Editorial
By Charles Shaver
Wow! The first issue of If - E - Zine! I must admit that I'm pretty excited about that. I have been involved with "underground" magazines and home-grown newsletters before. Some of them I have personally run... straight into the ground mostly. :) I can't say that this one will not end up dead, too. But I know your hopes will be with me on this one.
In this issue we explore the depths of family and death in the apocalyptic "The Mists of Tomorrow," we premiere a brand new comic in "The Mighty Grar," we seek the shelter of the maddening short story "Chamber of the Sun," I give you a nice end-of-summer Reading and Viewing List
For a long time I have been a fan of speculative fiction, especially the works of the early 20th century and most especially in the form of comic books and pulp novels. So it should be obvious as to where the inspiration for If-E-Zine comes from.
As a child I lived in Long Beach, California. There was a small store off of Redondo somewhere between the H. Salt Fish & Chips and the Boys Groceries called Newberry's. They were eventually bought out by Thrifty's I believe and became virtually non-exsistant in Cali. Well, my parents and I wandered into Newberry's one day to look around. The store happened to be having a sale on books that day, something like a "buy-three-books-get-one-free" kind of sale. On top of that, each book cost only a dollar. My mom told me to grab some if I wanted. Boy, did I! I kept it down to getting only four books, but two of those books would become some of the most influential books in my life.
The four books I got were "Mutiny on the Bounty", "Moby Dick", "The Collected Works of E. A. Poe" and "Robin Hood." The two that had the greatest impact were "Moby Dick" and the Poe collection. Herman Melville's book was the first piece of classic literature I ever read, and Melville showed me that books didn't just have to tell a story but could somehow tell a story above and beyond and between the lines of a book.
As for Poe, well, the first story in that little collection was the classic "Tell-Tale Heart." Poe taught me that writing wasn't just the setting of a stage for someone to view, but that reading and writing were ultimately incredibly interactive. Without an audience a book means nothing. An audience brings a book to life as much as the author. And Poe was a master of audience interaction. In the very first paragraph of "Tell-Tale Heart" the main character speaks directly to YOU , the reader. You are no longer a casual observer with Poe. You are directly involved with the story, with the confession of a murderous madman.
I was eight-years-old when I read both books for the first time. Since then I have read "Moby Dick" approximately seven or eight times and Poe's works countless times.
Within a year or two of reading these books I came across a television show called "The Twilight Zone." Heard of it? You better have! Well, during those long hot summers of Long Beach, there isn't much to get you through the day when you're sick and restricted to indoor activities, so the annual "Twilight Zone" Marathon that some genius thought up so long ago was heaven-sent. Growing up in the '80's this show was all new to me. And it had everything I loved. Death, violence, tragedy, love, hope, and an almost unhealthy dose of irony. Almost every year I would sit in front of the tube and watch the marathon while writing or drawing. I didn't know it at the time I first discovered this show, but I felt a connection between the show, its mystery and mystique, and my own life.
So here I am, damn near 27-years-old. And I still love all of it. Comic books. Pulp novels. Poe. Melville. Serling. They've always come across in my own writing and my artwork. Thus, I bring to you my experiment: If-E-Zine. It's a free magazine of speculative fiction including science-fiction, fantasy and horror. Where this magazine will go I don't know. I spawned it, but I will let it run wild and free and nurture it so it can take on a life of its own. That's my hopes, at least. I hope it promotes the site. And I hope the site promotes artwork and writing.
I am accepting manuscripts for publication herein. Please see the "Business Details" for submission guidelines. Remember, writing is interactive. Please contribute.
Thanks to everyone over the years who have supported me. I can't leave off without saying thanks to those people who never stopped believing in me: Johannah Tan, Dennis Smith, Robert Coslet, My Parents, Crispin Carlos Bonilla, Jason Ho and the old crew of Third Eye™, the VFS© fans and participants and many, many more! Thanks guys.
- Charles Shaver, Ed.
Comments, questions, suggestions and letters are always welcome
Subscription inquiries can also be mailed to the above email address.
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