Midnight Sonata

Midnight Sonata is a little-known fanzine created and edited by Mark Barnard. Notable contributions were made in both art and stories by Terrie Smith, and the 'zine itself is believed to have been one of the earliest renditions of the characters Ural Christophe Deck and Chester Magreer (commonly referred to as Chester Ringtail), which in turn gave birth to Havoc Inc.

Although sold domestically and overseas, the actual publication itself was on an incredibly small scale. The two completed issues are no longer in distribution, the originals now only in the hands of those who purchased copies at the time of their releases in 1992 and 1993. A third issue was in production, but was cancelled so that Mark Barnard could pursue work in the commercial comics industry.

From Issue #1:

In a distant, uncharted section of the universe, two largely anthropomorphic coalitions continue to wage a generations-old war of attrition. For over a thousand years, the forces of the Aligned Mammalian Federation have waged unrelenting war against the aggressively colonial fleets of Lord Onyx's assembled Demon races. Evenly matched, neither battle force has managed to score a telling victory. Badly battered and its captain dead, following the latest in a seemingly endless series of bloody skirmishes, one A.M.F. line cruiser breaks formation and deserts - its crew having decided that anything has to be a distinct improvement on continuing to dare continually skewed odds in open battle. The crew's shared goal is to locate some safe, neutral haven beyond the reach of either side. The chief complication to this plan lies in the the fact that their one clear way "out" lies through the very heart of the main battle zone - a sprawling, continually shifting network of conflicts which spans the two adjoining systems. In addition, the cruiser is now being avidly pursued by both the A.M.F. and the Demon forces. Tokenly disguising the ship and continually altering its electronic registry code, in an attempt to pass as one of the demobbed military craft now serving private industry, the renegades begin their uneasy quest. En route, they encounter the crew of a giant battle robot who, arriving at the same conclusions about survival in a hostile universe, have defected from the Demon fleet. Robot and cruiser continue on together...

ISSUE #1 Contents:

Editorial. Crew Profile. "Treason!" by Shiel Ahgame. "Dirty Duty" by Ted R. Blasingame. "Maintaining a Coyote" by Lord Rees. "It's the Thought That Counts" by Mark Barnard. Technical Index: The B.O.T.s. Technical Index:  The Amani Dragon. Art Credits: Scott Alston, Fredrik Andersson, Mark Barnard, Steven Carter, Jacob Klamencic, Roy D. Pounds II, Sky Ridgon and Terrie Smith.

ISSUE #2 Contents:

Editorial. "+48 Hours" by Mark Barnard. "The Callisto Caper" by Mark Barnard. "Starbright Deadly Cargo, Pt. 1" by Lord Rees. "Thieves' Den" by Mark Barnard. "Sleepless Nights" by Fredrik Andersson. Art Credits: Scott Alson, Fredrik Andersson, Mark Barnard, Steven Carter and Terrie Smith.