InFurNation!
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- April, 1997
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Table of Contents:
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Now what kind of a Mickey Mouse operation...
The spring is bouncing, and it's time for another ConFurence Aftermath
Report! ConFurence Eight brought us to a brand new hotel, and brought
them the surprise of more than 1,000 furries showing up for a weekend
of fun! Read on for more details about the wonderful time had by all.
But first, here's some recent news:
The new film from Turner Feature Animation (creators
of 1994's The Pagemaster) is Cats Don't Dance, now in theaters. The
story follows a naive cat from Indiana who comes to Hollywood in hopes
of being a movie star -- only to find that animals aren't allowed
to do more than supporting roles. Voices include Scott Bakula (from
Quantum Leap), Natalie Cole, Kathy Najimy, Hal Holbrook, and Don Knotts.
A musical, Cats Don't Dance features music by Randy Newman and choreography
by none other than Gene Kelly. The production team includes several
people who worked on such Disney Features as Beauty and the Beast
and The Little Mermaid. In front of the feature film, Warner Brothers
is screening a brand new Foghorn Leghorn cartoon short, Pullet Surprise.
The very furry film Space Jam from Warner Brothers,
and the less-furry but still interesting Hunchback of Notre Dame from
Walt Disney Pictures, went on sale on video in March. Also currently
in release from Disney Home Video is the 55th-anniversary edition
of Bambi, with a re-vamped soundtrack and a making-of special now
included on the tape.
Also out now on video, just in time for the Special
Edition re-release of the Star Wars trilogy, is a compilation feature
of the animated Ewoks TV series from the 80's. Available from 20th
Century Fox Home Video.
From the NATPE (National Association of Television
Programming Executives) trade show in New Orleans this year, Animation
Magazine presents the following list of new furry-sounding animated
programs currently in production. We don't know much about any of
them, but here they are: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit; Billy the
Cat; Cat Riders; Dinobabies; Donkey Kong Country; Happy Ness: The
Secret of the Loch; Insektors; Jamie the Mouse; Jerry's Insane Fish;
Little Hippo; Littlest Pet Shop; Mimi the Cow; The Moo Family Stall
of Fame; Monty the Moose; Romuald the Reindeer; Scat the Stringalong
Cat; Shelley T. Turtle Show; Sohine, The Zoo Manager; The Tale of
Tillie's Dragon; TerraTopia; Turtle Island; Turtle World; and The
Untouchables of Elliot Mouse. Whew! If you know anything more about
any of these shows, please let us know at In-Fur-Nation!
Two of the longest-running titles in furry comic
books, Furrlough and Genus, have left Antarctic Press, along with
editor Elin Winkler. These titles will now be published by the new
Radio Comix line. Also coming soon from Radio Comix is The Art of
Usagi Yojimbo, featuring many illustrations, sketches, and commissions
from award-winning artist and writer Stan Sakai. Note: The Furry comics
Hepcats and Gold Digger will still be published by Antarctic Press.
Available now from MU Press is Little Paw II, another
perfect-bound collection features black and white versions of various
pin-ups by Little Paw, aka popular furry artist Terrie Smith. Premiering
in May is Corus #1, a black & white comic series from Waverly
Pierre III and Christina Hanson. Also look for the latest issue of
the popular furry anthology comic, Zu, and the latest issue of the
comic book adaptation of Paul Kidd's Fangs of K'aath.
Jeff Smith's popular black & white comic Bone
is back "on its own" again, having split from Image Comics
back to its original Cartoon Books. Issue #28 begins a new storyline,
Rockjaw: Master of the Eastern Border.
Premiering now from Bad Moon Rising Studios is Texasylum,
a new black & white comic series. In the violent, savage land
that is the future independent nation of Texas, a war-bred virus has
mutated much of society into beast/human hybrids.
Check out the adventures of Ringo the ant, Jojo the
ladybug, Beebe the gnat, and many of their friends (and enemies) in
Bugworld, a new full-color comic book series from Destiny Comics.
New from Hall of Heroes is Hall of Heroes Presents
#0, also known as The Reunion Issue. This special issue features new
works (in black & white) from Ethan Van Sciver (creator of CyberFrog),
Trent Kaniuga (creator of CreeD), and Matt Martin (creator of Snowman).
A new black & white comic series from Limelight
Publishing is the premiere issue of Guardian Knights, the first story
titled Demon's Knight. This quarterly heroic dark fantasy series,
concerning a brother and sister demon-fighting team, comes to us from
the husband and wife team of Dean A. Graf and Tygger L. Graf.
From the Archie Comics Adventure Line, look for
Sonic vs. Knuckles: Battle Royal Special. Actually, it's Sonic and
all of his freedom fighters versus Knuckles and all of the Chaotix.
And it's 48 pages in full color.
Now from Full Impact Comics comes Punky #1, in full
color. Johnathan Moreno and Mat Nastos bring you the comical adventures
of a young cat who drives his elder siblings to distraction.
How about a vegetarian freedom fighter (heir to
a chain of hamburger stands) teaming up with an anthropomorphic bull?
That would be Greener Pastures, a new black & white comic series
from Kronos Comics.
We really don't know what to tell you about Dan
Fraga's new full-color adventure comic special, Santa the Barbarian
vs. The Easter Bunny, except to tell you that it's from Maximum Comics.
You heard it here.
Many well-known artistic talents (furry and otherwise)
can be found in the new Giant Shanda Animal #2, in black & white
from Shanda Fantasy Arts. Folks helping out writer Mike Curtis include
Michele Light, Carla Speed McNeil, Ed Garcia, Terrie Smith, Carl Gafford,
Kishma Danielle, Chris Berdoz, and more.
