Morpheus Tales Magazine Banned!

[morpheustales]

Morpheus Tales Magazine #2 was banned this week from a high-street book retailer in London, UK.


The hottest new genre fiction magazine's second issue sparked controversy due to its depiction of "explicit acts" and "nudity".


The Editor's response was swift: "I will not censor my artists or writers. Morpheus Tales is a horror, SF and fantasymagazine. Some of the stories and artwork are adult oriented, but I would not consider them to be adult material. There is nothing pornographic about any of the material in the magazine."


The pieces in question area story called "MOVIE QUEEN" by J. M. Harriswhich is very cleverly worded and leaves much to the imagination.


One of the pieces of artwork by matlocktheartist for SHE NEEDS A CAT" by Kavita Kamal Parthi features a nude female torso, but the nudity in one of the illustration is perfectly in context with the story. It is more National Geographic than Playboy. Due to "nipple restrictions" we can't show the artwork on Myspace either.


Make up your own mind, check out the preview below:
http://www.morpheustales.com/cover2forweb.jpg (http://www.morpheustales.com/preview2.pdf)

[AJCooper]

I'm sorry to hear that, as I am going to appear in the Fantasy Femmes issue. But who knows, it might make some publicity!

"The City on the Rock" in Mindflights September 2008
"The Tigress" in Morpheus Tales' 'Fantasy Femmes' (forthcoming)

www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com (http://www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com)

[AJCooper]

It will probably do more good than harm!

"The City on the Rock" in Mindflights September 2008
"The Tigress" in Morpheus Tales' 'Fantasy Femmes' (forthcoming)

www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com (http://www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com)

[Jordan Lapp]

Crazy. I've picked up painting books, and even 'drawing from life' books that have explicit nudity throughout. This is beyond prudish.

Jordan Lapp
Managing Editor, Every Day Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com)
First Place Winner, Writers of the Future (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) Q3 2008

[Bill Ward]

Nice, I'm in a banned book! I imagine the swirl of edgy controversy that now clings to me will make me irresistible to women.

I'm guessing this isn't really good news for MT if it effects them getting on store shelves, best of luck trying to work around that guys.

@Jordan, the interior has some stuff a bit more explicit.

For fantasy, science fiction, and horror news, books reviews, opinion, and short fiction, check out: BillWardWriter.com</font> (http://www.billwardwriter.com)

[wicked]

You mean you weren't irresistible before? /emoticons/smilewinkgrin.gif

When you say explicit, are you talking along the lines of Heavy Metal magazine? The description in the first post didn't sound explicit to me.

Idealism- That optimistic stage in life right before reality kicks the crap out of you.

'careful what you wish
you may regret it
careful what you wish
you just might get it'
Metallica~King Nothing

[ennubi]

i'm pretty surprised that happened in london.

i mean, you get naked girls in the papers and 'use a condom' signs in the women's restroom.

weird. maybe it was just that particular shop or something.

ennubi

[Jordan Lapp]

Bill Ward said...

@Jordan, the interior has some stuff a bit more explicit.

Oh. I leafed through the sample and didn't spot anything immediately offending. But Bill, I envy the aura of dangerous allure you must now exude from every pore. /emoticons/yeah.gif

Jordan Lapp
Managing Editor, Every Day Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com)
First Place Winner, Writers of the Future (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) Q3 2008

[Gbondoni]

Or is this a marketing ploy calculated to make us click the link, perhaps better suited to the 'Shameless self-promotion' thread?

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[SJHigbee]

Mm... I think Gustavo might have hit the nail on the head. When you see what gets routinely displayed in good ol' London town - I have a bit of a problem believing that this got banned. Shunted to the top shelf, maybe... But not banned.

www.sjhigbee.com (http://www.sjhigbee.com)

[tchernabyelo]

I haven't been able to find any other reference, news report, etc about this.

Call me a cynic, but yes, I detect a marketing ploy.

