Summer Comes to Vegas ........ 3 Sabakon ............................... 8 Damn Zombies ...................... 6 Retro Food .......................... 11 Las Vegas Indie Meet ............ 15 These Old Fanzines ............... 17 DeDee’s Book Den ................ 18 It’s Always Something ........... 20 Amazing Comic Con ..... 21 What the Hell is In the Mail? ....... 26
Orpheum #7 June, 2014 produced by Alan White and the Westside Insurgents. All artwork and photos by me, unless otherwise noted. Eagerly seeking color arty bits, articles of active fans, and any other cool stuff. Write: Alan@PixelMotel.com
Summer Comes to Vegas The Hocks are as High as an Elephant’s Eye Winter wanes and sun peeks from behind the clouds. There’s a frenzy of flowers and trees, once a skeletal horrorshow now burst with leaves and wave hello on an easy breeze. The nights fill with jasmine and sage while lizards run riot on the back wall and geckos scamper daringly upside down on the front porch ceiling. Our front yard routinely becomes a post-apocalyptic wasteland through the winter but transforms into an ocean of colorful Lantana and those weird cactusy things at the first twitch of the thermometer into the 80s. Even DeDee’s damn Hollyhocks that refused to do anything last year suddenly transformed into stalks of blossoms. Can You Hear Me Now? This is the time of year we get calls. Those who wouldn’t consider speaking to us the rest of the year now need a midpoint crash-pad on a jaunt to somewhere else or maybe even a local convention and thus Casa Blanca becomes a hostel for fans or family on the hoof heading this way or that. It’s a pleasure seeing old friends, catch up on days gone by and ponder projects for tomorrow. Now that I’m a retired old coot I have the time to ply visitors with all manner of substances which always go better soaking the bones in the Jacuzzi. Most of my visitors hanker from Hollywood and DeDee’s from the Palm Springs area. Can You Strip Me Now? Every Vegas visitor should hit the Strip at least once. But it’s an undertaking not for the feeble, weak willed or those of diminished capacity. We generally hand visitors a map, a couple show passes say “Have a great time - take pics” and shuffle them out the door. If you’re looking for a good time, you’ll find it in abundance. If you’re an old stick, nothing can save you. It does take time, money and energy for such a jaunt and most while most fans have little of either, most locals have done the Strip to death and avoid it like the plague.
I tend to refuse events that need me to cross the strip from west to east. Having said all that, I’m taking reservations or anyone wanting to join us on the annual Strip-crawl from one end of the strip to the other. Dropping into each casino along the way for a quick one, exploring every shop and catching the antics of every street performer. It’s like an EST seminar for the over-stimulated. Takes several days. For those with lesser demands, we suggest hitting the Fremont Street area for more casual perusing but plenty of visual stimulation. It’s like doing Disneyland on Mushrooms after spending the night in the trunk of a bullet-riddled 1949 Hudson Commodore following a three day bender in Tijuana. Well How About Now? Outside of Ms. Nature’s orgasmic arousal of color, you’ll find another gaudy display of active Vegas fans within these pages. It’s been said we allot too much white space on Vegas fandom, yet with each issue I plead for evidence of activity outside the wasteland. Proof of life has not been forthcoming. Can You Burn Me Now? The last few years, my sites were set on attending Burning Man. Didn’t happen; and it hadn’t happened for the third year in a row. Funny how difficult it can be just to get to the middle of nowhere; it was never this hard getting to Westercon! “All the world’s a stage” couldn’t be more true than Burning Man, but ya buys yer ticket and ya gets what ya bring to it! I had completely thrown in the flaming towel until I got a call from pyromaniac Joe Viskocil screaming we should hit this party like a Jacopo’s Pizza, a case of bubbly and lid of Grandaddy Purple. Oh, you smooth talker you, and there it was. . . the game was afoot! ROAD TRIP! WHY you ask, should this couch captain, dilettante, languishing artist and author of dubious merit sally forth across the dusty playa? You must think me mad, MAD I tell you, but it's ADVENTURE, conquest of the great outdoors, a social and spiritual epiphany I seek before the final bucket appears in need of a sound kicking! No middle-age crises here! I'm balls-deep in middle age already and have neither credit score nor energy for a crisis! But hey, I've had the stroke, the kidney stones, much of my hair is on permanent vacation and I barely escaped the grim reaper with prostate cancer! If that ain’t a nudge to get off the damn couch, I don’t know what is! My nest egg, not something practical like gold bullion or bag-full of Apple shares but a room full of comics, old movie posters and objet d'art went out the window to save my bacon during the Great Cancer Scare of 2010 for which I'm still a wreck, but breathing! If I learned anything from the experience, it’s “That's showbiz!” (sigh). It ain't easy being an aging nerd but there's nothing like staring Death in the eyeholes to remind you of your eventual return to the elements. So before I get too elemental on ya’, this is the year to burn baby burn! Since low self esteem forces me to go over-the-top with just about everything, I put up a website: BurningVegas.com. which will provide a flaming blog, details and excuses for whatever happens between now and when the gates open in Black Rock City. “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco. . .” but getting our act together requires stern measures as I can have a mental collapse just taking out the garbage.
