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SoUTheRN CONFEDeRATiON UPDATE

VoLUMe 1, ISsUE 11

NoVeMBEr 2009 2

Musings of a Faned

The reviews continue! We’ve got two from me, and one each from Chris Garcia and Glug. The font for last issue’s cover got such positive comments, I’ve decided to keep it around for a while. Also, Brad Foster sent us more art, so I went ahead and used one of his pieces on this cover, because it was too much fun to sit on. I was pleased to see that last issue got some letters of comment from folks who don’t usually send them in. Also, the TAFF race has officially begun, so those of you who are getting this by email will also be receiving a copy of that ballot. I made it up to Capclave last month, and I’ll hit Philcon this month. I consider Philcon to be a pilgrimage – it was the first SF con (at least, they called their gathering a convention before anyone else met and did so). If I had to cut my congoing back severely, I think I’d still try to make StellarCon (my first), Philcon (the first), DeepSouthCon (come hell or high water), LibertyCon (my favorite), and (whenever possible). Which cons do y’all hit every year?

Table of Contents: Calendar of Events Warren Buff 3 Review: The Revolution Business , by Charles Stross Warren Buff 5 Review: Shambling Towards Hiroshima , by Buff 6 Morrow Review: Soulless , by Gail Carriger Christopher J. Garcia 7 Review: : The Dark Ages , by Bill 9 Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Christopher Hensley Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, and David Hahn Rebel Yells: News and Notes from all over Y’all 10 A Visit to the Nashville Comic and Horror Fest Dr. Jeff Thompson 15

Colophon: Editor & SFC President: Warren Buff [email protected] (919) 633-4993 2412 F Still Forest Pl. Raleigh, NC 27607 USA

All contents copyright their creators. This is free, either by direct email or www.efanzines.com . A letter of comment or other contribution will get you on my mailing list, as long as I remember to put you there. If I forget, bother me a second time, or however long it takes to add you. I haven’t been printing this one, which leaves me free to use as many pages as I wish, and do things like color. It also lets me use all the contributions I can muster, so fire away!

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Calendar of Events:

November 6-8: Nekocon 12 (Hampton, VA – Hampton Roads Convention Center. Greg Ayres, Tony Oliver, Newton Ewell, Colleen Clnikenbeard, Kyle Herbert, Ellyn Stern, Richard Epcar, Caitlin Glass, Fred Perry.) MACE (High Point, NC – Best High Point. . This is one of the cons I cut my teeth on, and I’ve always enjoyed going when I can. I believe a day trip is in the cards this year.) Weekend in the Realms (, GA) MilleniumCon 12 (Round Rock, TX – Wingate Inn and Conference Center. Historical miniatures wargaming.)

November 12-15: Euro VII (Timonium, MD – Holiday Inn. Boardgaming, blending tournaments and open gaming. Tournaments in Agricola, Power Grid, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Ra, Race for the Galaxy, St. Petersburg, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride Combo, Thurn und Taxis, and the Hot New Game for 2009: Dominion.) November 13-15: Game Con (North Little Rock, AR – Wyndham Hotel and Resort. Reuben Langdon, Johnny Yong Bosch, Peter Mayhew, JG Jones. More than the name alone would indicate, this gaming convention seems to have expanded into , film, and . I’m not sure what to expect, but their prices are in line with other cons, so they may well be worth a try. Plus it’s a con in Arkansas – how often do you see one of those?) November 14: OutLantaCon (Atlanta, GA – Holiday Inn Atlanta NE. Looks like a one-day event for GLBT fans, run by the same folks who put on a full weekend event back in May. Mostly a game day, with some special events. Look for another full weekend con next Spring.)

November 20-22: Anime USA (Arlington, VA – Hyatt Regency Crystal City. Steven Blum, Michael Tremain Sinterniklaas, Leah Clark, J. Michael Tatum, Troy Baker, and a host of musicians, artists, cosplayers, and creators. All of the usual fun, supplemented by something of a vibe, if the website’s any indication.) ZonaCon (Orlando, FL – Holiday Inn International. Eric Vale, Sybil Danning, Terrance Zdunich, Jim O’Rear, Kynt and Vyxsin, Jason Craig, Robert Axelrod, Eric Vale, Anjanette Clewis, Kelly Jo Minter. This is a combination Anime/Horror con, and looks to have a full schedule for both halves of its audience.)

