Southern Comfort (multimedia zine)/Issues 8.5-8.75

Southern Comfort (multimedia zine) · Issue 011.5 · Issue 7.5 · Issues 1-1.5 · Issues 10-10.5 · Issues 2-2.5 · Issues 3-3.75 · Issues 4-4.75 · Issues 5-5.5 · Issues 6-6.5 · Issues 8.5-8.75 · Issues 9.5

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Issue 8.5 (Southern Comfort, Blake's 7)

Southern Lights 8.5 was published in November 1994 and is 268 pages long. The art is by Leah Rosenthal (front cover), Undone Grate, London Grapes, and Randym (back cover).

cover of issue #8.5, Leah Rosenthal

flyer for issue #8.5

• Into the Fire, fiction by Catocala (Avon/Blake, "Blake only wants to help Avon, whether Avon wants his help or not!") (also in "touched" #11 and Resistance #5) (1)
• Into the Dragon's Jaws, fiction by Catocala (Avon/Vila, "After Star One, Vila hopes that he will finally be able to have a relationship with Avon. A sequel to "Into the Fire"") (7)
• Out of the Embers, fiction by Catocala (Avon/Vila, with possible Blake/Avon - incorrectly labelled as A/B/V, "After Gauda Prime, Avon and Vila must deal with a Blake who is not feeling too forgiving... A sequel to "Into the Fire" and "Into the Dragon's Jaws."") (14)
• The Right Place to Go, fiction by Jane Mailander (Blake/Vila) (22)
• Sand Sculptures, fiction by Cami (Tarrant/Soolin/Dayna/Servalan, "The sand of Virn takes its toll on Tarrant in a most unexpected way...") (23)
• First of a Thousand and One, fiction by Catocala (Avon/Vila, "— Vila thought he'd escaped the class domination of Earth, only to learn that things were no different for him aboard the Liberator...") (37)
• Suffered Facts, fiction by Irish (Avon/Blake, "Avon ran from Blake after Gauda Prime, but now the rebel leader has caught up with him!") (43)
• Cucumbers Are Not the Only Fruit, fiction by V. Lasic, G. H. Erkin, & K. Osher-Dill ("Cally is at first appalled,and then delighted, when she discovers Dayna's "secret." Alas, the men aboard Liberator are not as happy about the situation...") (47)
• The Nothing That Is, fiction by Lexa Reiss/Brooke Barker (Tarrant/Travis, Tarrant/Kyera, Tarrant/OC (Jarn, "Cadet Tarrant learns a few hard truths about himself, about the Federation, and about others in this pre-series story.") (58)
• The Agony of Victory, fiction by Catherine S. (Avon/Blake) (78)
• Tell Tale Eyes by Jude (Avon/Blake) (86)
• The Great Orac, fiction by Leah S.("Orac's abilities to predict the future are sorely taxed!") (87)
• Turn, Turn, Turn, fiction by Irish (Avon/Blake, with unrequited Avon/Vila - incorrectly labelled as A/B/V) (89)
• Waiting in the Wings by Jude (Avon/Vila) (91)
• You Ought to Be in Pictures, fiction by Rhapsodie(Tarrant/Dayna, Tarrant/Soolin, Tarrant/Servalan, "Tarrant has become a famous film star...unfortunately some embarrassing "flicks" from his past have surfaced...") (92)
• Repercussions-- A Love Story, fiction by Paula (Jabberwocky) (Avon/Blake, "Set in the Jabberwocky universe. Avon and Blake finally realize that they care for each other...") (reprinted in Jabberwocky #5) (101)
• Betrayers, fiction by Mireille (Avon/Blake) (114)
• A Man Alone by Jude (Avon/Blake) (118)
• Moral Minority, fiction by S.E. Thompson (Avon/Cally, "On Auron, men who dress in tight black leather are considered "sluts"...") (118)
• The Southern Comfort Writing Contest (119)
• An Oblique Song, filk by Jane Mailander (to the tune of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun") (winner of a 1995 STIFfie Award) (124)
• Moral Minority by S.E. Thompson (Avon/Cally) (125)
• Sweet Revenge, fiction by K. Ann Yost (Avon/Blake, with unrequited Blake/Jenna - incorrectly labelled A/B/J) (128)
• Hold and Heal by Jude (Avon/Cally) (130)
• Substitute, fiction by Vanessa Mullen(Avon/Gan, with unrequited Blake/Avon, "Gan can see that Avon needs him. But can Avon learn to give Gan what he needs?") (131)
• Purr, fiction by Aurora (Avon/Blake) (137)
• Farewell Performance, fiction by Pat Nussman (Vila/Soolin, "Vila and Soolin are partners after Gauda Prime and down on their luck...") (139)
• Kokopelli's Dance, fiction by Jane Mailander (Avon/?, Jenna/?, Blake/?, Blake/Avon) (148)
• Journey's End, fiction by Riley Cannon (Avon/Blake) (156)
• In Lieu of Regrets, fiction by Ellis Ward (reprinted from The Other Side #4, was originally published in an issue of "touched") (Avon/Vila, "After Malodaar, Avon tries to make amends with Vila...") (171)
• Sex and Sensibility: An (Im)Morality Tale, fiction by W.K.D. Ways (Vila/everyone, Cally/Avon/Dayna/Tarrant, "Vila has suddenly become irresistible to the entire crew ...") (175)
• A trilogy by J.R.:
  • Beyond the Far Horizon, fiction by J.R. (Avon/Blake) ("Avon and Blake are surprised to realize that they are hopelessly in love...even though they can't seem to get along for more than an hour at a time!" Also, the two sequels to this story: Echoes of Love and Coming Out of the Dark.") (183)
  • Echoes of Love, fiction by J.R. (Avon/Blake, with Avon/Soolin and Cally/Jenna) (199)
  • Coming Out of the Dark, fiction by J.R. (Avon/Blake, with Cally/Jenna, Blake/Jenna and Avon/Cally) (232)

