Zines:
The NewPages
Zine Rack
Number 27 (Posted July 13, 2005)
Reviews by Sean Stewart
Bigfoot
Comix
8
“The Rogue Meme.” This is a short comic satirizing business-speak. There’s
one main story and two extra one-page stories. The main story deals with a
particular phrase common in modern business parlance, and the potential effects
of its sudden disappearance. It was amusing, but I thought the other two
shorter pages were funnier. Basically, any amount of mockery directed at
business culture will get a chuckle out of me. Doug sent along a couple of his
other comics, which were also good. His drawing style is pretty stark
black-and-white, but it works for what he’s doing. A couple of bucks will get
you a few of them, so you really can’t go wrong. [3.75” x 5”, 50 cents or
trade, D.C. McNamara, 2228 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
dougm@minicomixcoop.org,
www.minicomixcoop.org]
Lady
Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet
15
January 2005
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen an issue of LCRW, so this was a
treat. Certainly one of the finer litzines out there, LCRW never fails
to hook me with at least a few pieces. My favorites this time were the
hilarious “Dear Aunt Gwenda” column, the lyrical and atmospheric short story
“Nicholas” by Mark Rich, and Neal Chandler’s story The Truck about a
middle-aged college professor and the eighteen-wheeler that may or may not be
parked in his living room. There’s a mix in here of fantasy, magical realism,
and more conventional realist fiction. A smattering of poetry, a film column, a
comic, and a few record reviews round out the issue. And, of course, editors
Kelly and Gavin’s smart sense of humor is ever-present. You always get your
five bucks’ worth with this zine. [7” x 8.5”, ISSN 1544-7782, $5 US/$7 CAN or
$20/4, Small Beer Press, 176 Prospect Ave., Northampton, MA 01060,
info@lcrw.net,
www.lcrw.net/lcrw]
Leapfrog
Issue 10
Good to see Scott’s still publishing this long-running bike zine. The last
issue came out some years ago, but Scott is back and already working on #11.
He’s calling this “the lost issue” because he’d lost the master copies, and then
his computer crashed. So the material in here is a couple of years old, but
most of it is still highly relevant. There are some really great interviews in
here: KSK Studios on the film they made about the NYC bike messenger racing
scene; Circle A Cycles, an anarchist frame-building co-op in Providence, RI;
Mike Flanigan of Alternative Needs Transportation, who makes awesome utilitarian
and cargo bikes; and incarcerated activist Jeff “Free” Leuers. Also in this
issue are reviews of other bike zines and websites, a few essays, and a few
music reviews. This zine may have limited appeal to non-bike enthusiasts, but
for those of us into bikes, Leapfrog is a consistently good read. [5.5”
x 8.5”, $2-3?, 1320 N. Delaware #605, Indianapolis, IN 46202,
calltherains@hotmail.com]
Mesh
Hat
Issue #7
Oh, Mesh Hat, where have you been all my zine-reading life?
Seriously, this is one impressive zine. Most of the writing is by editor Chris
Haraway, who is articulate, witty, and thoughtful. He probes at everyday life,
uncovering the truths and insights that we so often overlook. This is a thick
issue, with contents ranging from comics and short stories to personal essays
and Chris’s European travel journal. There are also interesting little sections
like “Short Attention Span Theatre” which contains thoughts, ideas, and
observations taken from the notebook Chris keeps next to his bed. It’s cool
that he feels comfortable printing these (he includes the disclaimer that none
of them “are posed as intelligent thoughts”), because they help the reader to
get a true feeling for how Chris thinks. And this is the first section of the
zine, so you have that information in your head as you progress through the
issue. The writing by other contributors was okay, and there were a couple of
Chris’s pieces that I didn’t care for, but the overwhelming majority of the
issue was top-notch. [5.5” x 8.5”, $3 US/$4 Abroad, Mesh Hat Zine, 6208 Grady’s
Walk, Bowie, MD 20715,
mesh138@hotmail.com,
www.meshhat.net]
The
Naughty Love
Issue #3
“Balance.” First zine I’ve read that’s written by a clown. That’s right;
Cookie is a clown. There’s even a picture of her wearing a clown nose, thus
proving her clownness. What I find truly bizarre is not so much the fact that
Cookie is a clown, but that after introducing herself as a clown, she moves
quickly on to other things and never brings it up again. Maybe this was covered
in one of the first two issues? Anyway, what I like about Cookie’s zine is her
enthusiasm. Her heart is in the right place when it comes to life, love, and
human beingness. Cookie makes a lot of references to websites of a liberal,
activist, and alternative press nature. This constant pointing to the web could
be deemed annoying, but I’ll forgive it in Cookie’s case. I still didn’t look
any of the sites up, even though some of them sounded pretty interesting. I’m
sorry, Cookie. I did like your zine. And now you too can own a zine by a
young, liberal, and wildly enthusiastic clown. [5.5” x 8.5”, $2?, Senorita