November 27-29: Darkover Grand Council XXXII (Timonium, MD – Crowne Plaza Baltimore. Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, , Clam Chowder. Fairly traditional SF 4 con, though they have a Regency ball and steampunk programming, too. The program does not appear to be dependent on ’s work, so don’t feel discouraged if you’re not well-versed in it. Looks like a fun place to escape from the turkey and football contingent.) November 28-December 8: Pirates in Paradise Festival (Key West, FL. Nine days of pirate-themed events, some free, some with a price-tag.)

December 4-6: CatchupCon (Atlanta, GA) Kajonk-A-Con (Knoxville, TN) Smofcon 27 (Austin, TX) December 5-10: Furry Cruise (Miami, FL)

December 11-13: WeddingCon (Atlanta, GA)

December 18-20: Anime South (Destin, FL)

January 1-4, 2010: MAGFest (Alexandria, VA)

January 8-9: ShadowCon XIV (Memphis, TN) January 8-10: GaFilk 12 (Atlanta, GA)

January 15-17: MarsCon (Williamsburg, VA)

January 22-24: 35 (Chattanooga, TN) Siege of Augusta (Augusta, GA)

January 28-31: WAM VIII (Baltimore, MD) January 29-31: Creation Twi/Tour (Nashville, TN)

June 4-6, 2010: ConCarolinas/DeepSouthCon 48 (Charlotte, NC)

August 5-8, 2010: ReConStruction/NASFiC 10 (Raleigh, NC)

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September 2-6, 2010: AussieCon 4 (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) September 3-6, 2010: *Con (Atlanta, GA)

Reviews:

The Revolution Business by Charles Stross (Tor, April 2009) Warren Buff

Stross has delivered a novel which demonstrates both the virtues and flaws of the sequence novel. His characters already feel like distinct individuals, and interact with each other without having to provide a full background for everything they do, and when they do reference the events of previous books, it comes off with more of the helpfulness of the old bullet footnotes than the tedium of an infodump. It is not prohibitively hard to pick up this novel and understand the events without having read any others in the series. Stross’s pacing and dialog are superb, and keep the story flowing smoothly. Unfortunately, it is still a novel in a sequence, and must accomplish quite a bit to serve the overarching plot of the sequence. Stross is maintaining adventures on three worlds, and adds a fourth in this outing, and while he manages to switch between worlds and plot-lines without creating any confusion, the need to follow the events of each becomes tedious, and the presence of several threads within each chapter only enhances the tedium. Recall that Tolkien wrote complete chapters that focused on a single set of events, then he shifted back in time to give another set rather than running the entire story in parallel. While Stross’s parallel storytelling keeps his story flowing quickly, it also reduces the tension, making the whole novel easily digestible but lacking in excitement. The final ill consequence of Stross writing this story as a novel within a sequence is the abruptness of its conclusion – the novel ends on a rather consequential event, but provides absolutely no dénouement. Thankfully, the novel is buoyed by its central character, Miriam. She provides an outsider’s perspective on the strangeness of Stross’s alternate universes, although she is by this point not so uninformed as to require infodumps, while not so much a part of the Clan as to seem quite like an echo of Zelazny’s Corwin (nor does she have his memories to unlock). Stross is a skillful enough writer that he can handle an outsider believably while keeping her a true outsider. Miriam also manages to advocate for the reader by bringing her real- world attitudes into a strange mixture of organized crime and nobility, and challenging the assumptions she finds there. Her opposition to the world she finds drives one of the titular revolution plots, as the proponents of modernization within the Clan seek to use her as a focal point for their efforts. The other revolution is on a different parallel world, and while the modernization within the Clan is a revolution by businesspeople, this other sees revolutionaries learning to conduct business as various liberal forces rise up against a North American monarchy during an abdication crisis. 6

