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hotfps · 4 years

Video

After the outbreak of COVID-19 and the beginnings of global lockdown, we sent out a call to animators from around the world to send us a short animation depicting something they have experienced during the pandemic. Over 90 animators sent us their contributions, and this is the second film out of a series of three. While the first film takes us through the motivation to keep each other positive, this film shows the comical side to the roller-coaster ride of emotions, the weird things we end up doing and generally going a bit crazy… Press: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/kathrin-steinbacher-emily-downe-flatten-the-curve-animation-040520 https://www.animationmagazine.net/shorts/animators-around-the-world-come-together-to-flatten-the-curve/ https://www.creativereview.co.uk/lockdown-animations/ https://www.zippyframes.com/index.php/shorts/flattenthecurve-by-studio-desk https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cartoon-brew-pick/short-pick-of-the-day-flattenthecurve-part-1-by-studio-desk-190799.html Direction/Concept: Studio Desk Kathrin Steinbacher & Emily Downe Music & Sound Design By Phil Brookes Additional Animation/Direction: (Clips in order) 00:14-00:20 Animation: Olga Makarchuk 00:20-00:27 Animation & Sound: Klaas Verplancke (Art) & Arevik d'Or (Animation) 00:27- 00:30 Animation: Rohit Karandadi 00:30- 00:40 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 00:40- 00:54 Animation: Sam Lane Sound: Wolf Woodcock 00.54 - 01:02 Animation: Luke Frangeskou 01:03-01:10 Animation: Sanjana Chandrasekhar 01:10-01:19 Animation: Faustine Berhault 01:19-01:26 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 01:26-01:35 Animation: Tetiana Kurbatova 01:35-01:46 Animation: Charlotte Cambon Sound: Flavien Van Haezevelde, Studio BOOM 01:47-02:00 Animation & Sound: Julia Jesionek (vulva) 02:01-02:15 Animation: Capucine Gougelet 02:16-02:24 Animation & Sound: Anna Lena Spring 02:24-02:28 Animation: Katy Daft 02:29-02:43 Animation: Girls in Motion 02:43-02:50 Animation: Martha Halliday 02:50-02:53 Animation: Olive Lagace 02:53-03:05 Animation: Omar Zine Eddine El Idrissi 03:05-03:12 Animation: Chiara Sgatti 03:12-03:24 Animation: Anna Chwal 03:24-03:29 Animation: Emilia Voltti 03:29-03:45 Animation: Hana Tintor 03:45-03:55 Animation: Alara Kara 03:55-04:00 Animation: Daria Zadecka 04:00-04:07 Animation: Emmie Thompson 04:08-04:15 Animation: Sundeep Toor 04:15-04:26 Animation: Matti Vesanen 04:26-04:37 Animation: Zootghost Sound: Sam Perkin 04:37-04:50 Animation: Kathrin Steinbacher 04:50-05:99 Animation: Zohar Dvir

