|
|
||
|
|
The NewPages Zine RackReviews by Sean StewartNumber Eleven (Posted April 2, 2003)“A review of our favorite zines of 2002.” Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I go on and on about how important review zines are. But I still do it. I feel that good zines deserve all the exposure they can get. That’s why projects like this are so great. This was put together by Greig Means, a guy who somehow manages to continuously crank out a relentless stream of zine projects. I don’t know how he finds the time to do it all, but I’m glad that he does. Basically, this is a collection of individual sets of zine reviews, each set done by a different person. Greig was inspired by how many amazing zines came out in 2002 and he wanted to document as many of them as he could. So he sent the word out to his friends, and Best Zine Ever is the result. And it only costs one stamp! [4.25” x 5.5”, 1 stamp to: Greg Beans, PO Box 12409, Portland, OR 97212] #19 Alex Wrekk has a knack for zine creation. She put together the Stolen Sharpie Revolution zine, which I reviewed in my last column, and she continues to do little one-shot and split projects, while also publishing her long-running perzine, Brainscan. This is the first issue of Brainscan that I’ve read, and I was really impressed. So few zines today are still pulling off the classic well-produced cut-and-paste style that I’m always excited to find one that does. Inside the screen-printed cardstock cover of this issue, the typewritten pages mostly document Alex’s thoughts, impressions, and experiences related to being a part of last summer’s Zine Symposium in Portland. She also writes about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, where she helped present a program on zines. I liked this zine because it struck a good balance between being informative and personal. It’s definitely well worth a look. [5” x 6 ¾”, $2 + 2 stamps from: Microcosm, PO Box 14332, Portland, OR 97293, brainscanzine@ureach.com, www.microcosmpublishing.com Fall 2002 Number 67 “The magazine of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.” A friend of mine here in Wichita Falls gave me a copy of this newsprint magazine because it contained the story she had written about the natural childbirth of her second son. I’ve been reading a lot of parenting zines lately, and I’m always fascinated by how different each birth story is. My friend Jennifer’s story made her home birth seem like such a joyous occasion! Anyway, the rest of this magazine was pretty cool; a couple of other birth stories, some articles on breastfeeding, letters, and news clips round out the issue. For those interested in natural birth, natural living, and breastfeeding, The Compleat Mother is strongly recommended. [8.5” x 11”, $12/year for 4 issues (ISSN 08298564), The Compleat Mother, Jody McLaughlin, Pub., PO Box 209, Minot, ND 58702, jody@minot.com, www.compleatmother.com] This is Mark’s first zine effort in a while; he used to publish Boys Who Wear Glasses, but is unsure if he’ll ever do another issue. A thick volume of solely text, Dirt and Sky chronicles Mark’s feelings and experiences associated with his dad’s illness and eventual death. Mark’s honesty and sincerity in relating his emotions moved me in a significant way. The lucidity with which he was able to reconstruct the months surrounding his dad’s death drew me into his life, and kept me engrossed until the very end of the zine. I originally read about this zine in Best Zine Ever, and I have to agree that it was definitely one of the best to be published in 2002. [5.5” X 8.5”, $3 to: Mark Hain, PO Box 411, Swarthmore, PA 19081, giant_turu@hotmail.com] Winter 2002 #20 Doris is a long-running zine that I just never have seen that much of. I’ve seen clips from it, heard a lot about it, and seen some issues at conferences, but I’ve never went ahead and ordered a copy until now. This issue is a mixture of personal writing and comix by Cindy about living in the desert, herbal abortions, rape, and sexual harassment. Also included are a zine review, a letter, and a couple of reprints. I enjoyed some parts of this issue more than others. I guess it just seemed to be kind of jumbled together, but like it was meant to be that way. Also, some of it appeared to me to be slightly out of context, but I haven’t been reading the zine regularly, so I can’t really complain about that. I don’t feel that every issue of a single perzine needs to put everything about a person in context. But yet I think I would like Doris more if I was a regular reader of it. [5.5” x 8.5”, $1.50 or $1 + 2 stamps, Cindy, POB 1734, Asheville, NC 28802] Winter ’02-‘03 Go Metric! is what I would call a good punk zine. It’s written by intelligent people who are more than capable of putting sentences together into a legible paragraph, its pages ring with a true passion for the subject matter that sadly is missing from many punk zines today, and it manages to stay fairly original in its ideas. Yes, there are band interviews, which granted are not very original in a punk zine, but they are many cuts above the average. And the interviews aren’t just restricted to punk bands. This issue, for example, features one with filmmaker Russ Forster about his new documentary on