This plays interestingly off of the events of Miriam’s story, in which the revolutionary element is focused around a succession crisis. The connection to our world, meanwhile, involves several government agencies, and the clandestine reaction to the discovery that the Clan has stolen small, dirty nuclear weapons from the Army. Overall, the story is fairly strong, and only suffers from its position as a middle volume in an ongoing saga. Stross’s writing is admirably engaging, keeping the right tone to treat the readers like intelligent science readers without going over their heads. And given how interesting a character Miriam is, it’s probably worth starting from earlier in the series to see how she develops. While it’s fine to start a story in media res , ending it in the same manner is the only disappointment in an otherwise solid book.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow (Tachyon, 2009) Warren Buff

Morrow has managed to deliver a literate, satirical short novel (a relief in these days of the three hundred pages standard) which revolves around a conceit that rather than just being a commentary on nuclear war, the original was in fact an alternative military atrocity. Its , Syms Thorley, is a B-movie horror actor pressed into service as the original man in the rubber suit when the Navy’s mutant fire-breathing iguanas turn out to be completely docile, jeopardizing the plan to intimidate a group of Japanese diplomats into surrender with a miniaturized show of force. Thorley, understanding the magnitude of the behemoths the Navy has created, must give the performance of his life to prevent the use of such a terrible weapon. Morrow’s novel utilizes an interesting framing device: Thorley is writing a memoir in 1984 in a Baltimore hotel following a convention at which he has been given a lifetime achievement award (the Raydo, whose name alone is intensely referential). Thorley, at this point, is washed up, tired, and suicidal, and intends for his memoir to be his final act before leaping from the top of the hotel. He is periodically interrupted by visitors, namely a prostitute, room service, and a who won a working replica of the Gorgantis rubber suit. It is in these meetings that Thorley appears the most human. In his tales of his glorious past, he’s a genius in a Hollywood that was never quite real, but in his meetings with his visitors, he becomes a figure of genuine empathy. We know from the beginning that his demonstration for the Japanese diplomats can’t possibly have worked – the bombs still fell upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it is nuclear war which Thorley rails against, not lizard proliferation. But their footage of his desperate performance, urged on by the hope that an atrocity can be prevented, becomes the basis of the first Gorgantis film (an analog for Godzilla /Gojira ). Since Godzilla is typically seen as a criticism of the horrors of nuclear war, placing its genesis in a failed attempt to prevent a similar atrocity provides a strong rationale for Thorley’s habit of giving anti-nuclear diatribes to lecture halls full of his fans. And in his final visit of the novel, with the fan who won the Gorgantis suit, Thorley encourages the young man’s desire to turn Gorgantis into a symbol for the anti-nuclear movement. In 7 spite of this, he remains suicidally depressed, and firm in his resolve to leap from the rooftop. The absurd conclusion of the novel, written as a note from the editor of the memoir, serves to keep Thorley’s final act from deflating the hope of that conversation. In spite of his protagonist’s dismal outlook, Morrow manages to create an uplifting tale with a pointed message about the horrors of war and genuine moments of humor. He skillfully gives Thorley a voice, and makes the wartime Hollywood a believable one. The wonder of it all is that Morrow’s work retains its potency with such an absurd premise. The clear combination of his love of old horror films, keen interest in history, and revulsion at the use of nuclear weapons makes this an engaging and entertaining novel.

Soulless , by Gail Carriger (Orbit, October 2009) Christopher J. Garcia

No matter how hard I try not to, I have to compare every fantasy with a Victorian setting to Tim Power’s The Anubis Gates. It’s nothing personal, I just happen to consider that one of the greatest books ever written and certainly the best Victorian . Maybe that’s not the right description, but it fits in my mind. Gail Carriger’s Soulless is a Victorian fantasy, dark, comic, romantic, Victorian in setting, Post-Modernist in temperament. In other words, it’s butting pretty much right up against Power’s masterpiece. These things happen. The book starts quickly. You instantly meet, and start to fall in love with, Alexia Tarabotti. She meets a , fights him off and accidentally kills it. That’s the simple version. As we see this very entertaining scene play out, you can tell that there’s much more underneath. There are rules, we’re told, that everyone plays by. It’s perfectly acceptable for a vampire to suck your blood, if there’ve been introductions and you’re a willing participant. You see, have come out into society, along with and ghosts, and have become, if not wholly accepted, at least tolerated. If one were so inclined, it could easily be tied to current world LGBT issues, and while it would make for a fun paper to deliver at the Eaton Conference, it’s not the kind of thing I’m going to use in a review. To start with, you’ve got the amazing Miss Alexia Tarabotti. She’s half- Italian, swarthy, large-nosed, mentally agile, ample-bosomed, and perhaps most importantly, completely impossible to for a regular human to deal with. If she were around today, she’d be the girl at work you had the massive crush on who was completely unattainable and knew more about Java than you do. She is the driving force, and even if she’s got a veil drawn over her eyes for much of the story, her intelligence and perseverance are the glue and the symbolon that decodes the entire book. The plot to the story is a twisted, somewhat gnarly, construct made of fantasy, romance, adventure and horror. It’s a comical version of China Mieville, in a way. A world no less perfected than China’s New Crobuzon is Carriger’s London, though Carriger’s is more based on the actual London of the Victorian age. This is actually something interesting, as we’re reading a novel. More accurately, a historical fantasy, though the ties to the actual Victorian 8

