Decorated for Death

Decorated For Death is a gen 289-page AU Starsky & Hutch novel. 
It was written by Jill Ripley. The extensive black and white ink art is by Chris Ripley.
The author and the illustrator are sisters.
It portrays a dystopian world after a nuclear or biological holocaust and a very much altered Starsky and Hutch trying to find their way in it, and to each other.
 
"Decorated for Death" was the first AU in this fandom.
The zine won a 1982 Huggy Award for 'Best Novel.' It also won an Encore Award.
When it was published, the novel evoked a strong reaction: readers either loved it or hated it.
==Sequel==
The original authors wrote and illustrated a 1990 sequel called The Jowett Place.
For other fans' fanworks, see Decorated for Death-Inspired Fiction and Decorated for Death-Inspired Art.
==Decorated for Death as a Zine of its Time==
Flamingo, who made this zine available online, has this to say about the social and political climate from which this zine arose: 
==Production Challenges==
From the zine's creators, as told to Flamingo: 
==Excerpt ==
==Art Samples from "Decorated for Death" by Original Artist==
To illustrate the Frodsham McCloud's uncluttered style, a small sampling of the interior art is below. The full gallery, along with a copy of the novel, can be found online here.
File:02DFDChampionRatweb.jpg‎ 
File:05DFDOtherRoof.jpg‎ 
File:08DFDChampionOverWall.jpg‎ 
File:09DFDOtheronAltar.jpg
File:10DFDChampionOther.jpg
==Decorated for Death-Inspired Fiction== 
[[Image:griefandglory.jpg|thumb|left|a page from The Grief and the Glory: "Voyage of Rediscovery" by Tabby Davis: "SH projects and possibilities are always being discussed among fans. A recent theme started with the post-"Decorated for Death" question -- 'what happens next?' Part three of [Decorated for Death] introduces an element of hope for a human future, and these worshippers of de Chardin seem to me to belong there. [J, the author], of course, knows too these ideas (besides her own) for the extension of her story, and we've discussed this idea and this image. I find these words close to some of my own SH concepts and used them as prelude to a post-DFD story, 'Voyage of Rediscovery.' The original calligraphy forms one of the pages in "The Grief and the Glory". from Tell Me Something I Don't Know! #9 ]]
Several authors have written in this universe, despite the original creators' early restrictions. 
In 1982, the Ripleys told BNF Suzan Lovett "no" to a story Lovett had written: 
* the written, but never published story by Suzan Lovett (early 1980s)
* A Brother Helped Is a Strong City by Roy Smith (very loosely-based, somewhat of a response fic) (Smith described her story: "In the holocaust department, Roy Smith's "A Brother Helped Is a Strong City" was parodied in Sue Doughnym's "He Ain't Heavy, He's My City", and Jill Ripley's Decorated for Death was parodied by Jody Lynn Nye and I in "Demonstrated to Death." from Paula Smith in the program book for The Paul Muni Special (1981)
* He Ain't Heavy, He's My City by Sue Doughnym (1982)
* Voyage of Rediscovery by Tabby Davis (created with Jill Ripley's permission as a private zine that fans could view at conventions, see The Grief and the Glory) (early 1980s)
* Demonstrated to Death, a skit by Paula Smith and Jody Lynn Nye (1983)
* The Jowett Place by Jill Ripley, with art Chris Ripley (Bonaventure) (1990)
* Eastward—Look, The Land is Bright by Belle Eyre (Bonaventure) (1990)
* The Sixth Seal by Terri Beckett (1993)
* Not Skin Deep by Pat Charles (The Lucky and the Strong) (1993) 
* Out of Ashes by Flamingo and Suzan Lovett, an excerpt from a planned full-length graphic novel sequel (Dangerous Lives, Dangerous Visions #5) (2010)
==Decorated for Death-Inspired Art== 
Suzan Lovett created five pieces of inspired art for this story and published them in Moonlight and Mists (1985) after she was denied the permission to write a sequel of her own for this story.
 
A fan in early summer 1985 wrote: 
File:moonlightinside1.jpg|art by Suzan Lovett
File:moonlightinside2.jpg|art by Suzan Lovett
File:moonlightinside3.jpg|art by Suzan Lovett. This art piece (Champion) was one of two that won an award at the The Paul Muni Special convention)
File:moonlightinside4.jpg|art by Suzan Lovett. This companion piece (The Other) also won an art show award at the The Paul Muni Special convention)
File:moonlightinside5.jpg|art by Suzan Lovett
===On the Cover of Another Zine===
"Decorated for Death" art by Suzan Lovett is also featured on the 2010 zine, Dangerous Lives, Dangerous Visions #5.
See additional art for this graphic novel series at Out of Ashes, posted to the 2014 Starsky & Hutch Advent Calendar.
===Blurbs===
"A 250+ page, one-story zine... What happens to Starsky and Hutch and LA after the holocaust? Who wins, who loses, who survives? Are you strong enough to read the legend? Can you bear to learn the story of the man of silver and the man of gold?" blurb from original flyer
The zine was so popular that in 1983, a year after it was published, the editors sold the cover artwork as a poster and then later as a photo. "ATTENTION ALL DECORATED FOR DEATH FANS: By popular request, the DECORATED FOR DEATH poster is now available as a beautiful 10-1/2 x 13- 1/2 photo! Thrill your friends, be the envy of your neighbors, mystify your family! Yes, The Champion and The Other can be yours for the paltry sum of $24..." from an ad in S&H #38
==Reactions and Reviews==
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==References==
 
Category:Starsky & Hutch Gen Zines
Category:1982 Zines