• 

  from issue #8.5.

• 

  from issue #8.5.

• 

  from issue #8.5, was used as an illustration for Sand Sculptures and You Ought to Be in Pictures

• 

  from issue #8.5, was used as an illustration for Sand Sculptures and You Ought to Be in Pictures

• 

  from issue #8.5, was used as an illustration for You Ought to Be in Pictures

• 

  from issue #8.5.

• 

  from issue #8.5, was used as an illustration for Cucumbers Are Not the Only Fruit

• 

  from issue #8.5, was used as an illustration for Moral Minority

• 

  from issue #8.5.

• 

  from issue #8.5, an illustration for The Southern Comfort Writing Contest

• 

  from issue #8.5, accompanying text for the Lord of the Computers art

• 

  from issue #8.5, an illustration for The Southern Comfort Writing Contest

• 

  from issue #8.5, an illustration for The Southern Comfort Writing Contest. A fan commented on the review by Aralias: "The Rebel Prince" is amazing, you're right. It's a classic badromance cover (may have been following a tumblr blog of them) and it made me laugh hilariously, because Avon is pissed-off lurky threesome guy here. Which is about right, really."

• 

  from issue #8.5.

Reviews and Reactions to Issue 8.5

See reactions and reviews for The Nothing That Is.

See reactions and reviews for Into the Fire.

See reactions and reviews for Into the Dragon's Jaws.

See reactions and reviews for Turn, Turn, Turn.

See reactions and reviews for You Ought to Be in Pictures.

See reactions and reviews for Substitute.

See reactions and reviews for Farewell Performance.

See reactions and reviews for Journey's End.

See reactions and reviews for Sex and Sensibility: An (Im)Morality Tale.

See reactions and reviews for Beyond the Far Horizon.

See reactions and reviews for Echoes of Love.

See reactions and reviews for Coming Out of the Dark.

[The Great Orac]: In 'The Great Orac', all the first season crew ask Orac for predictions about their love life and he [sic] organizes them into the combinations that will guarantee him the fewest interruptions - pairing Blake with Avon and Vila with Gan, nudging Cally towards Jenna and then snapping irritably at Jenna, 'Yes, yes. There is no future with Blake but Cally would be very receptive.' While the story's punchline is reserved for Avon, Jenna benefits the most from Orac's manipulations, changing tack on the spot.

'Cally...' Jenna murmured speculatively. 'Uh, thanks,' she added, heading off the flight deck.'

