Cheech Wizard in His Student Days

One of my favorite parts of the old NATIONAL LAMPOON magazine (before it sucked, say before 1978) was the Vaughn Bode comic strip CHEECH WIZARD. You can find all those old NatLamps scanned on DVD fairly cheaply..but Cheech made some appearances in underground  comix as well

This appeared in Junkwaffel #2 , Feb. 1972. 

Analog 1971

The last year of John Campbell's reign as editor produced some memorable entries.

JAN~The cover (by Freas) story was  "The Telzy Toy" by Schmitz, one of the better of the series. There was an interesting fact article about the lack of science in law enforcement. Dickson's massive "The Tactics of Mistake" finally ended.

FEB~ Freas cover for the start of the Lloyd Biggle, Jr. serial "The World Menders".  I always liked Freas' space ship scenes.  P. Schuyler Miller reviews include several of Arthur C. Clarke's older books... must have been recently reissued. Christopher Anvil and Jack Wodhams have short stories.

  

MAR~ Freas' portrait of a chair graced the March issue, for a novelette by   Katherine MacLean. The serial continued, as well as short stories by Stanley Schmidt and Christopher Anvil. P. Schuyler Miller reviewed Heinlein's "I Will Fear No Evil". I can't remember if he liked it or not.  The novel might be memorable as the first time one of the Big 4 of classic SF (RAH, Asimov, Clarke, and Bradbury) used the "F word". Might be the only time.

APR~~ Campbell lectures on ecological disaster, Biggle's serial ends. Cover by  Frank Kelly Freas. F. Paul Wilson story,

MAY~Campbell on the environment again. Another Freas spaceship cover. Gordon Dickson serial "The Outposter" starts.   James H. Schmitz offers another Telzey tale, and Jerry Pournelle has a story.

JUN~ One of the iconic Freas "Spaceship & Face" paintings  illustrate yet another Telzey story by James H. Schmitz. Hard to call this science fiction. Not much to James H. Schmitz  issue memorable. An Alan Dean Foster story, a review of "Ringworld".

JUL~ As he neared his end, Campbell seemed to have gone deep with the ecological doom theme. But it produced a nice cover by Freas.  A landmark article about the computer game "Spacewar" makes this issue interesting. More F. Paul Wilson.

AUG~ Yet more Telzey, this time a two parter.  G. Harry Stine has a science article.  John W. Campbell passed away about the time this issue hit the stands. Ben Bova took over officially the next year.

SEP~ Campbell had enough editorials filed to last at least thru the year, and this month's is once again on ecology. The first of three John Schoenherr covers for 1971 illustrate a story by F. Paul Wilson. John T. Phillifent has a story as well as   Jack Wodhams.

OCT~Nice John Schoenherr cover for a serial by John T. Phillifent. Campbell again on the environment.  

NOV~ Schoenherr cover. Conclusion of the Phillifent story. Stories by Glen Beaver and Rob Chilson.

DEC~Kelly Freas is back with the cover for Pournelle''s serial which will be published in book form as KING DAVID'S SPACESHIP. Pournelle also has a story under the pen name Wade Curtis.

Countdown #52

Norman Mingo original sketches for MAD covers

Analog 1970

I first started reading Analog magazine in the later half of 1970, at age 13. This was a year before John Campbell's death and the subsequent switch of editors to Ben Bova. I wasn't very sophisticated, or educated in SF politics, but even I could tell that I'd missed most of Analog's best years.

Here is a rundown of what was in 1970's issues.

January starts with a nice photo cover by Russel Seitz of an Apollo launch. The first moon landing happened just 5 months earlier. The lead novelette was THE WILD BLUE YONDER by Robert Chilson. Part 2 of a Harry Harrison novel, In Our Hands, the Stars was also featured. This saw book publication later that year as "The Daleth Effect". One of the books reviewed this month in P. Schuyler Miller's column was "Star Trek Concordance" by Bjo Trimble. 

Harrison's serial concludes in February's issue, and the Freas cover illustrates " Birthright " by Poul Anderson. Chilson has another story, "The Fifth Ace".

The March issue starts a 3 part serialization of "The Siren Stars" by Nancy and Richard Carrigan. Harry Harrison offers up a short story involving matter transmision. M.W. Anver and Jack Wodhams have short stories. Philip K. Dick's "Galactic Pot-Healer" and LeGuin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" are among the books reviewed by Miller.

April--The Carrigan novel continues. " Here, There Be Witches " by everett B. Cole gets the cover slot and painting by Freas. Harry Harrison  drops another novelette , under the name of Hank Dempsey. Reprints of Asimov's robot novels get reviewed by Miller.

Another Kelly Freas cover for May, for "But Mainly By Cunning" by John Dalmas. James Schmitz gives us a Telzey story "Resident Witch". yet another short story by Hank Dempsey (Harry Harrison). No book reviews this issue.

June brings us back to some good old Hard Rivet type science fiction, "Star Light" by Hal Clement. This sequel to "Mission of Gravity" will take four issues to present. Beatiful cover by Kelly Freas.  A reissue of "Mission of Gravity" is reviewed, along with Frank Herbert's "Dune Messiah". Short fiction include another Telzey  tale, yet another "Hank Dempsy" stroy and one by Keith Laumer.

In July Leo Summers slipped a cover in..freas must have been napping. I like Summer's paintings a lot more than his line work for interiors. Like two different artists. The lead story is by Chilson. Of course the serial continues.Jack Wodhams has a story, and for the first time this year, NO Harry Harrison. Miller reviews Bradbury's " I Sing the Body Electric! " among others.

Kelly Freas' August cover matches the tone of his first one for "Star Light". Clement is one of my favorites. Wallace Macfarlane and Howard Meyers offer forgetable stories. Rob Chilson and Ben Bova both also have tales this issue.  Miller reviews a bunch of Heinlein works.

September, and Frea's cover for "Lost Newton" by Stanley Schmidt features an optical illusion called a blivet. Clement's novel concludes. The fact article this month is about nuclear power. There is a Rimwold story by Bertram Chandler, 3 novels by Theodore Sturgeon get reviewed.

Another massive four part novel begins in September. Looking back, I remember wishing that they'd do less of that, and more self contained issues. The last time I looked at an issue of Analog, about 2 years ago, they were still doing it. Makes it hard for a casual reader to want o buy their mag off the rack. Freas, of course, does the cover that features Gordon Dickson's "The Tactics of Mistake" . which I quickly grew bored with at age 13. Someone not of the usual Campbell bullpen, Bob Shaw, got a story printed. Miller reviews a pile of Clifford Simak books.

November, and right winger Campbell rails against hippies in his editorial. Another Freas cover. An early Vernor Vinge story, "Bomb Scare" is the highlight of the issue. Herbert's "Whipping Star" gets reviewed.

December, and a nice cover by Freas for a rather lackluster story by ChilsonThe long Dickson novel plods on.   Miller reviews Anderson's "A Circus of Hells"