Electronic OtherRealms #25 Summer/Fall, 1989 Part 13 of 17 Copyright 1989 by Chuq Von Rospach All Rights Reserved OtherRealms may not be reproduced without permission from Chuq Von Rospach. Permission is given to electronically distribute this issue only if all copyrights, author credits and return addresses remain intact. No article may be reprinted or re-used without permission of the author. The Agony Column Rick Kleffel Copyright 1989 by Rick Kleffel A Special Look at Horror in the Small Press It's not surprising that horror fiction, which makes so much money for so few people, is so poorly treated by both publishers and readers of other "genre fiction". But within the last two years, three of the top magazines to promote horror fiction -- first, "Night Cry", then "The Twilight Zone Magazine" and now "The Horror Show" -- have all closed up shop. The short story is a staple of horror fiction, and beyond big- name, big bucks anthologies, there's a shortage of places to find it. Or is there? The answer is no! You need look no further than the so-called "small press" to find the "Cutting Edge" of horror fiction. It makes sense. The small presses -- like Dark Harvest, Scream/Press, MacClay and Associates, Mark V. Zeising, and the venerable Arkham House -- to name but a few -- have done wonders for horror fiction books, so it's no surprise that their equivalents in the magazine publishing world are doing a lot for horror fiction magazines. What is surprising, is just how much is being done. I'd happily trade an issue of "Grue", "2AM", "DeathRealm", "The Horror Show", "Weirdbook", "Whispers" or "Midnight Graffiti", say, for last year's "Prime Evil", and feel that any them packs as much punch as the hardcover. And for the price of a single hardcover, I could buy four magazines. As a collector, I've realized that the magazines accrue value as quickly as any book, more so, if the author featured within is or becomes a big name. As an admirer of horror-inspired artwork, I've found these publications are beyond the competition of all but the very best and most exclusive of the small press editions. So, while some old hands and respected names have dropped off the edge, there's every hope that we horror readers can save what's left, enjoy the best and the newest, and by our support, start a new "Golden Age" of horror magazines. It's already started -- only lots of people haven't noticed. This article is meant to be a "random sample" of what's out there, specifically, what you can buy at your local specialty shop. (The sample was biased, of course, by my Southern California Location, but it's the entertainment capital of the world, right?) For it's only at your local SF/Fantasy/Horror/Comics bookstore, that you can find most of these magazines, and it's these people you need to request to carry these magazines. Once you get a taste, the chances are you'll want to subscribe, because you definitely can't find these magazines at the grocery store -- yet. Tales By Moonlight 11 [*****] edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson Tor Books, 0-812-55371-3, $3.95 What you can find at the grocery store to start your small press search is this combination of invaluable guide and gut-busting anthology. It includes two remarkable appendices, "How to Start Your Own Shoestring Horror Magazine" by "Grue" editor Peggy Nadramia, and "Current Small Press Horror Magazines". If you want to know everything that's our there, here's a good place to start. Especially since the fiction within is so powerful, so packed with with emotion and variety that any fan of any type of horror fiction, from "quiet" to "Splatterpunk" will find something by a writer they've never read to totally impress them. And, they'll no doubt find new types of horror fiction to enjoy. I was particularly impressed by Salmonson's emphasis on magazines that specialize in translated fiction, because I've never read anything quite so amazingly different as Stefan Grabinski's, "The Area", translated by Miroslaw Lipinski. Also impressive is the inclusion of older horror fiction by well known writers, giving the collection a perspective on how well the genre itself ages (very well, it seems). And, since it's sitting, waiting for you in the grocery rack, you won't have to go out of your way to get it. But once you do, you'll quickly find yourself going out of your way to get to the sources it draws from. After Hours [***] edited by William G. Raley 21541 Oakbrook, Mission Viejo, CA. 92692-3044 ISSN 1043-3686, $4.00 per copy, quarterly At issue number three, "After Hours" is shaping up to be a nice venue for mostly new writers, with a couple of familiar names, and sparse but effective artwork. It's mostly fiction, with no specific sub-genre featured or forced. Particularly impressive were "For I Have Sinned" by Gary David Johnson, "Road L and Resident" by Craig Anthony and "Black" by Steve Rasnic Tem. "After Hours" leans towards short-short stories, something the horror genre can do especially well, and that gives this 52 page magazine the ability to include 13 pieces of fiction. The "Departments" include a brief one-page editorial, "Coffee Shop", an interview section (this issue featured Chris B. Lacher, editor of "New Blood" Magazine), Market News and writer's biographies. The look of this magazine is still somewhat low-budget and amateurish, but happily very clean. At issue number