Month: December 2019

(Untitled)
???

Untitled is an A6 black and white zine exploring concepts of love and sex through question and anonymous answer.

I’ve been in two minds about reviewing this zine, but I hope it’ll be clear in the review why I decided to go ahead.

Untitled is a zine launches right into the subjects of love in sex two different sets of questions (one for each topic – each with four questions). Anonymous people respond to questions like ‘who was your first love’ and ‘what did sex mean to you when you were 16’. Some answers are handwritten, others typed, and many include little drawings as well, adding a fun extra touch of personality to the responders.

I absolutely love the concept of this zine. The questions are easy to understand and leave room for both long and short answers. I like that they explored both love and sex at the same time but in a way that makes it clear that they are two different subjects.

The variety of answers covered a variety of emotions. Sadness, humour, happiness, and even being unsure. Some people have lost their first loves or become entirely disenchanted, while others have lives with their first loves. On the sex side of things, there is a part to draw your favourite sexual position, which led to an assortment of sweet and some funny drawings. (One had a bit of a diagram! Love it.)

The aesthetics suit this zine quite nicely in that it’s about the questions and the answers, and it doesn’t feel lacking. However, this does lead into a couple of nitpicks. The pages are landscape but not all in the same direction. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I was turning things around and actually went in the wrong reading direction at one point. It’s a small thing but very noticeable to me.

My other nitpick is the old one in that there aren’t any contact details or even a name to go on, so I can’t credit the maker or makers of this zine. (If you know, please let me know.) No title makes my detective efforts a bit more difficult.

That being said, I really enjoyed this zine – and I’d love to see more like it. The variety of answers, the different perspectives, and, of course, the subject matter. If you see a copy and enjoy the topics, then pick it up.

Do It Yourself Care #2: Self-Care During Heat Waves
Nina Echozina
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
https://www.instagram.com/echozines/

Do It Yourself Care #2: Self-Care During Heat Waves is a full-colour A6 mini-zine full of tips for taking care of yourself during heatwaves.

Given that there is currently a heatwave happening where I live (47C/116F forecast tomorrow), I think this is a great zine to dig into today.

Do It Yourself Care #2 opens with an introduction that I greatly appreciated. Nina writes about how addressing the problems of pollution and the like at the core is the ideal, but not everyone is able to join these fights and how we need to be able to survive to be able to be activists. I felt like it was a friendly nod to the fact that it’s okay to take care of yourself first.

From there Nina lists some tips for helping you to stay cool during a heatwave. I like that they are all fairly simple and easy steps to take that can make a big difference. I expected a mini-zine full of tips. However, I didn’t expect what came next: a playlist! Haha. It’s so fun and perfect, and it was a lovely surprise. I greatly enjoy trying new things, and a heatwave playlist is a lot of fun when you don’t want to move much.

In true fun Nina Echozina style, this mini unfolds to reveal a middle spread full of even more awesome tips for self-care during a heat wave. There’s a good variety of tips as well, from things that require a bit more energy to things that require less. I like this because it’s not all pre-heatwave prep nor is it ‘during heatwave measures’ to take.

And, of course, Nina’s neat, easy-to-read handwriting and awesome collage style is a pleasure.

This is definitely a zine to pick up. I don’t think it hurts to have tips on hand. Especially if you live in heat-prone areas.