First up is an RV. Yep, no tents or Porta-Potties for me; those Woodstockian days of yore are long gone. Done, RV on hold; a lovely vehicle that will play a large part in our adventure. Getting to the middle of nowhere ain’t cheap and I’m a tad shy of those proverbial nickels in need of rubbing together. This calls for a plastic monetary medium called “charge card” which will be worn mighty thin by the time the dust settles and if I croak somewhere outside Gerlach, looks like Visa takes a big-ass hit. Speaking of ass, next up is a bike: a necessity when traversing the “Playa” they say. Haven’t been on a bike in twenty years, but it’s said you never forget how; turns out to be incorrect if for no other reason than bike seats no longer caress my fat ass as much as provide an impressive wedgie Wilber and Orville could never conceive. OK, exchanged Lance Armstrong seat for John Deere and I’m back in the saddle. eBay is my friend. Lot’s of necessities here; lantern, mp4 player, sand goggles, two cases of caffeine shooters, batteries, dashing shemagh and so on. Talking about it doesn’t get us there and this adventure won’t be considered a success until I’ve been there, done that and returned to tell the tale! Can You Pay Me Now? I’ve never asked anything from anyone, period. But the tables have turned and I’ve planned a crowd funding project. Yes, I’m throwing myself on the generosity of the masses on indiegogo in hopes of defraying the costs at least for part of my Burning Man adventure! You heard it here first! Now you might be asking yourself “Why the hell would anyone give me a nickel to get to Burning Man?” To which I reply “For a piece of the adventure and some primo swag!” Wishful thinking? Perhaps. My bravado here is based entirely on the fact I have absolutely nothing to lose! Whatever I garner from my plea will be a plus; $50 for a tank of gas or $1000 and greatly appreciated. Not to mention I’ll be dolling out some cool stuff! A sampling of my perks: I have produced three 16x20” Burning Man posters of limited run and available for various donations. More swag to come. This year’s theme: “Caravansary,” yes, that’s a real word.
When Hell is Full, The Dead Will Need a Drink. . . And what better spot for a little “hair of the zombie that bit you” than our own zombie bar The End? For those who may have seen the “Bar Rescue” episode detailing the unholy resurrection of a local apocalyptic themed watering hole, you’ll relish what owners Chris and Jazz have since done with the place! The West Side Insurgents had to see for ourselves and a field trip was proclaimed for a special evening. This “special” occasion being the season finale of The Walking Dead which brought out the fans, some in undead drag, some walking, some sprinting to get a seat. Them undead scalawags had scored the show from an earlier feed which gave us a multi-hour advanced showing and the crowd went wild! Even the undead know how to party. Meanwhile, the cast from Evil Dead: The Musical lent an air of jovial undeadery to the place. During commercial breaks were costumes, prizes, trivia contests and other silly bits but no, we. . . in the spectral shape of Brenda Dupont, Gene Kelly, DeDee and me didn’t stay long - standing room only. . . thus we opted for returning to Casa Blanca to catch the event from the sanctity of our own couch, pour our own brew far from the madding crowd of undead and face the apocalypse together. Newsy Bit HERE.
In the Wind! 40 some years ago, Oat Willie cried “One Man, One Oat”. Today he has nothing to do with our adventures in Oatman, Arizona. An otherwise quaint clapboard settlement with barely 100 residents and existing solely for the edification of those passing through. To keep the economy bustling requires Bed Races, free-range burros ambling through the streets panhandling at will, down-home craftspersons and the occasional biker bash during the Laughlin River Run and Motorcycle Rally. Visiting Sam and Linda’s Laughlin abode was a trip to biker heaven. The whole gang was there and not a fanboy to be found (present company excepted). Linda and company laid a lovely spread and the evening was spent around the fire under the stars. Morning came amid the growl of engines cranking up and soon we were in the wind to Oatman. Them burros couldn’t wait. The short ride ended in ice cream, cold beer, live music and enough great T-Shirt art that will keep me attired through the millennium. Getting our fill of donkey poop we hit the road for the Avi Casino on the Fort Mojave Reservation, whose parking lot was bristling with bikes of every size, shape and peculiarity - plus live music! DeDee had her eye on a couple hot bikess but looking was as close as we could get. What a day, what a ride, what a good time with friends.
Our gang: Q, L, J, DeDee, Ron, Sam & Greg
When I hit my very first con in 1965 I was arguably the youngest newbie in the place. Now the pendulum has swung the other way and I am more than likely the oldest koot under the roof of the Alexis Resort for this, the fourth outing of Sabakon and folks at Hansha Studios. How time flies! But Anime has always been a dragon of another color. Upon our arrival, there were cosplayers striding across the Boulevard as if they were the super heroes they portray and thought nothing of the vehicles careening around them! Fans were literally overflowing the pool area, spilling from the doorways, from the balconies and packed like sardines in the hallways! It was clear there was a successful convention going on here! Certainly a younger crowd between 15 and 20 in attendance and I was paranoid of being fingered as that “Creepy Old Guy taking pictures�, but that was not to happen! I wonder why. I am always surprised by the enthusiasm of the manga-set. Young, creative and packed with a youthful vigor I can now only remember fondly.
Guests of Honor
© 2013 WINDOFTHESTARS.
consisted of Kyle Hebert / Chuck Huber / WindoftheStars Aimee Lee Luca / DJ Katsuhiko Jinnai
Themes lightly brush the hems of Harry Potter, Star Wars and Dr. Who but remained firmly entrenched in anime. Panels and demonstrations throughout the day were well attended and enthusiastic. < Kyle Hebert Powers Up There was a good-sized dealers room; toys to teapots to colorful hairpieces and objet d’art. I had no idea what most of it was, but those ardent fans who did were scooping it up with relish. A varied multi-track schedule kept the fans entertained from 10am till 11pm with esoteric panels as “All the Estrogen”, ”The Wondrous Fandom of Otome”, “The Sorting Hat Ceremony”, “Anime Bingo”, a performance by the “Canarelli Orchestra” and come evening, the masquerade. There was your origami workshops, go-go dancing, comedy shows and the ever dreadful Karaoke! Sunday, panels ranged from “Ninjas vs Pirates” and interestingly, “Why it’s Important to Support Local Cons!” Amen to that, brother. But wait there’s more: The Chalk Twins; the improvised comedic antics of Jest Serendipity; those swashbuckling flashers known as the UNLV Light Saber Deulists; the cosplayer who crossed state lines from Utah: Kiki Kabuki; our own local (and sparkly) Angelic Threads aka Heather; Jez Roth; and traveling minstrel Mr. Sunlight (Robert Biehn) While a marginally more mature fan might fancy Krypton Radio, on another channel 91.8 The Fan has boasted an online presence since January, 2009 devoted to followers of anime and playing the hottest tunes from Japan, Korea, and China. They also feature DJs, interviews, and contests. If this, my first outing to Sabakon is any indication, I will be sure to attend next year. Bookmark Sabakon and be there for a great time.
