By Dave Rowe: Bill Mallardi has released 78 illos and cartoons that would have appeared in Double:Bill (and maybe some of them did), which makes them over 55 years old and most of the artists are no longer with us, so they’re fannish memorabilia.
They are free to fan-eds. The only stipulations are
1) You print them soon (Bill is heading for his 88th birthday and is not in the best of health). 2) You credit Bill for passing them on. 3) You send a copy of the fanzine you’ve used them in to Bill (Address will be supplied). If your fmz is on-line only, print out a copy and send that to Bill, who is not into the 21st Century as much as we are).
The lots are as follows:
Lot 1:
Rotsler & Mike Gilbert cartoon sheets. 3 off. 8.5″x11″.
Lot 2:
Tim Kirk & Rotsler “Fan Artist Feud” 8 off. 8.5″x11″.
The Journey Planet team is busy at the moment and has put out a call for contributions for three issues currently being worked on.
LOCAL MUSEUMS
Steven H Silver has been working with the team on an issue about Museums. They have invited fans to reflect on their local museums, museums they love, and seek out the unusual and different, from BatCat in Bangkok to The Little Museum of Dublin. We would like fans to share their local knowledge, to think about their favorite local-to-them museum. We would ask you to share what makes it special, why do you like to visit it, and what it is that gives you that sense of wonderment and excitement and also why you hope others would love it.
Photographs illustrating the museums are very welcome, we know that this can really help, we’re looking for short articles, around 750 words.
The deadline for submissions is March 31.
GIANT SIZE X-MEN
Brenda Noiseux and David Ferguson join the Journey Planet team for an issue looking at Giant Sized X-Men, which was released in 1975. This comic rebooted the X-men and marked a change to the members of the team, bringing the series into the 70s where some of the most poignant stories were told and internationalized the team.
Articles, art, commentary, viewpoints are all very welcome on the comic itself, the characters it introduced and brought together, as well as the initial run of comics up to the Dark Phoenix Saga which began in Uncanny X-Men #129. We welcome hearing from contributors who have a fresh angle or perspective and crafters who wish to create art related to the comic.
The deadline for the Giant Size X-men anniversary issue is 3rd of May, a day that comic fans will be enjoying, with a release in May.
ANDOR II
Allison Hartman Adams also joins Chris Garcia and James Bacon as they explore the forthcoming Andor II season.
Andor Season II has 12 episodes. These will be released three episodes at a time: every Tuesday, beginning on April 22, and then following on April 29, May 6, and May 13.
Journey Planet #65: Rogue One co-edited with Alissa Wales looked at Rogue One with thoughtfulness and affection and then
Journey Planet #69: Andor (Season 1) co-edited by Erin Underwood and John Coxon, proved very popular as fans reflected on the first season of Andor.
The opportunity presents itself now to answer questions: What do you hope for? What do you think will happen? And then, did Season 2 meet expectations?
We have other questions for you to consider as part of our “Instant Fanzine section,” so send us your answers and ideas.
As you enjoy the series, you can write as you go, gathering emotions and feelings and reflections, with a week to cogitate (and even rewatch the full season) and share your views, thoughts, opinions through the fanzine.
Finding an unusual angle is welcome, as is crafting something that ties in with the series. James will definitely be looking for connections to aspects of Irish Rebellion, and so we welcome you contacting us with your ideas.
Let us know if you’d like to be involved; we have a deadline of the 20th May.
The Journey Planet team is back with the second installment of their look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There was so much interest in this topic that they received enough contributions to fill two full issues.
Issue 87 — “Mina – Dracula’s Destroyer” — commemorates Bram Stoker’s birthday. Allison Hartman Adams joins Chris Garcia and James Bacon again to do a deeper dive into the text and works of fiction, art, and comics Dracula has inspired.
In “Train Fiend” James looks at the railway connections to Bram Stoker and the railway aspects in the novel, comparing the train movements and times in the novel to timetables of the day, seeking to pinpoint where and when Bram Stoker based these journeys.
Dracula-related comics and movies have a strong presence here as well: Kim Newman’s review of Batman/Dracula; Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen from David Ferguson; Dracula Lives from Rob Kirby; Batman and Vampires from James Bacon, and Alberto Breccia’s “I Was Legend” from Jim O’Brien.
In “Molested, Murdered, Maligned: In Defense of ‘Poor Dear Lucy’”, Allison challenges the dreadful treatment Lucy has received at Dracula scholars’ hands over the years.
Allison also considers and reflects on the character of Mina in relation to why she writes, and takes a nerdy wander in “Dracula By the Numbers.”
In “Dracula: Then and Now,” James sets out from Budapest to the Borgo Pass by train, reflecting on the changes and sharing his experience and journey through Hungary and Romania.
With stunning front and back covers by Iain Clark, the issue is beautifully bound.
Allison Hartman Adams joins James Bacon and Chris Garcia in a wide-reaching look at everyone’s favorite Count and his nemeses in Journey Planet #86 – “Dracula Fiend & Foe”, available here.
They examine the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s novel, just in time for Samhain, as the evenings draw darker and the chill in the air mixes with the beautiful colors of the decaying falling leaves.
