not having a direct connection to their job, because I like the characters, but I am not sure I have the heart anymore to continue the series. We'll see, but probably not. I think what these character needed to tell me has already been told. I do, as always, appreciate any reviews anyone wants to leave on the existing fics.

[babyspacebatclone]

Yay! More Excellent Adventures (with required angst).

I love how you have Hordak use everything that’s been used “against” him in his own recovery to help one of this brothers. The calm reasoning. The validation of emotion. And, when necessary, out right emotional blackmail (“I think they are a mark of honor. You respect my opinion. Are you calling me wrong?”) to override negative conditioning with an external positive validation.

I love how Jerome feels here, very natural and relatable given his experiences. And facial scars are something even common people would be able to sympathize with.

I love learning more about these two, their work, and their souls. Thank you, as always, for sharing another step in their journey.

While I doubt Hordak is ever going to be fully comfortable with his own imperfections, I wonder if he'd ever be able to help other clones, like one who gets a very visible injury or something, feel more comfortable with their imperfections.

I think he would, eventually. Perhaps not in an active, exuberant fashion the way Wrongie might, but I think he’d potentially work as a quite, live example of how one’s life improves if they stop hating themselves at least a little bit.

But it’d be the sort of thing that would take time: post-season five, Hordak likely still has a lot of growth to do in terms of his view of himself, and all of the other clones may not be thrilled with his actions or his physical form. 

So probably not right away, but eventually: yes.

[babyspacebatclone]

Do Not Reblog This Version. WiP. Please save my sanity.

This will be edited in sections. See full reblog for links and list in progress.

Ok, this list is not complete. My brain is in in a cocoon right now because it is November 4th so this is me doing the best I can with brain fuzz on broken brain.

Obviously, Intimacy Log by @spacebatisluvd / @itsladykit . Technically an Explicit fic, but all relevant sections are identified and for the purposes of character development. This is the fic around our end of Entrapdak, created the Sea Hawk - Hordak one sided bromance to the confusion of the author, and the general sections are required reading. Check notes for fan art. Also: her (profile link) Drabbles and the Double Date fic (warning: Entrapdak and Catradora as friends, may break the minds of some individuals jk of course)

Other Explicit fics will be in a new reblog, because I myself love them but fully appreciate other people’s preferences.

Robin and Jerome’s Excellent Adventures by @shadsiethewriter is a series looking into clone life post-Prime, through two who have taken the task of giving names and dignity to fallen brothers. Shadsie also has some great Entrapdak-centered content, especially their completed 31 prompt series.

Aftermath: Building a Life for (Dummies) Clones is - basically what you expect from the title and being here. @rainoverthemountains is great at having poor Kadroh and Hordak trying to believe Entrapta when she says people won’t shoot Hordak on sight for defects, but they don’t. Great OC chapter too. Love it. Also, Prisoner, which I am criminally behind on but forgive me it is awesome don’t be me.

People I am behind on don’t be me read these:

@etherian-affairs how am I so behind on your fics?? Gah, forgive me!! Read more at @hermitdak and the MinaAffairs profile. I love the short fluffy Snitchbot!

How to Be Yours, literally have an appointment gotta go gah forgive me!

Yall got any good Shera fics? Preferably Glimbow or entrapdak but I ship all the things so anythings fine

[average-monster]

Here goes.

Three ships: Nuts and Dolts (RWBY) Entrapdak (Spop) there are a lot wrestling for third place here, but Bumblby (RWBY) wins out by a hair.

Last song: Time to Say Goodbye by Jeff Williams from the RWBY soundtrack.

Currently reading: Robin and Jerome’s Excellent Adventures (spop horde clone OCs by Shadsie on ao3)

Last movie: Violet Evergarden

Currently craving: I just had some ice cream, so, I’m good for now.

I’ll tag @shadsiethewriter @desib717 @cosmokyrin @babyspacebatclone

ty for the tag! @id-rot-in-hell-with-you!! <3

three ships: scarletvision, bkdk, sakuino 

last song: holding out for a hero - bonnie tyler

currently reading: monsters in america - w. scott poole & countless scarletvision fics (brainrot :( )

currently watching: chernobyl, the falcon & the winter soldier

last movie: onward

currently craving: fries, specifically like. mcdonald’s fries :| stop that, stomach.

tagging @ghoststrawberries @starcloud-nova @onafreckledsunflower  @dekuskacchan

if you want! feel free to ignore haha

[babyspacebatclone]

Robin and Jerome are required to become a regular thing (unless I missed them becoming a thing when I skipped Tumblr for sleep).

I love how Robin is learning how to be supportive, Jerome’s fear of being vulnerable to even a trusted brother, the shadow of Prime still terrifying but overcome-able.

This is also very very true. I was an international student in a USA college while waiting for my Green Card when I moved down from Canada (long story). I had to take part in the Oversea Students orientation, because logic. I honestly liked seeing the orientations, I found it fascinating.

It was a Northern Midwest college, however, and there was a ton of stressing for “This is a proper winter coat. Yes, we only get about 10 hours of daylight around Christmas. This is was Seasonal Affect Disorder is, please pay attention to it.” for the international students who had never seen snow before.

You know how people tend to want to sleep/eat more in winter? The clones have likely never experienced this before due to living on a climate controlled ship. There would probably be a lot of worried clones thinking their defective or getting sick.

Mm; they have absolutely no idea what their natural rhythms are.

Really, no one does. I guess they'll all figure it out together!

[daffodils-fandoms]

Waho. I mean, the concept, I love it. That ficlet TT thank you everyone for feeding my imagination :3

Ok, so this is a bit of an odd one, but I was watching some videos about Chernobyl, and as they looked at the tanks that are still horribly radioactive compared to everything else, a thought occurred to me. Would clones ports (assuming they are indeed metal) retain radiation easily, and would Prime have to wipe out any clones that came into contact with dangerous amounts of it to protect the others?

Goodness, I hope not! Radiation is something I’ve always found so frightening. I do not wish it on the clones :c

Funny you should ask, though; I was just watching clips of HBO’s Chernobyl today!

[babyspacebatclone]

Ah, yes, The Gift of a Name dropped during my “sleep sabbatical,” and for sanity I only follow the Entrapdak relationship on AO3.

It had a Tumblr review now, thank you so much for letting me know about it!

Thanks as always for your beautiful and touching writing, it helps so much in these non-tender times.

You know how people tend to want to sleep/eat more in winter? The clones have likely never experienced this before due to living on a climate controlled ship. There would probably be a lot of worried clones thinking their defective or getting sick.

Mm; they have absolutely no idea what their natural rhythms are.

Really, no one does. I guess they'll all figure it out together!