William Rotsler
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Rotsler was an American
cartoonist
and graphic artist; author of several science fiction
novels and short stories
, and television
and film
novelization
s, and non-fiction
works on a variety of topics, ranging from Star Trek
to pornography
; a prominent member of science fiction fandom
; and a sculptor
, primarily in metal, who contributed to the art at the entrance to the Los Angeles Police Department
headquarters. He was also a participant in the production of numerous adult films.
for his decades as a cartoonist and fan artist, winning five Hugo Award
s in that category
. He was famously willing to provide artwork for free to even the most obscure or struggling fanzines. Rotsler also devised a sort of friendly "cartoon duel", in which he crossed swords (or, rather, pens) with various other cartoonists, as follows: Rotsler and another cartoonist would each draw some sort of cartoon figure (human, animal or monster) simultaneously, with neither artist knowing what the other was drawing. The two figures would then be placed side by side to form one picture. Rotsler and the other cartoonist would then equip each of the two cartoon figures with a comic-strip "speech" balloon: each cartoonist creating and lettering the cartoon for the other artist's drawing.
Rotsler was known for his spontaneous cartooning, which would appear not only on paper, but on tablecloths, curtains, and anything near him. Hotels were often upset at this at science fiction conventions, and surprised when a "defaced" tablecloth brought in money at auction.
Rotsler came up with the title of Harlan Ellison
's famous short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
." This was taken, with permission, from a caption of a Rotsler cartoon of a rag doll with no mouth.
Rotsler's novelette "Patron of the Arts" was nominated for both the 1972 Nebula award
and the 1973 Hugo award
.
Rotsler was Fan Guest of Honor at Torcon II
(the 1973 Worldcon
); winner of the 1977 Down Under Fan Fund
; and in 1996 was voted Past President of the Fan Writers of America.
science fiction convention
held over the U.S. Thanksgiving Day weekend in November.
tie-in book writer, Rotsler proposed a first name, Nyota, for communications officer Uhura
, whose first name was never mentioned in the original series. Both series creator Gene Roddenberry
and actress Nichelle Nichols
agreed to the adoption of this name, which means "star" in Swahili
. This as Uhura's first name is also featured in the 2009 Star Trek film.
For ten years, he was the cameraman for Bill Warren
as they traveled about Los Angeles shooting segments for the French TV series, Destination séries. Rotsler, like Warren, also appeared on camera in this series. He was a participant in the production of numerous "adults only" features produced by Harry Novak
. His credits, sometimes under the pseudonym "Shannon Carse" include direction, camera and electrical department, writer, actor, editor, producer, and cinematographer on numerous Novak productions. Most notably, he directed the cult items Mantis in Lace
(1968) and Agony of Love. Much of Rotsler's film work remains available from the cult-specialist video label Something Weird.
Rotsler was also a sculptor (he located the fossils, crystals and stones for the Nebula Award
trophies), and contributed to the 1994 computer game Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb.
Rotsler was known in the realm of science fiction conventions for "Rotsler's Rules of Order" and "Rotsler's Rules of Costuming", which contained, among others, these rules:
treatment he had been undergoing for cancer
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and graphic artist; author of several science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novels and short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
s, and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
works on a variety of topics, ranging from Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
to pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
; a prominent member of science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
; and a sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, primarily in metal, who contributed to the art at the entrance to the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
headquarters. He was also a participant in the production of numerous adult films.
Science fiction
Rotsler was known in science fiction fandomScience fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
for his decades as a cartoonist and fan artist, winning five Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
s in that category
Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist
The Hugo Awards are presented every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
. He was famously willing to provide artwork for free to even the most obscure or struggling fanzines. Rotsler also devised a sort of friendly "cartoon duel", in which he crossed swords (or, rather, pens) with various other cartoonists, as follows: Rotsler and another cartoonist would each draw some sort of cartoon figure (human, animal or monster) simultaneously, with neither artist knowing what the other was drawing. The two figures would then be placed side by side to form one picture. Rotsler and the other cartoonist would then equip each of the two cartoon figures with a comic-strip "speech" balloon: each cartoonist creating and lettering the cartoon for the other artist's drawing.