three, it's still possible to get all back issues, and as the audience grows, there's every possibility that "After Hours" can take a place at the top of the field. It's good, but it's not there yet. Deathrealm [*****] edited by Mark Rainey 3223-F Regents Park, Greenboro, NC, 27405 5 1/2" by 8 1/2", BW, saddle stitch, text, $4.00 quarterly Finding this magazine was for me like finding an unexpected treasure -- it's the best I could hope for, and until I picked it up at the store, I'd never heard of it. Beautifully illustrated, wonderfully designed, easy-to-read and look at, this magazine hearkens back to classic look of horror magazines. The black and white illustrations are occasionally stunning and always classy. This publication shows what the best of the small press can be -- more cohesive than anything professional, and certainly as nice looking. I looked at issue #2, #3 and #9, and while some things certainly improved, it seems to have been a hard act to beat from square one. But it's the written content that will win most readers over. Issue #9 included Joe R. Lansdale's visceral and disturbing "Pentacostal Punk Rock" and Fred Chappell's literate and imaginative Cthulu Mythos story, "The Adder". Jeffrey Osier's "Don't Clean the Aquarium" (Issue #2) began a first-rate urban "Alien" story, that was effectively continued in "The Dogs" (Issue #3). Editor Mark Rainey also made the notable contributions "Threnody" and "1, Krall" in the earlier issues. Also commendable is the magazine's increasing dedication to horror poetry, a creature whose existence I had never suspected. While the great bulk of the magazine is fiction, there are occasional interviews, and very informative small-press horror magazine reviews. Since you can be guaranteed that this magazine will interest you, and bet pretty heavy on what is recommended within. Definitely something nice to put on your bookshelf with all those Dark Harvest and Scream Press books -- and of equivalent quality. Fear [****] edited by John Gilbert PO Box 20, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 ISSN 0954-8017, approximately $6.00, quarterly While this is neither small press, nor American, it's as difficult to find as anything else, and certainly worth mention. Lot of color, slick pages, full-page illustrations for horror stories by major authors? It'd never fly in America, but in England, they're a lot smarter about this kind of thing. "Fear" is what every horror fan hopes for -- with reservations. It's big, it's slick, it's splashy, it's -- got a lot of advertising (genre-oriented, sure), and a whole lot of movie reviews. Yes, it is something like a hybrid of Fangoria and Twilight Zone, but let's face it -- there are stories by Nicholas Royle, Ramsey Campbell and Stephen Gallagher, so it does have quite a bit going for it. It also has lots of interviews, with people like Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell and Stephen Gallagher. As a purveyor of fiction, pure and simple, it has punch but is lacking in quantity. And while it is in color, the look tends to get a bit crowded with all those adverts and pint-size film and book reviews. Still, the overall "British" slant makes it interesting for the American reader, and a bit chilling as far as the on-going debate about British film censorship is concerned. Is horror censorship coming soon to a theater near you? Let's hope not, but things don't look so hot on this side of the Atlantic. For those with an overall interest in the horror genre, especially film, this may prove a must buy. Footsteps Chapbooks Footsteps Press, Roundtop New York Footsteps by Harlan Ellison [***] The House of Fear by Chet Williamson [****] 51/2" by 81/2", saddle-stitch, 2 color high quality text Irregular, about $10.00 signed These chapbooks aren't magazines per se, but they fit right in with best of these small-press publications. There's one story per book, signed by the author and the illustrator, and everything is absolute top-of-the- line. "The House of Fear" shows off Chet Williamson at his very psychological best and is complemented by the astonishing illustrations of Douglas C. Klauba. These alone will make it worth the price of admission. "Footsteps" is a reprint of Harlan Ellison story first published in "Gallery" magazine (NOT a small press horror pub) and includes two intros by this always interesting and vociferous writer. Also available (but unseen by this writer) is Douglas Winter's chilling "Splatter", illustrated by Harry Morris. Keep and eye out for "Footsteps" they're definitely worth following. GRUE Magazine [*****] Hell's Kitchen Productions, PO Box 370, Times Square Station NY, NY ISSN 0897-9707, $4.50, quarterly Without doubt one of the most disturbing magazines I've ever read, GRUE is certainly at the front of the line, the top of the heap and the cutting edge of horror fiction today. With the latest issue, Peggy Nadramia has reached a new peak, presenting thirteen first-rate tales of horror that are at times literate and quiet, then stomach-churning, then experimental and disorienting -- but uniformly of excellent quality. Also included is horror poetry that will convince even most hardened skeptic that horror poetry can work beyond your wildest dreams. This was the magazine that made me realize that this format is every bit as good as the big-bucks anthologies. Every day I'd both look forward to and dread