The Best of Xero

(Paperback)

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Description

From modest beginnings to the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Fanzine, Xero was a fascinating and controversial convergence of writers, artists, and a burgeoning fan community. Collected here from Pat & Dick Lupoffs legendary fanzine are an array of excellent essays, memoirs, and ongoing debates on science fiction, mysteries, comic books, and popular culture as well as the revolving letters of comment that are virtual forerunners of the Internet.
Highlights of The Best of Xero include Harlan Ellisons prescient take on the movie Psycho, Donald Westlakes humorous denouncement of the science-fiction field, James Blishs nostalgic look back on his scriptwriting stint for the Captain Video serial, Lin Carters spot-on parody of Sax Rohmers Fu Manchu novels; and Don Thompsons detailed analysis of the origins of ultrapowerful and mysterious comic-book heroes Dr. Fate and The Spectre.
The Best of Xero also features original comics and illustrations from Xero and an introduction by film critic and Xero contributor Roger Ebert.

Reviews

"We live in the world that fandom made, and Xero helped invent fandom as we know it. This collection is a delight: nostalgic, informative, still provocative, and still, above all, a reliable source of fun." --Michael Chabon, author, The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and Summerland

Author Bio

Pat and Dick Lupoff produced and edited the Hugo Award-winning fanzine Xero from its inception in 1960 through its last issue in 1962. Richard A. Lupoff went on to a long writing and editing career, publishing more than thirty novels and numerous volumes of short stories. Pat Lupoff works at Dark Carnival, a science-fiction and fantasy specialty bookstore, and has been a book buyer and seller for more than twenty years. Roger Ebert was the resident poet of Xero and also published his own fanzine, Stymie. He was perhaps better known for his role as a culturally iconic film critic.