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discoveredinaljBah, having some delays here today. Okay. Last year I inflicted my thoughts about a variety of multi-media zines on people. Clearly I liked them because now I have a few more. Last year, I had acquired Concupiscence and Concupiscence 3. This year, I am filling in the gaps, so here is Concupiscence 2.
Concupiscence 2 was published by Manacles Press in 1992 and is 148 pages long with nearly 85,000 words. It has eight stories, of which two are Pros stories, totalling 49 of those pages. The others are two Blakes 7 stories and single stories for Wiseguy, MUNCLE, 'Tris and Alex' and Twin Peaks. Neither Pros story was online when I bought this; one has subsequently made it onto Proslib.
I found this zine second-hand and bought it because I had really enjoyed Concupiscence 1 and 3, which I acquired in a foray into second-hand multi-fandom zines bought from people I didn't know on zinelist last year. So I hoped this would be as good.
Concupiscence 2 is identical in format to its predecessor: a plain cover, no illustrations anywhere, double columns with little teasers set into boxes at the start of each story, clear type and very very few typos. There are nine pages of adverts at the end, for conventions and for current and upcoming zines. I found those fascinating. The first and final stories are long: 39 and 40 pages each. The other six vary from half a page to 20. It's probably worth mentioning that the editorial is actually really keen that people stop talking about page count and instead consider word count. I do feel I am spoiling this faintly by giving page counts, but it's easier to count than words; and you can take the overall page and word count and do sums.
Pros content:
Bonding, by Stew. 39 pages. This is Doyle's POV and follows the episodes. of the first series, weaving events and lines from the episodes into the narrative, as Doyle and Bodie get to know each other. Right at the very start, Bodie tells Doyle there's no such thing as real male bonding and he has few male friends. This is revisited at the end. There's quite a few stories which cover the whole run of the series, but I kept thinking of Kate Maclean's Yellow Brick Road as I was reading it, perhaps because they both pick the same moments from episodes ("You must be Betty", inevitably, perhaps!) and because they both mention Doyle looking with interest at Bodie's flat and even mention some of the same things. They both also feature Bodie brushing off what's going on. I didn't feel this story entirely gelled for me, but I found it really interesting to see how Stew interprets some events. As an example, I always think that Bodie is more than half mischief-making when he suggests Cowley "check the security arrangements" in Looking After Annie (thereby coming face to face with her again), but Stew sees this as straightforwardly playing Cupid.
Some Say The World Will End in Fire, Some in Ice, by Jane Mailander. 10 pages. Ohhh! Sniff. Doyle is dead. Bodie continues on alone. Lots and lots of playing with fire and ice (and iron) imagery in this, as Bodie's heart and emotions slowly freeze without Doyle. A dreamed conversation with Doyle is at the heart of the story. How you take that probably determines how you take the story as a whole. I enjoyed parts of this very much indeed, but others didn't grab me, especially the portrayal of Murphy, and what we glean about an event in Downing Street. There's a Neil Burnside character and his Sandbaggers in this: but I'm not sure I'd call it a crossover: they are more walk-on parts. This one arrived on Proslib earlier this year.
Non-Pros content:
Transgression, by Maggie Hall. Wiseguy, 16 pages. Vinnie wants to embarrass Frank and arranges to meet at a gay bar. Frank appears unembarrassable by the propositions he receives and Vinnie pushes the stakes higher by picking him up, feeling him up, and kissing him. At which stage Vinnie realises something that embarrasses him. Once they're alone, a very tricky conversation ensues. Still don't know anything more about this programme than I did when I bought Concupiscence 1 (and 3...) last year, but I did enjoy this. Maggie Hall is good at these two-hander conversations. I liked the way Vinnie doesn't realise (and Frank doesn't point out) that everything he accuses Frank of is much more applicable to himself. Very open ending.
Midnight in Moscow. Man From UNCLE. 18 pages. Napoleon and Illya are getting an old friend of Illya's out of Russia: he is being blackmailed over his homosexuality, which leads to realisations and revelations on the parts of Napoleon and Illya. Set in 1969: lots of reminders of the very different social climate then, and how things would be different in the future, which I found jarring. My first experience of Man From UNCLE stories was last year in multi-media zines. There was a lot of small fluffy blond Illya who needs protecting. This isn't quite so bad, because they're on his home territory here and he needs less protecting, but he's still small and fluffy!