Tidbits NOW You Can Hear Me Everyone’s favorite audio book voice George Guidall, veteran Broadway and television actor shared his personal stories and read selections from his repertoire of over 900 unabridged audiobook recorded novels, giving voice to books by Pioult, Gaiman, Patterson and more while explaining the subtleties of narration. A vid puts a face to the voice: HERE. Force the Kids Was your child born without the prerequisite Midichlorians to succeed as a Jedi? Have no fear, the Jedi Scouts are HERE; followed by a newsy article HERE. Party with the Big Dogs! I remember “Omaha the Cat Dancer” and “Fritz the Cat”, but a furry con I’ve yet to attend; they keep a low profile. I don’t get wind of these things until those costumes come back from the cleaners! Yet it was here in Vegas under my very (wet) nose for several years known as Elliott’s Spring Gathering, if this HERE video is any indication, looks like they know how to party! WOOF!
Shoe Fly Pie The World’s Largest Online Shoe Store, Zappos hangs their shingle on Vegas City Hall! This Old Building was ready for the heave-ho like much of Vegas over 20 years old ‘til the Zappos folks found it fit perfectly. Who could pass up a free multimedia tour? Not DeDee, Brenda and I eager to see this much-touted Frat house with sole. Yep, skateboards, Starbucks, happy hour and foosball the Skinny. A Little Trick with Nic Couldn’t tell if Nic’s birthday party was still raging or this was yet another fannish festivity with the same faces in the same condition - but older. But night had fallen and for Primo Grub, Booze and Music it can’t be beat! The usual suspects showed up bobbing for Snossages!
Two Old Guys, Brewed, Stewed, Tattooed and Left for Dead
DeDee and Teresa Cochran Burn Some Pixels!
Jacq Monahan: Queen of Cups!
the brink of another Nic Farey Snossage Fest, (an Eastside Insurgent tradition where a whole group of carnivores mingle and nosh, biting brats but never their own tongues), I am suddenly beset by food nostalgia. You know, that yearning for the kinds of substances with dubious nutritional value that you couldn’t live without – until it was no longer manufactured (or recalled) and you were forced to gnaw on things that were ”good for you” (shudder). What saved me from totally sound whole food choices as a child was that I had/have a pretty “cool” mother. Despite being cut from National Geographic/ archeological expedition/world explorer cloth, she made the best of having four kids (only one of them planned) and a lifetime of taking dictation from doctors and bankruptcy court judges. Her creativity had to be channeled into more domestic avenues like volunteering at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago where, on Members’ Night, visitors were afforded the rare privilege of visiting the usually off-limits top floor to witness how carrion beetle larva (necrophila americana) polished messy animal carcasses into pristine bones like scores of tiny, swarming, land-locked piranha. What does this have to do with retro food, you may ask? Well, other than the fact that we all probably have ancestors in our distant past that behaved like carrion beetles when it came to food (and what could be more retro than a nice hunk of wooly mammoth) the various natural history exhibits depicting winter scenes and taxidermied animals used sugar for snow. Sugar! The word seems to hiss from one’s lips like a vulgarity these days, but was considered advertising gold, kid crack, a succulent lure that promised a tooth-rotting high and eventually, a smile like Indian corn. Cereals of the day proudly touted it in their titles. Sugar Pops, Sugar Crisp, and Sugar Smacks all promised a sweet, hyperactive jolt of energy. The crash came later, followed by even more sugar, mitigated somewhat by a pre-videogame lifestyle that included street softball and tree climbing. In case you needed even more energy, there were the immensely popular Space Food Sticks, a snack in magic wand form. They crumbled more readily than Tootsie Rolls and came in several chewy/chalky flavors like caramel, chocolate, chocolate malt, mint, orange and the ever-popular peanut butter. You didn’t
rest until you had tried every flavor, even those you didn’t really like, because, hey, astronauts ate them, didn’t they? Wasn’t that the reason we all drank Tang, that orangepowdered citric-acid? Aficionados will recall that the Space Food Sticks were wrapped in special foil to give them an added space-age appearance. None of the sticks were particularly tasty, but we fought over them like murderous ferrets. Most kids wish to be older than they are until they reach adulthood and wish to be younger. In the former frame of mind, for girls anyway, Green Goddess Salad Dressing was a mysterious, irresistibly named product. Who wouldn’t want a salad draped in a gown? A flowing goddess gown of mint green (though not mint flavored). There were actually anchovies listed in the ingredients, but that bit of yuckiness could be forgotten because you couldn’t see them (no headless corpses floating among the iceberg chunks) only taste the resulting saltiness, another flavor crave for a young palate. Note: This is NOT the original Green Goddess bottle, which was glass, > actually had a goddess on it – not veggies! No self-respecting, garbageeating kid would go for that. And wasn’t the original brand Wish Bone? What is this world coming to? Oscar Mayer Wieners, yes they’re still around. Yes, they’re still as unspectacular as you remember. As a kid, though, they seemed to be THEE hotdog. That’s advertising for you. That, and a huge Weinermobile. That, and a miniscule representative called Little Oscar. That, and, most important of all, a Weinermobile whistle! Any self-respecting, partially hydrogenated child of the ME generation and beyond would gladly choke down a few dozen of the so-so OM wieners if it meant owning the plastic noisemaker. The hotdogs were just a means to an end. The end invariably came when an frustrated parent, driven to the brink of insanity by constant whistle-blowing (it’s NEVER appreciated, is it?) accidentally stepped on the scarlet offender, opening the door for Vienna, Hebrew National, and Nathan’s to continue the tradition of phallic-shaped food. Wyler’s Funny Face drink mix came in flavors of Goofy Grape, Loud Mouth Lime, and Injun Orange (later Jolly Olly Orange). My mother found the name Loud Mouth Lime to be particularly humorous – and appropriate for the crowd of sugar-high hurricanes that blew through the house on a daily basis. You didn’t pour Bosco. You pumped it. You were livin’ the rug rat’s high life if your parents sprang for this fancy doo-dad on top of a squat bottle. Pumping your own long squirts of chocolate into a pristine glass (it had to be clear) and watching it swirl into plain white milk, turning it cocoa brown within a mini tornado was a gastronomic orgasm before you knew what one was.