Brian Dolton
http://tchernabyelo.livejournal.com

Land Of Wind And Ghosts stories:
"The Box Of Beautiful Things" - IGMS#3
"The Man Who Was Never Afraid" - Abyss and Apex #20

"At Blue Crane Falls" - Abyss and Apex #25"Where No Wind Blows" - Staffs &amp; Starships #2


"The Gray World" - Every Day Fiction (June 1st 2008)"What The Sea Refuses" - Black Gate (forthcoming)
"What The Heart Bears" - Black Gate (forthcoming)
"Above The Clouds" - Paper Blossoms, Sharpened Steel (forthcoming)
"Three Out Of Four" - Sorcerous Signals Feb-Apr 08

"The Dragon Path" - Fictitious Force #5
"The Last Arrow Of Liang Xi" - Darwin's Evolutions (forthcoming)

"Weaving Fancies For The Children" - Every Day Fiction (October 10th 2008)
Stories in other settings:

"The Unicorn Hunter" - OG's Speculative Fiction #8

"Call Centre" - Necrotic Tissue #1

"When Winter Came" - ASIM #32
"Cold Fire" - Flashing Swords #9, The Age Of Blood And Snow (forthcoming)

"If We Were Briar Roses" - Every Day Fiction (July 9th 2008)

"In This City" - Fantasy Magazine (September 22nd 2008)"St. Saviour And The Devil's Dandy" - Flashing Swords (forthcoming)
"How The Rainbow Came To Be" - Every Day Fiction (September 3rd 2008)
"The Sacrifice Pit" - Beneath Ceaseless Skies (forthcoming)
"Gnomesick" - A Fly In Amber (forthcoming)
"Getting To Know You"- Every Day Fiction (November 26th 2008)
"The Gallery Of Illusions" - Every Day Fiction (forthcoming)

[AJCooper]

I doubt it. But even if it is at least he's marketing.

"The City on the Rock" in Mindflights September 2008
"The Tigress" in Morpheus Tales' 'Fantasy Femmes' (forthcoming)

www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com (http://www.andrewjcooper.wordpress.com)

[Jordan Lapp]

I don't think he would outright lie about it.

Jordan Lapp
Managing Editor, Every Day Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com)
First Place Winner, Writers of the Future (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) Q3 2008

[Gbondoni]

True - that's good for his mag and his authors, and is to be commended. I just have an issue with the way he went about it. I've seen a lot of people try to do this on one forum or another - there are plenty of examples here on SF Reader - and it's a good way to get people to dislike you and your product. One of the typical ploys which I've seen is someone creating a user name to pimp a book supposedly by someone else (actually written by the guy who posted the review). It smacks of the lowest forms of vanity publishing. I respect some of the authors in this mag: JJAC and Bill Ward are both there, but not the underhanded attempt at marketing it as something it's not. If the mag rocks, go to the Shameless Self Promotion section and tell us. Even a polite note here saying that it's a new publication would have seemed much more professional.

Things that tip one off immediately:
1. The guy has only one post. This isn't a case of one of the usual crew telling us some juicy piece of news. This is a person who created a user to give us this one piece of news.

2. The click through to the picture is huge. He didn't want us to miss that.

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[Gbondoni]

Anyhow, he's got us talking about it, which was the idea. LOL. I guess it wasn't that badly thought out after all.

But celebrity might come at a high price - look at what's happened to Pacione...

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[Jordan Lapp]

What has happened to Pacione?

Jordan Lapp
Managing Editor, Every Day Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com)
First Place Winner, Writers of the Future (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) Q3 2008

[Gbondoni]

Jordan Lapp said...
I don't think he would outright lie about it.


By law, nothing said about the product or competitionin a commercial can be untrue. You have to back up every single claim with acceptable evidence (and get hit HARD if you don't). I don't doubt that it's all true, just calling into question the method.

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[Gbondoni]

Jordan Lapp said...
What has happened to Pacione?


This is just one of many blogs dedicated to slapping the guy (among other "nitwits") down: http://therustynail.wordpress.com/

His entry in Wikipedia, since deleted, began with the the phrase "He is a mentally ill man living in Illinois". I've never had any trouble with him personally, but have been warned by several people to be careful. That's what making a bad name for yourself in this tiny industry can do.

For all I know, he might be a nice guy. But he'll never live down the publicity some of his methods have engendered.

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[Bill Ward]

I agree it would be nice if whoever from Morpheus started this thread stuck around to contribute and elaborate. The folks I've dealt with have been stand-up sorts and very passionate about their magazine. But I don't see this as underhanded, maybe just a little naive and sloppy. It's the same message copied from their forum and MySpace -- I'm willing to bet a tiny bit of introduction at the front end would have kept you guys from calling foul.

