Fanzine Focus: ‘The Science-Fiction Collector/Megavore’

An interesting, but short-lived fanzine that came to my attention is The Science-Fiction Collector that for a period of time was renamed Megavore before it merged with Age of the Unicorn, a pulp fanzine I’ve previously posted on. I was fortunate to obtain a complete run of this fanzine, which ran from 1976 to 1981 for 15 issues, so can give a good overview of it.

This zine was published by James Grant Books/Pandora’s Books in North Dakota, and edited by J. Grant Thiessen. James Grant Books was Thiessen’s mail-order service, and Pandora’s Book was his bookstore in Calgary, Alberta. However, the bookstore was short-lived, and he shifted back to mail-order bookselling and moved to Manitoba.

There were a few format changes in terms of size and paper over the run of the magazine. The first eight issues were called The Science-Fiction Collector. With #9 it merged with Age of the Unicorn and was renamed Megavore: The Journal of Popular Culture. It kept that name until #13. With #14, it again went back to The Science Fiction Collector (yes, no hyphen), still merged with the Age of the Unicorn, and lasted one more issue.

On format changes. While most were about 8.5×11 in size and 50 pages, it wasn’t exact. The first five issues were newsprint, the sixth issue was a strange mix of white paper and newsprint, and these were 8×10.5 in size. For most of the rest, they used heavier white paper, but with #9 there was a center section on newsprint for ads (articles were on the white paper). The last issue was tabloid-size printed on newsprint, as the magazine went to subscription only. Previous issues were also sold in bookstores, but Thiessen had problems getting paid, so went to subscription only. Guess it didn’t work out.

So what is in these issues?

#1 (1976) This issue focused on a comprehensive index to Ace Books with an index by book number, an author index, and more.

#2 (December 1976) This issue provides an index of several defunct small paperback publishers with sf books. Some I had heard of, but many not. We also get an appreciation of sf author Fredric Brown, along with a bibliography. There’s a review and bibliography of John Russell Fearn‘s The Golden Amazon, which I have posted on. Of course, when this came out, most of the series had not been published in book form.

#3 (February 1977) The bulk of this issue is devoted to an index of the reprint magazines from Health Knowledge, such as Magazine of Horror, Famous Science Fiction, Bizarre Fantasy Tales, and more. And we get an index of Galaxy Science Fiction Novels.

#4 (July 1977) This issue has a cover feature article on “science fiction pornography,” basically a wide range of paperback books with combine science fiction and pornography. Okay. Other articles are on the Canadian pulp Super Science Stories, Tarzan imitators, and some notes on a trio of British sf authors.

#5 (September 1977) This issue gives us an appreciation of Philip José Farmer, along with a bibliography, and an article on works about J.R.R. Tolkien, which had a lot as Tolkien was fairly popular at the time, though not at the level now because of the movies. There is also a list of books put out by Avalon, along with several short articles.

#6 (May 1978) This issue is devoted to a comprehensive index of Ballantine Book from 1953 to ’76.

#7 (September 1979) This issue focuses on E.C. Tubb, with an appreciation of him, along with lists of his works, both sf and other.

#8 (December 1979) This issue includes a couple of special features. The first is on A.E. Van Vogt with an interview with him along with a long bibliography. The second is on John Wyndham, a bibliography on him.

#9 (June 1980) As noted this issue is the first issue of Megavore. The cover is interesting, as it has The Science-Fiction Collector at the top, with the note that it has combined with Age of the Unicorn with its logo (though it won’t appear on each cover), and down at the bottom we are told it has combined as Megavore: The Journal of Popular Fiction. Also with this issue is an insert on newsprint for advertising, 16 pages this time. These aren’t numbered. Only the white pages with articles are numbered.

This time we get several pieces. The special piece is a bibliography on Avram Davidson. Tom Johnson provides an article on Michael Avallone with a piece of Frank Hamilton artwork. An index of Canadian pulp Uncanny Tales is provided. There’s an overview and index of Dan Fortune, Private Eye, created by Dennis Lynds under the name of Michael Collins.

#10 (August 1980) This issue has a special article, with an index, of science fiction put out by paperback publisher Lancer. Other articles of interest are a look at the pulp reprint paperbacks from Corinth/Regency by Tom Johnson. Nick Carr examines Fire-Eyes, the enemy in Dusty Ayres.

#11 (October 1980) As a special feature, this issue has a somewhat unusual article on Robert Heinlein by Arthur Hlavaty. There is also an interview and bibliography of Jonathan Latimer, an author of hard-boiled works. Another article discusses Sherlock Holmes‘s period in Tibet when he was thought dead, the first of four Holmes/Doyle articles by Dana Martin Batory.

#12 (December 1980) This issue provides us with several pulp-related articles. Link Hullar and Will Murray provide an article on Street & Smith’s The Skipper, a nautical hero similar to Doc Savage, but also very different in tone. Nick Carr has an article on pulp villain Dr. Yen Sin. Dafydd Neal Dyar looks at the facts behind the Doc Savage novel “The Lost Oasis.” Another article examines the Lee Falk Phantom paperback novels.

#13 (March 1981) This time we get a Fu Manchu cover by Frank Hamilton. We get a Jack Williamson bibliography. Will Murray organizes feedback from five other pulp fans/researchers on their top 10 Spider novels. Another article is on Robert Silverberg‘s “erotic” fiction. Okay. And we get another Doyle-related article, looking at the real Professor Challenger.

#14 (May 1981) As noted, Thiessen changed things back to The Science Fiction Collector. In #13, he tells why: He just didn’t like the new name. Though why he dropped the hyphen, I have no idea. We get another Frank Hamilton cover, this time focused on Ryerson Johnson, author of some Doc Savage novels, and an article on him by Nick Carr. Robert Sampson looks the long-running Mr. Chang series by A.E. Apple that ran in Street & Smith’s Detective Story Magazine for 30 stories. A couple of articles look at Monarch Books and Curtis Books. Robert Sampson teams up on a new column, “The Pulp Corner.”

#15 (July 1981) As noted, this is the first tabloid version. Still some good articles. Nick Carr looks at the topic of “death” in the Operator #5 and G-8 pulps. We get another “The Pulp Corner.” We get examinations of Laser Books and Regency Books, two sf oriented publishers. And another Doyle article looks at the influences of Doyle on Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Overall, it’s a good fanzine that sadly ended. I have no idea what happened. Maybe someone can comment as to the reasons why. For me, the best issues were the Megavore ones, including #14. If you are able, check these out. Did “The Pulp Corner” move elsewhere?

At this point, Thiessen restarted Age of the Unicorn, continuing the numbering from #9-15 in 1981-83. I have not been able to find one of these. Then it merged with Bill Laidlaw‘s Doc Savage Quarterly with issue #10, which became The Shadow/Doc Savage Quest with #11. And when that ended with #16, Age of the Unicorn was finally dead. I hope to get #9-15 and review them at some point.

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