I can’t find the picture of the pump bottle anywhere! My theory is that a patent was violated and all evidence of product use had to be removed to satisfy some lawsuit. I swear I pumped Bosco as a kid. Don’t let him tell you different. No gum on earth was as wild-looking (and therefore superior to any grayish rectangle) than Fruit Stripe gum. There were (are) chewing and bubble varieties, touting “painted on stripes.” Gnashing all that meticulous artwork into one sticky, monochromatic blob was half the fun. Blowing a bubble the size of your head was the other half. Snack Pack Pudding in a can – sharp edges for preschoolers! Yum! Before plastic packaging took over the world, you could use a pudding pull-top to commit suicide if you so chose. But why would you when there’s chocolate pudding! Another form of kid crack, Snack Pack ruled the pudding world after its 1968 debut. Never mind that you could use it – opened or closed – as a deadly weapon. Chocolate reigned supreme until the day a friend of mine found a tiny, gutted frog in the can, mercifully before she ate any of it. (true story) She, too, could have croaked. Jell-O 1-2-3, separated into three distinct layers: a creamy top, a mousse-like middle, and plain Jell-O bottom. It was hypnotic, fruit-flavored magic, which it was rumored, had something to do with horse hooves. Who cared? Orange Julius was rumored to have raw eggs in it, and we sucked that up like heavy duty wetdry vacs. That’s MY stroll down caloric calamities and nostalgic nihilism in the name of faux food. What stands out in YOUR mind from a period of time when YOU JUST HAD TO HAVE IT?
A Page Has Turned At age 85, pin-up photographer Bunny Yeager joined her favorite model: Bettie Page in that great jungle set the sky. In the meantime, here in Vegas premiering at “Sin City Gallery” in conjunction with Gallery Schuster is “Bunny’s Bombshells” a retrospective of Bunny Yeager’s steamy photographic work, pinups and fashion now through July 20. The show promises many shots never seen till now. Facebook page HERE.
SPOTLIGHT ON ACTIVE FANS: MIKE CONWAY Arizona expat and monsterkid Mike Conway discovered fandom in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine whose trail lead like stepping stones to Starlog then Cinefantastique and Cinemagic, then taking a natural turn to making his own films beginning with Super 8 and 16mm movies in 1980. 25 years later he found he had worked on over 100 movies and commercials. Mike is a cinematic juggernaut who writes, produces, directs, does special effects, builds sets and scores his own soundtracks. His first feature, "The Black Crystal" appeared in 1989 followed by "War of the Planets", "The Awakening" and “Exile”. Mike is a favorite at the 48 Hour Film Festival and for the past decade Mike and ever so obliging wife Sheila have hosted the successful film festival: Las Vegas Indiemeet. Mike can be found HERE and funny promo HERE.
The SilverCons of which were four. Lay in the past Forevermore.
Neon Galaxy Presents:
CLASH OF THE TITANS GET READY FOR TWO: TWO Conventions Under ONE Roof!
GALAXYCON Fan Run Sci-Fi Con by Vegas Locals
&
TONER Trufan Reunion Down Memory Lane
Who will win. . . Tru-Fen who have no love of (ahem) “Big Tent Cons” or SF fans who have no idea what the hell Toner is? Woody Bernardi is back in Sin City with a huge Con in mind! Come this Halloween October 31 through November 2 • The Palace Station Hotel / Casino will TREMBLE with the pitter patter of fannish feet to see and hear the likes of: Literature: David Gerrold • Editor: Richard Lupoff • Fan: Joyce Worley Katz Artist: Lubov • Media: J. Neil Schulman • Filk: Alexander J. Adams. For more information and to score a membership to either or both events, visit the GalaxyCon Website HERE.
Mike Conway and Rusty Meyers
Geeta Allen, Bryan Follins, Shayla Gladney
It’s been ten years since Mike Conway and his damnably fine wife Sheila opened their doors and everyone’s eyes to a casual weekend of independent films, demonstrations, chaos and bloodshed for Las Vegas fans and filmmakers alike. No little feat I suspect, just a wall of pizza and Sheila’s outpouring of homemade cookies is testament enough to cinematic devotion. But come Friday night, amid a fusillade of celebratory fireworks, the stars, the fans and the food roll out in abundance. The hobnobbery spreads like a virus and cameras flash into eye after bloodshot eye; bases are touched, sugar levels skyrocket and then comes the call to take your seat. The screening area covers the expansive back yard a tad south of the firepit that despite the summer heat, is a welcome sign and serves to remind you that YES, it could be hotter; but remember, “it’s a DRY heat.” A few of these films beg you to just shoot yourself in the face and get it over with, but there are a few gems among the dross. Amid a flurry of short films, Magician Lance Burton showed up for the premiere of his own indie film “Quincy’s Room” an oft made modern ghost story of irony and revenge. Another head-turner was “Lead Paint” from filmmaker Gilbert Cuevas. Saturday night was most auspicious for the live production vignette from Bryan Follin’s play “The Jokeress” which concluded with rousing applause and quickly followed by hoisting a few beers and the IndieMeet ADD Film Festival with shorts of less than 20 minutes. Grab a slice of pizza, some of Sheila’s killer cookies, a brew, a chair and kickback till the wee hours on a wonderful Vegas night! Despite what condition you were in to greet the dawn, Sunday came at an early screening of a feature motion picture at the local theater; “The Edge of Tomorrow” which was followed by a raging BBQ and pool party! The antidote for all that is MORE MOVIES!
