From: peacock5293@iscsvax.uni.edu (GREYWOLF)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.furry
Subject: Re: Zoomorphica's out!  Yay!  =)  [long]
Date: 19 Aug 92 02:41:41 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Aug18.183003.1843@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu>, porsupah@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu writes:
> In article <1992Aug18.131948.6103@iscsvax.uni.edu>, peacock5293@iscsvax.uni.edu (GREYWOLF) writes:
> 
>> Anyway, yes, Zoomorphica #1 is
> 
>  Yay ! Always good to see more work by Zjonni; I enjoy shaded/washed artwork a
> lot, though it doesn't seem to be all that prevalent, at least from what I've
> seen (just more difficult to reproduce, or matters of taste ?).

I'd presume the *former*, since I see quite a bit of shaded work in what I get
from people *personally* in the way of originals that some people are so nice
to send (and which occasionally end up framed in my room on a wall =) ), or
from those who apparently have access to better photocopiers than I do. 
Considering that "we can't handle tones" is a common thing I see in submission
guidelines for a lot of 'zines, I would guess that's the case.  A pity, since
I've done quite a bit with other mediums that IMHO look nice but just don't
photocopy well (including oils, pencils, some dry-brushing, ink washes, etc.) 
I've found that there are some interesting effects you can get with a bamboo
brush and ink.  =)  They just don't photocopy well.  =(

>  As I was saying. >grin<  C. Hanson ? Not a name I recognise.. a new entrant to
> the field, or have I just not been looking in the right places ?

Index says Christina Hanson.  She also had a piece in the Yarf #21 I got in the
mail recently.  Unfortunately, it's the same as one of the pieces in
Zoomorphica (a female unicorn morph sitting on a bed), so it doesn't do much to
show me more of her work.  =P

>  Any chance of a list of contents, or even a capsule review of them ? (Ordering
> information ..?)

Well, I was actually surprised that someone else hadn't already beaten me to
saying something about it.  Watts Martin *is* on the 'net, right?  Oh yeah -- I
think somebody said he didn't have his own account.  (That would explain why I
didn't remember his email address ... because nobody ever told me.  =, )

Lessee ... Greywolf's rundown of the contents of Zoomorphica #1.
{with my own remarks in braces.  Just like my teeth.  =#  )

Table of Contents:

Foxy Lady * 5
Fiction by Lawrence Watt-Evans
{Why this guy would win any awards is beyond me.  The work seems like a rush
job to get in somebody's furry fantasy in 6 pages.  Also, the premise seems so
... cliche.  Makes me wonder if Watts Martin wrote "In Our Image" as a response
to reading this story.}

Dozens of Dragons * 13
Part one of a bibliography by Fred Patten

Oh, to be a Grikle-Grak! * 21
Comic by Bills Fitts (Part one of two)
{I'm *not* a Bill Fitts fan.  Next.}

The Furriers * 27
Fiction by Matthew Posner
{Like, totally WEIRD, man.  *Corn* morphs?  Aieee!}

Illustrations
3 Christina Hanson {unicorn morph sitting on a bed -- same piece appears in
   Yarf! #21}
4 Jimmy Chin {typical JC spiffy art.  =) }
11 Jordan Greywolf {a pic of one of my characters, Commander Penn, a dragon-
   morph.  I was surprised that they included this piece.  a) it's merely
   a line-sketch. After I *thought* they'd rejected it, I actually added
   some shading and submitted a more detailed version to Yarf!  =P
   Fortunately, Yarf! hasn't printed it, so I can make sure there are no
   duplicates elsewhere.  b) It's a lousy pic.  The upper body's too big
   for the lower half.  The musculature's all wrong.  The wings look
   clumsy.  =P}
12 Terrie Smith {Yow!  I didn't know she did such spiffy dragons!}
15 Mike Kazaleh {another dragon, cartoony but adorable =) }
17 Kjartan Anorsson {two more dragons.  In case you haven't figured out, these
   are all illos for that article on "Dozens of Dragons"...}
18 Roy D. Pounds II {I like RDP's work ... plus he's a nice guy.  He just
   seems to share a problem with me -- the lines don't have a "clean" look.
   Maybe they're too shaky -- maybe the ink bleeds on the paper ever-so
   -slightly.  It ends up with a slightly scribbly look to it.}
26 Christina Hanson {I like her unicorns.  =) }

Departments

2 Zoology 101
{Notes from the editor -- mostly, I take it, Watts Martin getting in his two
bits on his opinions on what furrydom is, how to name a 'zine (Yeah, too many
"fur" puns in all of these 'zines.  Furrlough.  Affurmative Action! {yech!} 
Furversion.  Furtherance.  Any I missed?), etc., etc.  Reading his editorial
was more interesting than the first story that follows.  Makes me wish one of
*his* stories was featured in his own 'zine!  No, Mr. Martin, sorry if I gave
you any impression otherwise, but I do not inherently *dislike* your stories. 
Your stuff is *much* better than the bulk of what I've seen in furrydom.}

{So far.}

34 Recommended Books
{i.e.: the place for this 'zine to plug various other comics and 'zines.  In
this case, Albedo, Furkindred, Hepcats, and Yarf!.}

36 Contributors
{some praise-blurbs on Lawrence Watt-Evans, Fred Patten, Bill Fitts, Matt
Posner and, of course, Zjonni Perchalski.  Zjonni's a good artist, granted, but
this talk about his "cult following" sounded a bit gushy, eh?  >=)  }

Front Cover: Zjonni Perchalski * Back Cover: Jordan Greywolf
{Nice cover -- And the Victorian look certainly grabs my attention as it seems
ever since I started work on the Verne reality for Furrlough RPG and trading
ideas with Mr. Pounds, it seems I've been noting Victorian-ish pieces popping
up here and there.  =)  Maybe there's some sort of a trend going on here, eh? 
Maybe just a bunch of artists got hold of some Home Decoration catalogs ...}

{Back cover -- Well ... Let's just say don't buy Zoomorphica just to see all
the splendid Greywolfian art, eh?  =P  Mr. Gallacci was right in his kind
response to my letter -- I should have used a straight-edge...  I've learned my
lesson and have since been determined not to rely on my ridiculously-shaky
hand...}

Heh.  I spent far too much time talking about my own stuff and inserting my own
editorial comments, but I hope that you can get some useful info out of there
somewhere.  Overall, I'd say Mr. Martin has a nice 'zine.  He just needs to get
some better story-writers.  Definitely.  It's *not* just because I'm an
ultra-prude.  I've seen {ahem} "erotic" stuff that was obviously much better
written than this.  I had kind of figured that Mr. Martin would grace his 'zine
with his own stuff.  {sigh}

Anyway, you can figure I'll be working on some more dragon pieces to send to
him.  I figure he might be able to use them for the next installment of "Dozens
of Dragons".  =)  Maybe.
-Jordan            ..      PEACOCK5293@iscsvax.uni.edu
                  .OO.     Jordan Peacock (Jordan Greywolf)
                  O/\O     (New Address):  1610 Parker
                   --                      Cedar Falls, IA  50613