DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Horizons, v. 7, issue 4, whole 27, June 1946

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Horizons, v. 7, issue 4, whole 27, June 1946

Page 11

Captain Future, although discontinued due to the war, had many stories that were readable; but Hamilton was allowed to get into a rut. He forgot incidents of past stories, inventions, and so forth, and allowed hack-writing to obscure good plots. This is a weakness of an author writing too regularly on one theme. Hamilton has written some of the best science fiction, and also some of the punkest. Captain Future never arose above mediocrity. The group of writers working under the name Sterling have been somewhat more individualistic, interesting, and clever than the last few stories of Hamilton. This should be a lesson to Hamilton.

Now after having cussed out the Standard magazines, let us see what is the difficulty with them. First of all, the editors and many of the writers have no conception of modern science fiction as exemplified by Astounding or even Planet Stories. They are still writing subtle, seemingly clever adventure, juvenile stories like about half the science fiction of 1930. (The other half of 1930's crop was definitely superior to Standard's stuff today, and approached in some cases Astounding!) The outlook is still juvenile and with the idea that only kids, children, and undeveloped adults read science fiction. Consequently they still publish with the idea of attracting that class. Whether they are right or not is a function of the copies they sell. Since science fiction is no longer new, strange or forbidden in most homes, their sales should increase even if they depend upon a juvenile market entirely. It is possible that only a few old-time die-hards read the magazine, like myself, and that our viewpoints are prejudiced. However the owners of these magazines should have some idea of how they sell in comparison with the other magazines. I would advise getting a new editor who knows some science, who has been a good writer, who has an adult appreciation of fiction, and who would be willing to smooth out the objectionable points. Twenty-five per cent more work on Startling and Wonder would put them close to Astounding in quality, and perhaps push up the sales. At the present time, the indiscriminate mixing of good, bad, and indifferent fiction doesn't attract the new reader well enough. Make it all bad like Amazing Stories, and you can attract a new field of third-graders, or all good and you can attract the mass of the reading public.

In brief, Standard should make up its mind what it wants to do. The greatest sin of the Standard magazines is worth pointing out again: they are obsolete, out-of-date, and need strong revision of policy both in magazine makeup and in stories. (more next issue)
(')(')(')(')(')(')(')(')(')(')
Since Barnaby seems to be thoroughly established as a comic strip, it seems safe to discontinue my plugging for that wonderful creation, and start to work on the job of lauding another one. This one has had an even less pretentious beginning than that of Barnaby, but it's of equal interest. The author is a gentleman named Charles C. Adrovine; his creation is entitled 
"Nixxxies", and to the best of my knowledge appears in only a few newspapers at present -- PM and the Philadelphia Record, both pioneers with Barnaby, are among them. "Nixxxies" consists of one small panel daily, without dialog or any caption. The only character is a rather seedy-looking individual who is pictured doing the things that almost any ordinary person does at one time or another. He is accompanied by three very small identical men, clad in black. After you have puzzled over a few of the panels, you suddenly realize what they represent: his subconscious repressions or desires or other mental quirks. He does what he's supposed to do; they do what he would like to do. If the character -- call him Gus -- is standing on a street corner trying to peddle ice cream, the three Nixxxies will be seen perched atop his head, carefully painting the mercury ten degrees or so higher on a thermometer hanging outside a store. If Gus is acting as the movie barket, the Nixxxies will be dressed in the de Mille fashion, directing the production of a movie. Sometimes Gus is not even in the picture: one panel showed his long winter underwear hanging on the line, and hanging beside it the three small suits of shirts and shorts which the Nixxxies in wish-fulfillment wear. Definitely worth investigating.

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Captain Future, although discontinued due to the war, had many stories that were readable; but Hamilton was allowed to get into a rut. He forgot incidents of past stories, inventions, and so forth, and allowed hack-writing to obscure good plots. This is a weakness of an author writing too regularly on one theme. Hamilton has written some of the best science fiction, and also some of the punkest. Captain Future never arose above mediocrity. The group of writers working under the name Sterling have been somewhat more individualistic, interesting, and clever than the last few stories of Hamilton. This should be a lesson to Hamilton. Now after having cussed out the Standard magazines, let us see what is the difficulty with them. First of all, the editors and many of the writers have no conception of modern science fiction as exemplified by Astounding or even Planet Stories. They are still writing subtle, seemingly clever adventure, juvenile stories like about half the science fiction of 1930. (The other half of 1930's crop was definitely superior to Standard's stuff today, and approached in some cases Astounding!) The outlook is still juvenile and with the idea that only kids, children, and undeveloped adults read science fiction. Consequently they still publish with the idea of attracting that class. Whether they are right or not is a function of the copies they sell. Since science fiction is no longer new, strange or forbidden in most homes, their sales should increase even if they depend upon a juvenile market entirely. It is possible that only a few old-time die-hards read the magazine, like myself, and that our viewpoints are prejudiced. However the owners of these magazines should have some idea of how they sell in comparison with the other magazines. I would advise getting a new editor who knows some science, who has been a good writer, who has an adult appreciation of fiction, and who would be willing to smooth out the objectionable points. Twenty-five per cent more work on Startling and Wonder would put them close to Astounding in quality, and perhaps push up the sales. At the present time, the indiscriminate mixing of good, bad, and indifferent fiction doesn't attract the new reader well enough. Make it all bad like Amazing Stories, and you can attract a new field of third-graders, or all good and you can attract the mass of the reading public. In brief, Standard should make up its mind what it wants to do. The greatest sin of the Standard magazines is worth pointing out again: they are obsolete, out-of-date, and need strong revision of policy both in magazine makeup and in stories. (more next issue) (')(')(')(')(')(')(')(')(')(') Since Barnaby seems to be thoroughly established as a comic strip, it seems safe to discontinue my plugging for that wonderful creation, and start to work on the job of lauding another one. This one has had an even less pretentious beginning than that of Barnaby, but it's of equal interest. The author is a gentleman named Charles C. Adrovine; his creation is entitled "Nixxxies", and to the best of my knowledge appears in only a few newspapers at present -- PM and the Philadelphia Record, both pioneers with Barnaby, are among them. "Nixxxies" consists of one small panel daily, without dialog or any caption. The only character is a rather seedy-looking individual who is pictured doing the things that almost any ordinary person does at one time or another. He is accompanied by three very small identical men, clad in black. After you have puzzled over a few of the panels, you suddenly realize what they represent: his subconscious repressions or desires or other mental quirks. He does what he's supposed to do; they do what he would like to do. If the character -- call him Gus -- is standing on a street corner trying to peddle ice cream, the three Nixxxies will be seen perched atop his head, carefully painting the mercury ten degrees or so higher on a thermometer hanging outside a store. If Gus is acting as the movie barket, the Nixxxies will be dressed in the de Mille fashion, directing the production of a movie. Sometimes Gus is not even in the picture: one panel showed his long winter underwear hanging on the line, and hanging beside it the three small suits of shirts and shorts which the Nixxxies in wish-fulfillment wear. Definitely worth investigating.