[zine]:

My second Southern Comfort (previously I have read 6.5 - and I have 5.5 waiting). I am beginning to think is a pretty good zine, and that I would pick up other editions if not too unreasonably priced. You get a lot of it for your money – and there’s usually nice artwork, and some pretty good printing etc etc. Plus, amongst various stories I don’t really like (or really don’t like, depending on whether they insult Blake a lot while they’re not good), there are some really brilliant ones.

So, let’s take a look... [See this reviewer's comments about other individual stories above.]

[snipped]

Jane Mailander, "The Right Place to Go" (Vila/Blake) Half a page of jokey fic. I took the pairing off this on Fanlore, but I think I'll put it back, since that is the joke.

Cami, "Sand Sculptures" (Tarrant/Soolin/Dayna/Servalan) (14 pages) Hmm... I guess I forgot to read this one. Will go back.

Catocala, "First of a Thousand and One" (Avon/Vila) (6 pages) Whoops, skipped this too. Seems OK.

Irish, "Suffered Facts" (Avon/Blake) (4 pages) I was really looking forward to this because I think Irish is rather brilliant, but this one does very little for me. The relationship progression is too easy (one minute they misunderstand each other, then they don't and there's discussion of sex). I don't dislike it, but I could live without it. (Fortunately I love the next Irish one, so that's OK).

V. Lasic, G. H. Erkin, & K. Osher-Dill, "Cucumbers Are Not the Only Fruit" (11 pages) Why on Earth is this fic 11 pages long? How funny is this idea? (N.B. The idea is that Dayna thinks that cucumbers are better than men. She tells Cally... etc etc). This is surely a one-page fic, maximum

[snipped] Catherine S., "The Agony of Victory" (Avon/Blake) (8 pages) I read this a while ago on the internet (I think) - and I loved it not, though I also do not hate it. Will probably re-read at some point.

Leah S., "The Great Orac" (2 pages) I'd been hoping for another masterpiece, like the child molesting one from F&I3, but this is just a silly joke fic about Orac and prediction. It's quite fun, though...

[snipped]

Paula, "Repercussions-- A Love Story" (Jabberwocky) (Avon/Blake) (13 pages) I haven't read any Jabberwocky so I skipped this, but I hope to read that universe at some point.

Mireille, "Betrayers" (Avon/Blake) (4 pages) Another chance to reiterate the events of GP. This is what I do not want my fanfic to do.

Then there are some absolutely BRILLIANT artworks, OMFG. We're not surprised that I (proud founder of unconventionalcourtship) like these, right? But I am just so pleased they exist! They're the prompts for the SoCo writing challenge, and it's lucky the deadline was about ten years ago, because otherwise I'd be trying to think of a plot for 'The Rebel Prince' RIGHT NOW. (Looks like only 'Sweet Savage Delta' actually exists - woe, indeed).

S.E. Thompson, "Moral Minority" (Avon/Cally) (3 pages) So... this is a weird comedy ficlet in which Cally accuses Avon of dressing provocatively and thus begging for it. Um... it's vaguely amusing, and not a little disturbing. Funnily enough the Vila-related coda sort of makes it work for me where it otherwise wouldn't.

K. Ann Yost, "Sweet Revenge" (Avon/Blake, with unrequited Blake/Jenna - incorrectly labelled A/B/J) (2 pages) Yer, so this one definitely isn't a threesome, it's just Jenna being really... er, yes, jealous. But then turned on... I could have lived without this....

[snipped]

Aurora, "Purr" (Avon/Blake) (2 pages) Right so... mostly I could live without this one (which seems to conclude that Blake has no interest in Avon?), but if we are going to describe Avon as a cat at least we've gone with this:

Kerr Avon did move with a catlike grace, most of the time. When he was in a serious hurry--for example, when dodging blasters-he moved like a stork on a hot tin roof. But he did have a cat's way of daring you to comment when he made a mistake, that look that said, "I meant to do that." That other look, too, that made it clear that his surroundings and his companions were utterly beneath him: That was certainly feline. And then there was the way he looked when he got wet...

Ha...

[snipped]

Jane Mailander, "Kokopelli's Dance" (Blake/Avon/Jenna <-- not true! Actually Avon/?, Jenna/?, Blake/?, Blake/Avon) (8 pages) This is a London fic with Blake, Avon and Jenna all in solitary confinement. Then some nice person in the walls suggests they discuss fantasies... and it's a bit creepy, really. Not for me, though not badly done. I did read all of it.