This issue takes a look at a plethora of aspects, including the wide variety of art and culture that represent Dracula, starting with a consideration of the cultural transformations of Dracula as an icon. The contributors present many perspectives, from poetry about Bela Lugosi, to the costumes of Coppola’s Dracula.
The literary aspects are also important, and include a look at Bram Stoker’s Notes and the Rosenbach Museum, as well as why we need to stop calling it ‘Carfax Abbey.’
The issue features a number of interviews, including Dacre Stoker (Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew), Tucker Christine (editor of Dracula Beyond Stoker) and Karim Kronfli (Re: Dracula voice actor).
Also included are radio plays, comic book interpretations, an essay on vampires in East Asia, and even Dracula recipes.
There was so much enthusiasm for this issue that the matter of Dracula and Mina will be split across two issues. A second issue, Journey Planet #87 “Mina – Dracula’s Destroyer,” will be released November 6, the final date in Stoker’s novel.
Dracula has permeated our culture, and one can see how relevant Stoker’s works continue to be with the recent rediscovery of the long-lost Stoker short story, “Gibbet Hill” receiving worldwide attention.
The Journey Planet team are all massive Dracula fans, as you’ll see from these pages. They hope that you’ll discover new versions of your favorite characters in this issue.
Table of Contents
Fiendish Love: Editor’s Note by Allison Hartman Adams
Man, Wolf, Bat, Monster…Icon: The Cultural Transformations of Dracula by Josh Gauthier
Dracula Movie Posters by Chris Garcia
“Bela Lugosi” by Chuck Serface
“Much to Learn from Beasts:” the Costumes of Coppola’s Dracula by Hannah Strom-Martin
Myths and Mental Health: Journey Planet Interviews Author Dacre Stoker
Eating Molecules With a Pair of Chopsticks: (Mortal) Food in Dracula by Amos Dunlap
Stoker’s Gothic Heroine by Allison Hartman Adams
The Last Voyage of the Demeter – Movie Review by Erin Underwood
Sherlock Holmes v Dracula, A Play for Radio: Review by James Bacon
Interview with a Vampire an Actor by Helena Nash
“Like a Bolt From the Blue” – Bram Stoker’s Notes & the Rosenbach Museum by Allison Hartman Adams
Dracula Beyond Stoker: Celebrating and Continuing the Legacy of Bram Stoker’s Novel by Editor Tucker Christine
Dracula Beyond Stoker: Review by Chuck Serface
Vampires in East Asia: A Evolution of Occidentalism by Arthur Liu
Fiends of the Eastern Front: Review by James Bacon
Tomb of Dracula – A Reader’s Guide by Helena Nash and Chuck Serface
Please Stop Calling It Carfax Abbey: A Fan Rant by Allison Hartman Adams
Dracula 2000 Review by Sarah G. Vincent
Transylvanian Tabletop – 7TV: Dracula by Helena Nash
Joining the Journey Planet team this issue is David Ferguson who has co-edited an issue specifically focused on an LGBTQ topic: LGBTQ comics.
David said, “Journey Planet is a fanzine that has always been an ally of the LGBTQ community, featuring various articles covering queer characters, books, and more, and I enjoyed helping bring this issue to life.”
David continued “For years, I worked on the website Irish Comic News, which covered the work of Irish creators and creators based in Ireland, and I developed long lasting friendships with the creators in the Irish comic community. It was, and still is, a very welcoming group of people who care about equality and promoting their fellow creators, including queer creators. So when I was asked to help edit the Journey Planet issue on LGBTQ comics, I immediately reached out to Irish creators, specifically queer creators, to contribute to the magazine. I was delighted with the response.”
“We had no set idea of what the issue would be when we started and. Through my interaction with creators, it organically morphed into an issue where creators talked about creating queer work in comics. We have a wonderful bunch of contributors, some of whom I have written about before for the website of Gay Community News. This includes Anna Fitzpatrick (Alien Heart) and Clare Foley (Forbidden Altars), who wrote pieces about their comic creations. I interviewed artist Cian Tormey (Alan Scott: Green Lantern) and writer / artist Luke Healy (Self-Esteem And The End Of The World). I reached further afield and brought in Welsh creator Joe Glass (The Pride) and interviewed Steve Orlando (Marauders, Scarlet Witch). There are lots more. So many creators with different insights into queer comics. I am grateful to so many people for taking the time to write a piece or answer questions.”
Supplementary image – The Music on the Hill (Clare Foley)
David noted, “I also have to give a lot of credit to my co-editors and the whole team. So many previous co-editors are huge allies of the LGBTQ community. I’d also like to thank James Bacon, who motivated me and whose energy helped push the issue forward. James’ thorough research and engagement also provided multiple articles about the history of queer comics, a journey of discovery for him that I think people will really enjoy. There were characters I’d never heard of, and looking at the history and reading about advocates for queer comics in the eighties was inspiring.”
James added, “We hope this issue shines a light on LGBTQ comics, both historical and importantly of the moment, and on the wonderful creatives involved and the stories. We hope this issue motivates people to seek out comics and creators.”
David finished by saying, “I hope people enjoy the issue. We are already thinking of more queer topics to cover in future issues of Journey Planet and are open to ideas on the subject.”