Age are very strong. There are strong elements of Steampunk, but in all honesty, this is a romance novel. And as every romance novel needs its Colin Firth, thus has Soulless Lord Maccon. He’s lovely, massive, powerful, lordly, and a lycanthrope. That’s right, he’s a . It makes him an interesting figure, and most importantly, irresistible to Alexia, which only makes the story far more fun. The relationship between Alexia and Lord Maccon is wonderfully teasing. You get a snapshot of something, and then no completion. A chapter or two later, a clearer picture that pulls you farther into the story. We’re dying to see these two get it on, and we’re given glimpses, that’s all. It’s very much the formula of many of the Harlequin romances I read while I was in High School. Did I just lose all my cred right there? Anyhow, characters, including a foppish vampire named Lord Akeldama, are rich, and the bits which focus on them are the most fun. The book entertains through smart characters and powerful plot points, but it hits hardest when you’re forced to accept the new London. We all have an ingrained view of 19th century London, whether it’s from Dickens or Masterpiece Theatre or The Anubis Gates or whatever, and this one comes up against some tight competition and manages to make it sing. While we’re presented some fun pieces of Steampunkia, such as Aeroships and these strange goggles that one character keeps using, it’s a London that seems like it actually occurred, which is odd for a fantasy novel. It’s a lot of fun, the setting she is. There are some minor downers. There were a couple of points where proper decorum was not followed and it led to no plot point, which would have made it OK. The attention to detail throughout the book is so good that the two or three points where it falls apart are a bit jarring. It required me to Tweet about it. Also, the cover, while gorgeous, doesn’t really push the idea of the book. Carriger is really strong with her description of her main character, and the tone of the book kind of clashes. Of course, one shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but which of us are truly immune to that particular trait? There’s a certain cinematic quality to the entire novel. This speaks to Carriger’s ability to draw for the reader through her magnificent prose. The characterization is certainly carried through actions since Victorian dialogue does have its limiting function. Listen to the words of Lord Maccon and the ways he’s described and there are two different characters. The same could be said of many of the characters, which might be the real theme of the novel, that there is, and this is certainly true of the actual Victorian Era as well, a spoken of world and a hidden world. The characters exist as both their actions and their words, and there is a gross disconnect between the two. No character shows this more than Akeldama. This is a novel that will obviously lead to a long series of se quells. It’s the kind of debut you expect to make a long career, and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. It’s impossible to see where it all will lead, but it’s also easy to see that we’re going to enjoy getting there.

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Fables: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, and David Hahn (DC Comics, 2009) Christopher Hensley

Warning: I try hard not to spoil any of the books I review. Necessarily, however, this review contains spoilers from the previous installments of Fables. You have been warned!

Fables: The Dark Ages , as collected in trade paperback, contains the short pieces Around the Town and Waiting for the Blues , as well as the longer story arcs of The Dark Ages and Returning to the Jungle Book. I shall address each in the order they appear.

First is Around the Town. It is about Geppetto, Pinocchio’s father and formerly the bloody handed Adversary, and his first foray into the city as a citizen of Town. It presents Geppetto’s view of his Empire, while painting him as a parody of the crotchety old man. The entire piece is comedic but Geppetto’s speeches compare to those of Bigby Wolf and Snow White in earlier issues, forcing a reader to consider the validity of his points.

