Up Bubble

Up Bubble is a gen Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea letterzine. There are at least nine issues, each running about 30 pages of articles, letters and assorted things related to the show. It was published quarterly. The June 1990 issue of Southern Enclave has an ad for issue #7.
Robert Dowdell wrote a letter of comment that was printed in issue #3. Fans made the assumption (and perhaps rightly so) that Dowdell was a regular reader of the letterzine; several fans addressed him directly in the fourth issue. 
See similar publications at List of Letterzines.
==Contents==
Regular features include:
*Convention Calendar
* Off the Scrambler
* Vignettes from Voyage
* Running Critical
* The Writer's Corner
* Ship's Manifest (locates latest fiction, along with show merchandise)
*cast updates and news
* trivia and games
==Issue 1==
==Issue 2==
==Issue 3==
==Issue 4==
Up Bubble 4 was published in February 1989 and contains 36 pages.
Several fans address Robert Dowdell (the actor who portrayed Chip) directly in their letters, as he'd written a letter of comment in the previous issue.
Some topics discussed in the letters: adherence to canon in fanfiction, the simplistic characterization of the show, would fans want to see more women on the show (no), policing what other fans write, letterwars in other fandoms, and smarm.
* a review of a for-profit book about submarines
* Writer's Block, article by Kathy Agel
* fan birthdays and wedding anniversaries
* Voyage Trivia Questions: Ships and Submarines by Barbara Oriti
* Messing About in the Water, or -- Life and Death Aboard Seaview, essay by Sue Trent
* Non-Essential Credits compiled by Doug Diamond (stuntmen, production illustrators, pyrotechnics, voice overs)
* The Model Miniatures, article by Diane Kachmar 
* a short con report for the Thanksgiving 1988 Creation Con where Tony Perkins (Psycho), Paul Darrow (Blake's 7), Tom Savini (make-up artist), Robert Chavez and Philip Akin (War of the Worlds), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: TNG), and may other guests
* a review by Judy Moritmore of the tie-in novel, "City Under the Sea" by Paul W. Fairman, 1965 ("This is a simply awful book!	The plot stinks, the characterisation is non-existent and out of character for the series, and if I'd submitted it to an editor, the red pen would have run out before I reached Chapter Two. All of which just goes to prove that fans are far more critical than professional book outlets — which we all knew anyway, right? Regarding the plot, it might just about fit into fourth season VOYAGE, but the description of the sub is first season, before the Network really got their destructive little paws on the series. [...] This book reminds me of the very worst type of 'pulp' science fiction, and if it weren't for the VOYAGE name, I wouldn't bother to give it shelf space. But then, of course, the publishers know that, don't they? If something will sell because it has a name attached, then why bother making it worth buying? Their profit is assured. Maybe if more people complained louder, things might improve. And porcines might take to the air...")
===Issue 4: Excerpts from Letters===
==Issue 5==
==Issue 6==
==Issue 7==
Up Bubble 7 was published in February 1990 and contains 36 pages.
From the editor: "Letter guidelines: no profanity or no personal attacks will be tolerated in any letter. Voice your opinions, but do it in a nice way. There are no length restrictions on letters of comment or on articles... Contributors will have their subscription extended by one issue for each article accepted or publication. Qualifying contributions must have a minimum length of one single spaced typed page or two pages of double spaced type; letters of comment do not count towards this requirement. UP BUBBLE will always be in need of articles, so submitting essays how-to tips for 'Writer's Corner', essays for "Nobody Asked Me, But...", or miscellaneous articles is an excellent way of extending your subscription."
"
* Top Secret, the first of a new column by Debbie Oriti (topic is the hardware and gadgets used in the show)
* Nobody Asked Me, the first of a new column by Linda Capple (the topic is speculation on what the show might be like if it were being remade "today" - which in this case was 1990)
* The Women of Voyage - A Personal Perspective, essay by Bob Perry (a look at the women of the show)
* The Voyage Trading Cards -- An Overview of Numbers 1-11, overview of trading cards by Dan Snowball
* Vignettes from Voyage - You Monster! We're Trapped!, essay by Sue Trent (about the ever-present monsters on the show)
* Voyage Trivia Questions: Aliens and Monsters by Barbara Oriti
* con reports for Mostly Eastly Con III by Cindy Rancourt and Kathy Agel 
* Off the Scrambler, info about books and zines, compiled by Kathryn Agel
* Writer's Corner: Original Characters, essay by Kathy Agel
* an insert to this issue: a survey by Lee Falcon about "what is your favorite in hurt/comfort in tv" - "STAR TREK, RAT PATROL, VOYAGE, (MIAMI VICE, BLAKE'S 7, FANTASTIC JOURNEY - you name it. Write down your list by show, episode(s), and character(s) "afflicted"
===Issue 7: Excerpts from Letters===
 
==Issue 8==
Up Bubble 8 was published in October 1990 and contains 46 pages.
* Vignettes from Voyage: A Critical Look at the Reactor, and On Being Trapped, article by Sue Trent
* Nobody Asked Me, But...: Monster Lib, essay by Linda Chapple
* Nobody Asked Me Either, But: The Monster from Outer Space, essay by Susan Corbell
* Top Secret: Submarine Detection, article by Debbie Oriti
* Voyage Trivia Questions by Barbara Oriti
* The Voyage Trading Cards- Part Two: An Overview of Numbers 12-22, article by Dan Snowball
* a photo of Kathy Agel standing next to Linda Sneed's decorated door at MediaWest*Con #10
===Issue 8: Excerpts from Letters===
 
==Issue 9==
Up Bubble 9 was published in October 1991 and contains 34 pages. 
This issue contains nine letters of comment. 
From the editor: 
* Richard Basehart - A Biography by Patricia Ames
* Richard Basehart - A Filmography by Patricia Ames
* "For Whom the Bell Tolls," essay by Sue Trent (topic is the non-human inhabitants of the ocean in the show)
* a review of the Blake Edward's movie, "Skin Deep," by Judy Mortimore 
* A Thought on Submarines, essay by Robert von Hamman
* The 26 Years After Affair, a lengthy description by Jessica Spencer Morton of a fan get-together in Santa Barbara, California (it is also sort of RPFy/cosplay as some fans were the characters from the show)
* The Voyage Trading Cards - An Overview of Numbers 23 Through 33 by Dan Snowball
===Issue 9: Excerpts from Letters===
==Other Letterzines==
See: List of Letterzines
==References==
Category:Newsletters & Letterzines
Category:Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Zines
Category:1980s
Category:1990s