James Bacon is one of many whose works are published in two books launched today at the James Joyce Centre in Dublin. Flann O’Brien and the Nonhuman, from Cork University Press; edited by Katherine Ebury, Paul Fagan and John Greaney; and Finnegans Wake – Human and Nonhuman Histories from Edinburgh University Press; edited by Richard Barlow and Paul Fagan.
Irish writer Brian O’Nolan wrote under many pen names including Myles na gCopaleen and Flann O’Brien. James Bacon’s 7000-word chapter “For Steam Men, Myles na gCopaleen and Irish Rail” was published in the Flann O’Brien book, but the piece has had an interesting origin.
James Bacon
It started off in 2018 as “Off the Rails – Flann on Track,” an essay in in Journey Planet #43, the Flann O’Brien issue, co-edited with Christopher J Garcia, Michael Carroll, and Pádraig Ó Méalóid.
“From there, with encouragement from Pádraig and others, I took the step of expanding the piece, and developing it into a paper. Robert Cogger, a rail communications officer, David John Adams, a freight driver who also drove steam trains, both supported with contemporary and expert views of Flann O’Brien’s work.”
Work continued. O’Brien featured the railways in a variety of ways: the fictional with “John Duffy’s Brother,” where a clerk having a mental health moment takes solace in “becoming” a train, chuffing about the office; the partially fictional with “A Bash In the Tunnel,” which formed part of an editorial to a literary magazine, The Bell, when Myles na gCopaleen guest-edited a special issue on Joyce; again writing as Myles na gCopaleen, O’Brien’s satirical yet incisive reflection of reality through dozens of humorous articles for The Irish Times column, “An Cruiskeen Lawn,” which challenged the powers that be and advocated for the railways; to his script of TV comedy O’Dea’s your Man episode “Fresh Air,” set in a railway station signal box, featuring Jimmy O’Dea and David Kelly.
There is so much to draw upon. O’Brien wrote over 4000 columns for The Irish Times, in which he took the rail companies to task on a number of occasions, to such a degree that, at one stage, he raised the rail companies’ ire so much that a supplier demanded an apology from The Irish Times.
In 2019, James presented his paper “Off the rails: Flann an expert community advocate for rail transport” at Palimpsest: The V International Flann O’Brien Conference at University College Dublin. Before Covid, there had been a call for essays, and James was delighted when an expansion of his paper was welcomed.
“Researching during Covid was a personal relief to the realities of heading into Paddington to drive trains during a time of such fear. The isolation in the spring and early summer of 2020, allowed for much work, and like the trains, the post flowed as support came from many quarters. My writing grew, as I came to understand more as I engaged with a series of experts, including fellow train driver Noel Playfair of the NIR who drove steam trains for the RPSI and was the last person to drive the Slieve Gullion, a steam train which Myles na gCopaleen wrote about. Nelson Poots in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland also proved hugely helpful, while the resources of the Irish Railway Record Society were made available thanks to Gerald Beesley and the loan of HCA Beaumont Archive materials from Johnathan Beaumont. It was a busy time.
“The expanded work was ginormous, and too much. Indeed an early draft exceeded 12,000 words. From this though, with the support of the patient editors, the work was edited down to about 7000 words for this publication, which I’m delighted to say has been well received so far.”
Paul Fagan at the lecternCatherine Ebury at the lecternMeg MacDonald, James’ Mom, James Bacon, and Marguerite SmithJames Joyce Center
The editors’ introduction notes:
“James Bacon explores O’Nolan’s interactions with trains and railways in his persona as the ‘steam man’ Myles na gCopaleen. As a working train driver himself, James demonstrates from a historicist and practitioner’s perspective how an appreciation of O’Nolan’s deep and broad knowledge of the railways, stations and institutions of Ireland – and, indeed, his professional-level technical, mechanical and operational understanding of and interest in the trains themselves – is crucial to understanding the specifics of his interconnected political, economic and ecological critiques of the Irish state. While previous critics have read the railway imagery in O’Nolan’s fiction in terms of literary allusion and metaphor, this essay historicises key columns from Cruiskeen Lawn in which O’Nolan’s real expertise in Irish rail is key to his engagement with a diversity of interconnected themes ranging from war and natural resources to language politics and modernisation. Whether presenting fantastic, cyborgian images of human-train hybrids or flaunting his local and insider knowledge to bolster his polemics in the daily paper, James shows us how O’Nolan’s interventions are always supported by a real and detailed knowledge of the underlying technical and operational details that shaped debate, as he promotes good practice and progression with evident affinity and respect for the machines themselves.”
“I keep laughing at my title,” says James, “as ‘The Steam Man’ is a method for Flann to either insert himself into the narrative as an expert, claiming footplate experience, or to create a humourous situation with the Steam Man, an archetypal older train fan, who is possibly an operator of old, but maybe just nerdy and needy. The Steam Man has a nugget of expertise but often lectures the Train Drivers annoyingly, and always knows best…and who is a piece of writing for, if not the author themselves.”
“There is an agility to how Flann uses language and monikers to suit the argument, and I think that could be a chapter on its own. But I laugh hard, because I think of the Steam Men in Fandom: a danger and concern to either powers that be or the community of hard working expert practitioners.”