New from Acclaim Comics' Young Readers Series is
Disney's Enchanting Stories. The first issue of this digest-sized
full color comic magazine features new stories with characters from
Disney's Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmatians, Pocahontas, Snow White,
and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Dark Horse Comics presents a new trade paperback
collection of Arthur Adams' Monkeyman & O'Brien series. The full-color
comic includes both a special story and last year's three-issue miniseries.
A new all-ages non-violent alternative comic is
Tangle Oats from Comicosley Studios. In issue #1 of this new black
& white title, stars Tony and Monty (a horse and a worm) travel
to a comic book convention -- or try to.
John Mueller's avenging pig-recom Oink returns in
the new Oink: Blood and Circus mini-series from Kitchen Sink Comics.
This time, Oink tries to survive as he travels about the post- apocalyptic
world outside of Heaven.
If you haven't seen it yet, check out Prehistoric
Times, a magazine for fans and realistic modellers of dinosaurs. Issue
#23 features extensive coverage of raptors, from velociraptors to
utahraptors and more, in models and the media.
Several science fiction books of furry interest
hitting the shelves now at your local bookstore. In Steve White's
In Death Ground from Pocket Books, humans and the cat-like Orions,
formerly enemies, must now unite against an invasion of alien insects.
Horror writer Charles Grant brings us World of Darkness: Werewolf
-- Watcher from Harper, wherein the 13 tribes of the Garou send a
lone wolf known as the Silent Strider to stop a rogue human-killer.
From Alan Dean Foster comes the newest novel set in the Dinotopia
universe, The Hand of Dinotopia from Turner Books.
In another vein, a new children's book of furry note. Back at the
start of this century, Gleb Botkin was the son of the personal physician
two Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. To pass the time, Gleb would entertain
the Romanov children with tales of courtly intrigue amongst various
species of animals dressed up in human clothes. He also illustrated
many of these stories himself, with full color prints. Now, many years
later, these stories and illustrations have been restored and collected
in Lost Tales: Stories for the Tsar's Children from Villard Books.
Available at Barnes & Noble Bookseller.
Obituary: Tomoyuki Tanaka, the producer of more
than 22 Godzilla features in Japan, as well as many other science
fiction and fantasy films, passed away this month. The chairman of
Toho Studios was 86 years old. Mr. Tanaka's talents will be greatly
missed by fans of science fiction and movie monsters the world over.
Now for something really different: Howl, an import CD from Japan,
features recordings of all the distinctive howls, grunts, and roars
from the Toho Studio monsters, including Godzilla, Rodan, King Gidrah,
and more.
From the CF Mailbox
From Richard Bartrop :
Zaibatsu Tears is Back.
For those of you who have been waiting since Furrlough #40 for Pi
to land, your patience will be rewarded. Limelight Publishing, the
people who are doing Tygger's GUARDIAN KNIGHTS, has picked up ZAIBATSU
TEARS, and will be publishing it in it's own quarterly comic book.
Issue #1 is scheduled for release in July and will collect the first
ZT story, which appeared in Furrlough #21, #22, and #24, with additional
artwork. Issue #2, due in October, will feature 'The Puppet Warriors'
in it's entirety. As for Furrlough, whatever problem I had was with
Antarctic Press, and not with Elin Winkler, for whom I continue to
have the highest respect, and I will be contributing new material
to the new Furrlough.
From Byron Havranek :
Hoi! FurryPhile magazine is looking fur submissions fur its #8 issue,
to be released in early June. Deadline is May 1. FP is a soft R maximum
oriented 'zine, so keep it clean, please? Send hard copies of either
art or text to:
Bryon L. Havranek 765 Braun Ave. San Diego, 92114 e-mail: WitchCat1@aol.com
From YARF! :
YARF! 47 will be out the first week of April. Included in this issue
are, Wingwarrior by Will Faust, Unforgiven pt 5 (The Jack Salem Story)
by Roz Gibson, In Sheeps Clothing fiction by Clin Warlick with illos
by Ken Pick, Katjara by Summer Jackson, Freefall by Mark Stanley,
Reviews from Fred Patten, Ralph the Wonder Hampster by Jim Alves and
Roy Pounds, various illos from: Kris Kreutzman, Freddy Ason, Amy Pronovost,
Amara Telegemier(sp) , Chuck Davies, Terrie Smith, Tygger Graf,
Mike DiCenso, Maggie DeAlarcon and more. Available from;
YARF! PO Box 1299 Cupertino CA 95015-1299 $6.00 + $1.00 postage (in
the US and Canada, $2.00 postage overseas)
From Steve Addlesee :
It took a couple years, but my artwork is making its rounds in furrydom.
I inked the centerfold in FURST #1 by Silverfox Publications; inked
the lead story in SHANDA THE PANDA #15; and inked the first nine pages
of SHANDA #17. Currently, I'm inking and lettering the lead story
for SHANDA #18; I've already inked and lettered the backfeature. I'm
slated to draw an illustration for Matt McCullar's "Grasslands'
Tale", ink Chris Grant's EMPIRES series; ink and letter SCOTMAN
& ICELAD by Scott Malcolmson and Kjartan Arnorsson, ink a Webmovie
for Greg Fishbone; and my "Fawn" story will have a home
in Shanda Fantasy Art's NEW HORIZONS series. The story is written
by Michael Wolff and penciled by Dann Phillips, the rest of the mess
is done by me. For the gamers, as well as THE LEGEND OF YORE RPG,
my artwork will be in THE LEGEND OF YORE Adventure Pack by Galileo
Games. For those of you who are interested in my assignments in mainstream
comics, contact me via e-mail. That covers it for now. 'Til then.