Next is the titular story arc, The Dark Ages. The main action revolves around the consequences of Fable Town’s victory over the Adversary. It contrasts nicely to the grand heroics of the last few installments. The Dark Ages also sets up a coming conflict to replace the Adversary, and expands on the nature of some of the powerful beings seen, and hinted at, previously. This story is clearly a setup for later story arcs, and cannot be properly read as a complete narrative in and of itself.

Waiting for the Blues is an interesting side story. It focuses on the drama of the individual characters, which is the most engrossing part of the series. Woven into the personal stories of the characters are hints at the metaphysics of the Fables universe, which is certainly foreshadowing for coming events. It ends with the promise of an action filled rumble, which is a good way to end a story which wraps up the melancholy of The Dark Ages.

Return to the Jungle Book covers events happening parallel to The Dark Ages , and before Waiting for the Blues. In it Mowgli travels to one of the homelands, similar to his own, based on the stories of India while under British Colonial rule. It helps give a sense of scope to the main storyline, by showing the effect of the Empire’s collapse on distance worlds. It is similar to the other adventure stories in the Fables series, but that is not a bad thing. It could of done with a little more action, but does manage to avoid the ‘were all elite strategists and top political schemers’ dialogue which plagues some of the Fables tales, and science fiction in general.

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Together, the four stories put together a captivating tale for people who have read the previous collection in the series. However, the stories do not stand up on their own, requiring previous material to gain an emotional connection to the characters and not concluding as much plot as it starts.

Rebel Yells: News and Notes From All Over

First, we heard from Chris Kuivenhoven:

Dude! Great issue -- nuff said.

Some specific comments: 1) The reviews are great -- also happy to see you didn't end up writing all of them yourself! 2) I do kind of miss reading your own personal accountings of the cons that have happened since the last update. Getting perspectives from others is really important, and really useful -- might I suggest a "Con Reports" theme open to all that covers SE cons? And you going back to adding more of the same? :) 3) Adding personality to the con listings is a nice touch -- I'd love to see it built up a bit -- shout if you want some help in that department! =) ConHeaven is in hiatus, not completely dead, and we can at least contribute that much if you'd like. =) 4) I think another great thing for you would be to showcase some SE personality - - an author or media star interview or two from folks that are somewhat local, or have local roots, perhaps? Might be able to help here a little bit, also, at least in providing the connections if ya like.

I loved the fact that I had a long-ass day at work with the day-job but had this waiting in my inbox. Made for a great day. ;)

Thanks, -kive

Thanks, Kive! It’s good to hear from you. We’ve got a conreport this issue (though not one of mine), and four more reviews. I’d enjoy working with you on getting more flavor into the con listings – I’ve started showing a little bit ahead on those each ish. Interviews also sound intensely cool, and as well as they’ve been working for Chris Garcia over in Exhibition Hall (available on efanzines.com if you haven’t seen it), I may give those a try in the new year.

Next, we heard from Jeffrey Thompson:

Hello, Warren! I really enjoyed your "80-Page Giant" issue of the Update, featuring those excellent book reviews and convention listings. Once again, I am thrilled and honored that your readers enjoy my articles. In the 1934 film version 11 of the stage play Death Takes a Holiday, Fredric March played Prince Sirki, a.k.a. Death personified. In the pages of Famous of Filmland, whenever reported a celebrity death, he would write that "Prince Sirki has claimed Boris Karloff" or "Prince Sirki came for John Carradine." Sadly, the unstoppable prince visited our own Forry Ackerman ten months ago--but "Forrest J Ackerman Shall Not Die!" F.I.A.W.O.L.

Thanks for explaining the Prince Sirki reference. I’m always glad to have folks who know the history better than I do around to fill me in.

We got another nice email from Joy V. Smith:

Warren,

I love the font! I think it makes the colors even more fun. And I enjoyed the Table of Contents--nicely done. Looking at the calendar of cons makes me realize that fandom is alive and enjoying itself!

I enjoyed the reviews. The Book of Swords sounds like a great way to learn about them and their use. Are fan funds proliferating or am I just learning about more of them?! There are some great opportunities out there for fans. And I learned about steampunk finery in the LOCs too. That was interesting.