#IFTTT #Vimeo

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whileiamdying · 4 years

Video

vimeo

#IFTTT #Vimeo

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artwalktv · 4 years

Video

vimeo

After the outbreak of COVID-19 and the beginnings of global lockdown, we sent out a call to animators from around the world to send us a short animation depicting something they have experienced during the pandemic. Over 90 animators sent us their contributions, and this is the second film out of a series of three. While the first film takes us through the motivation to keep each other positive, this film shows the comical side to the roller-coaster ride of emotions, the weird things we end up doing and generally going a bit crazy… Press: https://bit.ly/2L98C5n https://bit.ly/2YLOb6z https://bit.ly/2Wg48R3 https://bit.ly/3dtEQEr https://bit.ly/3beqtCs Direction/Concept: Studio Desk Kathrin Steinbacher & Emily Downe Music & Sound Design By Phil Brookes Additional Animation/Direction: (Clips in order) 00:14-00:20 Animation: Olga Makarchuk 00:20-00:27 Animation & Sound: Klaas Verplancke (Art) & Arevik d'Or (Animation) 00:27- 00:30 Animation: Rohit Karandadi 00:30- 00:40 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 00:40- 00:54 Animation: Sam Lane Sound: Wolf Woodcock 00.54 - 01:02 Animation: Luke Frangeskou 01:03-01:10 Animation: Sanjana Chandrasekhar 01:10-01:19 Animation: Faustine Berhault 01:19-01:26 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 01:26-01:35 Animation: Tetiana Kurbatova 01:35-01:46 Animation: Charlotte Cambon Sound: Flavien Van Haezevelde, Studio BOOM 01:47-02:00 Animation & Sound: Julia Jesionek (vulva) 02:01-02:15 Animation: Capucine Gougelet 02:16-02:24 Animation & Sound: Anna Lena Spring 02:24-02:28 Animation: Katy Daft 02:29-02:43 Animation: Girls in Motion 02:43-02:50 Animation: Martha Halliday 02:50-02:53 Animation: Olive Lagace 02:53-03:05 Animation: Omar Zine Eddine El Idrissi 03:05-03:12 Animation: Chiara Sgatti 03:12-03:24 Animation: Anna Chwal 03:24-03:29 Animation: Emilia Voltti 03:29-03:45 Animation: Hana Tintor 03:45-03:55 Animation: Alara Kara 03:55-04:00 Animation: Daria Zadecka 04:00-04:07 Animation: Emmie Thompson 04:08-04:15 Animation: Sundeep Toor 04:15-04:26 Animation: Matti Vesanen 04:26-04:37 Animation: Zootghost Sound: Sam Perkin 04:37-04:50 Animation: Kathrin Steinbacher 04:50-05:99 Animation: Zohar Dvir

#Videos & Films

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surferjoe · 4 years

Video

vimeo

#FlattenTheCurve - 2/3 from Studio Desk on Vimeo.

Over 90 animators sent us their contributions, and this is the second film out of a series of three.

While the first film takes us through the motivation to keep each other positive, this film shows the comical side to the roller-coaster ride of emotions, the weird things we end up doing and generally going a bit crazy…

Press: itsnicethat.com/articles/kathrin-steinbacher-emily-downe-flatten-the-curve-animation-040520

animationmagazine.net/shorts/animators-around-the-world-come-together-to-flatten-the-curve/

creativereview.co.uk/lockdown-animations/

zippyframes.com/index.php/shorts/flattenthecurve-by-studio-desk

cartoonbrew.com/cartoon-brew-pick/short-pick-of-the-day-flattenthecurve-part-1-by-studio-desk-190799.html

Direction/Concept: Studio Desk Kathrin Steinbacher & Emily Downe

Music & Sound Design By Phil Brookes

Additional Animation/Direction: (Clips in order)

00:14-00:20 Animation: Olga Makarchuk

00:20-00:27 Animation & Sound: Klaas Verplancke (Art) & Arevik d'Or (Animation)

00:27- 00:30 Animation: Rohit Karandadi

00:30- 00:40 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk

00:40- 00:54 Animation: Sam Lane Sound: Wolf Woodcock

00.54 - 01:02 Animation: Luke Frangeskou

01:03-01:10 Animation: Sanjana Chandrasekhar

01:10-01:19 Animation: Faustine Berhault

01:19-01:26 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk

01:26-01:35 Animation: Tetiana Kurbatova

01:35-01:46 Animation: Charlotte Cambon Sound: Flavien Van Haezevelde, Studio BOOM

01:47-02:00 Animation & Sound: Julia Jesionek (vulva)

