Slant
No. 4 1950
Cover by James White
Slant was a science fiction fanzine from Ireland edited by Walt Willis, with art direction by James White.
Slant was first published in Belfast, Ireland in 1948. Willis was unaware of other Irish SF fans at the time, so he devoted his energies to sending his fanzine to North America and as a result gathered a large number of correspondents and good writers for his publication. Gradually he also met Irish SF fans and a group of Irish fans formed. During that time seven issues were published before the last issue in 1953.
James White created linoleum cuts for the cover and inside illustrations. Manly Banister, Jack Sanders and Bob Shaw also contributed art work to Slant.
Writers contributing included Forrest J. Ackerman (Voice of the Imagi-Nation), Wrai Ballard, Manly Banister (The Nekromantikon), Robert Bloch, H. Ken Bulmer, Walter Bulmer, Kilian Houston Brunner, A. Bertram Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke (Novae Terrae), A. Vincent Clarke (Science Fantasy News), E. Everett Evans (The National Fantasy Fan), Rory Faulkner (Shangri L'Affaires), Nan Gerding (The Chigger Patch of Fandom, Starlanes), Chuck Harris, Lee Hoffman (Quandry), Marjorie Houston, Clive Jackson (as himself and as Geoffrey Cobbe), E.R. James, H. T. McAdams, Peter Phillips, F.G. Rayer, Peter Ridley, Eric Frank Russel, Bob Shaw, Shapiro Shaw, Vince Shaw, D.R. Smith, Evelyn Smythe, as herself and as Ermengarde Fiske, William F. Temple (Novae Terrae), E.C. Tubb (EYE), Bill Venable (Aleph-Null, The Pendulum), and Cedric Walker.
In 1951 Shelby Vick, editor of Confusion, started a campaign to bring Willis to the U.S.A. They gathered the funds together and he came to Chicago in 1952. Upon his return he wrote an account of his trip called "The Harp Stateside", which appeared in many installments in various fanzines. This resulted in the Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF), which became a tradition in science fiction fandom.
Slant was the winner of the 2004 'Retro Hugo' award for 'Best Fanzine' of 1953.
After Slant ended, the next fanzine Walt Willis published was Hyphen.