Brenda
Gilbert C u
evas
Dupont
EYE ON LAS VEGAS The latest shiny thing on the Strip is now the 550-foot-tall High Roller, for the moment being the world's largest observation wheel rising high above The LINQ, the Strip's new mischief mall for the well-healed. The High Roller has balls baby, 28 Italian-handcrafted glass-enclosed cabins, each weighing 44,000 pounds! Each people-pod can hold 40 madcap merrymakers, totaling 1,120 at full capacity! DeDee thought we should try this thing on a night least prone to drunks and street mimes. Who wants to be trapped in a box with some gal puking her Tequila Sunrise or some pasty chap pretending to be trapped in a giant hamster ball? Thursday night proved a little too tame sharing the pod with a small entourage from Toronto. Unfortunate souls of good taste and sobriety. After a circuitous route from street to launching platform, you hop into the pod at a gallop as this thing stops for no one (until 2am when somebody pulls the plug}. Not as frantic as a hobo hopping a boxcar heading for the promised land, but not for the inebriate either (note to self). During the 30-minutes it takes for the wheel to return you to earth; 8 monitors play informational and musical videos while a precocious millenial makes witty comments like “We’ve just reached 420 and you’re reeaallly high now!” The view is pretty spectacular; no doubt about it and worth the cost of admission.
These Old Fanzines:
More of my old stuff from the vault sneaks quietly into the era of computer assisted artwork. What is more important, editors (some at gunpoint) begin using computers and PDF pubbing. That color File 770 cover was the very first cover I did using a computer with Bryce Pro and Photoshop (never used). The rest is history.
Ringworld by Larry Niven April ENTwives Bookclub Choice Review By: DeDee White The mission was started by the alien Puppeteer by the name of Nessus, a two headed sentient species with a powerful folded hind leg. His task was to find three other capable members to join his team to explore a new vaguely sighted planet. A secret mission and he only divulges need to know information to any of these new crew members. From the recruitment of Louis Wu a human from Earth whose lifespan has exceeded two hundred years leaving six DeDee, Jennifer Drennan, Brenda Dupont, Nancy generations behind him. Teela Brown a Thomas, Teresa Cochran, Joyce Worley, youngster by comparison a 24 year old Kristina Burling-Mehaffey, Karen Foster female human. Teela’s life experience was next to none but she smart and renown for being the luckiest human on earth. The next powerful crew mate for this mission a Kzin, known for his warring nature an impressive 8 ft tall carnivore with claws a bad temper with luxurious orange fur and black marking over his eyes. Each of these four members were chosen for specific reasons. The motley crew begins a quest beyond the known galaxies. The Mad puppeteer, a full grown kzin, Louis Wu and Teela Brown begin a wild ride to unknown realities, with danger and jaw dropping surprises from the first moment of lift off to unknown planet named Ringworld and beyond. The Entwives unanimously agreed that this book was written with a scientific, vivid imagination and the use of descriptions of worlds unknown. Each member highly recommended this book. Rated it 4 stars out of 5. Teresa: felt a sense of wonder and liked the diverse characters. A big tale of many worlds. Gave it 4 stars. Rani: Gives it 3 and a half stars. While she like it very much she felt it needed more work on each character, more fleshed out, more detail and development. April: gives it 4 stars because she enjoyed the story line as well as the characters chosen. Lori: gives it 4 stars for the science fiction part, progressive ideas and the ideas that were extrapolated and the story line with strong characters. Jennifer: rated it 3 and a half stars. She explained that while she like it she thought it could have had more explanation of the workings of the actual Ringworld. If left her feeling like there was so much more to figure out. Dedee: rates Ringworld with a 3 and a half stars. While I liked the characters I also felt a bit confused on how the Ringworld was actually made and what had happened to the makers of Ringworld.
One For The Money By: Janet Evanovich June ENTwives Bookclub Choice. Review By: DeDee White The story unfolds in a small blue collar chunk of Trenton, known as The Burg. The people were mostly of Italian decent, with enough Hungarians and Germans thrown in to offset inbreeding and thus our tale begins. The main character Stephanie Plum is a thirty year old divorcee, a flake of a gal so far. She dresses like a teeny-bopper, canned with no prospects and her car has been reposed. She coerces her cousin Vinny into giving her a job in his Bail Bonds Business. Her family is a mismatched mother and father married forever and grandma Muzur, an off and on comic relief and her favorite avocation is attending funerals! The family mission is to find Stephanie the “Right kind of guy” and prying into her business on a daily basis. Starting her job as a neophyte bounty hunter - beginner bail enforcer takes her into situations that threaten her life, all her vehicles seem to get blown up eventually. Dealing with some very dark crimes with drugs, thugs, prostitute’s and hard core drug lords. The theme is a slapstick of errors that somehow work out for Stephanie but leave a wake of dead bodies or body parts strewn all about. Yes, far fetched but with all the twists and turns there are some funny lines and humorous plot twists. Detective Joseph Morelli, hard working guy and potential love interest. He knows his way around the sleazy side of the burg though falsely accused of murder and is in hiding. FTA ‘failed to appear”. Here it gets heated and the sparks fly. Ranger Manoso, a buff brown and beautiful Cuban bounty hunter who’s the best in the business and another possible love interest. Ranger becomes the professor Higgins to Stephanie’s Eliza Doolittle. Teaches her how to use a gun and much, much more. The sexual heat can be felt through the pages. From dumpster diving to find her keys, to being a bomb magnet, Cupcake Stephanie is hot stuff in many ways yet can’t decide which of these hunks she really wants. Stephanie finally begins to catch on to the real business of becoming a bounty hunter just before she gets killed again, she begins to go through her check list for work: cuffs, bludgeoning baton, gun, extra ammo, mace spray, lip gloss...ready to go. A long list of bad guys: Benito Ramirez, the boxer/womanizer/cutter tortures his women and gets away with it. Ziggy - #1 accomplice for Ramirez; and then there’s Louis, Sal-Sal’s butcher shop cover for the drug smugglers; Jimmy Alpha - trainer for Ramires. and Kingpin Striker the drug lord. We found many colorful characters from Lulu and Jackie the prostitutes she befriends to Rex the hamster her furry roommate. Lots of steamy scenes with our two handsome hulks, Ranger and Morelli. FTA s become part of the plot for action and comic relief. The ending comes fast and furious, ties up the loose ends and takes out all the red herrings to solve the murders, bombings and prove Morelli’s innocence. You won’t see it coming but when it does you will be surprised and tickled at the same time. Written in such an easy flowing dialog it lets you escape into this world of Stephanie the bounty hunter so sit back and enjoy the frivolous, fluffy, truly unbelievable ride. I give it a 3 stars just for being a true escapism read with some laughs along the way.
