Thursday, November 16, 2006
Opuntia 61.1, 61.3, 61.5, 62, 62.1A
Opuntia 61.1, 61.3, 61.5, 62, 62.1A / Dale Speirs, Box 6830, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2E7 Canada / $3 @ or. / I've tried to explain Dale's zine-numbering system (to others, but actually to myself) too many times to remember. All I can say for sure is that if he bundled everything together, he'd produce one of the most comprehensive genzines in the mix. Certainly Dale hits on a slew of topics -- like religion, traffic, demaggoting sheep (okay, that's from a LOC), Nova Scotian currency, oil (or "Alberta Tea"; a terrific article), artist trading cards and stamps. One of the postmarks he displays comes from Cross Plains, Texas, and shows Robert E. Howard's typewriter; Rosy and I visited Cross Plains en route to worldcon; the writer's tiny home has been beautifully restored. Most affecting is issue #62, a philatelic view of 9/11 and "The Fall of the Twin Towers"; the patriotic sketches are predictable but also moving. I wish this was "one country."
