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Print Zine Reviews |
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CONTENTS |
These reviews are in
order from newest to oldest. All zines have worth. There are times
when I can't find any worth in them, but that doesn't mean it doesn't
exist. Any time someone creates something that expresses who they
are, that creation has immense value. Reviews are just opinions,
and everyone should form their own opinion. Just because i don't
like something doesn't mean you wont love it, right?
Watch the Closing Doors # 21 This zine starts with a very amusing anecdote about the title and a stupid NYC tourist. The rest of the zine contains nothing but stories about mass transit- how to catch a train if you’ve missed, why it’s better than the alternative, and so on. I don’t live anywhere near a subway, have only been on a train once, and haven’t been on a bus in nearly ten years, so most of the stories were lost on me. However, they were well written and I imagine someone who does use mass transit would find them to be witty and clever, perhaps even nod their head in agreement at some points brought up. So don’t let my lack of subway knowledge sway you from picking this up. Fred Argoff1800 Ocean Pkwy (#B-12) Brooklyn, NY 11223-3037
Fish With Legs # 7 By the second paragraph, you will be attempting to lick your own elbow. And you will try for a long time, because the author says it can’t be done. Any zine that has me trying to contort myself in an effort to do the impossible before I’ve even finished the intro is certainly worth checking out. The majority of the zine is about Beantown Zinetown 2002, from preparation to the end. He caps off the zine with “Wicked Fun Facts,” in which he divulges weird habits, odd things scene in the dollar store line, and other funny random facts. Definitely worth a peek. Eric Lyden 224 Moraine St Brocktown, MA 02301 Ericfishlegs@aol.com $1+stamp US, $2 worldwide, or trade
S.P.A.M.- #1 This is an extremely short zine, only 4 pages long. In those 4 pages, they discuss the S.F. Zinefest of 2002, the origins of SPAM, and regurgitate that poem we’ve all seen a million times- the one where the Canadian journalist sticks up for the US, and provide their own commentary on it, pointing out flaws. Interesting enough, but it could stand to be a bit longer. P.O.B. 2318 Pleasant Hill CA 94523 $1 or trade+ stamps US, $2 worldwide
Neufutur #8 James is highly intelligent and admits he has issues, both of which show throughout the zine. That’s a compliment, I think one needs to have issues in order to be an exceptional writer. Throughout the zine, despite his claims that he doesn’t bare himself to anyone, James gives the reader great insight into his mind and life. The articles aren’t really about anything in particular, but still they are fulfilling. My only complaint- use different font on the red background of the cover pages, it hurt my head. The rest is fine though. James McQuiston UB Box 6064, 408 S. Locus, Greencastle, IN 46135 jmcquiston@depauw.edu $1 US, $2 worldwide or trade, free to prisoners.
SLAB Comix #1 A comic about a little rock looking creature (slab) going through his day. There are no words, and I don’t get most of the symbols in the thought bubbles, but I think he’s thinking about feces and love. Still, kind of cute in an odd sort of way. Could have done without the potty humor parts, I never did see how anyone could find that stuff amusing. My husband, however, laughed upon opening it, so apparently it is funny. John Miers 66a Settles Street, London E1 1JP $3 US surface mail, $5 airmail, Eur$3 Europe, 2pounds UK or trade
Imaginary Windows #1 Erin delves into the act of changing a name, including how she came up with her own; the innate desire of all girls to have what a Tiffanys ad portrays, and tries to resurrect the fine custom of the tea party- complete with recipes. She also shares a highly personal and moving letter to a girl in her class. Erin is obviously a very open minded and whimsical woman, and it shows in her writing. Erin Fae1034 Irving St, San Francisco CA 94122 $1+2 stamps, or $1.50, trades considered email first.
Thred I’m not generally a big comics person, but the artwork depicted in this zine was fantastic. I couldn’t get into most of the stories, which seemed to run into each other, but the pictures made up for that. The comic starts out with Stan, a toymaker I believe, then runs into other bizarre glimpses into various characters. The cover is my favorite part though, full color and adorable in a creepy sort of way. Bruce Orr, PO Box 720, Delaware City De, 19706 bruce@immersionpress.com (email first, he may have a new address) $4 Communist Voice Vol.8 #1 Although I do not
agree with many of the viewpoints expressed in this zine, I do admire
the logical and clear manner in which they are presented. This issue
covers quite a few aspects of terrorism and the war with Afghanistan. It
points to the US as the biggest terrorist, and clearly outlines why. It
also covers various aspects of the Taliban. If nothing else, this zine
will make you think. It may also make you angry, which is not always a
bad thing. I suggest taking a look at it. Round Things Roll #3 It is essentially a tour
diary by a girl who seems to have literally been everywhere and has done
more in her life than most of us will ever do. She even hopped trains as
a means of travels, that in itself sold me. Her stories are interesting,
and she has one for just about every state. There are also interviews
with acoustic punk musicians, but the highlight is definitely the tour
diary itself. Fantastic zine. PO BOX 11384 Portland, OR 97211$2.50 Survivor Vol 12 No. 6 For the most part, this issue is an anthology of articles and
snippets from various other locations.