02:01-02:15 Animation: Capucine Gougelet

02:16-02:24 Animation & Sound: Anna Lena Spring

02:24-02:28 Animation: Katy Daft

02:29-02:43 Animation: Girls in Motion

02:43-02:50 Animation: Martha Halliday

02:50-02:53 Animation: Olive Lagace

02:53-03:05 Animation: Omar Zine Eddine El Idrissi

03:05-03:12 Animation: Chiara Sgatti

03:12-03:24 Animation: Anna Chwal

03:24-03:29 Animation: Emilia Voltti

03:29-03:45 Animation: Hana Tintor

03:45-03:55 Animation: Alara Kara

03:55-04:00 Animation: Daria Zadecka

04:00-04:07 Animation: Emmie Thompson

04:08-04:15 Animation: Sundeep Toor

04:15-04:26 Animation: Matti Vesanen

04:26-04:37 Animation: Zootghost Sound: Sam Perkin

04:37-04:50 Animation: Kathrin Steinbacher

04:50-05:99 Animation: Zohar Dvir

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ozkamal · 4 years

Video

vimeo

After the outbreak of COVID-19 and the beginnings of global lockdown, we sent out a call to animators from around the world to send us a short animation depicting something they have experienced during the pandemic. Over 90 animators sent us their contributions, and this is the second film out of a series of three. While the first film takes us through the motivation to keep each other positive, this film shows the comical side to the roller-coaster ride of emotions, the weird things we end up doing and generally going a bit crazy… Press: https://ift.tt/2SxJadM https://ift.tt/3fey07D https://ift.tt/35uTh8A https://ift.tt/35u2Btm https://ift.tt/2W0U66c Direction/Concept: Studio Desk Kathrin Steinbacher & Emily Downe Music & Sound Design By Phil Brookes Additional Animation/Direction: (Clips in order) 00:14-00:20 Animation: Olga Makarchuk 00:20-00:27 Animation & Sound: Klaas Verplancke (Art) & Arevik d'Or (Animation) 00:27- 00:30 Animation: Rohit Karandadi 00:30- 00:40 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 00:40- 00:54 Animation: Sam Lane Sound: Wolf Woodcock 00.54 - 01:02 Animation: Luke Frangeskou 01:03-01:10 Animation: Sanjana Chandrasekhar 01:10-01:19 Animation: Faustine Berhault 01:19-01:26 Animation & Sound Kamila Szewczuk 01:26-01:35 Animation: Tetiana Kurbatova 01:35-01:46 Animation: Charlotte Cambon Sound: Flavien Van Haezevelde, Studio BOOM 01:47-02:00 Animation & Sound: Julia Jesionek (vulva) 02:01-02:15 Animation: Capucine Gougelet 02:16-02:24 Animation & Sound: Anna Lena Spring 02:24-02:28 Animation: Katy Daft 02:29-02:43 Animation: Girls in Motion 02:43-02:50 Animation: Martha Halliday 02:50-02:53 Animation: Olive Lagace 02:53-03:05 Animation: Omar Zine Eddine El Idrissi 03:05-03:12 Animation: Chiara Sgatti 03:12-03:24 Animation: Anna Chwal 03:24-03:29 Animation: Emilia Voltti 03:29-03:45 Animation: Hana Tintor 03:45-03:55 Animation: Alara Kara 03:55-04:00 Animation: Daria Zadecka 04:00-04:07 Animation: Emmie Thompson 04:08-04:15 Animation: Sundeep Toor 04:15-04:26 Animation: Matti Vesanen 04:26-04:37 Animation: Zootghost Sound: Sam Perkin 04:37-04:50 Animation: Kathrin Steinbacher 04:50-05:99 Animation: Zohar Dvir

#IFTTT #Vimeo

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thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

The Strange, Nostalgic World of Obama-Biden Fan Fiction

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/the-strange-nostalgic-world-of-obama-biden-fan-fiction/

The Strange, Nostalgic World of Obama-Biden Fan Fiction

Those who choose to live in clinical denial, ahoy! This is a no-judgment zone, in which you will be urged to forget the current American president’s name—and instead enjoy escapist fan fiction about Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Yes, there is such a thing. Past presidential fanfic masterworks—like “Kim Jong Elmo vs Dick Cheney and George Bush featuring Lapis Lazuli”—might have been relegated to online speakeasies, but so great is thenostalgie d’Obamathat new books about Barry and Joe are bringing fanfic’s nerdy tropes into the light of day in print.