“Thanks must go to Gerald Beesley, editor of the Irish Railway Record Society Journal, Paul McCann and Nigel Poots (sadly since passed) of the Railway Preservation Society, Jonathan Beaumont for access to the HCA Beaumont archive, and David John Adams for insight from his steam engine days. Much thanks also to Pádraig Ó Méalóid for continuous encouragement, assistance, other verbs and support. The essay is dedicated to: Robert Cogger, formerly of Railway Communications at Thameslink and Chiltern Railways, who departed for the final time December 2019; to Noel Playfair who passed away in 2023, leaving a huge gap in the cab and on the footplate of NIR and the RPSI; and to John Wyse Jackson of Zozimus Bookshop whom we, who love Myles, will miss. All of whom were generous with patience, their time and understanding, (“repeat back”) and helping me to gain a clear comprehension of challenging matters during a challenging time.”
Journey Planet continues to strive to bring new writing to a broader audience, and while James was in Dublin for the book launch, the final articles for a “LGBTQ+ and Comics” issue with co-editor David Ferguson were being finalized. The issue is due out next week.
James also conducted research at the National Library of Ireland on aspects relating to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, looking at early critique of the work and staying with the railway connection for a continually-expanding article by James entitled “Train Fiend” due to appear in the forthcoming Journey Planet issue on Dracula, due out on the 6th of November.
James’s chapter, “For Steam Men, Myles na gCopaleen and Irish Rail,” is available in Flann O’Brien and the Nonhuman from Cork University Press; edited by Katherine Ebury, Paul Fagan and John Greaney.
Journey Planet #44 “Flann O’Brien” is available here.
SFF’s occasionally turbulent relationship to work and working people is put in the spotlight in the latest issue of Journey Planet.
The celebrated fanzine released its 84th issue – “Workers’ Rights in SFF” on Friday, September 13, with co-editors Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk bringing together an all-star list of contributors for an examination of the various ways in which employment relationships are depicted (or misrepresented) in the genre. Best-known for their Hugo-finalist fanzine Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, Rokne and Wakaruk have been delving into labour rights issues in SFF since 2019.
“The best part of working on a project like this is being able to collaborate with talented writers focused on a subject that we’re passionate about,” Rokne said. “Science fiction became a defined genre at the end of the industrial revolution, when rapid technological and societal change was creating new types of work and new types of workers. From its inception, the genre was connected to work and to working people, making this a fecund area for intellectual exploration.”
The issue includes contributions from Brian Collins, Rich Horton, Octavia Cade, Will McMahon, A.L. Yakimchuk, Kira Braham, Bob Barnetson, Joachim Boaz, Camestros Felapton, James Bacon, Mark McCutcheon, Brett Sheehan, David McDonald, Kris Vyas-Myall, Gautam Bhatia, Farah Mendlesohn, and Jim O’Brien, as well as art by Autun Purser and Collin MacNeil. This stunning list of contributors may also have set a record for the most footnotes ever included in a single issue of a fanzine.
Journey Planet 84 “Workers’ Rights In SFF” is available at this link.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction by Olav Rokne & Amanda Wakaruk
Alientation and Automation by Brian Collins
Pohl Position by Rich Horton
Unpaid Green by Octavia Cade
Learning to Write Science Fiction from
John Steinbeck by Will McMahon
Fit for Purpose (Fiction) by A.L. Yakimchuk
Making Work Sexy With William Morris by Kira Braham
Rule of Acquisition 211 by Bob Barnetson
We Must Start Over And Find Some New Way of Life by Joachim Boaz
A Nightmare of Shopkeepers by Camestros Felapton
Workers of 2000AD UNITE! by James Bacon
Jumping the Shark on the Moon by Mark McCutcheon
The Translator (Fiction) by Brett Sheehan
They Who Build Beneath the Stars by David McDonald
Fighting the Suits by Kris Vyas-Myall
Gesturing Towards the Labour Question by Gautam Bhatia
Kritzer and a Theory of Labour by Farah Mendlesohn
Unions in SFF Recommendations by Olav Rokne
‘Commie nutters turn Tintin into picket yob!’ by Jim O’Brien
By Rich Lynch: Once upon a time there was a fan named David Mitchell. He hailed from Blue Mountain, Alabama, and for a short time in late 1964 and early 1965 he was a member of the Southern Fandom Press Alliance. But (spoiler alert) he wasn’t real – he was one of the best hoaxes ever perpetrated in Southern Fandom. This is his story.
Back then SFPA was still a fairly new apa, having been in existence only for about three years. It had been created by Tennessee fan Robert Jennings as a means for encouraging fan activity in the southeastern United States and beyond through amateur publishing. SFPA membership over its first three years included fans who later became famous professionally (writer William Gibson and comics artist/writer Joe Staton), fans who were or later became renowned throughout fandom (of which there were several), and fans who were active only briefly before drifting back into relative obscurity (of which there were many). And then there was David Mitchell.
His first SFPAzine, Endless Shadow #1, appeared in SFPA mailing #13 (September 1964), and in it he briefly described himself: “I’m fourteen years old and a fan of science-fiction.” Mitchell wrote that he had discovered fandom after asking the proprietor of a local book-and-magazine store if she could put him in touch with somebody who bought s-f from her regularly. That person turned out to be SFPA member Larry Montgomery, who lived in nearby Anniston. Mitchell wrote in his SFPAzine that they hadn’t met in person but had frequently corresponded through the mail: “We swapped several letters and than he sent me a copy of his fanzine Warlock. It was the first of these ‘fanzine’ that I’d ever seen. I told him that I would like to publish one myself. He told he how to go about it.” And with that Mitchell joined the apa.
