Fantasy Commentator

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Fantasy Commentator Lovecraft issue.jpg

Fantasy Commentator was a fanzine by A. Langley Searles that was first published in the 1940's and ended in the 2000's.

Fantasy Commentator with the subtitle, "...covering the field of imaginative literature..." , was a letter sized, stapled zine first appearing in 1943. Twenty eight issues were published between 1943 and 1953 in New York City, New York, U.S.A. Searle resumed publication of the zine in 1978 with issue 29 and published until 2004.

Contributors from the first run included F. Lee Baldwin (The Star Rover), Robert Bloch, Redd Boggs (The Lovecraftsman), Charles Peter Brady, Thomas H. Carter (Spearhead), Joyce Dayday, William Evans, Nora May French, Thomas Gardener, Malcolm Jameson, David H. Keller, H.C. Koenig, Thyril Ladd, R. George Medhurst, Darrell C. Richardson (The Fabulous Faust Fan-Zine), Sam Moskowitz (Helios), Matthew Onderdonk, Alex Osheroff (Helios), A. Langley Searles, Genevieve K. Stephens (Loki), and William Sloane with H.P. Lovecraft.

Contributors to the later run included Mike Ashley, Lee Becker, Gary Crawford, Eric Leif Davin, Deborah Elkin, Steve Eng, writing on Stanton Coblentz (Wings) and the "Stellar Poetry" movement of Coblentz and Lilith Lorraine (Challenge, Different, Flame) , H. R. Felgenhauer, writing on Joseph Payne Brennen (Macabre), Alan Howard, Steve Sneyd (Data Dump) and Joseph Wrzos.

In its first incarantion, from 1943 till 1953, it was a publication devoted to H. P. Lovecraft. In the 1990's A. Langley Searle joined the APA Esoteric Order of Dagon, and some issues of Fantasy Conmmentator were distributed in their mailouts.