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The
NewPages Zine Rack
About the Zine
Rack
Reviews by Sean Stewart
Zine Rack
Number One
 The
Assassin and the Whiner
Number
13
Carrie McNinch shares painful details of her recovery from a
splintered relationship in this issue of her long-running
autobiographical mini-comic.
Although she usually mixes humor with sadness in her comix,
this issue is starkly depressing.
Coming to terms with her drinking habit is a major theme that
unfolds in the cleanly drawn, highly contrasted black and white
panels.
Carrie is one of the best mini-comix artists publishing
today; her sharply expressive style stands out from the crowd.
This issue might be a bit overwhelming for a first time
reader, but all of her back issues are still currently available.
[5.5” x 8.5”, all issues are $1 each, issues #1 – #10
are available as a set for $7, cash only to: Carrie McNinch, P.O.
Box 481051, Los Angeles, CA 90048, asswhine@hotmail.com]
 Beer
Frame: The Journal of Inconspicuous Consumption
Number 10
Paul Lukas painstakingly researches the histories behind those
products we see and use every day, yet rarely wonder about how they
came to exist in the first place.
He routinely puts corporate spokespeople and customer service
representatives through the wringer, asking the tough questions no
one else will, like, “why aren’t there any B batteries? And what
about A?”
This particular issue of Beer Frame celebrates the
wonders of such cultural artifacts as salt packets, Cracker Jacks,
and Skee-Ball.
Lukas writes well, exhibiting an enthusiastic mixture of
sarcasm and serious attention to detail.
After reading one issue of this I immediately ordered a slew
of back issues.
[5.5” x 8.5”, $3 cash or check/money order payable to
“Paul Lukas,” Beer Frame, ATTN: Paul Lukas, 671 DeGraw St., Apt.
2, Brooklyn, NY 11217, consumer@interport.net]
 Burn
Collector
Number 11
One night, 4 or 5 years ago, as I stood outside of a punk house in a
small southwestern Virginia town, waiting for a band to start
playing, I was approached by a young man with wildly tousled dark
hair.
He asked if I’d like to buy his zine for whatever quantity
of change I could spare.
I gave him 50 cents in exchange for 11 pages of what would
turn out to be some of the best zine writing I’ve ever read.
This young man was Al Burian, whose zine has since earned a
well-deserved reputation as one of the best perzines being published
today.
Issue #11 of Burn Collector is a 6” x 7” bound
book, and it follows up Al’s recent paperback compilation of
stories from issues 1 through 9.
In #11, Al revisits his post-college failures at employment
and social interaction.
He crisscrosses the country aimlessly, reporting on the
activities of those who are less likely than he is to write all
their thoughts down on paper.
Throughout his travels, Al never fails to share his unique
perspectives on life.
If you haven’t read Burn Collector, this is a good
issue to start with, and after you finish it, you’ll probably want
the collection of stories from 1 through 9, too (both issue #11 and
the collection are conveniently available from Stickfigure Distro
and Mailorder).
[$3.50 plus $1.24 postage in the U.S., cost of orders from
outside of the U.S. can be figured at www.stickfiguredistro.com,
Stickfigure, PO Box 55462, Atlanta, GA 30308]
 Clamor
September/October 2001
Number 10
Clamor is an amazing and timely magazine that provides a
thought-provoking antidote to many so-called “news” magazines.
Founded by two seasoned zinesters, it features a continually
changing diverse array of writers who bring their varied
perspectives into one forum.
This is the “Back to School” issue, and much of it
consists of eye-opening articles by students and teachers about
their experiences with education.
Other features this time around include interviews with the
Minneapolis Radical Cheerleaders and Robert King Wilkerson of the
Angola Three.
With few ads and a lot of content, Clamor is a real
bargain and would be an excellent resource for both libraries and
individuals to subscribe to.
[8.5” x 11”, sample copies are $4 ppd. (U.S.), 6-issue
subscriptions are $18 ppd. (U.S.), outside of U.S. – sample copies
are $6, subscriptions are $25 in U.S. funds, checks payable to
“Become the Media,” Become the Media, P.O. Box 1225, Bowling
Green, OH 43402, www.clamormagazine.org]
 Farm
Pulp
May/June 1997
Number 31
Greg Hischak never fails to impress me with his zine-making skills.
Each issue of his long-running zine (over 10 years now!) is a
work of art, with stories intricately networked throughout a series
of folded pages.
Inside this issue, one whimsical, meandering story follows
Earwicker, an intrepid office worker, on his office-wide search for
staples.
In part a satirical glorification of office supplies, this
issue of Farm Pulp tests the boundaries of absurdity with
features like the “Swingline Singles Chat Page” (personal
classified ads for staplers looking for love), and a speculative
discussion on the existence of office wiccans and their placement of
talismans in various pieces of office equipment.
Farm Pulp offers some of the best creative writing
found in zines today, and it always comes in an intriguing format.