the time when I would read the next story -- let this be a warning to the faint-of-heart. While these stories are very well written, the content tends towards the extreme side of upsetting violence and psychology. This is not to say that it is limited to this type of fiction. Thomas Ligotti contributes his usual atmospheric ambiance to "The Strange Design of Master Rignolo", and Bentley Little's "Against the Pale Sand" is so strange that the sexual elements seem subdued by the surreal surroundings, though no less disturbing. Still, there are always stories like "Corky's Quickees" by small press habituee Wayne Allen Salle and David Starkey's "Astronaut" to shock the reader into teary-eyed numbness. Let's not forget the high-quality illustrations, which more than do their part to dislodge any bricks in the reader's instincts of self-preservation. Like "Deathrealm", this is what nightmares are made of. The Horror Show edited by David B. Silva Phantasm Press, 14848 Misty Springs Lane Oak Run, California 96069 ISSN 0748-2914, $3.95, quarterly Although it's been officially declared dead, The Horror Show is still being published, with a special double issue expected in Spring of 1990, and an annual anthology also being considered. Even better, back issues are available. This is one of the small press magazines to feature both writers for the small press (Brian Hodge, Paul F. Olson, AR Morlan) and big name stars -- in Dennis Etchison and Dean R. Koontz special issues. While each issue consists primarily wide-spectrum horror fiction, there are also occasional interviews, book reviews and sometimes movie reviews. But the emphasis is on high quality horror fiction. David B. Silva's editorial choices are consistent only in their excellence, but range from the surreal horror of J.N. Williamson's "The Gap Nearly Closed Today" to the splatter of Joe Lansdale. Even better, readers are encouraged readers to look at new and different talents; the Summer 1989 issue featured stories by and interviews with four "rising stars" of horror. It's a sure bet that as these and other writers become better known, and issues of this magazine will become collector's items. There's still time to buy this magazine don't lose a chance you may never have again. Midnight Graffiti [****+] edited by Jessica Horsting and James Van Hise 13101 Sudan Road, Poway, California 92064 $4.95, quarterly Midnight Graffiti is poised to take the lead, but hasn't quite done so. It's definitely different from the other small press leaders, and it's attracted some major league talent -- Stephen King contributed an all- new story titled "Rainy Season" to the last issue. But it's young yet (only in issue 3), and has a little ways to go before it will have firmly established a look and feel all its own. Still, one can't deny that the fiction is always first-rate, with big names like King, Ellison and Joe Lansdale, and new faces like Stephen Boyett. The covers are beautiful; some folks will want to buy two copies just to frame the cover of one. But inside, things still look a little iffy, sometimes busy, sometimes clean. It's probably just a matter of aging, of settling into a format and feel. And who has time for settling in when Stephen King writes? Be that as it may, "Midnight Graffiti" is also notable for the humorous and fact based articles within. Humorous horror is all to rare, and certainly welcome; the cartoons, the satires, the "True Facts" columns are quite funny and totally different from what is found in the rest of the genre. And the factual articles -- those are strictly for folks who like to really be scared. "The Strange Case of Gary Levinson" told the story of a schlock horror film maker who strayed into making fake "snuff" videos utilizing the makeup effects left over from his films. He's serving time now. It's really creepy stuff, and certainly teeters on the edge of "taste". The occasional "Art Gallery" features have featured such diverse works as "The Gallery of Richard Upton Pickman" by Allen Koszowski, a fine set of black and white prints, to "Too Strange", which lives up to its title by being the 'Seven dwarves' renditions of John Wayne Gacy, convicted serial killer. If this won't give you the creeps, you're dead. New Blood Magazine [***+] edited by Chris B. Lacher 540 West Foothill Blvd Suite #3730, Glendora, CA 91740 ISSN 1040-4392, $4.00, quarterly New Blood magazine is a good example of why the horror scene is thriving; there's lots of good new talent out there, waiting to "break through". And a lot of established writers, who have more on their hands than they can fit in their books. The look and feel of the magazine is excellent, with classic, restrained illustrations, and a simple, clean, easy to read layout. Like GRUE, the emphasis tends towards the splatter side of things, but there's always room for the surreal humor of Gary ("The Howling") Brander's "The Dogs". No, not those dogs; the dogs to which our great country is going. There's also an excellent critical look at horror by Edgar F. Tatro, something the genre really needs and really benefits from; not a "horror sucks because..." or "horror is great because..." diatribe, but a -- shiver -- scholarly look at how horror works. Interesting, refreshing reading. 