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Comet, v. 1, issue 2, March-April 1941
Page 14
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THE COMET PAGE 14 "REBIRTH RETOLD" by Mark Reinsberg The phenomenal growth of Chicago Fandom in the past two years is [[underline]]more[[end underline]] than phenomenal. It's truly remarkable! For, this great "rebirth" was not the result ofa large new crop of science fiction fans suddenly flowering into activity. Nor had the long dead "Old-Guard" risen from its desolate grave to stage a spectacular reincarnation. Instead, the revival of Chicago as a metropolis on the map of fandom was accomplished by a mere handful of S-F enthusiasts, who arose from the very chaos that followed the dis-jointment of Chicago-fandom in 1936-37. After four years of up-hill struggling, I look back to those early days in the New Chicago Fandom when Richard I. Meyer and myself groped blindly....where, we didn't exactly know....along the trail of science fiction. It was 1937 before we knew there was such a thing as fandom, and we ferreted out Jack Darrow, one of the only remaining Old Guard members, though totally inactive. We learned a lot from that visit---it was on Thanksgiving Eve---learned of Chicago's former glories in S-F; glanced eagerly through complete files of pro-mags and for the first time realized that science fiction was to be collected and hoarded; talked over plans for reconstructing Chicago fandom, the SFL Chapter. From then on, things moved swiftly. I was determined to see the day when our city would once more rank with super-active LA, NYC, and Philly, as was Meyer. With no support other than "moral", we plunged alone into the strange, new fan world. Letters in pro-mags, meeting more burned-out, "[[underline]]dead[[end underline]]-in-the-wool" enthusiasts, and gradually, a growing comprehension of the parad[[?]]al fan-world. By 1939 we had made a little more progress. Erle Korshak swelled our ranks to a trio, and correspondence began to bring in enlightenment, and, in turn, carry a message of renaissance-daylight out to the rest of the field. Then, a big faster entered our embryonic fan-world---the fan magazine. Then came AMAZING STORIES, and a breath of new life surged over Chicago. The presence of a professional magazine and a colorful fan-author-editor----Raymond a. Palmer, brought the glimmer of attention in the city's direction. The rest you all know. Early articles in a few fan magazines (my own: "Amazing News" in Fantascience Digest) telling of the sun rise, and the dawn of a new day in Chicago....and consequently, the entire Mid-west. Great activity; new fans such as Hamling, Bett, and others entering the fan field in late 1938; brought in through a chance meeting in a high-school, where, by strange co-incidence, myself, Meyer, Kershak, Hamling, Bott, and Geier[?] all attended! The appearance of AD ASTRA, Chicago's first true fan magazine,was another great step. Chicago began to be heard from in a publication destined to rise rapidly to a prominent fan-standing. More-over, the city flowered out with another professional magazine, Fantastic Adventures, as Amazing staged a terrific come-back. With two successful pros, fandom had something substantial around wich to build. The efforts of New Guard fans were finally recognized, as we at last gained a standing. Climax! Chicago represented by Reinsberg, Korshak, and Darrow at the 1939 new York World S-F Convention. At last came the great opportunity I had dreamt about. meeting all the S-F greats...Erle and I convinced (con't on page 16)
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THE COMET PAGE 14 "REBIRTH RETOLD" by Mark Reinsberg The phenomenal growth of Chicago Fandom in the past two years is [[underline]]more[[end underline]] than phenomenal. It's truly remarkable! For, this great "rebirth" was not the result ofa large new crop of science fiction fans suddenly flowering into activity. Nor had the long dead "Old-Guard" risen from its desolate grave to stage a spectacular reincarnation. Instead, the revival of Chicago as a metropolis on the map of fandom was accomplished by a mere handful of S-F enthusiasts, who arose from the very chaos that followed the dis-jointment of Chicago-fandom in 1936-37. After four years of up-hill struggling, I look back to those early days in the New Chicago Fandom when Richard I. Meyer and myself groped blindly....where, we didn't exactly know....along the trail of science fiction. It was 1937 before we knew there was such a thing as fandom, and we ferreted out Jack Darrow, one of the only remaining Old Guard members, though totally inactive. We learned a lot from that visit---it was on Thanksgiving Eve---learned of Chicago's former glories in S-F; glanced eagerly through complete files of pro-mags and for the first time realized that science fiction was to be collected and hoarded; talked over plans for reconstructing Chicago fandom, the SFL Chapter. From then on, things moved swiftly. I was determined to see the day when our city would once more rank with super-active LA, NYC, and Philly, as was Meyer. With no support other than "moral", we plunged alone into the strange, new fan world. Letters in pro-mags, meeting more burned-out, "[[underline]]dead[[end underline]]-in-the-wool" enthusiasts, and gradually, a growing comprehension of the parad[[?]]al fan-world. By 1939 we had made a little more progress. Erle Korshak swelled our ranks to a trio, and correspondence began to bring in enlightenment, and, in turn, carry a message of renaissance-daylight out to the rest of the field. Then, a big faster entered our embryonic fan-world---the fan magazine. Then came AMAZING STORIES, and a breath of new life surged over Chicago. The presence of a professional magazine and a colorful fan-author-editor----Raymond a. Palmer, brought the glimmer of attention in the city's direction. The rest you all know. Early articles in a few fan magazines (my own: "Amazing News" in Fantascience Digest) telling of the sun rise, and the dawn of a new day in Chicago....and consequently, the entire Mid-west. Great activity; new fans such as Hamling, Bett, and others entering the fan field in late 1938; brought in through a chance meeting in a high-school, where, by strange co-incidence, myself, Meyer, Kershak, Hamling, Bott, and Geier[?] all attended! The appearance of AD ASTRA, Chicago's first true fan magazine,was another great step. Chicago began to be heard from in a publication destined to rise rapidly to a prominent fan-standing. More-over, the city flowered out with another professional magazine, Fantastic Adventures, as Amazing staged a terrific come-back. With two successful pros, fandom had something substantial around wich to build. The efforts of New Guard fans were finally recognized, as we at last gained a standing. Climax! Chicago represented by Reinsberg, Korshak, and Darrow at the 1939 new York World S-F Convention. At last came the great opportunity I had dreamt about. meeting all the S-F greats...Erle and I convinced (con't on page 16)
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