[snipped]

Ellis Ward, "In Lieu of Regrets" (reprinted from Touched) (Avon/Vila) (4 pages) Not sure how I feel about this post-Orbit fic. Avon comes to make a brittle apology but then they talk about a weird time in the past where Avon thought Vila was Anna... It's really awkward and nasty, and Vila does not cry (phew). Um... yer. I don't know. It's not really for me, whether it is good or no, but I think it's OK.

[snipped]

J.R., "Coming Out of the Dark" (Avon/Blake) (36 pages) Funnily enough I did not read this one.

I've read another zine, but it's gen and the time is now 1am. So... I'll write about it in a different post, I think, some other day.

[zine]:

"The Nothing That Is" by Lexa Reiss is one of the best pieces of fanfic that I've ever read. Slash is only incidental to the complex, well developed plot. It is a fascinating Tarrant story that takes place during his days at the FSA. It includes a supporting cast of characters from the series as well as an intriguing original character.

"You Ought to be in Pictures" by Rhapsodie is the humorous winner of the Southern Comfort story contest. It utilizes all three Tarrant illos: T/Soolin, T/Servalan. T/Dayna. Set after PGP, Del Tarrant is now a superstar model. But he finds his career threatened when vidtapes of past indiscretions show up: Desire Under the Helm, Gone with the Sin, and Blood and Sand. I wonder why the BBC never showed us these adventures from his rebel days.

With Ashton Press's computerization complete, the zine has a spiffy layout and superb print quality. Color Avon front cover by Rosenthal. Long stories, short stories, straight stories, slash stories, drama and humor, all manners of pairings. Erotic art irreverent art. cartoons. There should be something for every adult fannish taste. 268 pages of double column reduced print.

Issue 8.75 (Southern Comfort, Blake's 7)

cover of issue #8.75 Phoenix

flyer for issue #8.75

Southern Lights 8.75 was published in November 1994 and contains 66 pages (50,709 words).

The fiction is all Avon/Vila.

The art is by Phoenix (front cover), Adrian Morgan, and Leah Rosenthal.

From a flyer:

At last! The all-Avon/Vila special issue of Southern Comfort returns for your reading pleasure! 66 pages of reduced, columnar print to delight all of you A/V fans out there! Approximate word count: 50,719. Gorgeous front cover of a sultry, brooding Avon and delicious Vila by Phoenix!

From the editorial:

Welcome to -- at long last! --another issue of an all-Avon/Vila adult special. The last one we did was 4.75, so it's been quite a while since Avon and Vila have had their own zine! I'm often asked at conventions and through the mail whether or not I'm going to do another .75 A/V issue, and I've always replied "whenever I get the submissions." This time around, with Southern Comfort 8.5, I did have so many submissions (275 pages even after I pulled out some of the A/V stories for this zine!) that I decided to go ahead and save some of the A/V stories for a special edition. I hope you enjoy the stories and find the zine was worth the wait. I'd like to do more . 75 issues, of course (A/V remains my favorite pairing). I've noticed that most of the slash B7 zines currently being produced carry a heavy bias toward Avon/Blake. So, you closet Vila fans get busy and do two things: 1) support this zine by it and buying it; 2) submit to future issues! My heartfelt thanks to all of my wonderful contributors. Some of them wrote A/V stories specifically for me!

I would also like to offer thanks to both Ellis Ward and Stew for allowing me to reprint their stories. Both of them ("Lest Madness Returns" and "Portobello Blues") are long-time favorites of mine. I was rereading much of my B7 collection recently and chanced upon these stories. I decided to ask the authors if they would mind letting me reprint their work, and happily, they both agreed. If you haven't seen their stories before, and you like angsty A/V stories, you're in for a treat.

Along with the reprinted stories, please welcome a writer new to B7 fandom (although not to other fandoms!): [J R]. [J R] writes primarily Avon/Blake stories (please check out her work in Southern Comfort 8.5) but she wrote an epic series of Avon/Vila stories when she heard how much I liked. that pairing. There are more stories in the Saint of Circumstances series; they will be appearing in Serrated Comfort. Jamie, I have fast learned, is an incredibly prolific writer!