Teleport!!!, by Jacquie Baham, Blakes 7. Avon/Blake. 5 pages. PWP. I enjoyed the sex - yes, I am shallow - but the set-up surrounding it rather lost me: Avon and Blake are stuck inside Zen as programs, and seem to be using Zen as a holodeck while waiting for rescue. I got a bit confused with that.
Southern Cross, by Nancy Arena. Tris/Alex. Interesting. There's a little editorial note to the effect that this is an "obscure fandom" about a British hard rock band. Mmm. Anyway, it starts in rural New Zealand, and later back in London. The main part reminded me a little of the Pros story In Hot Water, which also has the lads (our lads, I mean) recharging in bucolic bliss, and the two stories have the same air of unpressured relaxation and innocent randiness and knowing that it's temporary and cannot last. I believe it more in this, though: I can't really see Bodie and Doyle getting away from it all in this way, whereas the number of British band members who head out into the countryside is considerable! Liked it a lot, liked the London bit too, and now I want to know what happens next. Especially because the final paragraph involves a dream image, the significance of which escapes me, and I want to know what it's all about.
Why It Hurt, by Jane Mailander. Blakes 7, Avon/Vila. Very very short: less than a page long, and apparently just a little set of events. The "it" of the title is not specifically explained, so you have to work it out from what's said in the piece itself. The first words are straight out of the events in the episode Orbit, and so I got the point - or what I assume to be the point! - pretty rapidly. I suspect you need to know B7 for this one.
For Thou Art With Me, by K Kinnon. Twin Peaks, Dale Cooper/Harry Truman.At 40 pages, the longest story in the zine. Parts were decidedly weird. I never saw Twin Peaks, though, and I gather that was decidedly weird too, so maybe it's pretty accurate! After Josie dies, Cooper asks Harry to come to bed with him. Harry bemusedly accedes, and slowly falls in love. The writing is very distinctive, but the dialogue was a little odd. I think you really need to know Twin Peaks to get a lot out of this.
So overall: Nearly two years into this freefall into fandom, I'm still buying zines, even though people keep trying to tell me they are dead. And even though it's pretty much about Pros for me, I am still reading the other stories in the multi-media zines, and finding things to enjoy. Is it worth hunting this down? Well, it depends! If you only like Pros, then you only want a third of the zine. And one of those is a death story, which not everyone likes. But the other is not online at all. So, well, if you want to see them both, you'll have to find the zine or a friend with it.
If you're more open to other fandoms, it's correspondingly a better bet. Twin Peaks and Blakes 7 are particularly helpful to know here. I can't judge For Thou Art With Me (the Twin Peaks one) at all, but but I hope I have described it fairly. Why It Hurt is a clever exercise. And Southern Cross just stole me away completely. I have re-read it more often than I have re-read one of the Pros stories. I am not sure there is much higher praise!
Concupiscence 2 was published by Manacles Press in 1992 and is 148 pages long with nearly 85,000 words. It has eight stories, of which two are Pros stories, totalling 49 of those pages. The others are two Blakes 7 stories and single stories for Wiseguy, MUNCLE, 'Tris and Alex' and Twin Peaks. Neither Pros story was online when I bought this; one has subsequently made it onto Proslib.
I found this zine second-hand and bought it because I had really enjoyed Concupiscence 1 and 3, which I acquired in a foray into second-hand multi-fandom zines bought from people I didn't know on zinelist last year. So I hoped this would be as good.
Concupiscence 2 is identical in format to its predecessor: a plain cover, no illustrations anywhere, double columns with little teasers set into boxes at the start of each story, clear type and very very few typos. There are nine pages of adverts at the end, for conventions and for current and upcoming zines. I found those fascinating. The first and final stories are long: 39 and 40 pages each. The other six vary from half a page to 20. It's probably worth mentioning that the editorial is actually really keen that people stop talking about page count and instead consider word count. I do feel I am spoiling this faintly by giving page counts, but it's easier to count than words; and you can take the overall page and word count and do sums.