Steven R. Addlesee AKA Tam Man carcajou@fia.net 7919 Thornton Circle
Sandy, UT 84093 (801) 942-9266
Advertising in In-Fur-Nation: As before,
ads in In-Fur-Nation come in two sizes: 1/8-page "business card"
size for $5.00 per issue, and 1/4-page size (4 1/2" tall by 3
1/4" wide) for $10.00 per issue. Check should be made out to
ConFurence. Send camera-ready art and text to P.O. Box 1958, Garden
Grove, CA 92642-1958. Write to us for information about full-page
ads and inclusions. Getting just a mention in In-Fur-Nation is easy:
Send us information, and we'll reprint it in our blurbs section verbatim,
with minor corrections for spelling and grammar.
(Thanks again to Previews magazine, and to all the folks on Internet,
who contributed some of the information used in this issue!)
.. would name their team 'The Ducks'? (Bugs Bunny, in Space Jam)
ConFurence has stuff available! That's
right, The General Store is open for mail-order business! (And, maybe,
coming to an SF con near you! ) We have copies of our Convention Souvenir
Books (featuring black & white furry artwork, plus articles of
furry interest) from ConFurence One ("Coming Out of the Burrow")
or Three ("Furries Around the World") available for $3.00
each; and from ConFurence Six ("Magic and Transformation"),
Seven ("Furries in Force"), and Eight (Music & Mirth/Scalies)
available for $5.00 each. Please include $1.00 for shipping with each
book ordered. Also, we still have copies of the following full-color
prints from ConFurence: The magical "Discovery" print by
Terrie Smith for only $2.00 (11 x 17", tube-shipped); the Five
Fur color prints by Michele Light (along with the "TV show's"
background) for $5.00 a set; Daphne Lage's two full-color prints from
CF6 for $5.00 a set; plus the "Sydney Wants YOU" poster
by David Bliss from CF7 and the "Dragon Song" print by Brian
Harp from CF8, both available for $3.00 each. And, don't forget the
Furry Japan guide, first issue in a planned series of guides to furry-oriented
manga -- yours for only $5.00 plus $2.00 shipping. Such deals! Order
yours today! T-SHIRTS AND STUFF! ConFurence has our t-shirt designs
from CF7 (by Eric Schwartz) and from CF8 (by Michele Light) available
in sizes M - XXXL for $15.00 each. Include $3.00 per shirt for domestic
North American orders, or $5.00 U.S. for overseas post.
And Now -- The ConFurence Seven Highlights Video!
Yes, it's done! Thanks to the skills of David Bliss and the rest of
our highly skilled video crew, we're proud to bring you our newest
video, Highlights from ConFurence Seven, 1996 (Furries in Force).
See the Opening Ceremonies, christening Check Point Furry! See interviews
with our Guests of Honor S. Andrew Swann and Eric Schwartz! See Jymn
Magon receive the very first Golden Sydney Award! See Jim Groat eat
a Smurf! See highlights from the Costume Presentation, the Pet Auction,
Club Tekno-Fur, and the Cabaret Fur le Dance (tasteful, but tasty)!
See Gumbies invade ConFurence! And much more! All yours for only $12.00,
plus $3.00 shipping and handling ($5.00 U.S. outside of North America).
Available in VHS Hi-Fi NTSC -- write to us for information about other
available formats. Get yours today!
ConFurence Eight -- Aftermath Report
We trotted off to a whole new place, but once again you managed to
track us down! About 1,000 furry fen (and other interested people)
did, joining us at the Buena Park Hotel and Convention Center in Buena
Park for a weekend of fun, fur, and fortissimo.
Those Special Guests
Our award-winning literary guest Robert J. Sawyer and his wife had
themselves a blast in California (must be a nice break from Toronto
in the winter!) and tons of fun at ConFurence. Artistic guests Bill
Holbrook and Mel. White spent much of their time at their respective
tables in the Den of Dealers, but still managed to get out and push
their new stuff around the rest of the con too. Special filk guest
Dr. Jane Robinson and her partner Cynthia McQuillin said they had
a blast too -- So much so, Cynthia asked if she could be invited back
as a special guest sometime! (Hey Cynthia, believe us, you're on the
short list!) Of course ConFurence Eight had many other SIGs, plus
many discussions on our special convention themes: Music and Mirth
and Scalies -- complete with three dances, a pool-side costume party
thrown by the Cawleys, and a special concert!
Every year more well-known types decide to join us at ConFurence,
from a wealth of backgrounds in comics, science fiction novels, movies,
computers, TV, and many other forms of media where furries can be
found. Among them this year were Steve Addlesee, Darrel Benvenuto,
Mitchell Biero, E.T. and Elizabeth Bryan, Jose Calderon, Ben Camacho,
John Cawley, Richard Chandler, Jimmy Chin, Carol and Mike Curtis,
Kishma Daniele, Pat Duke, Jeff Ferris, Leslie Fish, Kelly and Laura
B. Freas, Steven Gallacci, Roz Gibson, Jim Groat (and family), Shon
Howell, Pat Kelly, Robert C. King, Ed Kline, Kris Kreutzman, Daphne
Lage, Michele Light, Monika Livingstone, Jymn Magon, Julie Mammano,
Steven Martin, Chuck Melville, Lex Nakashima, John Nunnemacher, Fred
Patten, Michael Payne, Steve Plunkett, Mike Raabe, Joe Rosales, Lance
Rund, Dan Seneres, Ted Sheppard, Terrie Smith, Ken Southworth, Brian
Sutton, Diana Vick, Edd Vick, Elin Winkler, Joe Yakovetic, Tommy Yune,
and Ed Zolna. Not to mention a host of artists, small-press publishers,
and other folks whose names you know -- or should, sometime soon!