!
It’s Always Something
JULY ________________ 31:!STAR TREK CON".................. Vegas
AUGUST _____________ 1:! RUBICON "............ Albuquerque, NM 1:! STEAMFEST "...... Salt Lake City, UT 2:! MARICOPACON ".............. Mesa, AZ 8:! SIERRA COMICON"................. Reno 8:! COPPERCON ".................. Mesa, AZ 11:! CLASSIC GAMING CON"....... Vegas 25:!BURNING MAN "..... Black Rock City
SEPTEMBER __________ 4:! BELLY DANCING FEST "....... Vegas 12:!VAMPIRE DIARIES CON ".......Vegas
OCTOBER ____________ 31: "GALAXYCON "........................ Vegas
NOVEMBER ___________ 28:"LOSCON "...................... Los Angeles
Alan White
When I arrived Saturday, the immense dealers room was already halfpast bursting and cosplayers both known and unknown stopped for photos by enthusiastic oglers jockeying for the best shot. The convention area has some terrific open spaces for cosplay antics! On tap is always an impressive lineup of guests that give the creative fan an appreciative shotin-the-arm and thus fans flock to the well attended panels which included: ROB LIEFELD SMASHES POP CULTURE:Â Amazing Spider-Man, XMen, Deadpool, Avengers, and More. Rob spoke candidly on the inner workings of movie blockbusters and the comics from with they originated. Also on tap were: Jim Valentino and Marat Mychaels. DRAWING DEMO with JIM LEE:Â Influential artist Jim Lee spent an hour interacting with fans, drawing their favorite characters projected onto a large screen and telling tales of years in the comics business.
Rebecca Bronemann
At the north end of the strip at the Vegas Speedway 140,000 people writhed to that funky music (white boy) at the eclectic Electric Daisy Carnival. Meanwhile, near the southiest part of the Strip at the South Point Hotel/Casino, the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con was just getting underway and promised as much fun to the 2400 fans in attendance!
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN NOVEL: The Winner Twins, award winning, sci-fi authors, script writers, and producers. Having written four science fiction novels they gave an intriguing step-by-step seminar on novel writing. Also on tap: Steve Elliott Altman, Vice Chairperson of the Writers Guild of America. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Here was a gathering of key Marvel Cosmic Creators responsible for the Guardians mythos: Herb Trimpe, Jim Valentino, Andy Lanning, Andy Schmidt, and Gerry Duggan! DIGITAL INK TECHNIQUES with BRIAN HABERLIN who presented a detailed lesson showing how to take Black & White artwork to the next level with Photoshop’s trove of features that not only enhance comic applications, but countless creative pen and ink opportunities. Great stuff for the active fan. X-MEN: CREATORS FUTURE PAST: From the secret origins of Wolverine to introducing new favorite characters, this panel looks back at the creators behind your favorite mutant tales. With Wolverine Creator Len Wein, artist Joe Rubenstein, Origin II’s Adam Kubert, Bishop Creator Whilce Portacio, and current Deadpool writer Gerry Duggan. After an audience comment regarding the “Star Trek” timeline. Len quipped: “I think you’re worrying about it way too much”! DOCTOR WHO FAN MEET-UP With the 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy: that other Dr. McCoy spilled his fondest memories as Time Lord and Istari. Ever think someone born “Percy James Patrick KentSmith” would have found one name worth keeping?
The Many Hats of Sylvester McCoy
Alana Rose >
ALANA ROSE: SyFy Channel’s Face/Off featured budding F/X Make-up Artists of which Alana Rose Schiro was a fan favorite. On-stage under a huge screen, she showed examples of her work, told stories and answered questions about the show and career. I usually get rotten seats for costume shows. THIS time, I’m pitching camp in front of the stage two hours early! There will be in the vicinity of 125 contestants and I didn’t want to miss a single one. the primo seats were tagged “VIP”. So there I sat, bleary eyed - anything for a good shot. Every hour some gal would sweep by asking if I was a VIP to which I replied “Yes”. She bought it and there I sat. The herd arrived and quickly filled the room to capacity while I remained in my perfect seat! Oh, that clever, clever me! Or so goes the best laid plans. . .! Some guys showed up with a long table and chairs and announced “This is where the judges will sit!” Right in from of me, BLAST! The judges take their seats and the one directly in front of me had horns planted on her noggin! How thoughtful when you know everyone else will be sitting behind you! Double BLAST! At one point, I stood to take a pic and the gal behind me screamed “Sit Down!” so loud the chandeliers tinkled. But that was my cross to bear. What made the show insufferable was the format. Instead of contestants handing info cards to an announcer, do their schtick and split stage left. The players did their thing but the show came to a screeching halt mid-performance while each was interviewed by the team of Holly and Jessica from CrabCat Industries. By repeatedly stopping the show they sucked the energy from the room and their comments regarding every single costume was “That’s awesome!” No info, no badinage, nada! It was torture. After twenty contestants, I wanted to leap on stage and purple nurple those two! The acoustics amplified chatting in the participant holding area which made hearing problematic at best, and since the gal didn’t hold the mic near enough to the contestants it was a ghastly garble-fest. So this was my perfect view of the stage behind a horny woman. Jim Lee demonstrates his super-techniques while Len Wein, Whilce Portacio, and Gerry Duggan regale the audience with tales of days gone by. Len invented The Wolverine and Gerry’s the man behind the iconic “Snikt!”
