Zines:
The NewPages
Zine Rack
Number 28 (Posted Sept 1, 2005)
Reviews by Sean Stewart
Greenzine
14
Always an inspiring read, this latest issue of Greenzine doesn’t
disappoint. It always takes me awhile to get through one of these, because
Cristy really plumbs the topical depths with her writing. The issues I’ve read
dealt with similar themes, though, so it’s easy to settle into the cadence if
you’ve read one before. A short list: friendship, punk rock, romantic
relationships, Miami, being Cuban, politics, activism, sexual assault, and the
concept of place/home. Begins with a letter to Florida, and ends with a letter
to Pennsylvania. A very clean typed layout beautifully illustrated with
Cristy’s exuberant drawings. Definitely recommended. [5.5” x 8.5”, $2.50 plus
postage from
Microcosm Publishing or 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217-4551,
write to Cristy at Greenzine c/o Cristy C. Road, PO Box 42868, Philadelphia, PA
19101,
www.croadcore.org]
The
Juniper
No. 3
Jan/Feb 2005
“A zine about learning to live the simple life.” Dan strikes me as a sincere
and earnest kind of guy, and when I can sense that through someone’s writing, I
usually end up liking it. Much of the content in here is devoted to gardens,
gardening, and related topics such as soil erosion. Also included are a few
recipes, some reading recommendations (magazines and zines), and classified
ads. Not much personal content, aside from Dan’s gardening experiences, and so
this will mostly appeal to those interested in gardening and sustainable
living. He also does a couple of other zines you may want to ask him about.
Bargain price! [7” x 8.5”, free in person or 37-cent stamp by mail to Dan
Murphy c/o The Juniper, PO Box 6352, Boise, ID 83707,
messyelephant@hotmail.com,
www.juniperbug.blogspot.com]
Library
Urinal
Issue One
I’ve been following the progress of Donny Smith’s subversive response to
mainstream library journals since its
inception. This is his third effort, and for this one he recruited
co-editor Miriam D. (yes, she’s my girlfriend, so I suppose there may be some
bias in this review, but not much, I swear). Anyway, I think they make a
stellar team, and this is my favorite entry so far in Donny’s underground
library zine genre. What we have here is a pleasant mixture of the serious and
the profane, with some good old-fashioned library humor thrown in for good
measure. Interviews, book reviews, blog entries from a sassy Brooklyn
librarian, inappropriate library coloring sheets for children, and information
on zine librarian resources and activities. Verdict: a well-rounded and
entertaining zine that you must own because, frankly, we all know that
librarians are cool, but irreverent librarians are even cooler. [5.5” x 8.5”,
$2 to either POB 4803, Baltimore, MD 21211 or 915 W Second St., Bloomington, IN
47403,
libraryurinal@gmail.com]
Media
Whore
5
Randie puts out a smart zine examining feminism and the media. Some of the
articles in here border on the academic; not in a bad way, but I think it’s
pretty rare to see this style of writing in a zine. This issue includes a look
at what the riot grrrl movement was and whether it still exists; a project to
reclaim rape stories from the mainstream media; reviews of video games with
strong female protagonists; an interview with French street artist Fafi; a
review of Ladyfest East, and zine and book reviews. For a 30-page zine, this is
packed full of content, and shows a lot of critical thought and topical
diversity. Definitely worth a look. [6” x 8 ¼”, $2 to 12 B Wolcott St.,
Malden, MA 02148,
www.mediawhorezine.com]
Meniscus
#13
November 2004
A new issue of this long-running perzine is always something to look forward
to. And it had been awhile since the last one, mostly because Matt’s been
working on his comic Love, which grew larger than he thought it would.
Now ready to take a breather from Love, he’s back with number 13 of
Meniscus. There are four essays in here: a history of Matt’s discovery and
immersion in the underground press, the description of a dream with some
commentary, an annotated list of projects Matt contributed to that never saw the
light of day (oh, how many of us zinesters have such a list?), and a dramatic
tale of what can happen when the nice quiet neighbors downstairs move out.