Endless Shadow #1 was a five-page effort, except for the cover page abysmally printed using ditto. It was a stereotypical neo-fan crudzine, complete with lots of typos and an amateurish piece of fiction. There was also a couple pages of mailing comments, and that’s where things started to get interesting – Mitchell was opinionated. Very much so.
One point of contention was that Mitchell felt discussions in SFPA and even the titles of SFPAzines should be related to science fiction. He made this clear in his comment to Bill Gibson’s Wormfarm: “That sure is an odd name, I wonder why you didn’t pick a name related to science-fiction. I mean your zine is supposed to be slanted towared science-fiction.” And Mitchell particularly disliked SFPAzines that were mostly mailing comments: “I didn’t enjoy your zine too much because all it was, was mailing comments,” he told Dave Locke.
But he reserved his strongest opinions for two topics that were guaranteed to stir things up – religion and sex. His comment on Al Andrews’ and Dick Ambrose’s excellent genzine IscarioT took dead aim: “I hope that you, Al and Richard, didn’t mean for that title to mean JUDAS Iscariot. If you did, I don’t LIKE, that’s sacriligeous.” And for Lynn Hickman’s Huckleberry Finnzine (which contained several tasteful illustrations of nude female dancers), Mitchell wrote: “Nothing here but mailing comments and some nude drawings. Now nudes are alright in PLAYBOY but not in any part of science-fiction. Putting sex into s-f I just don’t approve of.”
After all that and perhaps surprisingly, the mailing comments that Mitchell received in SFPA 14 (December 1964) did not very much criticize him. Regarding the use of science fictional terms for a fanzine titles, Dian Pelz told him: “You will find, after you have been around fandom for a while, that very few fans have titles relating to science fiction. Most fans choose titles that are puns, or references to something that they are interested in.” On the topic of religion, Len Bailes gently chided him: “Gee, if you’re going to worry about fans being Sacrilidgious, you better not go much further. You might as well get used to the idea that fans don’t hold anything sacred, on the average.” And concerning drawings of naked women, Kent McDaniel declared: “What’s wrong with nudes in fanzines? After all, fanzines are supposed to mirror their editors interests. And, I ask you, just what red-blooded American boy isn’t interested in nudes?”
Mitchell’s Endless Shadow #2, was in SFPA’s 15th mailing (March 1965) and was much nicer in appearance and as a result a great deal easier to read than his first effort had been. It had been printed by Montgomery with his mimeograph and once again included mailing comments and another (and better) piece of fiction. But he was still as opinionated as he’d been concerning religion and nudes. He commented back to McDaniel: “I still disapprove of nudity because I’m a Christian. I will admit that I like girls and consider myself normal, but I DON’T like nudes in s-f zines.”
Cover of Endless Shadow #2. Art by Larry Montgomery
That comment to McDaniel apparently had grated on Dian Pelz, who was a pretty good fan artist. For SFPA’s 16th mailing (June 1965) she produced a one‑off fanzine titled A Portfolio for David Mitchell that was “dedicated to the proposition that sex and stf do mix”. In it she did twelve drawings which illustrated snippets from mainstream science fiction novels by well-known authors. Those ten scenes all included characters who were naked. And so did Pelz’s drawings. In today’s terminology, it was definitely NSFW. Comments she later received from various SFPA members were mostly complimentary, as much for the concept as the artwork. But if she were hoping to provoke a response out of Mitchell, she must have been disappointed. Because it came to light in that same SFPA mailing that there was no David Mitchell.
Larry Montgomery along with a friend of his, Lamar Hollingsworth, had been behind the hoax, and it was all revealed in Montgomery’s fanzine Warlock #8. As Montgomery described it: “When and where the idea came to me to try a hoax – I can’t remember, but by early July, 1964, I had rented a box at nearby Blue Mountain Post Office under the name David Mitchell. …The idea of having Mitchell as a VERY neo-type fan was hit on almost immediately. … Originally I was going to do it myself, but when Lamar showed interest of getting into fandom I put the idea to him and he liked it.” And as for the name of the hoax fan, Montgomery wrote: “David Mitchell was my best buddy in grammar school, but moved off when I was in the 5th Grade, so somewhere-someplace there IS such a person.”
As for why the Mitchell hoax ended, there was a pretty good reason. Montgomery wrote that: “[Lamar] decided he was tired of ‘playing neo’ – he’ll admit he still might be considered one from his lack of time in fandom, but he’s much more mature than his alter-ego and wants to be himself from now on.”But there was some irony. Hollingsworth never did further emerge into fandom and eventually faded into obscurity. The only place he ever had a presence in fandom was in the pages of Montgomery’s fanzines, which led to speculation (unfounded, as it turned out) that Hollingsworth himself might be a hoax.
