Hi guys, as some of you know, Ive been trying to get the MacGyver fanzines for some time. A publisher I know did say she could supply them, but then let me down. Anyway, I've gotten some of them (still looking for "Promises to Keep" and "Have Swiss Army Knife Will Travel") and I thought I'd share some pictures and thoughts on them as I read each one. That way, if anyone else is interested, you have an idea what you're going to get before shelling out a fair few dollars.

These are the ones I have so far:




The first one I've read was Transitions, by Jane Freitag:




This zine was first published in 1993, and I have the '95 second print. It is a full novel, as apposed to short stories, and is 118 pages long, with cover art by Karen Pauli. There is no internal artwork.

Transitions takes up three weeks after "The Stringer" and the first few chapters are mainly about Sam and Mac getting to know one another on their road trip. Things start to get exciting when Sam takes his dad to see the reporter who brought him up after his mom was killed.

The reporter is working on a story that seemingly gets them all into hot water, and eventually sees Sam getting kidnapped! Naturally, MacGyver, with the help of a newfound lady friend, has to save the day.

Its not a bad little story at all, although I did find myself wanting it to be a little longer. There are also a few typos and errors along the way, so if you're a stickler about such things, be prepared! All in all, though, I really enjoyed it and was glad I'd bought it.

There is a sequel, New Beginnings, which is a bit longer and carries straight on - I'm reading this now, and will add pics and a short summary once I'm done. (I'll do the same with the MacGyverisms zines, as they have some cool internal art as well!)

Dawn

Nice.

Awesome.

Each one is just a single story?

Transitions and New Beginnings are just one story, yes. It's like having two Mac novels The MacGyverisms zines are short stories, art, poems, and allsorts! I'll add inside pics of those when I start reading them 😃

That would be cool.

I've now finished the second fanzine "New Beginnings" and I really enjoyed it. Here is the cover art and a few thoughts and details:




The zine was published in 1994 and was again written by Jane Freitag. It is 181 pages, with cover art by Phyliss Savacool. There is no internal artwork.

The story takes up right after the first zine "Transitions" and sees Mac and Sam visiting Mission City, Mac's old school friends, and Harry's grave.

While in town, San sees a news report about a girl he was involved with back in Chicago. It seems the girl has been arrested for her father's murder - which Sam doesn't buy. There is also another complication - the girl has cancer!

Of course, it's only a matter of time before our daring duo head out to save the damsel in distress, and Mac meets a new lady friend on the way too.

This story feels much meatier than the first, and I found myself getting much more involved with both original characters, and the new ones. If "Transitions" was the starter, than this is definitely the main course.

The plot again covers Mac and Sam's relationship as father and son who still don't really know one another, and there is some genuine angst involving the girl too. We also get a glimpse of what Mac is going to do next with his life.

Do they solve the case? Well, I won't spoil too much in case people get their hands on a copy, but it was worth the wait, and the money to have both these zines.

Next up - MacGyverisms issue one. I'm looking forward to these as they're short stories, so easier for me to get through a story a night and it looks like there are some pretty humorous and downright strange plots in there!

These sound really great. Any idea where to look for them?

They're really hard to find, and don't come cheap 😞 There are two I can't find at all yet. I did have a publisher tell me she could get them, but she let me down. The dealer I got mine off has a couple on EBay but they're about fifty bucks a pop. I made her an offer though and she does haggle.

I've now finished the first "MacGyverisms" zine, and here are a few photos as well as a few thoughts:



Firstly, there is a lot more artwork than I've posted here, but I thought it would give a little taster. The zine is 149 pages long, and was published in 1992. It comprises of 20 short stories, poems, a list of Mac's injuries and from what episode, and schematics of Mac's homes! Authors include the likes of Glenda Young, Laura Zipkin and Jeanne R. Weselinski (later Gold) - who I've ironically written alongside in another zine for another show!

The stories are a great mix. Some are full of angst, some adventure, and one of my personal favourites is a crossover with "Quantum Leap!" There is an epilogue to Tough Boyz, which explains what happens to Manny next, and this was pretty good too.

If you're after something a little more humorous, then try the first story - Best Laid Plans - this is how Penny and Jack decide to surprise Mac on his birthday, except it turns out not to be such a surprise after all!

Comfort is a nice, short feel good story in which Mac finds a new and unusual friend, or if you're after a little more action, and Mac and Jack in real trouble, try the final story, Desert Rats.

All in all, a great mix of art, stories, and a few other items that show just how much MacGyver fans loved their man. I've totally enjoyed every bit of it - and the Doctor Who cartoon sketch made me chuckle. (Although if you're not a Who fan and don't know what the chameleon circuit does, it might not quite be so amusing hehe)

Again, there are typos in this fanzine, but I don't mind a bit. I'm a fic writer myself and know that no matter how many times I check my work I'm always going to miss something. And we don't get paid, after all. One annoying glitch I will point out is that pages 147 and 148 are reversed, which confused the heck out of me until I figured it out!

Next up, should be MacGyverisms 2, but as I've just gotten a copy of the MacGyver novel "On Ice" I shall read and review that first! After this edition, I'm really looking forward to the second zine, though.