The issue is rounded out with several fantastic stories by relative newcomers to Ashton Press: Irish and Mireille. I hope you enjoy their work as much as I have!

• A Practical Solution, fiction by Irish ("Avon finds Vila's constant scrutiny of him amusing at first. Then,he realizes why Vila is always watching him...") (3)
• Never Say Never, fiction by Mireille("Vila desperately wants Avon to care for him, but he knows it's too much to expect of the upper-class Alpha. So, Vila's willing to settle for what he can get. Or is he...?") (6)
• Things That Go Bang, fiction by Irish ("A pre-series story detailing the circumstances of Avon and Vila's very first meeting...and the unexpected consequences.") (14)
• Saint of Circumstances, fiction by J.R. ("Gauda Prime is in the past and has left both Avon and Vila changed men. But Blake isn't quite willing to give up on his own claim to Avon!") (The editorial mentions that other stories in this universe were going to appear in "Serrated Comfort." There is no zine with that title. The editor may have been referring to Serrated Seven, but that zine is gen, and has no stories by J.R.) (22)
• Easy to Love You, fiction by J.R. ("Avon and Vila struggle to survive as the rebellion continues under the leadership of Del Tarrant.") (37)
• Promises, Promises, fiction by Mireille ("In the aftermath of Gauda Prime, Vila reflects on all of the promises Avon once made him... and broke.") (56)
• Lest Madness Return, fiction by Ellis Ward ("Following Malodaar, Avon attempts to reconcile matters with Vila. A sequel to "In Lieu of Regrets"") (reprinted from "touched" #11) (58)
• Portobello Blues, fiction by Stew ("Vila risks everything for one last-ditch chance at happiness") (reprinted from The Unique Touch #2 The Other Side #4) (61)

• 

  from issue #8.75, Adrian Morgan

• 

  from issue #8.75, Leah Rosenthal

• 

  from issue #8.75, Leah Rosenthal (portrays Vila incongruously "grabbing the brass ring")

• 

  from issue #8.75, Leah Rosenthal

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8.75

[zine]:I was thrilled when I saw this zine at Media. First of all, I loved the other all A/V issues they'd done in the past. Secondly, B7 seems to be at one of its fannish low-ebbs at the moment and what little that's out there is Avon/Blake. (*Please* no one mention Tarrant!) So, all in all in all, I was so happy you coulda spread me on toast when I saw it. At last, I'd be able to get my A/V fix! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I wanted.

There are no really stand out bad stories, but there are no real great ones either. The longest and most involved story in the zine is "Easy to Love You" (which is a sequel to "Saint of Circumstance" that is also printed in the zine) by [J.R.] It's a PGP story that stipulates that not only are A/V lovers, but that after Gauda Prime they become pirate/mercenaries along with Del Grant. They still help with the revolution, but on their terms. I have two major problems with this story. First of all, although I honestly believe that Avon could very well love Vila, he is a more "show don't tell" (actually, more to the point, "Figure it out. If you can't tell that I love you, I'm not going to spoon-feed you, idiot.") kinda guy. I'm bothered when I see stories that have him saying it several times, which this does. Secondly, about the middle of the second story, Avon becomes blinded (long explanation deleted here), but has no problem with it since it means that Vila will *have* to stay close to him now. I really have a hard time seeing Avon as that needy. No matter how much he would want someone to stay close, he wouldn't like *having* to depend on anyone. Part of Avon's charm (?) is the fact that he's self-reliant (or at least likes to think of himself that way) to his own detrement (sic). The whole thing bothers me in regards not only to Avon, but it would bother me no matter who this is. That kind of dependance (sic) is just not healthy. Okay, okay, this is B7 we're talking about here, people not known for their complete and total mental balance, but this is supposed to be a happy story.

The only other stories that stuck with me from the zine are both reprints from the zine |B7-THE OTHER SIDE. One is a post-Orbit piece by Ellis Ward called "Lest Madness Return" (typically maudlin for this kind of story, though good) and the other is "Portobello Blues" by Stew. The latter is really the best story in the zine, and while it's also a bit depressing, it's not what I would call typical.... Overall, I'd recommend Southern Comfort 8.75 for only those who are really interested in A/V (there are much better stories in the 4.75 and 5.5 issues). It's cost is $7.