There are some very useful tips, such as money saving ideas, ways
to avoid getting scammed and so on.
There is also several pages of paragraph long articles called The
Armed Citizens, which is about normal people who seize an opportunity to
stop a crime with their own guns. The tips alone make it worth checking
out. Monica Evans 1115 4th
Ave. Long Island, NY 11101 $2 Suggested Donation, $20/two year sub
The 2nd Hand #5 This newsletter
contains 4 short stories and a few small filler pieces.
I could only read three of the stories, one was written in
German. Budding writers
need all the exposure they can get, so this zine does a good thing.
However, I felt that these stories should have gone through at
least one more draft before being printed.
There is potential, but the writing is too loose and doesn’t
make sense in some spots. Since it’s free though, I suggest getting it
as you may discover a gem in one. 2641
½ N. Spaulding #15 Chicago, IL 60647 Free Crack Whore Quarterly #2 (?) This zine has some
really funny stuff in it. “Drugs
I’ve Known” details the author’s first speed experience and
general teenage craziness. There
is a four part story about a crack house written in a Charles Dicken’s
manner that I found amusing, and other bits to occupy your time.
I also appreciate anyone who prints their hate mail. Get a copy. P.O.
Box 82 Lawrence KS 66044 xoe@msn.com
$1 The Period Conspiracy
This is a must read for anyone who bleeds monthly.
Did you know that the government considers tampons a luxury item?
I didn’t until I read this. You’ll also find out how the
tampon and pad industry is responsible for the way we view our periods,
what dangers are associated with them, and more valuable info on the
subject. It’s free, so
you have no excuse not to get it. Chlam
Media Press 2504 Ravencroft Ct Va Beach Va 23454 cooties@rocketmail.com
www.bluedesign.com/cooties
Free No Man is a Riker #3
At first glance it’s your typical anti-cop anarchist type zine.
The major difference is that instead of babbling on about
injustices from afar, the articles are by people who were actually in
the midst of real police brutality, protests and the like.
I was annoyed by the accusation that by voting I am contributing
to a suppressive country, but everyone is entitled to their opinion I
guess. I also found some of
the other stereotypes (all cops are bad, etc) a bit agitating, but all
in all it was a good read. PO BOX 1273 Cypress, CA 90630 $1 Girl and Her Bike #8
This rather beefy little zine reads pretty much like a diary,
complete with what the author ate and what she was feeling when she woke
up in the morning. Lots of
people like reading other people’s diaries, I kind of do.
The major problem is that this one is very hard to read.
Part of it is handwritten and almost completely illegible, the
other part is typed with odd spacing that drove me nuts.
If that is fixed, I’m sure the next issue will be fantastic. PO
Box 2425 Winnipeg MB Canada alwayrockit@hotmail.com
$3US/Canada/Mexico $4.50 elsewhere Whirligig #3
This is one of the few literary zines I’ve come across lately
that actually contains very high quality short fiction. The editor has obviously taken great care in choosing the
best pieces possible to present in a neat little package. I highly suggest checking it out because I feel that based on
the work shown, the writers will enjoy great success if they keep up
what they’ve shown here. 4809
Avenue N # 117 Brooklyn NY 11234 $3 Second Guess # 16
A very interesting and educational zine that explores the
different points and counterpoints of vegetarianism, explains about
animism, and discusses the aspects of family systems and cultural
systems. The only problem
is that it lacks personality. It
reads very much like a term paper, albeit a paper worthy of an A.
If you want to learn about these subjects, check it out.
If you want entertainment, look elsewhere.
Bob Conrad PO Box 9382 Reno, NV 89507 $3.50 US, $4 Canada and
Mexico, $5 elsewhere Pearshaped #4 The author is in Japan,
and I just got back from there so I found this zine very interesting.
There is a great article about feminism in Japan written by a
Japanese woman, and an embarrassing story about getting past the
language barrier at a most inopportune time. Other stories about her life in Japan and various show
reports round it out. A
fantastic zine worth giving a look.
