fajrdrako | The Fannish Friday Five...

How far have you been willing to travel to attend a fannish event?

I love to travel, so I've been to some far-flung conventions. I've been to San Diego several times for the San Diego Comic Con. I've been to Edinburgh, Scotland, several times for Dorothy Dunnett Gatherings. I've been to Coventry, England, for a Star Trek convention, and London, England, for a comic book convention. I've been to San Francisco for a World Science Fiction Convention and to San Jose for a Dunnett Gathering and to Oxnard, California, for Escapade. California is a Mecca of fandom. Too bad it isn't closer.

How far have you gone in trying to save a show or to get a sequel?

I've signed petitions. But I don't feel the same way most fans do about this. Some shows are cancelled before their time, like Firefly or Century City. Most shows outlive their period of high quality and I don't think that's a good thing. I'd rather see a show I love cancelled than see it decay into something I don't like. (X-Files did that and I feel worse than I would have if it had simply been cancelled.)

Sometimes I wish I had the strength of will to just stop watching Smallville at some arbitrary point because I fear the worst. Except that the worst hasn't materialized, and that gives me hope, so I'll be watching as long as I enjoy it more than otherwise.

How far have you been willing to overspend on one particular fannish item?

I often spend more than I should, but on a global scale... not really. We're talking: $50, say, for each of the "Archive" reprints of old Legion of Super-Heroes stories from Adventure Comics, or $100 for original Frank Miller art - autographed - which, now I think about it, is an incredible bargain. My weekly comic book budget is way too high, but I don't usually overspend on individual items.

How far have you been willing to go tracking down a rare fannish item?

Many hours spent in back-issue bins in various cities looking for comics I need... er, I mean, want.

How far have you gone to try and pimp someone into a fandom?

I don't pimp. I don't have the pimping mentality. I never try to persuade someone into a fandom. But... my natural enthusiasm sometimes is so obvious that people who know me become curious and try something they might not otherwise try. I think I've influenced a few people to read Dorothy Dunnett novels. There's one person (at least) I got into X-Men. And of course I am always pleased when my friends like the same thing I like.

Hmm... you know, the "furthest" might be a project I'm carrying out this year with my friend Beulah. She couldn't get into The Lord of the Rings books, though she liked the movies. So I offered to read them to her. We're into chapter three of The Two Towers now.