There were numerous comments from SFPA members to Montgomery about the hoax’s reveal, among them one from Dave Locke who was mostly unimpressed: “A hoax can be amusing, but to unveil it too soon you put it more in the category of a joke rather than a hoax. A good hoax is one that runs for a good length of time; you nip it too soon and you lose a lot of reaction.” Joe Staton, on the other hand, seemed amused: “I must admit that I was taken in by the hoax. You see, I have a bad habit – I trust people. However, I assume that continued association with you will soon break me of this.” Dian Pelz was wistful: “SIG*H, poor Mitchell, and he was such a nice little neo.” And Richard Mann did a bit of postmortem analysis: “Congrats on your Hoax. It did go over pretty well, but … we suspected things – there were inconsistencies in the story, like David Mitchell having read Larry’s entire fanzine collection, but never having met Larry.”
Mann was right that there had been hints about the true nature of David Mitchell. In Endless Shadow #1, Mitchell had mentioned that he and Montgomery had never met in person, and yet Mitchell had two pages of mailing comments on the previous SFPA mailing – which he would not have had any means of obtaining. But that went unchallenged. Perhaps the first SFPA member to suspect that something seemed off had been David Hulan, who in a comment on Endless Shadow #1 wrote that: “What I can’t figure out is whether or not you’re for real. I know these Alabama fans and how they delight in hoaxes … and you read just like the sort of hoax Al and Dick might come up with.” But neither of them had been involved, even though as Montgomery described it, he’d had frequent conversations with Ambrose while the hoax was still active: “Many were the discussions with Dick that summer about this seemingly mysterious neo-fan. My acting ability came in for many trials in those conversations and I always suspected that he KNEW. … But last month when I finally told him the truth, he said he never suspected.”
We’re coming up on the 60th anniversary of the Mitchell hoax. Larry Montgomery is no longer with us, so this is all we’re ever going to know about what happened back then. Even though it pales in comparison to the famous hoax fans Joan W. Carr and Carl Brandon of the 1950s, it was still a pretty good ruse that might have become renowned through fandom had it gone on longer. All in all, it’s a tale that deserves to be preserved so I’m happy to help create a place in the history of science fiction fandom for the mysterious David Mitchell.
(L-R): James Bacon, Sara Felix, Chuck Serface, Allison Hartman Adams, Helena Nash, Regina Kanyu Wang, Alan Stewart, Arthur Liu, Vincent Docherty, Sarah Gulde. Not pictured: Dr. Yen Ooi, Michael Carroll, Ann Gry, Jean Martin, Chris Garcia, and Pádraig Ó Méalóid)
By Allison Hartman Adams: Team Journey Planet was out in full force during Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon for Our Futures. Co-Editors and Hugo Finalists participated in a wide variety of panels and activities, and still found time for dancing, socializing at the Fan Bar, and gallivanting around Scotland.
Amid the hubbub, Journey Planet launched both a new Facebook page (facebook.com/TeamJourneyPlanet) and a new Instagram page (@teamjourneyplanet).
For Journey Planet, the enduring theme of Glasgow 2024 was connection.
Arthur Liu noted that, at a small gathering for Chinese and foreign fans, there was plenty of space for conversation and even “friendly yet heated debate.” “It was a most joyful experience, since people from different cultures were willing to share and listen equally, regardless of their social/fandom status,” Arthur said.
Arthur Liu fan meetup. Arthur Liu in front, with back to camera.
Regina Kanyu Wang seconds Arthur’s thoughts, pointing out that “it is wonderful to meet old and new friends at the Glasgow Worldcon, both in person and virtually, from all over the world…I love how Glasgow runs the fannish convention with high inclusivity and professional attitude!”
At table: Regina Kanyu Wang, Emily Xuemi Jin, Gu Shi. On screen: Xueting C. Ni, Dr. Yen Goi
Chris Garcia had a lot to say, even from nearly 5,000 miles away. Chris was a regular presence on the Worldcon Discord channels, was on multiple panels, but was most excited about his famous Flintstones shirt. “I retired it,” Chris said, “so I sent it along with Journey Planeteer Chuck Serface to put in the Fanzine Lounge to be signed by any and all who might. And they did! The photos folks took made me exceptionally happy! A memory that will live in my closet forever…”
Chris Garcia’s Flintstones shirt with signatures.
Similarly, Dr. Yen Ooi was struck by the level of interconnectedness, even for the online-only participants. “I didn’t feel left out at all in any of the events,” Yen noted. “It was a bit surreal doing laundry and cleaning the flat between events. It is wonderful that we have the option of joining online now for something as big and exciting as WorldCon.
Logging in from Thailand, Ann Gry was delighted with how smoothly everything went, in particular the panelists’ breakout rooms and how well online-only participants could see the audience. “I feel very welcome and included at the con despite not being in Glasgow,” Ann said. “This year in particular, it was a breath of fresh air to share ideas about dystopias with Zamyatin’s “We” centennial and AI apocalypse scenarios (with Adrian Tchaikovsky!), figuring out engineering solutions to people’s problems and just having fun talking about food in anime.” In particular, Ann wanted to point out that the “programming team did a fantastic job picking panelists with a broad range of POVs,” and she hopes this hybrid structure remains a staple at future Worldcons.
For Sara Felix, the highlight was “SO MUCH ART!” She was made most happy by “all the art created for the con and by members–art based around my art direction and personal art.” In addition to being a finalist for Best Fanzine, Sara was also a finalist for Best Fan Artist, a well-deserved honor.