Pros content:
Bonding, by Stew. 39 pages. This is Doyle's POV and follows the episodes. of the first series, weaving events and lines from the episodes into the narrative, as Doyle and Bodie get to know each other. Right at the very start, Bodie tells Doyle there's no such thing as real male bonding and he has few male friends. This is revisited at the end. There's quite a few stories which cover the whole run of the series, but I kept thinking of Kate Maclean's Yellow Brick Road as I was reading it, perhaps because they both pick the same moments from episodes ("You must be Betty", inevitably, perhaps!) and because they both mention Doyle looking with interest at Bodie's flat and even mention some of the same things. They both also feature Bodie brushing off what's going on. I didn't feel this story entirely gelled for me, but I found it really interesting to see how Stew interprets some events. As an example, I always think that Bodie is more than half mischief-making when he suggests Cowley "check the security arrangements" in Looking After Annie (thereby coming face to face with her again), but Stew sees this as straightforwardly playing Cupid.
Some Say The World Will End in Fire, Some in Ice, by Jane Mailander. 10 pages. Ohhh! Sniff. Doyle is dead. Bodie continues on alone. Lots and lots of playing with fire and ice (and iron) imagery in this, as Bodie's heart and emotions slowly freeze without Doyle. A dreamed conversation with Doyle is at the heart of the story. How you take that probably determines how you take the story as a whole. I enjoyed parts of this very much indeed, but others didn't grab me, especially the portrayal of Murphy, and what we glean about an event in Downing Street. There's a Neil Burnside character and his Sandbaggers in this: but I'm not sure I'd call it a crossover: they are more walk-on parts. This one arrived on Proslib earlier this year.
Non-Pros content:
Transgression, by Maggie Hall. Wiseguy, 16 pages. Vinnie wants to embarrass Frank and arranges to meet at a gay bar. Frank appears unembarrassable by the propositions he receives and Vinnie pushes the stakes higher by picking him up, feeling him up, and kissing him. At which stage Vinnie realises something that embarrasses him. Once they're alone, a very tricky conversation ensues. Still don't know anything more about this programme than I did when I bought Concupiscence 1 (and 3...) last year, but I did enjoy this. Maggie Hall is good at these two-hander conversations. I liked the way Vinnie doesn't realise (and Frank doesn't point out) that everything he accuses Frank of is much more applicable to himself. Very open ending.
Midnight in Moscow. Man From UNCLE. 18 pages. Napoleon and Illya are getting an old friend of Illya's out of Russia: he is being blackmailed over his homosexuality, which leads to realisations and revelations on the parts of Napoleon and Illya. Set in 1969: lots of reminders of the very different social climate then, and how things would be different in the future, which I found jarring. My first experience of Man From UNCLE stories was last year in multi-media zines. There was a lot of small fluffy blond Illya who needs protecting. This isn't quite so bad, because they're on his home territory here and he needs less protecting, but he's still small and fluffy!
Teleport!!!, by Jacquie Baham, Blakes 7. Avon/Blake. 5 pages. PWP. I enjoyed the sex - yes, I am shallow - but the set-up surrounding it rather lost me: Avon and Blake are stuck inside Zen as programs, and seem to be using Zen as a holodeck while waiting for rescue. I got a bit confused with that.
Southern Cross, by Nancy Arena. Tris/Alex. Interesting. There's a little editorial note to the effect that this is an "obscure fandom" about a British hard rock band. Mmm. Anyway, it starts in rural New Zealand, and later back in London. The main part reminded me a little of the Pros story In Hot Water, which also has the lads (our lads, I mean) recharging in bucolic bliss, and the two stories have the same air of unpressured relaxation and innocent randiness and knowing that it's temporary and cannot last. I believe it more in this, though: I can't really see Bodie and Doyle getting away from it all in this way, whereas the number of British band members who head out into the countryside is considerable! Liked it a lot, liked the London bit too, and now I want to know what happens next. Especially because the final paragraph involves a dream image, the significance of which escapes me, and I want to know what it's all about.
Why It Hurt, by Jane Mailander. Blakes 7, Avon/Vila. Very very short: less than a page long, and apparently just a little set of events. The "it" of the title is not specifically explained, so you have to work it out from what's said in the piece itself. The first words are straight out of the events in the episode Orbit, and so I got the point - or what I assume to be the point! - pretty rapidly. I suspect you need to know B7 for this one.
