FANTASIA

Mini Review By Sarah Thompson

This is technically a multimedia zine, but in fact it's almost entirely B7. I've had #s 1 and 3 for a while and finally found #2- - I was vastly amused by its subtitle (which actually refers, as explained in the editorial, to the escape of a mouse in the editor's househould during a zine meeting).

If this zine comes your way cheaply, it's worth having a look at, but I don't recommend going to any great trouble or expense to get it.

I have a question about what seems to be a crossover story in #3. Blake and Cally meet a pair of Americans named Ralph and Maxwell, who give Cally "The Suit," which confers superpowers on its wearer. What does this refer to? Greatest American Hero, maybe? (a show I never saw-- that's just a guess.)

Contents of FANTASIA #1

Editors: Melissa Brown and Karen D'Elia
Publisher: Teleport Press (West Townsend, MA)
Date: January 1988

B7 fiction:
Deborah A. Millitello, "Rebirth" (alt-S4; C, uc A/C)
Cassandra Hayes, "Silent Cries" (S3; C-hc)
Julie Montgomery and Melissa Brown, "A Dirty Mind" (S3?; V-A-C)
Sarah Jane Keating, "A New Beginning" (S5; ocf)
Deborah A. Millitello, "Time in a Bottle" (S4, post- Orbit)
Sarah Jane Keating, "Memories" (monologue; S4?; V)
Karel Smolders, "Legend" (S5)

B7-related nonfiction:
Melissa A. Brown, "Strange Names I Have Heard"

B7 poetry:
Deborah A. Millitello, "Regret," "Gods Weep"

B7 art:
Julie Montgomery front c. A, Se Tom and Bill Carroll p. 71 B-A Other fandoms: ROS, DW

Contents of FANTASIA #2

FANTASIA #2: The One That Got Away (mm, but mostly B7)

Editors: Melissa Brown and Karen M. D'Elia
Publisher: Teleport Press (Everett, MA and West Townsend, MA)
Date: August 1988 Format: letter size, 81 pp., pale blue textured card covers with clear plastic overlays, black comb binding

B7 fiction:
Amy L. Whiteneck, "All That Glistens" (S2; A)
Diane Rabuano, "Alone" (S2-S4; V)
Irene Stubbs, "Infinity's Line" (S3-4; A-B)
Carole Smith, "After the Children Have Gone" (S3, post- Children; A-C)
Beth Ryan, "See Avon Run" (S2; A-V)
Irene Stubbs, "Gambit, Post and Pre" (S2, Gambit)
Deborah Williams "All's Fair in Love" (S3; A/C)
Diane Rabuano, "Goodbye, Cally" (S4, Rescue)
Daisy (Deek) and Lucy (Mickey) Leung, "Thoughts of a Pair of Genetically-Alike Sisters" (dialogue; S4; C-Zelda)
Karel Smolders, "The Once and Future Queen" (alt-S1; A/ocf)
Deborah Millitello, "Bedtime Story" (S5, alt-S1; V)

Non-B7 fiction:
Cassandra Hayes, "Birds of a Feather" (RoS)

Nonfiction:
Cally & Vila, "Nonsense from the Editors"
"Stranger Names We Have Heard"
Submission guidelines for #3; ads for Liberator tree ornaments, Outer Worlds

B7 poetry:
Sarah Jane Keating, "Servalan" (f, Julia, by the Eurythmics)
Cassandra Hayes, "When Will It End" (f, Don't Let It End, by Styx)

B7 and B7-related art:
Keld covers Mickey Mouse as Sorceror's Apprentice, with Federation symbol
Celeste Hotaling p. 5 A-ocms; illo for "All"
p. 12 V; illo for "Alone"
Kevin Handling p. 61 V; illo for "Bedtime Story"

Non-B7 art:
Amy Whiteneck p. 29 ROS illo

Contents of FANTASIA #3: OOPS!

Editors: Melissa Brown and Karen D'Elia
Publisher: Teleport Press (Everett, MA and Menemsha, MA)
Date: July 1989

B7 fiction:
Dee Beetem and Sue Wells, "Believe It Or Not" (S4; C-B; crossover *See Below*)
Tamara Verbande, "The Engineer" (S1?; A/J; humor)
Daisy and Lucy Leung, "M: The Rambling of Vila" (monologue; S0; V)
Deborah Millitello, "The Mirror of His Eyes" (S2, Star One; A-B)
Tamara Verbande, "Interim" (S3, post-Sarcophagus; A-C)
Carol K. Smith, "Payback's a Bitch" (S4, Stardrive and post-Stardrive; A)

B7 art:
Keld front c. Bloom County parody cartoon
p. 33 tp for "Payback;" same as covers
Celeste Hotaling p. 13 illo for "Believe It"
Sarah Jane Keating p. 24 V
p. 66 Ta

Other fandoms: ROS, DW

Believe It Or Not

This is by Sue Wells:

I stumbled across your B7 site by accident. I searched my name at yahoo and found a bunch of your pages listing my old B7 fanfic. Sara Thompson did a mini-review of Fantasia #3, which has a cross-over story that I co-authored with Dee Beetem. Sara wasn't sure what the cross-over tv series was, she guessed that it might be The Greatest American Hero, which she hasn't seen. She's right, the cross-over is with GAH. In fact, the title, "Believe It Or Not" is the first line of the theme song, which actually made the pop charts back when the series was on.

If I remember, the words are something like:

Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air
I never thought I could feel
so free
Flying away
On a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it's just me

Greatest American Hero is a buddies-in-spite-of- themselves series w/a sci-fi element. It starred William Katz as Ralph Hinckley, high school teacher and reluctant hero, Robert Culp as Bill Maxwell, FBI agent, and Connie Sellecca as Annie(?), Ralph's girl friend, who's also a lawyer.

In the pilot, Ralph and Bill have a night-time alien encounter (space ship, bright flashing lights, "little green guys" and all) in the middle of the desert. They are given The Suit, which looks like Superman's outfit, only it's almost all red, with a shorter cape and a strange alien symbol instead of an 'S' on the front. They are given a sort-of instruction book with The Suit, but lose it in the process of being returned to Earth. In the early episodes, they discover that Ralph is the only one who can wear the suit, that the suit is bullet-proof, gives the wearer super-strength and the ability to fly, although Ralph doesn't like flying very much - he's not good with landings.

Since they don't want to be labelled kooks, Ralph and Bill keep The Suit a secret from everyone but Annie. Also, since they are totally different, Ralph, the idealistic young teacher, and Bill, the older, cynical Fed clash a lot about how and when to use the suit. Along with the action-adventure plots, the series had a good sense of humor, and Ralph and Bill formed and interesting partnership.

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Last updated on 12th of December 2001.