That Costume Event
This year the Furry costumes were out in force at several events throughout
the con. Favorite costume honors, once again voted on by our members
themselves, went to Larry Adams, Andrea Adams, and Lance Ikegawa for
a trio right from the movies, Balto, Jenna, and Steel. First runner-up
went to a bouncy fellow named Yippy the Coyote, designed and worn
by Jimmy Chin. (Both winners received free merchandise from the Den
of Dealers, courtesy of ConFurence.) Several other excellent costumers
were on hand to discuss how they do what they do also -- so many that
next year we need more room for the Costuming How-To SIGs!
That Furry Filk Contest
Folks at this year's furry filk-song contest had no less than 21 entries
to choose from! With so many good songs, it's not a great surprise
that we wound up with a tie: Loot by Lee Gold, and Cotillion by Michael
Payne. So, here we'll present you with our first winner -- the second
we'll print up in July!
LOOT
lyrics by Lee Gold, Copyright 1996
to Leslie Fish's tune for Rudyard Kipling's "Boots"
written for ConFurence 1997
I've got scales; they'd glitter in the sunlight but I stay in my cave
and guard my precious hoard. [CHORUS:] Loot! - Loot! Loot! - Loot!
Here and there and under me! I must keep all of my hoard.
Sacks of coins of silver, gold and platinum. Merchants never come
to sell me anything. [CHORUS] Armrings, bracelets, crowns and pendant
necklaces. But none of them comes even close to fitting me. [CHORUS]
Golden harps whose strings break when I'm clawing them. A capella
has to be the way I sing. [CHORUS] Rubies, opals, sapphires and amethysts
Grind to shards and powder as I crawl on them. [CHORUS] There's a
dozen ancient jeweled magic swords. Six have scabbards; the other
six keep scratching me. [CHORUS] A princess once came to my cave to
visit me. Pallets piled high didn't stop her feeling lumps of [CHORUS]
A wizard robbed me, stole all of my treasured things. Soon I'll find
him. Now I fly admiring [CHORUS 2:] How my wing scales glitter in
the shining sun As I fly in search of my hoard.
I found the wizard hiding in a cavern dark. He'd turned into another
dragon just like me. [CHORUS 3:] Loot! - Loot! Loot! - Loot! Here
and there and under him! I made him a gift of my hoard. [LAST CHORUS:]
Freedom! Sunlight! Rainbows are much fairer jewels Than those I had...
Those I had... Than those I had in my hoard!
[Plug: Those interested in seeing more filksongs might want to investigate
Lee's bimonthly filkzine XENOFILKIA: $1 plus postage (78 cents in
the US, 88 cents to Canada, $1 to elsewhere) per issue (with 20 pages
of songs per issue); free to anyone with a song in that issue. It's
been going for over eight years, and all back issues are still in
print. The indexes are on http://www.starport.com/xeno/. Send inquiries
to Lee at barry@locus.com. Send checks (made out to Lee Gold) to Lee
Gold, 3965 Alla Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90066.]
We Had Events!
Our Thursday night kick-off featured no less than two dances; our
ever-popular Club Techno-Fur, followed by the brand-new gothic dance
happening, Nevermore. Friday night after the Furry Filk Contest, it
was time for our first ever filk concert, starring well-known filkers
Dr. Jane Robinson, Cynthia McQuillin, and Leslie Fish, along with
the exotic ethno-acoustic jazz trio Thoth. After that came the popular
charity Pet Auction, then it was time to dance till the walls came
down at The Purple Nurple Live. Many thanks to the tech crew, dj's,
and volunteers for all of our night-time events. (Special thanks go
to Cargo and Judas!)
Saturday night again featured the Cabaret Fur le Dance, bringing in
another capacity crowd, filling the show hall and raising important
funds for the Deal Whitley Scholarship. The show was, yet again, amazing!
A parade of talented dancers, a plethora of styles, from the beautiful
to the dangerous to the hilarious -- and once again our oh-so-cool
host Pony Sparks and his lovely assistant Omaha kept it all moving!
Once again this year our lighting and effects were provided us by
John and Amanda Geyer and their helpers. Our heartfelt thanks go out
to all the show crew, all the instant help, and most especially to
our dancers -- Spark and Flame, Kameo Kitsune, Shontar, The Lady in
Black, Xao, Silfur, and Fox Jeffworthy. You've all given us another
fond memory to treasure! And extra special thanks to Mark Merlino
and Omaha Sternberg for organizing the entire show, again -- and to
the tireless stage crew and extra help!
We Had Our Sponsors...
Our sponsors are the special folks who help us see that ConFurence
takes place, that it has special guests, and that it has a place to
be! They do this just by contributing a bit extra above their membership
fees, which we apply to transporting, housing, and feeding our special
guests. Our Sponsors this year included -- Christopher Armstrong,
Earl P. Bacon, Douglas L. Baker, Walt Bakes, Terrell Blackmon, Steven
Bornstein, Thomas G. Brady, Anthony C. Brewer, Gary Bridges, David
Buttenshaw, Justin Carpenter, Jerry Case, L. Grant Cleveland, Lara
Connally, Andy Cullen, Michael T. Danaher, Ron Dippold, Kevin Duane,
Romano Eberwein, Marc Edwards, Paul Floriani, Andrew French, Guy Garnett,
David Green, Marcus Hamilton, Zixalus Hand, Eli Harvey, Gerrit Heitsch,
Ed Holdwell, Karl Jorgensen, Brian Kimmes, Robert C. King, Eric Kremsreiter,
Steven Lang, Juan F. Lara, James B. Littlejohn, Daniel Markey, Eric
Miyoda, Brian Myers, Robert Parrish, John W. Pharr, Andrew Pidcock,
Colleen Polak, Paul Polak, Freddy Praul, Nick Radonich, Jim Rauscher,
Thomas Riccardi, Charles E. Roe, William Sandborn, Robert E. Sanders,
Jason Short, Sylvain St. Pierre, Shawn Strobel, Aaron Swersky, Chris
Torek, Dana Uehara, Robert Whiteman, Richard Williams, and Jeff Wood.