I enjoyed Jeff Thompson's article on Dr. Lucifur. What a lot of fun for them and the local audience. I'm sorry that the live skits weren't filmed, but at least they've been remembered. Thank you, Dr. Jefferson!

Appreciatively, Joy V. Smith Joy (My blog includes helpful house hints & publication news) http://pagadan.blogspot.com/

I don’t believe the fan funds are proliferating tremendously, we’re just seeing more from outside our own back yards. If you really want to learn more about steampunk finery, roll over to Exhibition Hall .

Next, we got a long one from Rich Dengrove:

Dear Warren,

I like your new Southern Fandom Confederation Update. It has reviews. It has history. It has stuff of interest to me. While that sort of material has little relevance to fan doings in the South, the SFC publication has often taken right turns from such sercon. ... Now to my coments: a bunch of my usual disconnected thoughts.

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According to your review of L.E. Modessitt, Jr.'s Haze, it is idea-based, logical, literary, and calm. It definitely isn't a crowd pleaser. It might please me, though.

Christopher Hensley's review of 's and Andy Kubert's What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader tells of another attempt to make Batman real. He's a wishdream, which, we wish, were real. However, as Chris pointed out, logically, he can't be real. Take it from me, a person who, in life, has had a lot of wishdreams: none of them can come true. When they appear to, it's just a great disappointment: the reality can never live up to the dream.

I am sure Christopher Hensley is right again, and Hank Reinhardt, in his Book of Swords tells you how to be A REAL MAN in the modern world. Unfortunately, I don't know how much Hank could ever reveal the secret without ruining it. From what I gather from knowing him, it takes a big slug of blarney and a strong undercurrent of humanity. The only thing about the late Hank I didn't like were his politics. And I have it on good authority there was a lot of blarney in them.

Another person I think was right is Nietzche. You point out that he said mercy is justice self-annihilated. I have to agree mercy, by definition, can't be justice; it is singling people out for leniency. On the other hand, it is often the right thing to do.

Last, I have a comment on Jeff Thompson's article on Dr. Lucifur, the Nashville horror show host. I remember an even more curious horror show host, Chuck Schodowski, in Cleveland, AKA Big Chuck. I was only there for two years in the '70s. However, it made an impression on me. Big Chuck decided he wasn't going to be gothic at all, but a wacky version of everyday life. Which he and his mad cast of characters excelled at. Like Dr. Lucifur, he borrowed from Ernie Kovacs. Kovac's morning show had a segment with a parody of a kid's puppet show, "The Kapusta Kid in Outerspace." Kapusta being cabbage in Polish. Big Chuck had a cowboy called the Kielbasa Kid. In short, a wacky version of everyday life in the Polish section of Cleveland.

Yours, Rich Dengrove

Hey, I know sercon isn’t the usual fare for the SFC, but I figure that doing it online, in a zine that I’m doing of my own initiative, will hopefully be seen as bonus material. Hey, kids, getcher free bonus sercon right here…

Given that you recommended 8 ½ to me, and it was right up my alley, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Haze is likely to be of interest to you. It’s not as weird as Fellini’s masterpiece, and maybe not as deep, but it’s got that literary character, y’know?

And with Nietzsche still on the board for discussion, I’ll try to clarify that idea of mercy and justice: Mercy needs justice as a precursor to its existence. Mercy 13 springs from a sense that justice itself has become unjust, and must be remedied by leniency. If there were no precedent for believing that a man might be killed by the state for killing another, there could be no mercy in applying a punishment which does not take his life. It is only when the precedent creates an expectation of harshness that mercy can occur.

And the inimitable Lloyd Penney continued his run:

1706-24 Eva Rd. Etobicoke, ON CANADA M9C 2B2

October 12, 2009

Dear Warren:

Many thanks for SFC Update Vol. 1, No. 10. Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving, and we enjoyed the typical trappings of such a feast…a turkey, a ham, potatoes and veggies, and some pie for dessert. As we recover from our excesses, it’s time for a letter.

Best of luck on the NASFiC, and you’ve got a lot of help from many, many fans in surrounding communities. Wish I could be there, but time and money never allows us to do all the things we’d like to do.