Cookie, 1030 Columbia Ave., Claremont, CA 91711, Box #254 (I’m not sure where
this box number is supposed to figure in the address, but it’s listed as the
last line)]
The
New Leisure Class
Special Collector’s Edition. This is a classy looking publication of
multimedia drawings with a social conscience slant. The drawings are done on a
background of newspaper pages, mostly from the financial section and
classifieds. Gary’s premise is that the U.S. economy has spawned a new Leisure
Class of people who cannot afford to live within its boundaries, and are thus
cast aside by society with not much hope for the future. There are many
drawings of homeless people and working poor people, and most of the titles are
some sort of clever play on words. Thought-provoking and very well-put
together. [5.5” x 8.5”, no price listed, Gary B. Martin, 224 Riverside Dr., New
York, NY 10025,
gmartin@martoons.com,
www.martoons.com]
Rad
Dad
#1
Now this is a really great idea. With all the mama zines around, I’ve often
wondered, what about dads? Are no dads inspired to create zines about their
experiences with parenting? Sure, there are a few that touch on the subject,
but they don’t make parenting their focus. Well, my wondering finally ceased
when I discovered this inaugural issue of Rad Dad. It seems that editor
Tomas had been thinking about doing this for quite some time, and we’re lucky he
finally fought off the urge to not do it. For being a relatively short
zine, it delivers a diverse chorus of voices. Tomas tackles talking to his
13-year-old son about pornography; Clay relates discovering the joys of
parenting and then opens that up to a discussion of the lack of respect that
parenting often receives in radical communities, particularly from men; four
nine-year-olds comment (rather amusingly) on fathers; and Keith offers his
reflections on being a queer sperm donor. No filler here; this is good from
cover to cover. [5.5” x 8.5”, $2, 1636 Fairview St., Berkeley, CA 94703,
tom_moniz@riseup.net]
Twenty-eight
Pages Lovingly Bound With Twine
Issue #10
Speaking of zines by dads who sometimes discuss parenting, this is certainly
one that comes immediately to mind. Christoph frequently writes about his son
Herbie in the pages of 28PLBwT, and Herbie pops up in a couple of stories
this time around. This issue also features the first ever installment of
Christoph’s new poetry section. And he more or less pulls it off, too, in his
unassuming manner. I like Christoph’s essays because they always have a point,
however subtle it may be. Sometimes it’s just to illustrate how the simplest
things in life, like watching a cardinal attack its reflection in a car’s
rearview mirror, can offer the most sublime pleasures. And whether you have
discovered this or not, it’s always nice to be reminded of it. This zine’s
always a good read. [5.5” x 8.5”, $2 or trade, $5/3 issues, $10/6 issues,
$18/12 issues, Christoph Meyer, PO Box 106, Danville, OH 43014]
Wendy
Magazine
The Jesus Issue
First, don’t even bother reading this review if you’re the type to be
offended by wickedly sacrilegious satire of Christianity. Okay, now that we’ve
gotten rid of those people, let’s move on to how freaking hilarious this issue
was. The cover, as you can see, features a painting of Jesus smoking a joint.
That, uh, nicely sets the tone for the contents within, which amount to a lot of
blissfully unrestrained absurdity. From the “Ask the All Knowing Cat God!”
advice column to the profane story featuring Jesus and Chuck Woolery, there
seems to be no limit to how ridiculous the Wendys are willing to get while
having their way with the Christian faith. Jesus is, in fact, the main
character in the majority of the stories in here, and I guarantee you’ll be
seeing him in a different light after reading this zine. If you love Library
Bonnet, especially at its most over-the-top loony moments, you’ll probably
like this, too. [5.5” x 8.5”, $1, email for ordering info:
wendy@wendymagazine.com,
www.wendymagazine.com]
Word
Salad
Issue #2
“A Journal of Mental Health.” One of the best things about zines is that
they give a voice to people whose voices are too often disregarded. I’ve read a
number of zines and indie comix over the years that deal with the subject of
mental health, and they have always been among the most informative, articulate,
and heartfelt zines I’ve ever read. Word Salad is no exception. The
zine takes as its name the term for the unique speech patterns that are often a
characteristic of schizophrenia. In the introduction, there is an eloquent
explanation of why this title was chosen. Editor Comyn Henry weaves his own
articles and essays in with those of a small group of contributors. Among these
are David Kime, creator/editor of the excellent long-running zine Crazed
Nation, and Marie Kime, who contributes poetry and a powerful personal essay
on the use of restraints in psychiatric hospitals. This is a zine to shatter
the stereotypes that permeate so many people’s thinking (or lack of thinking) on
mental health. Highly recommended. [5.5” x 8.5”, $2, Word Salad, PO Box 66861,
Portland, OR 97290-6861]
To
Cumulative Index of Zines Reviewed
P.O. Box 1580