Thank you!
... and We Had Our Super Sponsors!
These extra-special folks gave some real extra help for our guests'
needs by contributing more than $100.00 each for the care and keeping
of our big-name furries. Super Sponsors for ConFurence Eight included
Lawrence Adams, Gary Akins Jr., Corey Alambar, Brian W. Antoine, Christian
A. Arbeen, Veronica Asrouch, Mark Atwood, Ralph Atwood, James W. Birdsall,
Kayotae Blackwolf, David Bliss, Gary Breukman, Jennifer Brozek, Rex
Chamberlain, Alan B. Coe, Charles E. Corprew, Brian Delaney, Bernard
Doove, Rick Duffy, Johnson M. Earls, Daniel C. Eloff, Darrel Exline,
Norman Fabian, Marko Frommer, D. Patrick Garvey Jr., Gabriel Gentile,
Amanda Geyer, John Geyer, Jeff Glover, Marcus Graffe, Casey Grimm,
William Haas, Michael Hackett, Johnathan Hammar, V.T. Hangartner,
William Haskell, Brock Hoagland, John R. Johns II, Ron Johnson, James
P. Kelley, Boyce G. Kline Jr., Robert Larson, Chad Laubach, Charlie
Lee, James Lenigk, Brian McGroarty, James McMechan, Paul P. McNutt,
Martin Meier, Karl Meyer, Craig Moore, Craig Mucket, Matthew Muench,
Michael J. Murphy, Charles Nezzer, Paul Osze, Robert Parrish, Richard
Penner, Christopher Pesl, Dennis R. Peterson, Wayne Quick, Troy D.
Risher, Stephen M. Russo, Jonah E. Safar, Andreas Schulmayer, Mark
L. Severson, Steve Stadnicki, Richard F. Thatcher, Lyn Thomson, T.H.
Traubitz, Marc S. Tucker, Alwin Waterlander, Stacey Wenkel, Sarah
Wheeler, Bruce Wilhite, John C. Williams, Paul Williams, and Justin
Wind. Extra special thanks to all of you!
The ConFurence Eight Staff
They put up with it all through the year, then during the con itself,
and they put up with even more to make it all happen! ConFurence salutes
our staff and helpers for ConFurence Eight, 1997 (in alphabetical
order): Margo Alenikov, Nick Alenikov, Jason Ballew, Raymond F. Benson
III, Greg Bilan, Eric-Alexander Bitten, David Bliss, Steven Bornstein,
Dawn Britt, James P. Callicott, Ryan Campbell, Neil Carolan,
Changa,
John Cawley, Rachel Cawley, Chris Champlin, George E. Chaney III,
Andrew Clark, L. Grant Cleveland, Raymond Collazo, Jazmyn Concolor,
Darrel Exline, Norman Fabian, Tim Fitelson, Jacqeline Fleming, Mark
Freid, Edward Fuhr, Kim Gardner, Steve Gattuso, John & Amanda
Geyer, Michael Hall, Patrick Hall, Jonathan Hartman, Dean Hellerud,
Tim Helphrey, Brian Henderson, Lori Henderson, Carol Higuchi, Lisa
Iennaco, Brandon Johnson, Zsanene Klinkler, Lynn Kurtz, Alan Lavallee,
Vicky Levitin, Karl Maurer, Brandy McDaniel, Thom McDaniel, David
Meacham, Mark Merlino, James Miles, Kurt Miller, Sheri Mount, James
P. Mullen, Charles Nezzer, Ken Nielsen, Rod O'Riley, David T. Parenteau,
Stephanie Peterman, Brian C. Pierce, Paul Polak, Rob Powell, Steven
J. Prince, Gary Renaud, Rachel Rosentsweig, Mike Ruppel, Ryan Saenz,
Kay Shapero, Debbie Sternberg, DeWayne Stewart, Shawn Strobel, Aaron
Swersky, Scott Teel, Brian Tieman, Daniel Torres, James Trietsch,
Michael Underwood, Tank Winters, Karl R. Wolff Jr.
(There are other folks whose names we're liable to forget -- plus
some non-staff people who stepped in when things got 'hairy'. Thank
you to all of you too!)
So what's up next? Lots of stuff over the year -- Take a look see!
Other
Conventions
Duckon
Returning to Chicagoland this June is Duckon, the science fiction
convention with a full-fledged furry track!
Duckon takes place on June 6th - June 8th, 1997, at the Oakbrook
Hyatt Regency near Chicago. (Rooms are $75.00 per night. Call
(800) 233-1234 for Reservations, during weekdays.) Memberships
to Duckon are $30.00 for regular Attending, and $55.00 for Sponsorship.
For more information about the con, send an SASE to: Duckon, P.O.
Box 4843, Wheaton, IL |
Albany Anthrocon
The newest convention for furry fandom to hit the east coast is
Albany Anthrocon, coming this July to, where else, Albany, New
York.
Special Guests include Daphne Lage (co-creator of Tall Tales and
illustrator for Iczer III) and David Pulver (designer for GURPS,
TSR, and West End Games). Also featured are an Art Show, Dealers'
Room, Costume Show, Video and Animation Room, and many other activities
for furry fans.