It looks like TAFF has two candidate slates, and I hope DUFF will have candidates soon. I was approached to run for both funds, and while the idea appeals to me, I am still not working, and must look after the bills first before I might decide to run for a fan fund that would send me out of the country for an extended period of time. Perhaps in a future year, but not today. But, I think we will keep nominating and voting. The funds are definitely worth it.

My own Steampunk costume…it does have a hat, but I had to order it from a custom hatter in Montreal. William Scully & Sons makes uniform hats for the various railways, police forces and other organizations with uniforms, and I ordered a railway conductor’s hat. Quite comfortable, too. If Dragoncon continues to have a large track of Steampunk programming and hundreds of people in similar costumes, then we should consider that convention for next year…never thought I’d hear myself say I’d want to go to Dragoncon.

I have read about the histories of local television programming, especially when it comes to hosts for late movies or children’s shows. Some places have had memorable hosts; I think Chris Garcia has written about some of the best hosts in the Bay Area. I grew up watching Buffalo television and the children’s hosts there, but Canadian television was more national in scope, and had children’s entertainers known nation-wide. As for horror hosts, we had none, but a 14 combination of horror and children’s hosts was a show called The Hilarious House of Frightenstein…and there are some things you just can’t make up.

Finished for now, so I’ll need another Update to work on soon! I’ll be looking for it.

Yours, Lloyd Penney.

A turkey and a ham? Wow, I don’t believe my family’s ever done them both. We’re turkey folks, though. If you decide to try Dragon*Con, drop me a line. I may be able to swing a room split of some sort with you (they’re too darned expensive there).

And last, but not least, we heard from Brad W. Foster:

Greetings Warren ~

Been crazy-busy around here for quite some time, working to get caught up with things this weekend. (First free weekend in three months!) I owe you some email on ReConStruction, and will be getting to that a bit later. But, for right now, sending this to you under your editor hat for the various SFC pubs. Saw you used the last of the fillos I had sent on the "Southern Fandom Confederation Update" #10. And you were absolutely right about the type on that one, that is truly the first thing I thought when that image popped up on the screen, "What a cool font to go with the illo!" So, since you are showing you are doing such a kick-ass job as both editor and designer, here are two brand new pieces I hope you might be able to make use of. Okay, only a hundred more emails to respond to! And I'll write again soon about convention stuff! stay happy Brad

Brad W Foster http://www.jabberwockygraphix.com

Thanks for the egoboo and the illos, Brad! I’m hoping to get an SFCB out soon, so I’ll save the other for that venue.

WAHF: Nurit Janovich, who liked the font on the cover, Tom Feller, and Chris Garcia, with a review and the TAFF ballot.

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A VISIT TO THE NASHVILLE COMIC AND HORROR FEST by Jeff Thompson