So this is about etiquette, not deception. I don't think anyone here doubted the promotional intent of this post -- but look at the user name, there is no intent at deception. I never considered they'd lie about it this, either, but then again I've seen the magazine's interior art and have no problem imagining an adverse reaction to it. And, honestly, I've seen far worse breeches of forum etiquette -- and plenty of stuff that belongs in the 'shameless' forum popping up elsewhere, from even our regulars (hell, I've probably done it, there are a lot of gray areas here). So what if it isn't major news from the AP? Give a little 'zine a break and play along with it -- it's got them out there promoting at least.

So, I'll say Gustavo, Ty, and SJ I hope you guys realize I'm not picking a fight with you, and maybe not even disagreeing with the facts as you see them, but I am countering your 'a-hah!' with a 'so what?' The guy's first post over here for his new magazine, maybe not in the exact right forum, but instead of inviting him to the discussion or asking for clarification we're calling him a spammer. I know, the world is full of spammers and they constantly erode our patience, but let's not let them get so under our skin that we close ranks whenever a new poster performs a gaff.

And, as you say Gustavo, it does have us talking. /emoticons/tongue.gif

And yes TA, I was irresistible before ;)

For fantasy, science fiction, and horror news, books reviews, opinion, and short fiction, check out: BillWardWriter.com</font> (http://www.billwardwriter.com)

[Jordan Lapp]

I'm with Bill here. It's hard enough to advertise magazines, and this appears to be a case of 'no harm, no foul'.

Gustavo, the reason I'm willing to give them a pass here instead of coming down on them like I would some self-published nutbar, is that they are a short story market, which is an endangered animal these days. Anything they do to promote themselves (with the above caveat of course) is okay by me.

Jordan Lapp
Managing Editor, Every Day Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com)
First Place Winner, Writers of the Future (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) Q3 2008

[Gbondoni]

Hmm... I seem to be outvoted. Perhaps Bill's correct and I have spammer's knee jerk!

Jordan's right about the lack of markets and the writing here seems pretty decent (OK, I admit it, I clicked the link! As a marketing tactic it was pretty effective!), so I agree with cutting him some slack. And yet, maybe one of the guys who knows them might ask them to step in and introduce themselves, let us get to know them before spamming us? Invite them in - we'd all welcome them, and it would probably bring them more readers (and writers) than spamming us!

And Bill's right that a lot of the regulars bend the rules a little. I do it too, mainly from either cluelessness or laziness But we cut them a little slack because most of them have taken the time to at least say hello. When they don't we can be pretty scathing.

Visitmy livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

[Bill Ward]

I think inviting them in would be a good idea. And I've had the 'spammers knee jerk' many times, I don't think any of us are immune!

For fantasy, science fiction, and horror news, books reviews, opinion, and short fiction, check out: BillWardWriter.com</font> (http://www.billwardwriter.com)

[Lyn]

Welcome MorpheusTales. Give us more and join the fun. That's what I say. /emoticons/smile.gif

Lyn from ResAliens (http://residentialaliens.blogspot.com)
Reviewing Zines at The Fix (http://thefix-online.com/author/lyn/)
Visit my Amazon Store! (http://astore.amazon.com/lpsweblforblo-20)

[SJHigbee]

And I certainly don't have a problem with someone wanting to promote their 'zine...

www.sjhigbee.com (http://www.sjhigbee.com)

[SilviaMG]

This is a bit like the pretty girl/guy at a bar that invites you/lets you buy her a drink and is really working for the alcohol manufacturer trying to promote a brand. It would be undercover marketing (or maybe viral mktg), part of the whole guerilla thing. It's actually not my cup of tea, ethical issues and all.

Silvia's online at silviamoreno-garcia.com (http://silviamoreno-garcia.com)

[Bill Ward]

Except the gal buying this drink is actually wearing a t-shirt that says 'I work for Jack Daniels.' Nothing undercover about it.

For fantasy, science fiction, and horror news, books reviews, opinion, and short fiction, check out: BillWardWriter.com</font> (http://www.billwardwriter.com)

[SilviaMG]

Yeah, but I can't read English when I'm tipsy. Doh. /emoticons/turn.gif

Silvia's online at silviamoreno-garcia.com (http://silviamoreno-garcia.com)

[Bill Ward]

I know the feeling ;)

For fantasy, science fiction, and horror news, books reviews, opinion, and short fiction, check out: BillWardWriter.com</font> (http://www.billwardwriter.com)