Story Continued Below

Parodist Andrew Shaffer has just added a new entry to his enjoyably ludicrous Obama-Biden series, which launched last year withHope Never Diesand features the duo solving mysteries together. The second entry, published in July, is called, you guessed it,Hope Rides Again.Indie director Adam Reid’s gonzo graphic confection,The Adventures of Barry & Joe, which styles Obama and Biden as time-traveling superheroes, was released this past spring. It is here to, if not to save the day, then at least demonstrate the life-changing magic of putting our heads under the covers and pretending it’s 2015.

I respect you if you refuse to look back and entertain fantasies that Obama and Biden might return to deliver the Republic from evil. Biden on the 2020 stump might wield Obama’s name like a talisman to protect himself from criticism, but all sane voters know the Joe-Barack heyday is never coming back.

Still, tucking into the fantasies of Reid, a filmmaker whose 2010 filmHello Lonesomewas a festival darling, and Shaffer, a novelist who teaches writing in Kentucky, I decided to tolerate and maybe even open my heart to the authors’ poignant nostalgia for libmerica. It’s a powerful thing to mark the difference between today’s gruesome nonfan-nonfic—in which the Chosen One aims to delete China while annexing Israel and Greenland—and escape back to the relative paradise known as 2008 to 2016.

Now, to Uncle Joe.Hope Never Dies(Quirk Books), the first of the Shaffer mysteries—Hardy Boys-style with a YA version of the Dashiell Hammett narrative voice, but goofy—was released before Biden had announced his presidential bid; the second,Hope Rides Again,came out not long afterward. Like many an Obaman, Shaffer’s Biden opens the first novel frozen in time, just after the 2016 election, gorging on Ben & Jerry’s. This bothers Jill, Joe’s wife. In both Shaffer novels, Joe and Jill (and Barack and Michelle) are comparable to lovable, forgettable CBS sitcom duos of a decade ago:Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens.The dude is a charming galoot; the wife has his number.

But the real One True Pairing here—let’s not kid ourselves—is gonna involve Barack, whose communiqués Joe initially awaits like a schoolgirl scorned. “After Jill was sound asleep, I scrolled through old text messages Barack and I had exchanged a lifetime ago,” Shaffer writes. “It was an exercise in futility. If I kept picking at the wound, it was never going to heal.”

Biden mirrors the sulky American people. Is Barack Obama ghosting us?

Probably. But inHope Never Dies,he‘s not ghosting Biden, and after Encyclopedia Joe stumbles on the mystery of the murdered Amtrak conductor inHope Never Dies, the Dem Duo reunite to criss-cross Delaware in a farrago that leads them to find the mastermind of the opioid epidemic because why not. (It is not the Sacklers, FYI; fanfic is fic.)

On the cover ofHope Rides Again,the sequel, Obama wears tan as, in an Ethan Hunt moment, he dashingly mounts a rope ladder to a helicopter, giving a hand to trusty Joe. This choice, of course, expresses Shaffer’s fondness for no-drama Obama by reminding us that right-wing pundits had nothing to make hay about in summer 2014 but the president’s beige suit. In this novel, Joeisabout to announce his presidential bid, when Barack loses track of his BlackBerry—warning, the nostalgia goes deep; Obama even smokes again—and the device’s thief has been murdered. Off they go!

Joe encounters thugs, a grenade, near-disaster on an airplane. And he and Barack do, it’s true, end up, “huddled together, arms twisted like a couple of pretzels”—but they’re in a hole the size of a washing machine in the hull of a ship. By the time the police helicopter arrives for them, unfurling its rope ladder, they’ve finished off the bad guys and are ready to fly away, like Obama leaving the White House on January 20, 2017.Sniff.

If this is all high corn, there’s some actual sweetness, too: Shaffer clearly admires and somehow truly gets Joe’s geriatric efforts to be cool and, especially cringily,downwith the 44th president, with fist bumps and (yikes) even pseudo-Ebonics. It’s good someone finds that side of Joe charming.