Albany Anthrocon will take place July 3rd - July 6th, 1997 at
the Desmond Hotel, 660 Albany-Shaker Road, Albany, New York. Rooms
are $75.00 per night, single/double. Call (518) 869-8110 for more
Reservations, during business hours.
Regular Attending Memberships for Albany Anthrocon are currently
$25.00, with Supporting Memberships available for only $5.00.
Higher level memberships work like this: $40.00 - $74.99 makes
you a Contributor, $75.00 - $124.99 makes you a Sponsor, and $125.00
or more makes you a Super Sponsor -- each with their own perks
involved. Write to the con for more details about registration,
the art show, programming, and etc. You can contact Albany Anthrocon
c/o Thornwood Enterprises, P.O. Box 1563, Troy, NY, 12182-1563.
Their e-mail address is aac@wizvax.net, or visit their web site
at www.wizvax.net/aac. |
And finally, you gotta get right back where you started from...
- ConFurence Nine -- Furries in Love
ConFurence Nine marks the return of another double-themed furry
con. Our primary theme (Furries in Love) salutes the most cuddly
and affectionate aspects of our favorite characters, from Mickey
and Minnie to Omaha and Chuck! Our secondary theme (Furries Down
Under) gives us a chance to recognize the many fascinating furries
from Australia, be they bouncy, spiky, or just plain strange! What's
the connection? Think of it as Furries Down Under, Mate!
The Guests
Some of our special Guests of Honor have already been confirmed
for ConFurence Nine, and more are on the way, Real Soon Now (find
out next issue!).
Comic book creators Mike and Carol Curtis seem to be involved in
an ever-growing list of furry titles as writers and editors... starting
with Mike's Shanda the Panda, later adding Carol's Katmandu, and
lately working on one of the most recent furry anthologies, New
Horizons. Not only that, but they're both well-known in the world
of collecting -- him for all things Superman (tm), her for all things
Barbie (tm)! Almost all of Mike and Carol's stories involve important
issues of relationships between (often quite dissimilar) furries...
which fits them right in with our major theme next year, quite nicely!
Illustrator and comic book artist Michele Light moved up through
the ranks of anime fandom, drawing many well-known manga-style characters
and creating her own. Then she discovered furry art, and she's been
at it ever since! You've seen her work grace the page of Shanda,
Katmandu, and other furry comics. Heck, she was even kind enough
to illustrate our musical t-shirt for ConFurence Eight!
And now for something truly different... one of our Guest of Honor
is a group! ConFurence Nine proudly welcomes FurryMUCK Wizards:
Shaterri, Centaur, Drew, Revar, and Ashtoreth. These are folks who
were there at the beginning of this on-line interactive furry environment...
and ever since, they've been there to help keep it up and flowing
smoothly as it's grown into one of the largest and best-known MUD's
on Earth! Come hear their story...
Okay! That's the GOH line-up -- so far! We're likely to add a few
more names to our Guests of Honor list, in addition to the usual
parade of former guests-of-honor, well-known furry creators and
publishers, media rep's, and up-and-coming new talent on hand at
ConFurence Nine. Make sure that your name is among those present!
Where? The Buena Park Hotel and Convention
Center
We warned them we'd be back, and this time, they'll be ready for
us! ConFurence returns to the Buena Park Hotel, right in the parking
lot of Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. They know we're coming
-- and once again they're asking only $64.00 a night for single,
double, triple, or quad rooms! Suites are also available (and once
again we've got some special treats in store for our sponsors and
super sponsors!). For reservations, call (800) 422-4444, or the
local number (714) 995-1111. Important: Make sure to call during
business hours (M-F 9 am - 5 pm, pacific time), and make sure to
mention ConFurence! Reservations are already coming in, so you should
think about getting yours in soon! For those furs of less means,
remember: There's also a trio of cheaper motels right across the
street from our host hotel -- but more about them as we get closer
to the con.
Note: Local fun-places-to-go near ConFurence include Disneyland,
Knott's Berry Farm, Medieval Times, Movieland Wax Museum, Ripley's
Believe It or Not Museum, and Wild Bill's Western Show. Please let
us know which of these you might be interested in getting group
discount tickets for!
Other Accommodations
For those fans of less means, we're happy to report that we have
three less expensive facilities (less than $50.00 a night!) for
you to stay in, right across the street from our main hotel! They
are, in order of closeness:
The Colony Inn -- (800) 98-COLONY
The Covered Wagon Motel -- (714) 995-0033
The Crescent Motel -- (714) 828-3483
Call the individual motels for room reservations, and be sure to
mention both ConFurence and the Buena Park Hotel, as they've
made arrangements for special room blocks at each hotel.
Once more, a Hotel Reminder! Paying Attention? Good for You!
If you're going to be more than a couple of hours late in arriving
to the Buena Park Hotel, or if you change your plans and aren't
going to be staying with us for the first night of the con, make
sure to phone the Hotel and let them know to hold your reservation
for you -- or it will not be there when you arrive!
Getting TO The Hotel
The Buena Park Hotel is located at the south end of Knotts
Berry Farm, on Crescent Avenue, just west of Beach Boulevard. From
either the 405 or 22 Freeways (from the south) or the 5 or 91 Freeways
(from the north), proceed to Knotts Berry Farm on Beach Boulevard.
Turn west on Crescent -- that's right if heading south or left if
heading north. From the north you can also cut right through the
Knott's parking lot and shopping area. The hotel is right there
on your right. The Colony Inn, Covered Wagon Motel, and Crescent
Motel are all across Crescent, on the south side, just east of our
main Hotel. What, still confused?? Why, just use the handy-dandy
maps included in this issue!
A Word Or Two About Parking...