"
"
Larime Taylor doing a remarkable portrait of a young cutie" "
Batman keeps an eye on a adolescent and more dapper Joker and girlfriend"
Clearly some of the contestants were ill prepared or incapable by way of costume to give an interview which made each interlude much like this: “Hi, what’s your name?” “Mrphlrpflm” “That’s awesome! “So, What do you call your costume?” “Urgphlrmph” “That’s awesome!” This tactic probably sounded good on paper but doesn’t beat the time honored witty guest announcer who “gets it” as SDCC, WorldCon, Loscon and Westercon have proven over their cumulative 200+ years. When in doubt, always defer to Bill Rostler’s Rules of Masquerade. I’d had enough and headed for the corral. As I passed the remaining 100 plus “stumers” waiting to go on, it was obvious this show will be running waaaay long. If each contestant got two minutes, the show would last four hours! Now that’s awesome, but not for me. Sunday came with a ray of sunshine and promise. Again, the halls were packed like a Thai ferryboat and money changed hands briskly. Now this I understand. Making patrons happy, keeps dealers happy, and you have a successful con. I wasn’t the only one amazed by Larime Taylor, the Top Cow artist and writer born with Arthrogryposis who creates his own comic books using a brush held in his mouth. Much of his art is aided by a Wacom tablet, but here he was parked at his table working on marvelous portrait sketches for fans. I also chatted with author Matt Kadish regarding his new book “Earthman Jack vs the Ghost Planet” while Woody Bernardi passed out GalaxyCon flyers and chatted up the dealers. After snapping a few last pics, it was time to call it a day. This could be a perfect convention for Vegas and I look forward to seeing where it goes the next few years. It’s wonderful Vegas is finally coming of age for successful fannish events. Other Guests included: George Perez / Steve Epting / Mat Nastos / Tony Fleecs Chad Hardin / Andy Lanning / Charles Soule / John Layman / Brian Buccellato Sylvester McCoy / Holly Conrad / Jessica Merizan / Jordan Hembrough Here are some fun links to explore: FantasScenes / Artistry in Metal / QuadShot / Mad Propps Matt Kadish / Valkyrie Komics / Viva Wonder Woman / AW Sculpture / CoKreeate / PGTI Press B. Alex Thompson / Victoria Paege / Gamble Art
SPOTLIGHT ON ACTIVE FANS: MATT KADISH Matt is an independent author and world-recognized evil genius. When he isn't writing or being evil, he enjoys relaxing at the beach and videos of puppies. Much like Scottish cuisine, most of his literary works have been based on dares. He currently lives in Las Vegas and always bets on black, because Westley Snipes has yet to steer him wrong in life. He is the most talented author ever. His mother tells him so every day. You should visit his ever evil website (if you know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good for you), youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find it lurking in the shadows in the vicinity of HERE.
Galaxy Con Comittee In the pic are Ravyn Combs, Chris Clay, Lorie Forbes, Robbie Nau Woody, Terry Wilsey, Lubov, Carlos Perez, and Dr. Walt Herron. For more information, visit our site which can be found HERE.
HEMPFEST
BRAD FOSTER We had fun working up that contribution, sorry that the other guys didn't have time to get something together as well. The theme certainly did push us to get creative and do something we might not have tried on our own, so thanks for that. Does make for an interesting "break" in the usual amazing color explosion that is the average issue of Orpheum. Yours is clearly the most graphics-intensive zine in ages, and a wonder to look through each time. Can't believe you can put together so much material for each issue like this. Nice to see more of your old b&w work featured in this one. My approach to digital color has been pretty simple, still just mostly "coloring in" my drawings. You have such a distinctive style in your line art that doesn't really show in your totally different digital style. Would love to see what would happen if you took one of those older line-art pieces and worked it over again with digital color, seeing what the merging of the two different approaches would look like. Could be interesting? (Though, with all the detailed stuff you are turning out now, don't know if you would even have the time to play around again with older work.) Astonished at the six pages of things to join, go to, and enjoy that are fan related in Vegas. Then got to the calendar, and looks like there is more going on there in just those six months shown than we have around here in any combined six years! When do you find time to do all the art and zines, when you've got all this stuff to keep up with? Thanks again for letting us play a bit in the Orpheum playground, it was fun! The playground never closes Brad! Thanks for supporting Orpheum, much appreciated. Being retired cuts a lot of slack in these parts and gives me plenty of time to play and you’re always welcome to jump in! Living the life of a true dilittante can be demanding yet rewarding! I haven’t done any pen and ink for some time. I’ll bet my pens have turned to stone. It would take me weeks to do a detailed pen and ink pic and I hated having it to be relegated to a tiny spot on a mauve page in a zine that goes to 20 people and never scores a comment. So now I just do stuff for Orpheum and try to do it as best I can.
LLOYD PENNEY I am late in getting this done, but better late than never. Got Orpheum 6 in front of me, and it is way past time for comments. Here comes more evidence of fandom around Etobicoke.
