| SKINTOMB ARCHIVES |
| skintomb issue #8 |
| necrotorial : october 1997 |
|
Welcome to the eighth and final issue of Skintomb. The horror, the horror! This fanzine's birth as Skinned Alive in 1990, when I was just 21, seems a long way off, but conceptually not much has changed since those early days. My initial plan to focus on splatterpunk fiction stalled almost immediately. Except for the occasional Bantam title - Skipp and Spector's Book of the Dead for example - the Americentric splatterpunk wave (if there was one) never broke on Australian shores. Consequently the zine's scope was quickly and quietly stretched to include all styles of horror fiction, though today Skintomb is still perceived by many as a "splatter zine". Just read Andrea Locke's review of issue #7 in Deathrealm for some recent evidence. As for style, Stephen King's Danse Macabre heavily influenced my approach to horror commentary. Skintomb is basically a fanzine version of that book, with me churning out a pale imitation of King's jocularity, attitude, genre knowledge and analysis. Whether I succeeded or not is immaterial - I had fun trying, and it's amusing to think that I emulated his non-fiction as blatantly as others did his fiction! Still, I took my criticism seriously. Bouncing each new Skintomb off the readership, examining their reactions, cringing when they found mistakes, formed part of the enjoyment. Over time the need to justify myself and validate my credentials has grown, which I know sounds irrational. I hope Skintomb has improved and matured slightly from this invisible pressure. Any regrets? You bet. (a) Lousy self-promotion guaranteed a modest readership. (b) I have gotten crankier; some of the material in this issue scares me. Sorry Mr Schow. (c) I wish I'd spell-checked issue seven properly. You live and learn, as they say, but only after going clinically bonkers. Thus, point (b). I am sure Martin Bryant published a fanzine, too. All is not gloom and doom, I am happy to say. Over the eight years Skintomb received rave reviews in all but three instances, and two of those only expressed reservations. Except for S.T. Joshi's Necrofile, Skintomb is possibly the world's biggest and longest running horror fiction review fanzine. In eight issues 146 books were flayed; over 130,000 words in total. Skintomb also boasted some of best amateur horror artwork ever produced in Australia. Other pursuits have soaked up my spare time this year, and future plans for editing a horror anthology, writing fiction, and perhaps producing more artwork have taken priority over Skintomb. Last year's seventh issue was as good a finale as I could hope for. The issue you're holding now is more of a cauterisation than a true follow-up, hence its size. Well, time for me to fade out. I have Dennis Etchinson's collection The Dark Country waiting for me on the coffee table. After a seven year search I finally found it two weeks ago in Out There Books, Cheltenham, extracting it like a rotted tooth from the gums of Steve's Horror shelf. Even better, I can enjoy it without being compelled to review it! Heart-felt thanks to everyone who supported Skintomb and its alter ego Skinned Alive. See you 'round the racks. ROD WILLIAMS
|