2 AM [*****] edited by Gretta M. Anderson Box 6754, Rockford, IL 61125-1754 ISSN 0886-8743, $4.95, quarterly Here's another of the proven forces in small press horror, and they're still going strong. The bulk of the magazine is fiction, with excellent poetry, stories by an occasional big name (Kevin J. Anderson, David B. Silva), and a constant gallery of highly talented new writers. The emphasis tends to lean towards classic and quiet horror, but there's always room for something like Jeffrey Osier's "The Face on The Stairs". The look of this magazine seems to serve as a model for both "New Blood" and "After Hours"; clean, easy-to-read, well designed layouts. There are columns for Market News, a nice review section by various writers and a regular column by the respected J.N. Williamson. This column combines tales of his writing experiences with off-the-cuff reviews, and is especially entertaining. Unlike other horror magazines, there's an "editorial content"; in the latest issue, William Relling speaks eloquently for gun control. It's a class effort from beginning to end, well worth the price of admission. Skeleton Crew [**+] edited by Dave Hughes 104 Highcliffe Road, Wickford Essex Approximately $4.95, quarterly This is a magazine where art is the star; namely, art by head Artist Dave Cason, whose beautiful covers and interior illos will grab any horror fan's eye. But once you get to the inside, well, that's a different story. At least as far as Issue 5, where typos claim 4 of the first 5 paragraphs of a Brian Lumley story. Add to that a dot-matrix style typeface, and you've got a big minus to balance the big plus of Dave Carson's artwork. There's some good fiction by newer writers, reprints of fiction by well-known writers, and a few too many reviews of this, with a bit too much commentary on that. The inside is somewhat poorly laid out, and often just plain hard-to-read. Still, there's hope -- with issues dedicated to Ramsey Campbell and James Herbert upcoming, and artwork by Clive Barker, "Skeleton Crew" may grow up to be something to be reckoned with. But first take care of those typos! Curiously, the last three publications alphabetically all blur the line between "magazine" and "trade paperback anthology". Their release dates are irregular (with the exception of "Weird Tales"), and two of them are available in signed, hardback limited editions. Weirdbook [*****] edited by W. Paul Ganley PO Box 149 Buffalo NY, 14226-0149 ISSN 8755-7452 Double Issue, $10.00 Only fiction and poetry, lots of well-known authors, a two color cover with dust jacket(!), available in hardback edition -- this is another example of what you'll find when you start digging, and why you should start doing so now. No major publisher is going to stick out their neck to publish this kind of fiction and poetry. Even if they do, the chances are they won't turn out as well as does Weirdbook. Faring best in the 23/24 double issue are RE Klein, Janet Fox and Brian Lumley, whose "Dagon's Bell" is yet more proof that the Cthulu Mythos are still viable in the right hands. Whether you call it a book or magazine, make sure you buy Weirdbook. And, if you can't find it, pester your local bookstore about it. After all, wouldn't you like to be able to find this sort of thing everywhere? Weird Tales [****+] edited by John Betancourt, George Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer Terminus Publishing Company, PO Box 13148 Philadelphia, PA 19101-3418 ISSN 0898-5073, $4.00, quarterly. When the big names do it, they occasionally do it right. Here's that occasion. Weird Tales is an example of good taste, great layout, some chances taken on new talent, some new material by big-name, established writers, and beautiful, frameable artwork. Like Weirdbook, Weird Tales is available in hardback, signed/limited editions. When you pick up the magazine, aside from a slight few advertisements (genre oriented, of course) you'll find little difference between it and trade paperback editions of Scream/Press or Dark Harvest books. In the last two issues, stories of note were Alan Rodgers "Emma's Daughter", Michael F. Flynn's "Dragons" and Karl Edward Wagner's novella, "At First Just Ghostly". It doesn't hurt that this magazine is almost always available in specialty bookstores; but once you've seen, you'll probably want to subscribe. Whispers edited by Stuart David Schiff 70 Highland Avenue, Binghamton NY 13905 Approximately $8.00 -- $30.00, irregular Every cause needs a vehicle, and what better vehicle could the progenitors of the quiet horror sub-genre ask for than Stuart David Schiff's Whispers. Like Weird Tales, it's professional through and through, but far more difficult to find. It's also far more of a collector's item, and like the two previous entries is really closer to trade paperback than a magazine. The contributors are well-known, top selling writers including Charles Grant, Dennis Etchison, and Michael Bishop, all presenting first-run material. Of note is the art that punctuates the fiction and poetry; it's what you'd expect in a limited edition hardcover. In fact, everything about this magazine says "quality" -- quality with teeth. By now you should get the idea. There's more than meets you eye at the supermarket, more than you'll find at your local specialty store. If you see something new in the world of the small press, look for familiar names; once you start looking closely, a foreign, barren landscape can reveal itself to be an ancient graveyard -- full of freshly buried bodies. ------ End ------