Reid’sAdventures of Barry & Joe(Dey Street Books), the product of a Kickstarter campaign,is considerably skeevier than the wholesome Shaffer books. To clarify: None of this is slash. That’s a blessing. Shaffer and Reiddo not, I repeat donot, reprise (entirely) the Kirk/Spock erotics from the earliest days of pre-internet fan fiction. In case you somehow dodged the ’70s zines, in which fanfic was first codified, “slash” were the sexy fairy tales, mostly by women, in which the fellowship expressed on the USS Enterprise tilted into loving tendresse and then—sweetly, slowly—into … make-out jams.

Presumably Reid wants a bigger audience for his graphic novel than he’d get with straight slash.Adventuresis ultimately something called “ampersand” fanfic, meaning friendship, not romance, defines the Barry & Joe relationship. (That’s “ship” in fanfic-speak—you D.C. squares got a lot to learn.)

But, unaccountably, Reid still wants to see the former president and VP nekkid, so by panel No. 7 of the chapter called “True Bromance,” they’re drawn in a locker room, preparing to participate in a time-travel experiment by stripping down to their briefs. By No. 9, we’re to full-posterior nudity. Joe, so you know, has the dusty-rose busting-at-the-seams body of geezer strongman Jack LaLanne. Barry, while also shredded, is only somewhat slimmer. Glutes have been diligently attended to by the artists in that section, Joe St. Pierre (of Marvel), Anwar Hananu (Image Comics) and freelance illustrator Dezi Sienty. (The Adventures, which includes a grab bag of stories, aphorisms and short plays alongside the graphic components, is very much a group effort.)

Before Joe and Barack disappear into a time-travel vessel that looks like KitchenAid made it, Biden says, “Barack, I want you to know … I wanna hug even though we’re naked. Is that wrong?” Barry: “Let’s not.” Joe: “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Much of Reid’s scrapbook concerns madcap travel in the “multiverse,” in what could be a tribute to the lateMadmagazine.The taste level isMad,also. In one of Reid’s short stories, Joe returns to the 1970s, looks uncannily hot, and gets a chance to talk to his son, Beau, then 9. More than the nudity, this fictional resurrection of Biden’s son—the real Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015—seems far too intrusive to be even campily enjoyable.

I winced. Until that point, I’d been reading with the simmering notion that liberal democracy, now globally stifled, might come back to life with a new leader in 2020. But Beau Biden will not come back to life. Suddenly the whole project of these wish-fulfillment Obama fantasias seemed like nothing more than fodder for Trump ralliers to, as the T-shirt says, oil their guns with liberal tears. And how in the world could I write about it? One false move—one mentionin fictionthat Obama and Biden (in fiction) are (fictional) witnesses to an (imaginary) gangland shooting (in a work of fiction)—and you might end up quoted with a straight face in some daft anti-Biden propaganda that ricochets all over the internet. While I could suspend solemnity for a few hours, in this current breath-holdingly paranoid climate, there’s not enough oxygen for this much playfulness.

If the Library of Congress shelving system were remade for our time, these fanfic works might be classified as “WAFF,” because they’re meant to generate—you got it—warm and fuzzy feelings. Those are the feelings most Americans still vaguely remember from four years ago. But we’re forgetting. And before we introduce delusions about what might have been, we have an urgent challenge in the present—Trumpism, which can be stopped only with something other than naked cartoons. Thus, the Biden-Obama counterfactuals,especiallybecause they’re meant to be fun, leave me with CAPs—cold and pricklies. Nowthat’s a phrase from the 1970s that should be brought back.

#Fiction #Foreign #Obama-Biden #Politics

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swipestream · 6 years

Text

Short Reviews – Joe Carson’s Weapon, by James R. Adams

Joe Carson’s Weapon appeared in the Spring 1945 issue of Planet Stories. It can be read here at Archive.org

Joe Carson’s Weapon may be about the most PoMo thing I’ve read in Planet Stories.

