Month: May 2019

Pocket Thoughts 3
Ryan
https://linktr.ee/_my_name_is_ryan_

Pocket Thoughts 3 is a quarter-sized black and white perzine about all sorts of things.

Usually after I’ve read one zine in a series, I know that to expect in the zines that follow. But after reviewing Pocket Thoughts 2, I only knew that this issue would be another adventure.

Pocket Thoughts 3opens with a brief introduction from Ryan, all his socials, and a few small clips. Like I wrote, you never know what you’re going to get with Pocket Thoughts, and the clips are a mix of short anecdotes, jokes, and brief thoughts. A word search puzzle where you don’t find words so much as specific strings of letters shows Ryan’s sarcastic sense of humour isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Ryan continues with his full-of-variety zine style that is still quite adult with swearing, a thought piece on how it’s likely that at some point in time someone has masturbated thinking about you, and a list of ‘People Who Can Fuck the Hell Off’ list.

Like the ‘why the world needs compassion more than love’ piece from Pocket Thoughts 2 did, ‘Why elections are like mall food carts’ stands out to me. The metaphor carries even better than I thought it would and gives a cynical, dark humour look at current political systems. While it does have a US-focus, I think it applies to plenty of other governments as well. It makes me think that a whole ‘Elections are a lot like…’ collab zine could be a very good read.

There is a piece called Slut that, to be honest, I don’t really understand. Not that the piece itself is hard to understand but because I’m not sure what the purpose of it is. It uses language that is uncomfortable to read – especially when you know that’s the way some people think and speak. Then again, maybe that’s the point. Perhaps we shouldn’t always read what is comfortable because it keeps us from confronting bigger issues.

Pocket Thoughts 3 is a strange but utterly fitting next edition in a series that leaves me all the more curious about what will be included in the next one.

Dear Diary, Today I Died 3
Avery Flinders
http://chickencollective.storenvy.com/

Dear Diary, Today I Died 3 is a full-colour A5 gaming zine about finding new games to play, hidden characters, and more.

“The key is to make friends who have the same taste in horrible games that I do.”

Hahahaha.

Avery opens this third issue of the Dear Diary series writing about how being spoiled for choice with so many new games out there can be a bit bewildering. As quoted above, Avery’s solution is to make friends with people who have similar tastes in games. This was a funny start to the zine for me because I have two friends I used to meet up with regularly to discuss the latest games we’d discovered.

After that, Avery gives a rundown of hidden characters from the game The Binding of Isaac – a game that clearly means a lot to them. Even though I don’t have the game (yet), it was nice to read such clear enthusiasm from Avery about the subject.

In the middle spread of this issue, we’re treated to what will stand as the first of an ‘once and issue piece on a game that has queerness baked into the very process of playing’. Not only do I think this is fun because, well, I love gaming, but I also think it’s important for younger queer readers who may be looking for ways to identify with popular media. In this issue, Avery writes about Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, a game that sounds very strange and intriguing.

Avery writes a short but touching piece about keeping a digital vigil of sorts for friends who have passed away by using a phone game. In the phone game, Avery can still visit creations made by the friends who have passed. They touch on the topic of how now, in a digital age, our digital selves can remain behind even after our biological selves have passed away. I call this piece short because it leaves me wanting to read more about the topic of our digital selves from both Avery and others as well.

The cover of this zine features Webber, a character from Don’t Starve, which is the first thing that caught my attention for this whole series. I’ve absolutely loved Don’t Starve since it first got started on Steam (a game marketplace, etc). So you can imagine I loved reading Avery’s thoughts on the multiplayer version of the game: Don’t Starve Together. They write about how the multiplayer game can be a great way to catch up when distance and other factors keep you from catching up with friends in person.

If you hadn’t already guessed from my reviews of Dear Diary, Today I Died 1 and Dear Diary, Today I Died 2, I really like this zine and series. I like the mix of game commentary, recommendations, and links between gaming and real world topics. I hope to see the next zine in this series soon.

Sometimes People Don’t Suck 1, 2, 3
Hannah Williams
http://wemakezines.com/members/hrw7005/profile/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HRWzines

Sometimes People Don’t Suck 1, 2, 3 are a set of black and white one-page mini-zines, each one featuring a brief and pleasant interaction with a stranger.

It’s easy to go on about how bad people are, so it’s nice to see reminders that people are good, too.

As someone who has social anxiety, these zines with both confronting and comforting. The moment Hannah was approached by a stranger, I felt myself tense up and get nervous despite well and truly knowing the title of the zines. I still had a bit of tension in me by the time I finished reading all three stories, but the logical part of me recognised how reassuring it is to read about people being nice when they had nothing to gain.

Save for ‘HRW’ on the back of each zine, there aren’t any contact details. A Google search brings up the Human Rights Watch, so it might be worth putting an email or social on them.

As much as they made me a little tense, I enjoyed the reminders that there are sweet, generous, nice people out there – including Hannah.

A Review of Festival of the Photocopier 2019
JEM Hast
https://www.jemhast.com/

A Review of Festival of the Photocopier 2019 is an A5 black and white zine about Festival of the Photocopier 2019 – JEM’s first FotP!

Review opens with a summary of JEM’s day one of Festival of the Photocopier. JEM started the day folding zines on the train while on the way to the festival and ended it with a backpack full of zines. (Score!) JEM writes about meeting various zinesters – including yours truly. I must admit that it was strange in a truly lovely way to read about our meeting in person from JEM’s perspective.

The rest of the zine is a fun collection of bits and bobs. At one point they show the signs from their table (they tabled on day two), and I smiled when I say the ‘trades welcome’ sign. I really love JEM and tablemate Cassie’s idea of bringing a notebook along that people could add to it for inclusion in the zine. I absolutely adore the idea. Sketches from various people fill other pages.

JEM’s zine haul list is on the back inside cover and is quite impressive. Haha.

This zine is event-specific and happens to be an event I went to, so I am a bit biased in that way. That being said, I think this zine is a fun, fairly quick read that will serve as a fun reminder of the event.