Parking in the Hotel lot at the Buena Park Hotel is primarily reserved
for folks actually staying in rooms at the hotel. If you're coming
to ConFurence from a local town and not staying overnight, please
consider parking in one of the adjacent Knott's Berry Farm lots
-- they're not expensive; in fact one of them is free for up to
4 hours!
Let's Den Up!
If you're coming to ConFurence on a tight budget, why not split
the room costs? (And meet some nice people in the bargain!) If you
are interested in sharing a room, or if you have a room and
could use some extra bodies, please give us a call at the ConFurence
phone number. (Or, if you can, e-mail vinson@netcom.com) We'll ask
you some pertinent questions, and pass along the information to
other interested furries. Also look for the Room Sharing info on
the Scent Post bulletin boards at the convention.
A Furry's Gotta Eat!
The Buena Park Hotel comes equipped with its own deluxe coffee shop,
a fancy steak house, and a 50's-themed bar! But there are
plenty of other places to feed your muzzle or beak in the environs
of ConFurence! Immediately to the north of the main hotel are several
eateries just outside of Knott's Berry Farm, and Goodie's Coffee
Shop is located at Beach and Crescent. Plus, numerous eating places
of all sorts are found up and down along Beach Boulevard in the
area. Maps and lists (with hours) will be available at ConFurence
Information, or else, look to any hotel staff person with that hungry
look in your eyes! -
The Den of Dealers:
Can you believe it? As of this writing, the Den of Dealers for ConFurence
Nine is once again Sold Out! Now, we might be able to fudge some
space in here and there, so we may have some more tables open up
in the near future -- or we might not. Thing is, we need to know
if you want them! Please write us and let us know if you want to
be placed on the Waiting List for the Den of Dealers 1997. Otherwise,
just show up, and be prepared to be blown away by the variety of
comics, books, music tapes, portfolios, fanzines, prints, puppets,
t-shirts, and other just-plain-neat-stuff you'll find at our furry
trade show! If you've already reserved a Den of Dealers table, keep
your eyes on the mail -- An information packet, asking you questions
about your specific needs at your table(s), will be coming around
soon.
The Artists' Alley:
The Artists' Alley remains one of the most popular and populated
features of any ConFurence, and ConFurence Nine will carry on that
tradition! These tables in the pre-convene area are available free
of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the con itself,
and need to be signed up for each morning. Trust us -- they will
fill up, and when they do, that's it! Write to Rod O'Riley at the
ConFurence address (or e-mail to vinson@netcom.com) for more information
about table space.
The Art Show:
Past experience leads us to believe that the ConFurence Nine Art
Show will break all our previous records -- they always do! Trust
us, if you do art of funny animals, furries, monsters, aliens, toons,
or even real animals, you want to be in this art show! But our show
will fill up -- so get in your reservations as soon as you can!
Your first art show space (4 ft. by 4 ft., horizontal or vertical)
is still available free with your paid supporting or attending membership
-- all you have to do is claim it. Additional art show spaces are
available for a low $5.00 each. We also have an extensive Print
Shop available for selling copies of your work. So get your reservations
in today! What, you can't make it to ConFurence? No problem! Reserve
your space, and mail us your art before the con -- we'll set it
up, send you back what may not sell, and get you off a check for
your sold items! Important -- We have an extensive Art Show Registration
'instruction sheet' available that explains all the ins and outs
of displaying and selling art, sculpture, prints, or whatever at
ConFurence, so write to Jazmyn Concolor at the ConFurence address
(or e-mail her at Jazmyn@netcom.com) and we'll send it off to you
right away! Don't delay! Write today!
In 1998, Hearts Begin To Flutter...
The Cabaret Fur le Dance
Once again we shall bring you another truly magical evening of furry
entertainment at our famous charity stage show. What kind of entertainment?
The kind to make your fur stand up! Dancers, costumes, comedians,
magicians -- we've seen them all, and we want to see more! Maybe
you have an idea for an act yourself? Why not try it out on the
ConFurence staff -- you just might find yourself on stage in front
of a few hundred screaming friends! Write to Mark Merlino at the
ConFurence address for all the de-tails! (Remember, all performers
in the Cabaret must be able to first attend a special pre-planning
meeting on Friday night, January 17, at ConFurence!) Mark (aka Sy
Sable) can be e-mailed at sylys@netcom.com.
Once More, We've Got All The Dances!
Swirling lights! Magical sounds! Fractals and videos galore!
And above it all, the driving beat that moves your feet! Every kind
of music you want to move you -- will be there! It's the return
of Club Tekno-Fur, Nevermore, and the Purple Nurple live... something
for every furry taste. And they're here for you all through ConFurence
Nine -- each one included free with the price of your membership!
The Food
By now a tradition, once again we'll bring you the Friday night
Ice Cream Social, our annual frozen-food indulgence feast! Next
night, it's the Saturday Night Furry Feed, where for a small price,
you can indulge in some well-crafted lasagna -- at venue which,
appropriately enough, we call Garfield's. Not to mention the other
tasty fixin's to go with the main course! Speaking of food, the
Buena Park Hotel features a full-service coffee shop, a fancy bar
with a 50's theme, and a fancy steak house restaurant -- all under
one roof!
More Furries, More Films, More Bang For Your... oh, you know!
ConFurence Eight! What's happening? More of what we're famous for,
that's what: Meetings, discussions, rap sessions and round-tables
on dozens of furry topics, from art and writing to animation, computers,
games, and even meeting other fans of your favorite animal species.
Presentations, lectures, and how-to workshops on writing, art, publishing,
and other aspects of the creative furry. And yes, more art workshops!