tribute bands. Go Metric! also delves into the comic world, with the inimitable Rev. Norb deconstructing the new Spider-Man movie in a way that only he could do. All of this is just scratching the surface of the contents of this issue. It’s a real bargain at $2! [7” x 8.5”, $2 to: Go Metric!, 15A South Bedford Road, Pound Round, NY 10576 (email first if ordering after 7/1/03), also available through www.vitalmusic.net, www.insound.com, and www.quimbys.com, gogometric@yahoo.com] Before I begin discussing this zine, I should probably mention that if you don’t like cats, you probably won’t like Kitty!. That being said, I will go on the record as saying that I love cats (not like it’s a big secret or anything). Malinda and I share our house with a brother and sister pair who will be celebrating their 7th birthdays this summer. This zine is also written by a cat-lover, and it’s even named after her cat. Some of the articles are also written by the cat, including an analysis of the merits and disadvantages of both paper and plastic bags. Kitty! is a contributor-based zine, so it also features profiles of other people’s cats, as well as entertaining anecdotes. One of my favorite pieces is editor Daina’s descriptive showcase of the neighborhood cats, complete with surveillance photos. Having shared an obsession myself with neighborhood cats in the past, I could really relate to the enthusiasm with which these descriptions were written. A whole lot of cat loving for only one dollar! [7” X 8.5”, $1 to Kitty! Zine, PO Box 6681, Portsmouth, NH 03802, kittyzine@yahoo.com] #10 From reading Matt’s zine, I concluded that he’s a pretty talented guy. Just looking at the range of artwork he includes in here shows that he is comfortable in a variety of styles and formats. He also paints, and actually, in this issue, grapples with conflicting feelings about making money from selling his artwork. There are quite a number of essays in here, and mixed in are some comix, too. What I found to be the most engrossing reading was his personal struggles with creating art, and evaluating why he creates it. He even talks about how he quit doing any drawing or painting for a while, and what a tough time he had during that period. He finally realizes that he’s practically going to explode if he doesn’t start drawing again. In the end, he comes to somewhat of a resolution to his conflict. This is really good writing, and readers should take away a healthy dose of insight into Matt’s personality. [5.5” X 8.5”, $3 to: Matt Fagan, 1573 N. Milwaukee Ave., PMB 464, Chicago, IL 60622, www.geocities.com/depotdevoid/meniscus/inside, hadmatter@hotmail.com] #6 “The Honeymoon Issue.” Ok, I know I just reviewed one of Kyle’s zines recently, but dammit, this is a really cool concept and I can’t help sharing it. Kyle got married a while back, and he brought a stack of postcard-sized pieces of paper with him on his honeymoon. Whenever he got a chance, he drew a picture on one and wrote a message to someone on the other side. Then he mailed it out. This zine is a compilation of all of those postcards. It’s an interesting departure from the usual style of this zine, because the reader is first confronted with the drawing, and then turns the page to read the text. Usually, Kyle’s drawings are juxtaposed within his journal-derived writing. I felt that Kyle achieved his desired effect with this issue, because I found myself spending more time examining his drawings than I have in the past. I thought the whole issue was really well done and it reinforced my appreciation of both Kyle’s writing and his drawings. I always feel really inspired after reading an issue of These Are the Days, and that’s what makes it so good! [4.25” X 5.5”, $2 to: Hot Iron Press, PO Box 788, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, hotironpress@hotmail.com] Winter 2003 Number 18 Formerly and sometimes also known as A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press, Zine World resurfaces in excellent form after a brief hiatus. First off, I should confess that Malinda and I are staff members of this publication, but that’s not stopping me from reviewing it. Reviewer’s ethics, be damned! The bottom line is that Zine World is a fine publication, and it stands as one of only a few zines out there that are dedicated solely to providing zine reviews. Since this issue is a little late, it also comes with a free supplement containing more recent reviews. From the creepy cool artwork by Bobby Tran Dale on the cover to the professional print job, this issue is top-notch. Besides the numerous reviews, it offers columns on such topics as mail art and corporate attempts to control the small press, letters to the editor, and news briefs on first amendment rights violations and other free press issues. Well worth the 4 bucks. [8.5” X 11”, $4 US/$5 Canada/Mexico/$6 elsewhere, subscriptions: $14 for 4 issues US/$18 Canada/Mexico/$22 elsewhere, no checks, send cash, stamps, IRCs or money orders with “pay to the order of” left blank to: Zine World: A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press, PO Box 330156, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-0156, www.undergroundpress.org, jerianne@undergroundpress.org] |
 |
|
|
||
P.O. Box 1580