Mia Ellis Yamamura Haitsu 203, San-no-machi 8-24, Tsuroku
Yamagata Japan, 997-0028 meeme@usa.net
$1 How I got so Xtra Tough
#4
This zine consists of the author’s tales at sea on fishing
boats. Based on the stories, I am assuming the author was a cook on he
boats. The stories are personable and interesting, and there is even a
recipe towards the end, and a glossary for the rest of us land lubbers.
The tales are fun to read, and it’s definitely something
different for once. It’s
nice to see something completely original.
Moe Bowstern PO Box 6834 Portland OR, 97228 $1 US, $1.50
Canada/Mexico, $2 elsewhere Betty Paginated #23 This issue comes with a freebie. Mine was a CD, yours will be different. That’s always a nice touch as everyone loves free surprises. There is a lot of nudity in this zine, be warned. It also contains a lot of wrestling articles. The other articles range from smutty to witty, cover subjects as varied as obituaries to reviews. Everything is written with an attitude that amuses me. Sort of reminds me of Larry Flynt. PO BOX A1412, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia danhelen@idx.xom.au $5US, $6 elsewhere Offline #16 Although there is a lot of very
good and informative content in this zine focusing on the war in
Columbia, an in depth analysis of Heavy metal music, and beautifully
written inspirational stories the article that really stood out in my
mind was “Roomates from Hell”.
Anyone who has ever had to endure a stranger for a roommate can
relate to this witty rant. This
is an all around terrific zine and was a real pleasure to read.
Vincent Romano 35 Barker Ave #4G White Plains, NY 10601free Admit One #2 The Love Issue A few poems, a short story, some
quotes and lyrics that have to do with love.
It’s your average cut and paster, some pages way to dark to
read the illegible handwriting. Still,
it has an old fashioned zine charm to it that you don’t see often
these days. My copy had a story that started mid sentence and faded off
the page, I wonder if that was an error. Has potential
PO BOX 225 Penngrove, CA 94951$ The Amputee #1
This
zine is 100% poetry with a few sketches thrown in to compliment them.
I’m not a great fan of most poetry, but I believe if you like
this stuff, you will be thrilled with this new zine.
There are no bells and whistles to distract you from your
reading. I commend anyone
who makes an effort to get new stuff out there, so I recommend checking
this out if you enjoy reading undiscovered poets.
2742 16th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407 $1 Chain Reaction #5
An anti-capitalism political zine that
inspires the reader to do something other than wine about the injustices
of the world. Most of the
articles have to do with fighting capitalism, but one in particular
caught m attention more than the others.
It was an article about saving the American family, which
pinpoints the reasons our family lives are going down the drain.
Another important piece asks the reader to write congress to free
a captive American girl in Peru. South
Chicago ABC Zine Distro P.O.B. 721 Homewood, IL 60430 www.worksintl.com/chainreaction
$2 US $2.50 elsewhere Cometbus #47 Wow, there’s a lot of reading here. Seventy six different “slice of life” style articles to
be precise. All of them a
good read. From
relationships to motivational to silly to meaningful, there is something
that every single person on earth can relate to.
Absolutely amazing writing here folks.
You cannot miss this zine. BBT
PO BOX 4279, Berkeley, CA 94704 $2.50 Creature Features: The Hamtramck Funnies The
majority of this zine is taken up by a cool comic about a seemingly
insane, weird looking little guy and his adventures in a psychotropic
drug induced world. The rest features more comics and art work.
The entire zine is filled with amazingly detailed, extremely
impressive drawings. It’s
just amazing. I recommend
picking it up just for that fact alone.
Granted, the subject matter isn’t my thing, but wow to the art.
2747 Caniff Apt 13, Hamtramk, Mich. 482?? FREE Idiosyncrasy #3
The great thing about this zine is that
the writer is so passionate and enthusiastic about her subjects.
The first article details how she came to be involved with her
boyfriend and how it led to her move to Massachusetts.
The rest of the zine follows her adventures as a tourist, whale
watching, and getting settled. The
content is not what enthralls the reader though, it is the sheer
excitement that she pours on to the pages that kept me reading.
Cherry Thomas POB 931333 LA CA 90093 $1 or trade The Inner Swine Vol. 7 #1 This
is one of the best zines I have read in ages.
Every last page was good, which almost never happens. The article
entitled “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” cracked me up with ways to
help “morons” just end their lives already.
A little cynical maybe, but funny as hell. More incredibly
amusing yet insightful and oddly logical articles follow.
The great thing about this zine is the way the words flow like
easy conversation. No
stiff, uptight writing here. Just
pages and pages of pure entertainment. This is a real keeper.