A kid writes into his favorite sci-fi pulp magazine and a pair of Martians whose orders are to take over the earth take the kid’s letter at face value.

While it definitely wasn’t my thing, there were some pretty good laughs to be had on this one. The best part, perhaps, is the nearly page length “letter” to the editor that Joe Carson sends in, which absolutely captures the very essence of the most egregiously banal letters that ended up being printed in the pulps. The adventure itself is practically proto-Aqua Teen Hunger Force with the Martians being completely daft and incompetent while complimenting one another on their superior intellects or saying deliciously comic self-congratulatory stuff like “Yes, we are truly martyrs. My only regret is, I have but nine tentacles to give for my species.” (Try not reading that in Oglethorpe the Plutonian’s voice.)

As a perfect lead-in to next week’s Retro-Fandom Friday, I’m including the entirety of Carson’s “Letter” (oh, my God, Adams nails how some of these letter writers write), but it might behoove you to check out the whole story:

Ye Humble Ed:

Once again the keeper has negligently left my door unlatched and I slyly crawl from my cage, drawn by one, irrevocable purpose. Glancing hither and yon, to make sure I am unobserved, I dash to the fence and clear it with a prodigious leap that carries me half way to the corner drug-store.

Snatching a tricycle from a gawking kid, I push his face in the mud and pedal furiously the remaining distance to the store. Leaping off, I rush in and batter my way through the screaming throng, shouting imprecations at all who stand in my way.

Panting with exhaustion, I at last reach my goal and clutch it to my breast. The crowd surges forward and frantic hands grab at my prize.

“It’s mine! All mine!” I shout in their faces. “No one can take it from me!”

Galloping madly from the store I race swiftly across yards and up alleys, quickly losing the howling mob in the distance. Squatting under a street-lamp, I sneak a triumphant look at the treasure. What is it? Yep, you guessed it—Galactic Adventures!1

But—shades of Major Mars!—what is that horrible monstrosity on the cover? A BEM, no less…an abominable, wretched BEM. Why, oh why, can’t we have at least one different cover painting? Wesley is no good. Get Marlini or Sidney to do the covers. I don’t mind a BEM now and then, but a steady diet of them soon palls on the palate. (Heh heh.) All joking aside, your covers are terrific.2

Now we come to the task of rating the stories. Only one stands out in my mind as being of excellent quality. I refer to Arthur M. Ron’s super-epic, The Infinite Finite. The other stories paled into insignificance in comparison to this classic. More power to Ron! Percival’s Puissant Pulverizer and Nothing is Something follow Ron’s story in that order. The rest are not worth mentioning.3

The interior illustrations are somewhat better than the cover, although, for the most part, they are inaccurate and do not follow the themes of the stories. Ye gods! Can’t your artists read? So much for the art, which wasn’t so much.4

Say! What does that jerk, The Amphibious Android, mean by calling me a “mere child”? His assertion that I’m but a youth of fifteen is a good way off the beam. I’ve been reading Galactic Adventures for the past eight years and I was nine years old when I picked up my first copy, so figure it out for yourself. A jug of sour zeni to him. May fire burst out in his s. f. collection and utterly destroy it. No! I retract that. That’s too horrible a fate, even to visit upon The Amphibious Android. Let him wallow in his ignorance. I, The Super Intellect, will smile down on him and forgive him his sins.5

That’s an interesting letter from Charlie Lane. The Miserable Mutant has propounded an amazing theory that has set me to wondering. Perhaps G. A. can induce one of its authors to work this theory into a story. I’m reserving my four wooden nickels right now for the tale, if it is written. I’ll even suggest a title—Those Who Are Froze In The Cosmos. How’s that? Well, I didn’t like it either.6

Once again I tear my hair and roar: GIVE US TRIMMED EDGES!7 Ye Ed must know by now that the majority of fandom is in favor of trimmed edges. As it is, one comes suddenly to the most interesting part of a story, at the very bottom of a page and spends several moments feverishly attempting to gain a hold on the ragged edge and go on to the next passage. By the time he has accomplished this, he is a raving lunatic, a martyr to trimmed edges. I am not a crusader, as is The Misled Biped, but I insist on seeing justice done.