I’d like to be able to come down to Vegas for another visit, and a fanzine con isn’t required. I didn’t know about Danny Koker’s chequered past, that he was a television host before going on to one of Vegas’ many “reality” series. Maybe if you live there long enough, you might get one yourself? Glad to see that people from far away are enjoying the writings of Alice Munro. She was too ill to go to Sweden to personally accept her Nobel prize, but she lives not far away from me. Good to see lots of SF groups in Vegas! We have very few here, to the best of my knowledge, but then, I am sooooooo out of the loop, it’s not funny. Fandom has Moved On, and left me behind, as it should be, I suppose. Curt Phillips won TAFF, and Juanita Coulson won DUFF. There is still the temptation to run for a fan fund in future years, but I would hope that our health remains fairly good, and we’d have to work to keep it that way. Well, I am never racing to get my loc into the locol, especially these days, but at least this time around, I am not the only one there. Good to see more are responding to this great-looking zine. My loc…we are having a cold spring, with temperatures close to around 50°F, and I don’t think Vegas ever goes below a temperature like that. There are some movie studios in Etobicoke, and I think one of the latest projects to come out of this city was the movie Pompeii. It is an overcast and cold weekend, but warm fanzines really do help. Wish we could come down to visit! My best to DeDee, and see you next issue. You’re never too late, but way early for the next issue! You and that little filly are always welcome to crash here next time through Vegas! Danny Koker is quite the entrepreneur keeping with his ghoulish interests and has opened a Vampire Bar to be covered next ish. There are many genre groups in Vegas but no Vortex of Fandom like an Ackermansion, LASFS or time honored anything. Vegas used to be very transient which didn’t help but when we began developing a fabulous suburbia the economy took a dump. At last the economy is returning and Vegas is back on the highway to craziness! But Vegas Fandom is like an episode of “Star Lost” every week you wind up in a different fannish environment who hasn’t a clue about any other group; none of which have heard of Forry Ackerman - kind’a freaky and serves to remind me how old I am. We had our first 100° day on May 15 with more on the way. I feel vindicated years ago writing about faaans being left in the dust by a younger and more enthusiastic fandom who have left the tired and dusty realm of “Fandom as we know it” off to find their own Goshwowboyohboy from anywhere that can deliver. They find nothing of interest hanging with the old codgers who only want to be reassured that fandom is just where they left it. Our generation squandered Fandom and now it fades away without a whimper. It will be interesting to see where all these young pups land in another 5 years.
MR. DAVID R. DORRYCOTT Dear Syrr; I have taken the time to wade through your PDF. I am afraid that I found almost nothing of interest to me, add to that the heavy graphics bogged down even my eight month old machine and you have a difficult to peruse publication. Zombies are no interest to me either. What I found was a Las Vegas centric publication, considering that I have never been to that desert wasteland and, after traveling through New Mexico, Utah and Arizona a few years ago I have no intention of ever going further West. Therefore reading about events in a far off lost land really isn't that interesting. San Antonio is wasteland enough for me thank you very much, I'm not a native, I was transplanted here in 1961.
Therefore, after spending the time to carefully read your publication, I must most respectfully request to be removed from the mass mailing list. This does not mean that I no longer wish to hear from you, perhaps some time we might have something worth chatting about. However I am a rather private person and not even involved in local clubs, other that the Adobe Users Group, Science Fiction Groups? There is a 501st Star Wars club and a Star Drek club, then I think a Dr. Who group. None of which interest me that much, as to the local Anthro group it is almost a thirty mile drive, one way, to simply attend a 'meet and greet' with children. You know the kind, 18-23 year olds who want to impress each other. I wish you well in your endeavors, I though will simply remain here in my Time Vault, avoiding the little fuzzies wandering my back yard studying the Seaview and continue my own poor travels among the madness that is writing. Member: The Solar Guard Mr. David R. Dorrycott the worlds worst writer Links: The Solar Guard / Spontoon Island / Naorhy / Fifth Imperial Hunt Well, I can’t argue with that. . . Looks like we have no middle ground here - even the fact your machine can’t handle a piddling five meg PDF. You are spot-on we are Vegas centric but only because we can’t get anyone else to do anything. But good luck in your pursuits, and after retiring to your Time Vault perhaps you can find some solace in the fact “The Solar Guard” is an anagram for “Aha! Turd Oglers!”
LAURAINE TUTTIHASI Enjoyed the issue a lot. Very interesting stuff. Also loved the Brad and Cindy Foster comix. Very funny. Too bad we can't have a Dr. Who / Star Trek actual episode. Thanks a lot. It looked terrific and was a great read. Hey thanks Lauraine and a belated birthday greeting to ya’.
ART BY TEDDY HARVIA
EARL KEMP And a beautiful thing to behold, too. A pleasure just to look at. All that talent. Keep it up! You had me at “beautiful”, but “Over the Top”, “Omighod” and “Arrrrg, my eyes!” works for me too.
STEVE MILLER With a cover that inviting? We’re not all gore creatures. Pass. So. . . judging a book by it’s cover eh? Seamus Heaney’s last words drift into mind: “Noli Timere”! I suppose I should be flattered, so thanks for that. Let’s see a show of hands. Who remembers when fans weren’t such pussies? I even created this delightful and less threatening cover just for you but to what end? (sigh). > Who could shun this bundle of love I ask you? If the promise of Pig Hats, old zines and Brad Foster’s full pager can’t temp you then I’m stumped. Was it just West Coast fandom and that generation of “Monsterkids” from the 50s I remember as being all “Damn the Torpedoes!” and growing up looking for ways to horrify their parents with the latest grotesque publication? My memory of Fandom is a parade of disturbing covers, “Giant Crab Monsters” and “Things that go Bump in the Night”. Today things may be glossier but there’s nothing new under the tomb. Even Godzilla can’t rest in peace.
JEANNE BOWMAN Well thanks. I think. I laughed aloud at the dust bowl, and tumbleweed metaphor at the end. A little dry humor? Crunchy bits? (So over the zombie apocalypse, but that's just me I expect.) cheers. Hey thanks Jeanne, but it’s only getting crunchier! Them damn zombies won’t stay dead! Get ready for the next season of “Walking Dead” and “World War Z 2” next year!
FANDOMS. Hiya, I would like to kindly ask you to piss off! ~ Question So I visit this Facebook page called “Fandoms.” basically a page plugging genre TV shows and boasting a warm greeting: “This is a page for anyone who is a part of a fandom no matter which one you are a part of.”; how cordial is that? They should certainly be blessed with a copy of my zine which I graced upon their page. It’s better to give than receive eh? Their response was brief and pointed; talk about fans being wound too tight. They have since disposed of their warm greeting (that’ll show me) and I promised never to darken their pageway again (sigh).