The Saturday afternoon Costume Presentation, with everyone voting
for the best costumes -- and more helpful how-to sessions with the
costume makers and designers. Plus, new for CF9, some special awards
to be voted on by the costume designers themselves! Also look for
our new Fursuit Lounge, where costumers can stretch out their paws
with plenty of room! Computer networking, art, animation, and technical
innovations on display, plus the return of the Internet Room. Games,
both paper and electronic, cards and role-playing, and everywhere
in-between. Filking through the night, including our popular Furry
Filksong Contest, and another special filk/folk concert. Sketching
by literally dozens of artists of every size, shape, and style.
And a whole lot more! All the rest, as always, is what you bring
to the con!
A Few Important Policy Notes for ConFurence
-- Weapons - For the length of ConFurence Eight, all real, realistic, or simulated
weapons must be peace-bonded with ribbon. This includes any sort
of gun, knife (above 4" total), sword, whip, or other such
item which could cause damage. ConFurence security will be
enforcing this.
-- Some Words on Dress and Behavior - We've said it before, but it's time to ask it again: Hey folks,
all sorts of people from all over the world, from many walks of
life, come to a ConFurence. And we really want to make a good impression
on as many of them as we can. Since not everyone who shows up is
going to be into or not into the same things, please try to be discreet
with things like leather shock-gear, okay? At very least in the
Lobby and main Convention Area, try to think about how you're dressed,
and try to make sure that you are dressed! Secondly, be careful
about getting over-energetic with horseplay! If a bit of fooling
around damages hotel property, it's gone way too far. Okay? Thank
you from all of us.
The Price
Registration to ConFurence Nine is on a sliding scale -- All memberships
are $25.00 for a full three-days Attending, from now until December
1st, 1997. From December 2nd, 1997 until January 8th, 1998, three-day
Attending memberships are available for $30.00, and after that,
at-the-door for $30.00 also. Plus, a full year of In-Fur-Nation,
and our special annual ConFurence Souvenir Collection Book, are
all included in the price of your membership! A single art show
display space is also included free with your membership -- if you
write us and claim it!
And remember, we'd love to have you join us, but if you cannot make
it out to our nest, please feel free to join ConFurence as a Supporting
member! Supporting members get a full year's subscription to In-Fur-Nation,
the Souvenir Collection Book, and one free art show display space
for the taking, all for the low price of just $15.00! And, if your
fortunes change, you can convert your supporting to a full attending
membership at the door for only $15.00 more. Such a deal, hobbes
and jills!
We heartily recommend that you get your memberships now. That provides
us with the best means to keep you in touch with ConFurence over
the whole year -- and if past history holds true, we'll have a lot
of exciting stuff to tell you between now and the con itself!
We Get By With A Little Help From Our
Friends...
.... And Now A Word About Our Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Sponsors are the excellent people who help keep ConFurence going
by giving just a little extra bit (or a lot extra bit!) of financial
help. This is money for transporting, lodging, and feeding our
special guests, as well as off-setting complimentary memberships.
To become a sponsor, contribute a minimum of $50.00 (up to $99.00),
which includes your initial membership fee. Remember: Indicate
which of our special guests this money is to help toward, or just
mark it "general fund" -- we'll split it among all of
them. And what do you get for being a sponsor? Sponsors are the
only folks (besides staff and guests) allowed in the Guest Lounge,
a special place set aside where folks can relax away from the
hubbub of the con. Guests and sponsors can attend a free sandwich-feast
on Sunday evening, after the con. And, sponsors get some special
prices on materials from the ConFurence store. And, sponsors get
-- our unending gratitude! (And, recognition by name in the souvenir
book!)
Super Sponsors!
Super Sponsors are the awesomely excellent furry folk who really
want to help out ConFurence -- and who think they deserve something
special in return. Super Sponsors are crazy, er, wonderful people
willing to contribute $100.00 or more (which includes their initial
memberships) toward a special guest of their choice, or just toward
the guests in general. Super Sponsors get all the same neat stuff
as other Sponsors, plus an added bonus of a special VIP Lounge
at ConFurence, preferred seating at several events (with ticket
purchase), and other special perks. Don't have $100.00 sitting
around handy? Make installments! That's right, we'll take two
payments of $50.00, or four payments of $25.00 -- it still counts
you as a Super Sponsor, as long as it totals $100.00 by the time
of the con itself.
Once again at ConFurence Nine for Sponsors and Supers: We're setting
up a special 'Express Registration' just for our pre-registered
sponsors and super-sponsors. You can bi-pass the line-up at Con
Reg, get your badges and other con stuff right away, and get out
there first to get those sketches in your books started!
ConFurence Needs YOU...
... to join our staff and help put on one of the fastest growing
fannish conventions on the West Coast! Join our winning team!
We need volunteers to help out with all areas of the convention,
from registration to art show to helping keep the fans well-fed!
No experience necessary -- we will train! For as little as 16
hours of work over the length of CF8 (though we won't stop you
from helping more!), you can get access to our exclusive Staff
and Sponsor Lounge, as well as use of our available crash space
-- plus, some other special goodies, and the knowledge that you've
helped us pull this thing off for another year! Write to Volunteers
care of the ConFurence address, or send e-mail to Rod O'Riley
at vinson@netcom.com, and we'll send you our staff sign-up sheet
and information right away!
Hearts Take Flight...
ConFurence has its own official travel agency, Ladera Travel of
Southern California. They've specialized for years in getting
good rates for travel to and from SF cons, including ours! Contact
Rick Foss or Robin (his trusty assistant) at (800) 624-6679 from
outside California, or (310) 640-0527 inside California.
Don't be left in the burrow! Keep in touch with the world of Anthropomorphics!
Join ConFurence Today! Golly Jeepers...
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