William Rotsler

American writer

Charles William Rotsler was an American artist, cartoonist, pornographer and science fiction author. Rotsler was a four time Hugo Award winner and one time Nebula Award nominee. Rotsler's papers including dozens of matted color drawings, unpublished manuscripts and sketchbooks of original artwork are part of the Eaton Collection at University of California, Riverside.

From 1958, Rotsler was involved in the pornography industry, first as a stills photographer on the set of adult films, and later as a film director and actor. In 1966, Rotsler created Adam Film Quarterly, later called Adam Film World, as a sibling magazine to Knight Publishing's Adam magazine. Adam Film Quarterly featured female nudity but only simulated sex acts. The magazine also provided commentary about simulated pornography, which other media outlets would not cover. As a byproduct of his coverage of sexploitation films, Rostler earned a reputation as writer—creating novelizations of sexploitation films for his magazine—and as a pornographic photographer. Because of Adam Film Quarterly success, Rotsler began using pseudonyms for his appearances including "Shannon Carse", "Cord Heller", "Clay McCord", and "Merrill Dakota". He even interviewed himself as these characters in Adam Film Quarterly. Rotsler said, "On the 'lesser' productions, I'd direct as Shannon Carse and if I acted, I'd be Barney Boone. If I acted in a Rotsler directed film, I'd be Shannon Carse." Rotsler wrote, directed, or acted in some two dozen pornographic films during his career with Boxoffice International Pictures. In the 1980s, he was cameraman for the Hollywood segments for the French series Destination Series, hosted by Bill Warren. Rotsler occasionally appeared on camera. He also wrote Contemporary Erotic Cinema in 1973, published by Ballantine and Penthouse, about pornographic movies from an aesthetic point of view.

Rotsler was a popular cartoonist for a large number of science fiction fanzines. His first cover illustration appeared on National Fantasy Fan, vol. 7, issue 2, published in 1948. In 1969, Harlan Ellison encouraged Rotsler to write science fiction stories. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist four times: 1975, 1979, 1996, and 1997. He also won a "retro Hugo" for his work in 1946 and was runner up for 1951. Rotsler was a well known attendee at West Coast science fiction conventions where he would give away his illustrations. He is also the author of "Rotsler's Rules for Costuming", which address the cosplay often found at these conventions. He quipped that "people are making rules for themselves and always finding loop holes." Through his illustrations Rotsler also helped perpetuate the image of science fiction fans wearing propeller beanies. As an author, Rotsler's best known story, "Patron of the Arts" (1972), was a finalist for the Hugo and Nebula award for best novelette; it was expanded to novel length in 1974 under the same title. In 1982, Rotsler published several Star Trek ties ins for children for Wanderer Books. He is credited with the first use of Nyota as Uhura's first name. Rotsler was the source of the title of Harlan Ellison's short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (1967). This was adopted, with permission, from a caption of a Rotsler cartoon of a rag doll with no mouth. The Rotsler Award, named for Rotsler, is given annually at Loscon by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests to recognize "lifetime work of outstanding fan artists." The award comes with a honorarium.

No. (Number)TitleDateISBN6And Call My Killer Modok!19797Nightmare!1979
Rotsler and his collaborator, Sharman DiVono, also enjoyed a humorous appearance in Daredevil (Marvel Comics series) #142 and #143 (1977). "Bill" Rotsler and his girlfriend Sharman, dressed as Tarzan and Jane, are in Rotsler's Manhattan rooftop recreation of an African jungle when they are attacked by the super villains Cobra and Mr. Hyde, who want to steal his rare book collection.

Co author Sharman DiVono and Rotsler were jointly credited as Victor Appleton. No. (Number)1The City in the Stars19812Terror on the Moons of Jupiter3The Alien Probe4War in Outer Space5The Astral Fortress19826The Rescue Mission1982