Sara Felix art display
Alan Stewart came equipped with exclusive “Australian SF Sci-Pi” ribbons for the whole Journey Planet team during our meet-up on Thursday, during which we held an impromptu planning session for upcoming issues.
For Events Lead Vincent Docherty, the weekend was a blur, but he most enjoyed mc-ing the Symphony and Roger Sayer’s Interstellar Organ recital, moderating a panel on Morrow’s Isle with GoH Ken MacLeod, composer Gary Lloyd, and choreographer Bettina Carpi, and, of course, “the warm feeling of being part of the Hugo nominated Team Journey Planet!”
(L-R) Gary Lloyd, Bettina Carpi, Ken MacLeod, Vincent Docherty. Photo by Simon Bubb
This year, Sarah Gulde celebrated the 10th anniversary of her first Worldcon, and the experience was as wonderful as ever. “I loved seeing all the friends I haven’t seen since at least the 2021 Worldcon in DC, meeting new friends, and meeting authors I’d never met before but whose work I love!”
In front: Sarah Gulde.
Helena Nash noted a similar feeling. Because of the length of the con, Helena got a chance to “sit down for an hour or two with Allison [Hartman] to talk about Journey Planet, or Kat Clay about TTRPGs or Stuart Vandal about the minutiae of Marvel comics history.” Moreover, Helena pointed out an incredibly important piece of Glasgow 2024: “The egalitarian, approachable format of Worldcon meant I felt socially permitted to talk to talented creators, as opposed to, say, getting 10 seconds to say hello to a celebrity at a carefully controlled autographing session before being shuffled along by a minder.”
Allison Hartman, when she wasn’t trying to hack down Meta’s impenetrable walls, found time for chatting, meeting new friends, and participating in panels. “I’ve never felt more at home at a con than I have at Glasgow 2024. I felt listened to, seen, connected. I am so grateful to all the volunteers and organizers. They had a herculean task ahead of them, and they pulled it off beautifully.”
And of course, James Bacon had plenty to say. “Glasgow 2024 was a pretty spectacular and very successful Worldcon. As part of the Glasgow 2024 team, my pleasure comes from seeing the fruits of the labour, the happiness among fans, and delivery of all the good fun things. There was a lot of that. I was a Chairs advisor, and my note now is, “Well that was awesome!” (Read James’ full commentary below.)
One highlight we can all get behind is the arrival of the one-of-a-kind ultra-exclusive Wallace Award, courtesy of Helena Nash. While not a Hugo, we love it just the same. Thank you, Helena!
The Wallace Award
While we were sad not to see 2023 Co-Editors Dr. Yen Ooi, Michael Carroll, Chris Garcia, or Pádraig Ó Méalóid, we were all able to connect with many Journey Planet contributors and friends, including Errick Nunnally, Brenda Noiseux (who also served a Hugo runner for the Awards ceremony), Craig Miller, John Coxon, Yvonne Rowse, Linda Wenzelburger, Pete Young, Alissa Wales, Meg Frank, Iain Clark, GoH Claire Brialey, Mark Plummer, Stuart Vandal, Olav Rokne, Amanda Wakaruk, Dr Meganne Christian, and of course Glasgow 2024 Chair Esther MacCallum Stewart, along with Marguerite Smith and Brian Nisbet. Everyone is hopeful for a Mega-Journey Planet Meet-Up at a future Worldcon. Please join us all on Facebook and Instagram, or reach out to us as journeyplanetsubmissions@gmail.com.
JAMES BACON’S THOUGHTS ON GLASGOW 2024: A WORLDCON FOR OUR FUTURES
By James Bacon: Glasgow 2024 was a pretty spectacular and very successful Worldcon. As part of the Glasgow 2024 team, my pleasure comes from seeing the fruits of the labour, the happiness among fans and delivery of all the good fun things. There was a lot of that. I was a Chairs advisor, and my note now is, “Well that was awesome!”
The weekend began early. I arrived on the Sunday before the con, but on Wednesday, an impromptu Journey Planet gathering occurred, as a group known as “Le F*ckers” (said with a fake French accent) gathered and drank in the Crowne Plaza bar. It was mostly JP people, but also other fans, and enjoying a drink was a nice start after a long day.
It feels like such a short time since Dublin 2019–and yet it is five years! It was good to reconnect so many people, and here were some lovely interactions about both Dublin and Journey Planet. There is a lot of love for the zine, and I was pleased that some recent issues really resonated with fans, who were keen to engage and chat about them.
As the Batmobiles rumbled into Hall 4, I knew it would be an amazing Worldcon, and likewise when I saw the excitement for what must have been the best events proposition that any Worldcon has ever had, all under the leadership of Vincent Docherty. Craig Miller in LA, whom I hold in the highest regard, set the bar high. He is an amazing fan, and if anyone can challenge our Co-editor Vince, it is Craig. I spoke to Vincent afterwards, and I hope we can do an issue soon, on music all going well.
I arranged a couple of “meet-ups” slotting them into a spreadsheet, and I was delighted that these occurred. I was frightfully busy at the convention, but ensuring these occurred was important. The first co-editors JP meet-up, after the impromptu “Le F*ckers”, was on Thursday in the vast Hall 4 with everything from a Batmobile to Free Books. I was delighted to speak with the amazing fan Arthur Liu, whom I had not met yet, and while not all co-editors were present, we still filled an entire table. New ideas sprung forth and it looks like our year got busier following the Thursday meetup. I was sad that all editors could not be there, but many were. Vincent was even busier than I was, for sure.