For Thou Art With Me, by K Kinnon. Twin Peaks, Dale Cooper/Harry Truman.At 40 pages, the longest story in the zine. Parts were decidedly weird. I never saw Twin Peaks, though, and I gather that was decidedly weird too, so maybe it's pretty accurate! After Josie dies, Cooper asks Harry to come to bed with him. Harry bemusedly accedes, and slowly falls in love. The writing is very distinctive, but the dialogue was a little odd. I think you really need to know Twin Peaks to get a lot out of this.
So overall: Nearly two years into this freefall into fandom, I'm still buying zines, even though people keep trying to tell me they are dead. And even though it's pretty much about Pros for me, I am still reading the other stories in the multi-media zines, and finding things to enjoy. Is it worth hunting this down? Well, it depends! If you only like Pros, then you only want a third of the zine. And one of those is a death story, which not everyone likes. But the other is not online at all. So, well, if you want to see them both, you'll have to find the zine or a friend with it.
If you're more open to other fandoms, it's correspondingly a better bet. Twin Peaks and Blakes 7 are particularly helpful to know here. I can't judge For Thou Art With Me (the Twin Peaks one) at all, but but I hope I have described it fairly. Why It Hurt is a clever exercise. And Southern Cross just stole me away completely. I have re-read it more often than I have re-read one of the Pros stories. I am not sure there is much higher praise!
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no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:01 pm (UTC)I don't like the sound of the deathfic, and I'm not wild about what I call episode-related fics, either, so this is one zine I could do without, in Pros terms.
Your reviews are interesting and helpful! Keep them coming!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:10 pm (UTC)I know what you mean by the term "episode-related fics", yes. From all I know about your preferences, yes, this is not the first zine I would press on you. *glances at shelf behind, glances at clock* Wonder how much time I have to write more reviews before midnight? (I have been thoroughly delayed by events today, gah.)
I'll bet I can find something you like :) My project for the new year, perhaps!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:17 pm (UTC)(Oh - and Amazon have Ladder of Swords but at vastly inflated prices, and LoveFilm are still quite certain it doesn't exist.)
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:20 pm (UTC)I've always thought I'll never acquire any zines, but bother it, you're starting to make me think maybe I will. *g*
Another great review, thank you.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:51 pm (UTC)You really need to see Wiseguy. Most people like the Proffit arc best but I just love the Steelgrave arc. Sonny/Vinnie all the way. You might find a second hand copy on amazon, worth a try anyway.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:55 pm (UTC)I really ought to try and review zines that are in print: especially the ones I really like - people would have much more of a chance of getting hold of them then. Having said which, I'm quite happy to lend the things out. I would love to hear what other people think of the same stories.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-05 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 01:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 01:58 am (UTC)Although I'm not sure this one will work for me...
I will probably buy some in the new year, though.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 04:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 09:11 am (UTC)I'm curious about the Southern Cross story now, though I'm not sure I'll be that into it since it's not people I know... I can totally see the lads being sent away to holiday as in In Hot Water though - I love that story! Yes, there's Americanisms (that I'm afraid I find-and-replace out as I read), but the general sense of it works for me...
no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 01:51 pm (UTC)Also, this is the peril of multimedia zines: "what's that show, then...?"
I don't know whether I do want to watch all of Wiseguy! I have been very lucky in that the few Wiseguy stories I have read have all seemed to me to be very good without knowing it all. At the moment, I have about a hundred hours of things queued up to watch and I haven't watched any of it, so I am wary of adding yet another thing to the list!
But perhaps... after I have got through all those yummy second-hand zines that arrived in a box for me the other day. They're going to keep me quiet for a bit, I can tell. Mmm.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 02:00 pm (UTC)Tris/Alex: heh, well, when we eventually meet up, I know which zine to bring...
no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 02:07 pm (UTC)Twin Peaks - argh, yes! I didn't have a television when it was on, and saw snatches when round at friends' houses. And I have memories of wandering in and asking "Wow, what's this" and being shushed by a roomful of friends as they desperately tried to make sense of whatever was going on in it at the time. All I remember now is talk of a Black Lodge and a White Lodge and there was a symmetrical image on the screen, and it was all very strange!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-06 02:26 pm (UTC)*giggles at quiet thinkings* Interesting that you and
The Southern Cross one -- well, I am assuming you probably have this zine yourself? I've had quite a few helpful comments on the fandoms I don't know, but it would be interesting to know what other people think about the stories in these zines.