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Vampire Index, whole no. 1, January 2, 1948
Page 3
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VAMPIRE Vampire was a science fiction fanzine edited and published by Joe Kennedy of Dover, New Jersey. The first issue was published by Joe in the Spring of 1945. The ninth and concluding issue was published some two and a half years later. During this short span, the magazine evolved from a small hektographed publication with a circulation of forty to a large, regularly published fanzine that went to over 200 readers and regularly took first place for itself and its editor in the fan polls. Vampire magazine was in a class of its own. It had its own inimitable atmosphere which could not be credited to any single feature. The success of the magazine was probably due to its own peculiar humorous slant on matters pertaining to fantasy and fandom. This included LeZombie-ish "corners", the cartoon artwork of the editor and excellent headings done entirely without lettering guides. However, Vampire definitely was not an all-humor fanzine; rather, it printed many articles by well-known fan writers (and a large number of neophytes) with an injection of humor. Kennedy "stupidly and stubbornly maintained that a fanzine is a medium of entertainment" thus avoiding both the dry paginess of many too-pretensive fanzines and the painfully juvenile 'funny stuff' all too prevalent now. The ending of Vampire came as a surprise but the reasons divulged for its demise were hardly unique. Kennedy was lacking in time and possibly (as the rise in price may have indicated), money with which to continue. It is nothing new for a fan to suddenly find that his hobby, once a pleasant sideline, has developed into an ordeal constantly encroaching upon all of his spare time. The tripling of size and quintupling of circulation did just that, in this case. As to the value of a file of Vampires, there probably is no real way of determining since no one, to date, has shown a real propensity for selling a collection of Vamps. The original cost was exactly one dollar. In the first issue, Joe, jokingly, claimed that Vamp would be worth five dollars a copy in ten years. But, two years later, a fan of presumably sound mind traded over fifteen dollars worth of originals to obtain the first issue to complete his files; an issue which alone was never sensational. A few facts might be worth noting here. The first issue was hektographed and was half letter size. Every issue after that was full letter size and mimeographed. The first two covers were of spraygun type; while the next three were mimeographed. All after that were lithographed with the last issue sporting two lithos. The first eight issues cost a dime; the last sold for twenty cents. From the third issue on, Gerry de la Ree and Jay F. Chidsey were listed as contributing editors. With the fourth issue, Lloyd Alpaugh, Jr. was added. From the seventh to the ninth issues, Joe Hensley was similarly mentioned. (continued on page 17)
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VAMPIRE Vampire was a science fiction fanzine edited and published by Joe Kennedy of Dover, New Jersey. The first issue was published by Joe in the Spring of 1945. The ninth and concluding issue was published some two and a half years later. During this short span, the magazine evolved from a small hektographed publication with a circulation of forty to a large, regularly published fanzine that went to over 200 readers and regularly took first place for itself and its editor in the fan polls. Vampire magazine was in a class of its own. It had its own inimitable atmosphere which could not be credited to any single feature. The success of the magazine was probably due to its own peculiar humorous slant on matters pertaining to fantasy and fandom. This included LeZombie-ish "corners", the cartoon artwork of the editor and excellent headings done entirely without lettering guides. However, Vampire definitely was not an all-humor fanzine; rather, it printed many articles by well-known fan writers (and a large number of neophytes) with an injection of humor. Kennedy "stupidly and stubbornly maintained that a fanzine is a medium of entertainment" thus avoiding both the dry paginess of many too-pretensive fanzines and the painfully juvenile 'funny stuff' all too prevalent now. The ending of Vampire came as a surprise but the reasons divulged for its demise were hardly unique. Kennedy was lacking in time and possibly (as the rise in price may have indicated), money with which to continue. It is nothing new for a fan to suddenly find that his hobby, once a pleasant sideline, has developed into an ordeal constantly encroaching upon all of his spare time. The tripling of size and quintupling of circulation did just that, in this case. As to the value of a file of Vampires, there probably is no real way of determining since no one, to date, has shown a real propensity for selling a collection of Vamps. The original cost was exactly one dollar. In the first issue, Joe, jokingly, claimed that Vamp would be worth five dollars a copy in ten years. But, two years later, a fan of presumably sound mind traded over fifteen dollars worth of originals to obtain the first issue to complete his files; an issue which alone was never sensational. A few facts might be worth noting here. The first issue was hektographed and was half letter size. Every issue after that was full letter size and mimeographed. The first two covers were of spraygun type; while the next three were mimeographed. All after that were lithographed with the last issue sporting two lithos. The first eight issues cost a dime; the last sold for twenty cents. From the third issue on, Gerry de la Ree and Jay F. Chidsey were listed as contributing editors. With the fourth issue, Lloyd Alpaugh, Jr. was added. From the seventh to the ninth issues, Joe Hensley was similarly mentioned. (continued on page 17)
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