Journey Planet has had 37 co-editors to date, with 84 issues completed, and hundreds of contributors. I would love to meet them all, and at some stage we may even have a Con JP. They all work so hard, but like friendships, they come in, are amazing, and drift away to other projects. So it was wonderful to meet with co-editors, sit down, discuss, and solidify these friendships (although maybe we could have done a better job alerting them all). It was also great to greet some co-editors who I do not speak to much at all these days, just because I am not seeing them at cons I go to, like John Coxon and Yvonne Rowse. I carved out time to have dinner post con with Linda Wenzelburger, but missed Pete Young (I shall write to him, though) and I watched on as some co-editors, such as Alissa Wales and Esther MacCallum Stewart worked so hard. I got to see Meg Frank briefly (their art is so amazing) and was delighted to spend a whole session with Iain Clark who is working on some covers for us. There were so many people!
How friendships evolve in the fan community is interesting, and I am looking forward to Sarah Gulde and Chuck Serface joining us on an issue and writing about that.
Of course, co-editor Claire Brialey was a GOH, and I saw her and Mark Plummer a number of times, but that was more on behalf of the con than the long friendship that we have, although there was an intersection or something there, which is pretty unique.
I think I would like more time to welcome contributors next year in Seattle. If I go, I think I’ll look to my fellow co-editors to arrange some sort of workshop or panel about getting involved in writing and editing. There are so many young people and enthusiastic fans at Worldcon. I felt like I should have gone around to every one of them and given them business cards with ideas about how to volunteer to run conventions on their own terms and see if the enthusiasm could be harnessed for the future. I also felt like so many had something to say, and wished to share the conduit that is JP.
While all this was going on though, our latest initiative, a Journey Planet Facebook and Instagram page, was being rolled out by Allison Hartman, with Sara Felix on graphics. Allison captured what co-editors were doing during the con. We had discussed a structured and planned approach, consistency rather than frequency–the long game. So far it looks amazing.
We also had a meet up on Saturday evening. I am part of the Belfast Eastercon team, and had invited Team Journey Planet, and so we were joined by a number of contributors and supporters, as well as current and previous co-editors. Errick Nunally and Brenda Noiseux are always a delight to see. I enjoyed serving them all nice whiskeys and catching up.
Journey Planet meetup
I met Stuart Vandal, and that was superb. Stuart and I worked for an events company some 15 years ago, and it was a revelation to catch up. He is a freelance writer, but is really a Marvel Indexer, with over 100 indexes to his name, and often supports us with the comics aspects in our issues.
The Hugo Awards are really very special, but also can be overwhelming. We gathered beforehand and worked as a group. We previously did not always do this, which was a mistake. As a pack, a team, problems that crop up can get fixed immediately. While I had to go and accompany a surprise visitor, and was slightly late for the official Journey Planet photo, Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk were very understanding. We were joined by Dr Meganne Christian, Reserve Astronaut, Exploration Commercialisation Lead at the UK Space Agency, and Glasgow 2024 Special Guest, who was delightful.
While we sadly lost the Hugo Award, we were together, which was nice. Helena Nash made the Wallace loser rocket (which I now covet) and that was fun. I was sad that Sara Felix and Iain Clark did not win a Hugo Award; being a finalist is such an amazing achievement and honour, and the Worldcon and its fans, do that so well.
So much hard work goes into a Worldcon, and as we break up to pursue different projects and conventions, I will miss many aspects of being on the committee. There are so many good people with amazing plans. I am looking forward to seeing what Marguerite Smith and Brian Nisbet do with Dublin 2029. My thoughts now move on to thinking about enjoying future cons but working less on them. I saw less of Glasgow 2024 than I did of Dublin, which sounds bizarre, but I was more mobile. I walked 88 miles in 9 days.
We might try to make a concrete plan for meeting up–like Boskone, Eastercon in Belfast, and Worldcon in Seattle–as Chris might be at Boskone and Seattle. Sitting together and discussing ideas and welcoming new writers is always nice. Our ideas list for issues now stands well over 50 proposals, and next year is already filling up. I think the meet up could be expanded, especially if we can manage it at Seattle and LA, giving consistency. There is so much more to write about, another time though.
While many co-editors were not present, I was sad that Chris could not make it, but am hopeful that we will get to reconvene together. Perhaps it will be Seattle, perhaps somewhere else. I do not see enough of Chris, and while we talk a lot, meeting is always great, especially if I can take Chris for a meal.
Overall, Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon for Our Futures was very, very good.
For Journey Planet issue 83, “Food & Science Fiction”, Jean Martin joins Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon in featuring food and drinks in sci-fi and fantasy stories. A key part of worldbuilding is creating comestibles and libations that offer the audience an elevated sensory experience along with the characters.
Contributors to this issue share varied and interesting articles, photos and artwork about made-up gustatory delights in novels, movies, etc. Cosmic culinary questions such as “What does one order at an intergalactic diner?” and “Where should we go for the best Star Wars-themed cocktails?” will be answered. There are also reviews and recipes of science fiction food and drinks available in real life!
