The world of fanzines: A special form of communication

by Fredric Wertham

There are well over 200 fanzines in current distribution, originating in al­most every state in the U.S. as well as in Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. This is the first book about them. Few persons outside the science fiction field (where, historically, fanzine publication appears to have begun) know the meaning of the portmanteau word, fan­zine (amateur fan plus magazine). Fanzines are published, written, and illustrated by young persons, usually well under 30, and bear such names as ANDROmeda , BeABohema , Comickazi , Granfalloon , and Varolika. The history of the genre is brief, dating from the 1930s, but many of the publishers and contrib­utors have achieved considerable distinc­tion as writers, including Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, and Richard Lupoff. Coming to this serious study of an unu­sual subject with his considerable expertise in the field of violence, Dr. Wertham has been struck, first, by the nonviolent, creative aspects of the genre and, second, by the amateur status of fanzines. His con­clusion, which will surprise many readers, is that herein may lie a message for our unheroic age.

Genres: Comics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1973

Reviews

[Larry-bob Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who would have thought that the author of the anti-comics screed Seduction of the Innocent would several years later write a positive evaluation of science fiction fanzines? They must have hidden the pervy ones from him.