Jeff Somers 293 Griffith St. # 9 Jersey City, NJ 07307 $2 US,
$3 The Penny Dreadful # 13 In
this issue, Mark emails a shrink about the animal collecting phenomena,
entertains readers with what I hope are fake letters from a man who
collects paintings of animals with stomach problems; details Randal-esqu
type adventures as a video store clerk which is oddly touching at one
point, and still finds time to educae readers on the life of one of the
greatest detectives. An all
around terrific read from cover to cover. 3148 SE Sarmon St. Apt. C
Portland, OR 97214 Manruss1989@yahoo.com
www.hevanet.com/pendread/ $2US, $2.50 CAN, $4 WORLD, or trade QWCE (Question Everything, Challenge Everything) #
12 As soon as I saw the article about animal
cruelty in circus’, I knew I was going to love the rest of this zine.
Even the opinions I didn’t agree with were so logically
presented that it gave me something to really think about.
“A concise History of Milk” is very informative, I now know
what was on our Earth 30,000,000 years ago.
This issue also contained a lot of articles about Unity 2000.
So much great stuff in here, everyone should get a copy.
406 Main St. #3C, Collegeville PA 19426 qece@yahoo.com
$2.50 The Secret Files of Captain Sissy #4 This
political zine is full of well thought out, concise, logical,
skillfully written articles spanning subjects such as the need to
teach teens how to have safer homosexual sex to pages on Columbine and
teen angst to theories about prisons = sweatshops. The zine is nicely
designed and easy to read without a single page of filler junk. The
author has obviously put a lot of research time into the subjects. Well
worth the money it costs. 3907 Wedgewood Dr. Portage, MI 49024 captainsissy@girlswirl.net
$2 Severe #1 Mostly art work and comics, but there
are a few articles at the end. One
of which focuses on George Bush and his family’s nazi history. Very informative and disturbing. Speaking of disturbing, some
of the art work in here will give me nightmares for a week!
Comics about cannibal family reunions, a horrific retelling of
Cinderella, and more gore round out this bizarre zine.
Check it out and lose your lunch. 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd., Ste.
123 #436, San Deigo, CA 92121 $4 Slug and Lettuce # 65
Get out your magnifying glass, you’re
gonna need it. the print is
smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.
Once you get past that though, there’s a lot of great stuff in
this newspaper style zine. Loads
of zine, books, and music reviews, a few quality articles about useful
herbs, ecopunk, and other random subjects.
The reviews are the predominant feature.
Pretty cool, especially considering it’s free.
PO BOX 26632 Richmond VA 23261-6632 FREE Stupider Comics #26
Although there isn’t much to it, I
thought this was a really cute zine.
The comics are all pretty well drawn, a little dirty at times,
but for the most part full of odd little puns.
So it’s a little too short, it’s better than most of the junk
you get out of a gumball machine for the same price.
Michael Goetz 2124 Arizona Ave. Rockford, IL 61108 .25+ 1
stamp Umbrella Vol.23 # 3
This resource zine for artists is
filled with art book reviews, info on upcoming exhibitions, available
opportunities, and calls for entries.
Also includes a Lost and Found section which has interest tid
bits about the scientific reason for Mona Lisa’s smile, archeological
finds, and more. Although
most useful to artists, this zine can also be a wealth of info for
people who are merely interested in the arts.
PO BOX 3640 Santa Monica CA 90408 $18 for 1 year, $20 overseas
Ventilator #8
Zines don’t get much better than this
for two bucks. The
highlight of this issue was the punk timeline running across the bottom
of many pages, covering 1967 to 2000.
“Memoirs of a DC punk” is entertaining, especially
considering I’m not usually one for other people’s memoirs.
The “Napster Review” section is a pretty original concept,
they review a CD made up entirely of songs you can only get by
downloading it online. An interview with Ian Mackay, a scene report, and
misc. articles nicely round out the issue.
1270 8th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122 [$264S 1:15]
–Nicole The Whizzbanger Guide to Zine Distributors 5 An excellent resource for any zine publisher looking for distributors, with listings of distributors all over the world. I only have one major problem. Since the ads are all self description based, the reader has to rely on only the word of the distro. I’d prefer to see some sort of testimony as to the reliability of the distro before sending my hard work in. Other than that, I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to get a wider audience for their zines. Shannon Colebank POB 5591 Portland OR 9722 $4 Struggle Vol 16 # 2-3: A Magazine of
Proletarian Revolutionary Literature
Summer/Fall 2000
Oh no, another poetry zine right?
Well, yes, it’s full of poetry, with a few pieces of prose, but
at least they have a point. All
the pieces in this zine are, in one way or another, full of political
statements. Several
defended the protests in Seattle during the WTO conference.