The most current issue is #40, and there are many back issues
available.
[6.75” x 11”, issues are $3, 4 issues for $10, cash or
checks payable to “Gregory Hischak,” Farm Pulp, P.O. Box 2151,
Seattle, WA 98111-2151, Greg.Hischak@THINKinc.com]
 Ker-bloom!
May/June 2001
Number 30
A beautifully hand-set and printed zine that captures the wonders of
DIY publishing.
The story in here is titled “Head Scars,” and describes a
home surgical procedure to excise a stubborn sebaceous cyst.
Probably not for the squeamish, although the graphic
description leads into some personal observations on relationships
that conclude with a thoughtful public statement to the editor’s
partner.
The writing in Ker-bloom! is intelligent and
articulate.
And, beyond that, the zine as a whole reflects a lot of hard
work.
I think that this comes out once every two months, and she
had a lot of back issues available when I saw her at the Underground
Publishing Conference this past summer.
[4.25” x 5.5”, $2/$3 cash to: artnoose, P.O. Box 3525,
Oakland, CA 94609]
 King-Cat
Comics and Stories
April 2001
#59
John Porcellino draws warm and inviting comics that are rich in both
nostalgia and insight.
Using his simple yet elegant style, John makes places,
people, and animals come alive.
He revisits memories often, and can often communicate them
vividly without the use of words.
This issue welcomes the onset of spring with some
observations of the natural world, while at the same time sketching
a framework of events tinged with sadness.
Although somewhat bittersweet, it’s still a good read.
Write to John for a free catalog of his many wonderful comix
or, for this issue, send $3 ppd. in U.S – all foreign orders can
be figured in the catalog.
[5.5” x 8.5”, U.S. cash or check/money order payable to
“Spit and a Half,” Illinois residents add 7.25% sales tax to
total (including postage), Spit and a Half, P.O. Box 881, Elgin, IL
60121, johnp_kingcat@hotmail.com]
 Leeking
Ink
Number 22
Although this is not the most recent issue of Leeking Ink,
I’m reviewing it because it was the first issue I read, and the
one that prompted me to order a bunch of back issues.
Davida Gypsy Breier is a busy person, and busy people’s
lives often make for good zine material.
Luckily, Davida is a good writer, too, and so she can
eloquently transcribe the details of her life.
Much of this issue is taken up by a description of Davida’s
trip to the UK, which is nicely bookended by some pre-trip and
post-trip journal entries.
Her zines (she does 2 others, as well) are always well made,
featuring intriguing fonts and unique clip art, and voyeurs should
delight in the content within them.
[5.5” x 8.5”, issues are $2 cash, stamps, or a trade to:
Davida Gypsy Breier, P.O. Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078, www.leekinginc.com,
leekinginc@hotmail.com]
 Zine
Guide
Fall/Winter 2001
Number 5
I was so excited when this finally landed on my doorstep!
Zine Guide is the ultimate networking resource for
zinesters, a useful collection development tool for librarians, and
a great place for readers to find new zines.
It features thousands of zine listings, including contact
information and a brief description for each zine.
In addition, this issue includes a forum on zine production
and circulation, a list of networking resources, and the familiar Zine
Guide survey results on favorite and least favorite zines.
Indexes include:
band/musician, person, subject, place/geographic, and record
label.
This is definitely the most ambitious resource of its kind.
Order it today.
[8.5” x 11”, single issues are $6 ppd. in U.S., $8 ppd.
in Canada/Mexico, and $10 ppd. outside North America, 4-issue
subscriptions are $18 in U.S., $24 in Canada/Mexico, and $30 outside
North America, send well-concealed cash or checks/money orders
payable to “Tail Spins,” Zine Guide, P.O. Box 5467, Evanston, IL
60204, zineguide@yahoo.com]
 The
Zine Yearbook
2000
Volume 5
This is an important ongoing project started by Jen Angel and Jason
Kucsma, the folks who publish Clamor magazine.
As the cover states, it’s “an annual collection of
excerpts from the best zines publishing today.”
There are some guidelines for the zines excerpted in this
publication: they must have been published in the year 2000 and have
a circulation of less than 5000 copies per issue.
The goal of the yearbook is to give some exposure to the many
zines that exist in relative obscurity.
Zine articles can be nominated by anyone, and are then voted
on by a jury of readers.
At least 3 group members read each article before decisions
are made.
There are so many good articles in here that it’s hard to
even pull out a few to mention as highlights.
So, I’m not going to.
I’m just going to advise that you immediately order this
from the hard-working folks at Become the Media.
Librarians should particularly take note – The Zine
Yearbook provides an easy start to getting zine writing into a
collection.
[8.5” x 11” bound paperback, copies are $8 ppd.,
checks/money orders payable to “Become the Media,” Become the
Media, P.O. Box 1225, Bowling Green, OH 43402, www.clamormagazine.org/yearbook]
To Cumulative Index of Zines Reviewed
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