Sparsely illustrated with Matt’s expressive drawings, this is another solid
issue from a zinester who’s obviously in it for life. [5.5” x 8.5”, $3 to Matt
Fagan, 1573 N. Milwaukee Ave., PMB 464, Chicago, IL 60622,
hadmatter@hotmail.com,
www.geocities.com/meniscusenterprises]
Morbid
Curiosity
Issue 9
2005
Issues of Morbid Curiosity should come with a guarantee of satisfying
each and every reader’s curiosity about at least something. I know I
always discover something new, oftentimes not even realizing I was curious about
it in the first place, but happy to have that phantom curiosity satisfied
nonetheless. The format resembles that of the presumably now-defunct
Monozine, but goes beyond the sickness and injury theme to include the
sexual, the psychological, and of course, the morbid. I’d like to say there’s
something here for everyone, but maybe that’s not the right way to put it. So
just take a look at this sampling of what you will find inside: anesthesia
awareness, spontaneous miscarriages, autopsies, fever dreams, trannies, and
rabies. Always a fascinating read. [8.5” x 11”, ISBN 7447090018, $6 US/$7
CAN/$10 Overseas, checks payable to Loren Rhoads, PO Box 12308, San Francisco,
CA 94112-0308,
morbid@charnel.com,
www.charnel.com/morbidcuriosity]
Sideshow
No. 2
Steve has an awesome collection of bikes, as described and photographed in
this issue of his zine. I am jealous of his bikes, for sure. His artwork kind
of frightens me, but I’m fascinated by the peephole box diagram (see his
website). Sideshow is a small and kind of random zine featuring a
description of the aforementioned bike collection, a version of the Lord’s
Prayer modified for use by members of the
Kiss Army (be sure to check out the official Kiss bowling ball!), some party
pranks, a review of the Metallica movie, some random photos and brief essays,
and a review of a 1989 Danzig show. Diverse in an odd kind of way. [5.5” x
4.25”, $1?, Steve Smith, 5460 Entrance Dr., Soquel, CA 95073,
www.drunkingham.com]
Terra
Infirma—Vita Obscura
#5
The great thing about doing this column is that I end up reading zines that I
probably wouldn’t seek out on my own. TIVO is a perfect example of
this. This issue addresses the supernatural, something that I vaguely wonder
about sometimes. What I thought was great about editor Skorn’s approach to
telling us what he knows about the supernatural is that he’s got a healthy sense
of humor about it all. He obviously has a more than average interest in the
subject, and yet he can laugh and joke about it, too. And he’s funny, which
helps. Any zine that teaches me a few things and makes me laugh is tops in my
book. Plus the cover is a cool transparency print, and I have a weakness for
nice covers. Also, check the website for more writing and ‘cause webmaster
Pierre’s artwork rocks. I really liked this zine. Back issues? Yes, please.
[5.5” x 8.5”, $3 (email first, also can use PayPal), TIVO c/o 709 Middlebury
Rd., Webster, NY 14580,
skorn@terra-obscura.com,
www.terra-obscura.com]
Undeciluna
#1
From the twisted depths of Love Bunni Press comes this intriguing first issue
of a new mini-comic. Employing a drawing style that explodes off the page,
artist/writer Mindy Fisher partners with writer Calvin Naylor to tell the story
of fourteen-year-old Wendy as she struggles to find normalcy while enduring a
nightmarish home life. Hanging out with her friends seems to be the only way to
blot out the pain, until one day she comes home from school to some shocking
changes. Complete with a glowing introduction from publisher R. John Xerxes,
this certainly is a promising beginning to what will hopefully be a long-running
story. I’ll be looking for issue two. [5.5” x 8.5”, orders ($2-3?) to Love
Bunni Press, 2622 Princeton Rd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118,
rjxp@apk.net, email the authors Mindy and Calvin at
undeciluna@yahoo.com]
Wintu:
A Life in Parts
Part 1: Elementary School
Many zinesters publish out of a burning desire to document their lives. Who
knows where this irrepressible urge comes from? But when it’s strong within
you, there’s nothing to do but submit to it. Jen, a.k.a. Wintu, obviously feels
this urge, as her plan is to publish a series of autobio zines covering her life
from elementary school to the present. Wow. I’ve always taken a much more
haphazard approach myself, and I sure haven’t touched the younger years, but Jen
doesn’t shy away from any of it. She even includes pictures! So, what can I
say about this first effort? The writing is good, the layout is cute in a
pleasantly cut-and-pastey way, and the content is captivating. I was wary at
what I might find in these pages, as this type of thing could only succeed if a
delicate balance of detail is maintained, but Jen pulls it off, obviously only
including the stuff she thought other people would be interested in reading.
Nicely done. [5.5” x 8.5”, $3 from Sample Press Distro, PO Box 471159, Fort
Worth, TX 76147,
jen@samplepress.com,
www.samplepress.com/distro]
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Cumulative Index of Zines Reviewed