Others point out hypocrisy and downfalls of our political system.
AS with any collection of works by many authors, most are very
well written, but there is the occasional “what was this person
thinking/did they take English in high school piece”.
I don’t mind poetry if it has some obvious meaning, and these
do. A little costly though.
PO BOX 13261 Detroit, MI 48213-0261 timhall11@yahoo.com
$4 Revolution 21 #2: The
Independent Film and Theater magazine
This is a Canadian based zine.
The authors make a point of letting you know that they are not
anti- corporate film people, just that they are pro-indie.
You get the best of both worlds here, interviews and info about
films you may not know about, and blurbs about films you know and love. I really liked the Movie Morals bit, which covers the Wizard
of Oz, Pulp Fiction, and Romeo and Juliet.
I wasn’t even aware that Pulp Fiction had a moral, let alone an
entire page worth of them. There
are also a few articles completely unrelated to film.
A little something for everyone, worth a look. Email for info on
how to get it. revolution_21_@hotmail.com
$2 Joan’s Town Fashion Issue Vol. 4
Hmmm, I don’t really know what to
make of this zine. I guess
if you care about fashion at all, this would be interesting to you. I particularly don’t.
I did find the “Fashion Subtext in Star Wars” fairly
interesting though, and there were other decent pieces throughout.
But I don’t get the premise.
Are they supposed to be aliens?
This zine has potential, but needs more clarity and organization.
If you’re interested in the history of shoes however, you will
probably enjoy it. Citizens
of Zee PO BOX 45636 Seattle, WA 98145-0636 Indy Unleashed #9 Summer 2000
A small review zine nicely divided into
categories. In this issue,
reviews of political zines, comics bought at SPACE (Small Press and
Alternative Comics Expo), and literary zines, as well as web site
reviews. Also has two
articles about various zine issues, such as websites and what not. I liked this zine quite a bit, probably because I completely
agree with all the points he makes (such as how he doesn’t read
fiction on the web, and how web reviews make more sense online, but
there comes a point when you just feel the need to put them in a zine
too). Owen Thomas POB
9651 Columbus, OH 43209 $1.65 Spaghetti #7 Consists
almost entirely of journal style writing, giving great insight into the
mind of the author. This style can go both ways, either giving the
reader too much boring information about the daily life of the author,
or managing to amuse and captivate the reader to the end.
This is one of the few zines that pulled off the later, including
humorous snippets about joining a gym, naked ladies in jacuzzi’s ,
identity crisis’, and so much more.
The review section is lacking, one sentence does not make a
review, especially when the review is of a movie.
But it’s easy to overlook that small detail when the rest of
the zine is so good. PO
BOX 8782 Erie, PA 16505 $2 cash or stamps Music Geek #1 As you can tell by the title, it’s a music zine.
All music, nothing else. Interviews
with Mary Prankster; Bryan Rink (the co founder of PunkRock Television,
a cable access show), and yet more interviews.
All are pretty well done with a combo of the normal questions and
a few inspired new ones. Ends
with a fairly decent music review section.
Not exactly original, but not many zines are these days when
everything has already been done. Pretty
good for a premier issue. PO
BOX 84152 Pheonix, AZ 85071-4152 musicgeek@marijuana.com
$2 Microfilm #3 Another
great issue for the truly independent film fan and producer.
This first anniversary issue includes articles about Esther Bell,
producer of Godass; Katie Nisa, creator of Threat; an article about
Overlooked Film Festival. Best
article by far was about View Askew (think Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing
Amy, Dogma) since I love anything Kevin Smith does.
Then there is the continuing C-U Confidential, the detective
style story/articles that scream originality.
Rounding out yet another great issue are reviews of movies you
probably wont find in your local Blockbuster.
Always enjoy this magazine, it is VERY well done.
Opteryx Press P.O. Box 45 Champaign, IL 61824-0045 microfilm@artisticunderground.com
www.artisticunderground.com/mf_unbound
$3.50 for 1 issue, $10 for 3, $18 for 6 Broken Pencil #14 This is the all girl zine roundup issue. Starts out with a slew of articles and event news, ends with loads of well written reviews of girl zines. I enjoyed “Dear E-Diary”, an in depth article of zines vs. e-zines. Another interesting pice was “After the Riot”, which is basically survey type responses to questions such as “Where did you get your first zine?” and so on. There is a lot of great content, too much to relate all of it in this review. It’s been around awhile now, if you haven’t checked it out, you should do so. PO BOX 203, Stn P, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S7 Canada editor@brokenpencil.com $4.95
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