As a whole, this is a fair issue. I might even call it good, if it were not for the artwork and stories. Ron’s epic will live forever in my mind, although its ending was rather weak and it could have developed into a more powerful tale by having the Slads all die in the Inferno.8

I enter my plea for longer stories. A long novel by M. S. Jensen would be appreciated. His last, Dr. Higbaum’s Strange Manifestation, was a gem. On the other hand, short stories are not without merit and good old G. A. wouldn’t be the same without them. I believe the story policy had best remain as is.

Give Higgins a rest. His yarns are rapidly degenerating into hack, with only four out of the last five meeting with this reader’s approval. I don’t like to be finicky, but it seems like he isn’t contributing his best material to G. A.

Well, this missive is growing to huge proportions and I would like to see it in print, so I’d better sign off.

Oh, yeh, almost forgot to comment on the departments. They are all good, with The Reader’s Opinion being the most interesting.9 Ye Ed’s ruminations come in for a close second. Do not change the departments in any way, although the quiz and the Strange Phenomena feature could be discontinued, without any great loss.

Before I close, I wish to make a revelation which will rock the world. Yes, Ed, I have a secret weapon! Nothing can stand against this terrible invention and, with it, I could even destroy Earth, with Mars and Pluto thrown in for good measure. Beware, Ed, lest you arouse my ire and cause me, in my wrath, to unleash this vast force upon helpless, trusting mankind.

Having read G. A. from cover to cover, I crawl back into my cage, drooling with delight. Prying up a loose stone in the center of the floor, I tenderly deposit the mag among the other issues of my golden hoard. Replacing the stone, I sigh contentedly and manipulate my lower lip with two fingers to indicate complete satisfaction. See you next issue!

Joe Carson

The Super Intellect

1. It was not uncommon for letters to begin with flash fiction (often sci-fi-themed) accounts of acquiring the latest issue, ranging from “So, I plunked my two dimes down at the newsstand…” to full-overblown stuff along the lines of the above. Adams really nails how bad many of these are.

2. Covers and quality of the covers were a frequent topic of discussion in Vizigraph. I do think that a lot of writers had justifiable complaints against several of Planet’s early-mid 40s artists, Parkhurst in particular, who, while he did do some good work now and then, had some pretty lousy compositions. Additionally, there was always the debate on whether the girls were too scandalous or not scandalous enough, or the fan who’d quip about the need to hide the front cover… not because of the dame but because of how embarrassingly bad they though Parkhurst’s cover was. Though it was clear that most of his iconic pieces were all based off the same handful of reference photos, Allen Anderson’s run was much better quality and much better received than Parkhurst’s.

3. Obvious joke titles aside, this could be word-for-word cropped from a real letter.

4. More frequent complaints about the interior illos. By the late 40s, the art was jibing with the stories a bit better, there was often a strange contradiction of tone when you’d get a hardboiled SF Noir story paired with Doolin’s illustrations of Flash Gordon silly hats and underwear on the outside.

5. SF Fandom has always been terrible, and letter cols were filled with this kind of stuff…

6. …which often had context lost as they referred to stories and letters from previous issues.

7. A big deal.

8. This and the next paragraphs are fairly characteristic of the unhelpfully contradictory feedback usually included in reader letters.

9. Oddly enough, Planet did get several letters saying that the Letters section was the only part worth reading. Imagine only reading a pulp zine for the yahoos writing in to complain about things! Part of the ostentatiousness of the letters, however, was almost certainly the result of the quarterly competition in which letter writers could vote on their favorite letters, with the top three vote-getters getting a shot at original pieces of interior art-work.

Short Reviews – Joe Carson’s Weapon, by James R. Adams published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi

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