View source for Cosmic Stories (Siegel)

{{DISPLAYTITLE: Cosmic Stories}}A publication that may have been a [[fanzine]] [[published]] by [[Jerry Siegel]] with two issues in 1929 or ’30.  It appears to have been a [[carbonzine]] (meaning no more than a dozen copies ever existed) and seems to have contained nothing but [[fiction]].  No copies are known to exist and as long ago as the 1950s no one had a copy.

According to [https://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/jerry-and-i-did-comic-book-together.html a 1983 interview] in ''Nemo'' 2:
<blockquote>SIEGEL: And here's something of interest which the [[fan]] field doesn't know, because the information didn't come fully back to me until just a short time ago. Recently I bought a copy of [[The Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction]] - the title was something like that; it's published in England. At the front of the book they list certain "firsts"; and they had me down as the publisher of a science-fiction fanzine which I put out several years before I even met [[Joe Shuster|Joe]]. It was called Cosmic Stories. It was strictly a [[typer|typewritten]] and [[hectographed]] publication, I believe; I believe that I wrote most of it or at least a great deal of it. It was sold through the mails, and the article says that not even one copy is known to exist today. This was the first science-fiction fanzine in the U.S., and for all I know, in the whole world. This was when I was about 14 years old, back in 1929, about a year or so before I met Joe. It must be quite a collector's item if any copies exist. It's not impossible that a copy might exist somewhere, but the chances of any other copies having survived is rather remote.</blockquote>So the date of 1929 seems to be uncertain, as is the means of [[reproduction]]. The earliest references to ''Cosmic Stories'' say it was done by [[typewriter]] and [[carbon paper]], but [[Jerry Siegel]] himself, much later, remembered it as being done by [[hecto]].

[[Pavlat-Evans]] says:
 Prior to [[Science Fiction (Siegel)]], Siegel [[edited]] two typewritten magazines, Cosmic Stories and Cosmic Stories Quarterly0 Apparently all copies of thees last have been lost or-destroyed” — “Science Fiction Bibliography” I 1? p6 7)

(It appears they got it from [[Science Fiction Bibliography]] -- what was that?)

In [[The Immortal Storm]], [[Sam Moskowitz]] says: 
 It was in this manner that Jerome Siegel and Joseph Schuster, now famed as the originators of the character "Superman" became acquainted. Enthused by ''Amazing Stories'' they presently produced ''Cosmic Tales'' and ''Cosmic Tales Quarterly'', amateur, carbon-copied publications; these are the  earliest -- and rarest -- fan published "magazines"

Besides being described in the context of early [[prozines]], the problem here is that here Moskowitz is crediting it to [[Jerry Siegel]] ''and'' [[Joe Schuster]] -- who did not meet until 1931 or 32. This raises a another doubt about the actual date.

While the contents of a fanzine can be anything, this was apparently all fiction, or, a [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/jerry-siegel/4040-40754/ Comic Vine entry] says, a [[comic book]]:
 Jerome Siegel's writing career began early in his life. When he was 14, he created his first comic booklet called ''Cosmic Stories'', which was advertised in the classified section of ''[[Science Wonder Stories]]''. It was later known as the first [[sci-fi]] fanzine and he continued to publish several other booklets over the next few years.

For a discussion whether or not it was the First Fanzine (and, if not, what was) see [[What Was the First Fanzine?]]

{{publication |start=1929?}}
[[Category:Fanzine]]
[[Category:US]]