Rotsler was known for his spontaneous cartooning, which would appear not only on paper, but on tablecloths, curtains, and anything near him. Hotels were often upset at this at science fiction conventions, and surprised when a "defaced" tablecloth brought in money at auction.
Rotsler came up with the title of Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
's famous short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" is a postapocalyptic science fiction short story by Harlan Ellison. It was first published in the March 1967 issue of IF: Worlds of Science Fiction. It won a Hugo Award in 1968. The name was also used for a short story collection of Ellison's work, featuring...
." This was taken, with permission, from a caption of a Rotsler cartoon of a rag doll with no mouth.
Rotsler's novelette "Patron of the Arts" was nominated for both the 1972 Nebula award
Nebula Award for Best Novelette
Winners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-External links:* * *...
and the 1973 Hugo award
Hugo Award for Best Novelette
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
.
Rotsler was Fan Guest of Honor at Torcon II
31st World Science Fiction Convention
The 31st World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Torcon II, was held 31 August – 3 September 1973 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The chairman was John Millard....
(the 1973 Worldcon
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
); winner of the 1977 Down Under Fan Fund
Down Under Fan Fund
The Down Under Fan Fund, also known as DUFF, was created in 1970 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular members of science fiction fandom familiar to fans on both sides of the Pacific ocean.-History:...
; and in 1996 was voted Past President of the Fan Writers of America.
Rotsler Award
The annual Rotsler Award "for long-time wonder-working with graphic art in amateur publications of the science fiction community" was established in 1998. The Award is ordinarily announced at Loscon, the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
science fiction convention
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
held over the U.S. Thanksgiving Day weekend in November.
Writing and other arts
Rotsler's novels include Patron of the Arts (1974), To the Land of the Electric Angel (1976), Zandra (1978), and The Far Frontier (1980). As a Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
tie-in book writer, Rotsler proposed a first name, Nyota, for communications officer Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
, whose first name was never mentioned in the original series. Both series creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
and actress Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting...
agreed to the adoption of this name, which means "star" in Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
. This as Uhura's first name is also featured in the 2009 Star Trek film.
For ten years, he was the cameraman for Bill Warren
Bill Warren
William Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....
as they traveled about Los Angeles shooting segments for the French TV series, Destination séries. Rotsler, like Warren, also appeared on camera in this series. He was a participant in the production of numerous "adults only" features produced by Harry Novak
Harry Novak
Harry Novak, "the sexploitation king," produced and distributed a prolific number of exploitation films from the early 60s to the mid-70s, including William Rotsler's cult classics The Agony of Love and Mantis in Lace and the influential "monster nudie" Kiss Me Quick! among many others...
. His credits, sometimes under the pseudonym "Shannon Carse" include direction, camera and electrical department, writer, actor, editor, producer, and cinematographer on numerous Novak productions. Most notably, he directed the cult items Mantis in Lace
Mantis in Lace
Mantis in Lace is a 1968 sexploitation film directed by William Rotsler and produced by Harry Novak. At least two differently-edited versions have been released, one of which has more emphasis on the sexual aspect of the film and one of which emphasizes its violent storyline...
(1968) and Agony of Love. Much of Rotsler's film work remains available from the cult-specialist video label Something Weird.
Rotsler was also a sculptor (he located the fossils, crystals and stones for the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
trophies), and contributed to the 1994 computer game Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb.
Rotsler was known in the realm of science fiction conventions for "Rotsler's Rules of Order" and "Rotsler's Rules of Costuming", which contained, among others, these rules:
- If you kill it, you eat it. (a weapons policy)
- Don't go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.
- The shoes gotta match.
- There should be a weight limit for the purchase of leotards.
- No peanut butter. (a costuming rule)
Personal life
Rotsler died in his sleep of complications from the radiation therapyRadiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
treatment he had been undergoing for cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.