For almost a decade, every October in Nashville signals a major sci-fi/ horror/ comic-book convention at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. The two-day con is organized by Marc Ballard of Comic City ( www.comiccitytn.com) and occasionally co-presented by Larry Underwood, also known as TV horror host Dr. Gangrene. The Comic and Horror Fest is known for attracting such diverse guests as - and slasher-movie actors, wrestlers, scream queens such as Linnea Quigley, and classic movie stars such as John Saxon. Last month (October 17-18), Marc Ballard’s comic-con was held once again at the Fairgrounds—perhaps, for the last time. The convention, which is essentially a huge dealers’ room, attracts dealers from all over the country and offers a fine selection of comic books (from the Golden Age to the 2000s), action figures, autographs, CDs, trading cards, books, posters, swords, toys, jewelry, VHS videotapes, DVDs, and much more. This year, there was a face-painting booth, as well as an area where fans could pay to have professional portraits taken of them with their favorite celebrities. Various fans dressed in costumes as , Iron Man, or characters from or Where the Wild Things Are. This year’s guest of honor was Chris Claremont, the novelist and Marvel comic-book writer who scripted Iron Fist before redefining the Marvel Universe by writing Uncanny -Men for an impressive 16+ years (1975-1991). During his time as the writer of X-Men, Claremont created or co-created dozens of new mutants and, in a landmark storyline, transformed Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) into the Dark Phoenix. At the Nashville convention, Claremont was a patient, friendly guest who chatted at length with fans and cheerfully signed—free of charge—as many comic books as the various fan-boys and fan-girls put in front of him. Also on hand was Silver Age writer Gary Friedrich, who adapted Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for Marvel and created the fiery, motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider. Other guests were actor Bill Byrge ( , Ernest Saves Christmas ), stuntman Dick Warlock ( Halloween II and III, Child’s Play 2 and 3), voice-over artists Samantha Newark ( JEM ) and Glenn Shadix ( Teen Titans ), wrestlers April Hunter and the Goddess Athena, author Bryan Smith (Deathbringer, Depraved ), actor Brian O’Halloran ( Clerks, Clerks II ), author Jonathan Malcolm Lampley ( The Amazing, Colossal Book of Horror Trivia ), and I. Every year, my friend and fellow educator Dr. Jonathan Lampley and I appear at the convention, and we bring our actor-friend Bill Byrge, who is always one of the biggest hits of the con. Bill spreads out his pictures and memorabilia from his four Ernest movies ( Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Goes to School, , Ernest Saves Christmas ), from his Ray Stevens music videos, and from his 1988-1989 Saturday-morning TV series Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest —and fans flock to him. This year, Bill Byrge also brought a cardboard stand-up of himself and ( Existo ) as “Bobby” and “Chuck.” Dr. Lampley and I are always amazed and delighted to see all types of people— children, teenagers, Baby Boomers, punk rockers, costumers, and more—do the 16

Fan-Boy Fall-Apart when they meet “Bobby.” The hammy star laps up all of the attention and makes the fans’ meetings with him memorable. One young woman called her mother on her cell phone to proclaim that she was meeting “Bobby!” Jonathan Lampley and I are on hand every year to sell his horror-trivia book, our Midnight Marquee multi-author books, or my new McFarland book The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker, and Other Productions, 1966-2006. In years past, we also have participated in some of the programming : Jonathan and I held a panel discussion about horror, he hosted a trivia game, I interviewed actress Cindy Morgan ( TRON, Bring ‘em Back Alive ), Larry Underwood and I gave a presentation about TV horror hosts, etc. This year’s Comic and Horror Fest had no programming—only the large dealers’ room—and that lack of a programming track was perhaps the convention’s only drawback. I am accustomed to attending and participating in such programming-heavy conventions as the Dark Shadows Festival, Deep South Con, , Fanex, Friends of Old-Time Radio, and World , and I have regretted that there have been no program-track rooms or movie rooms at the last couple of Comic and Horror Fests. Maybe, because of its move next year to a new venue, the Fest will get back to its 75% dealers /25% programming roots. Because the venerable Tennessee State Fairgrounds, sadly, may not even exist next year (the property may be redeveloped by then), Marc Ballard has wisely moved the 2010 “Nashville Comic-Con,” as it will be called, to the Music Valley Event Center (2416 Music Valley Drive, across from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel). The date is earlier, too—September 25-26 of 2010. Already announced are such guests as actor Anthony Forrest ( Star Wars ) and comic-book creators Craig Hamilton ( Fables ) and Dwight MacPherson ( American Grimm ). I am excited over Marc Ballard’s comment to me that he is hoping to bring a Dark Shadows star to the 2010 convention! I know the star very well and look forward to the possibility of a Nashville appearance. Marc Ballard never fails to put on a terrific all-ages comic-book convention, and next year’s Nashville Comic-Con promises to be another thrilling event. Bill Byrge is already counting the days, Jonathan Lampley hopes to have his upcoming Vincent Price book ready to sell, and I hope to have my upcoming second Dan Curtis book ready. I also hope to see you there! Fandom IS A Way Of Life, after all!

Dr. Jeff Thompson teaches English at Tennessee State University and announces at WAMB-AM 1200 in Nashville. On November 2, he gave a multimedia talk about producer-director Dan Curtis ( Dark Shadows, Trilogy of Terror, Burnt Offerings ) at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tennessee. His McFarland book The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis has sold 480+ copies, and he is 90% finished with the writing of his second book, House of Dan Curtis: The Television Mysteries of the Dark Shadows . F.I.A.W.O.L.