by Sci-Fi, Dagon
[Sci-Fi][Zines] Eight mimeographed issues of Dagon, a sci-fi zine published by fan and critic John Boardman. 1965-68. This series offers a sharp, politically engaged lens on mid-1960s fandom, with incisive editorials that blend cultural commentary, and critique. Circulated through the APA-F amateur press association, these issues represent the era’s distinctly intellectual and combative style of fan writing. Archive includes:
[1] Dagon No. 27 (4 June 1965). Opens with “Help!,” a lament on APA logistics and mailing disarray. Includes “Getting Caught Up,” with Boardman’s comments on APA correspondence, and a comparison of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick’s cognitive orientations—science versus intuition—as filtered through their fiction.
[2] Dagon No. 37 (2 July 1965). A powerful issue addressing Soviet anti-Semitism and Jewish identity in Eastern Europe. Boardman’s editorial positions Soviet cultural suppression in historical context, citing both Tsarist and Nazi precedents. Includes an “Errata” list correcting quotes and citations from earlier issues.
[3] Dagon No. 40 (16 July 1965). Leads with a memorial to Adlai Stevenson, followed by editorials on Vietnam coverage and Cold War politics. “Geryon Walks Again” reports on judicial redistricting in New York, and “The Candy-Bar War” invites a hypothetical political challenge. Strong liberal voice and media critique.
[4] Dagon No. 44 (23 July 1965). Features a defense of the ACLU and a meditation on nationalism and Anglo-Saxon invasions. Discusses APA member contributions while defending civil liberties. A strongly historical issue, highlighting Boardman’s deep engagement with institutional and linguistic politics.
[5] Dagon No. 46 (30 July 1965). Part of Boardman’s serialized feature “In Days of Old When Pulps Were Bold,” this entry profiles Planet Stories and pulp authors such as James Blish and Alfred Coppel. Includes anecdotal and historical insight into the pulp era’s aesthetics and politics.
[6] Dagon No. 47 (6 August 1965). Titled “Reflections at a Pump Organ,” this philosophical essay blends personal memory with religious critique, tracing Protestant ideology from early Christianity through the Reformation. Boardman ties religious history to contemporary political resistance.
[7] Dagon No. 53 (27 August 1965).
“Learn Nothing and Forget Nothing” critiques the Republican Party’s post-1964 failures and contrasts New Jersey’s gubernatorial candidates. Includes Part IX of the pulp feature, this time focusing on Hugo Gernsback and SF Plus.
[8] Dagon No. 75 (26 October 1968). A later issue devoted entirely to a biting comparison of Barbarella and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Boardman’s feminist and aesthetic critique is rare among contemporaries, noting gender dynamics and the absurdities of sci-fi spectacle.
Overall very good condition across the archive, with light toning and minor edge wear. An intellectually rich run of one of fandom’s most critical voices, offering a snapshot of how science fiction fans reckoned with war, religion, pulp nostalgia, and politics during the tumultuous 1960s. (Inventory #: 22290)
[1] Dagon No. 27 (4 June 1965). Opens with “Help!,” a lament on APA logistics and mailing disarray. Includes “Getting Caught Up,” with Boardman’s comments on APA correspondence, and a comparison of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick’s cognitive orientations—science versus intuition—as filtered through their fiction.
[2] Dagon No. 37 (2 July 1965). A powerful issue addressing Soviet anti-Semitism and Jewish identity in Eastern Europe. Boardman’s editorial positions Soviet cultural suppression in historical context, citing both Tsarist and Nazi precedents. Includes an “Errata” list correcting quotes and citations from earlier issues.
[3] Dagon No. 40 (16 July 1965). Leads with a memorial to Adlai Stevenson, followed by editorials on Vietnam coverage and Cold War politics. “Geryon Walks Again” reports on judicial redistricting in New York, and “The Candy-Bar War” invites a hypothetical political challenge. Strong liberal voice and media critique.
[4] Dagon No. 44 (23 July 1965). Features a defense of the ACLU and a meditation on nationalism and Anglo-Saxon invasions. Discusses APA member contributions while defending civil liberties. A strongly historical issue, highlighting Boardman’s deep engagement with institutional and linguistic politics.
[5] Dagon No. 46 (30 July 1965). Part of Boardman’s serialized feature “In Days of Old When Pulps Were Bold,” this entry profiles Planet Stories and pulp authors such as James Blish and Alfred Coppel. Includes anecdotal and historical insight into the pulp era’s aesthetics and politics.
[6] Dagon No. 47 (6 August 1965). Titled “Reflections at a Pump Organ,” this philosophical essay blends personal memory with religious critique, tracing Protestant ideology from early Christianity through the Reformation. Boardman ties religious history to contemporary political resistance.
[7] Dagon No. 53 (27 August 1965).
“Learn Nothing and Forget Nothing” critiques the Republican Party’s post-1964 failures and contrasts New Jersey’s gubernatorial candidates. Includes Part IX of the pulp feature, this time focusing on Hugo Gernsback and SF Plus.
[8] Dagon No. 75 (26 October 1968). A later issue devoted entirely to a biting comparison of Barbarella and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Boardman’s feminist and aesthetic critique is rare among contemporaries, noting gender dynamics and the absurdities of sci-fi spectacle.
Overall very good condition across the archive, with light toning and minor edge wear. An intellectually rich run of one of fandom’s most critical voices, offering a snapshot of how science fiction fans reckoned with war, religion, pulp nostalgia, and politics during the tumultuous 1960s. (Inventory #: 22290)
(818) 224-4555
