Author: Nyx

Weird Sh** Out of Context
Latibule
https://linktr.ee/latibule_art

Weird Sh** Out of Context is a black and white, primarily text A7 mini-zine full of out-of-context quotes.

I was in the mood for something fun, and this zine really hit the spot. Full of plenty of strange – even in any context I can imagine – statements, each in their own speech bubbles, you can spend as much or as little time as you like pondering the strangeness. Latibule makes full use of the space, too, so there’s plenty to ponder.

Usually with a mini, I wouldn’t share any quotes because there’d be so few, but Latibule has filled this mini right up with strange and wonderful quotes. So I think it’s okay to share the quote that made me wonder the most and chuckle the most:

“Gooey, gooey children.”

Hilarious or horrifying – which way did your mind go?

My one nit pick is that Latibule didn’t include any socials or the like anywhere in the zine. Not a huge thing, but, in Latibule’s case, a lot of things that aren’t her come up when you google “Latibule” so I thought I’d mention.

Pick up this mini and other minis like it. It’s a fun reminder of what strange creatures we humans are.

A Problem With Your Background: Real life problems of youth offenders
Richard Larios
https://www.instagram.com/feralpublication/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkHGWfc44M5znpDg5adSog

A Problem With Your Background: Real life problems of youth offenders is a black and white US half-fold zine about how adults can be unfairly haunted by youth offences even decades later…

In A Problem With Your Background, Richard launches right into his story. This primarily text zine feels like it has one purpose: highlight how ridiculous the system is that can punish you so many years later (even though it’s not supposed to be able to do that with youth offences). Richard writes about difficult financial times that led to a job interview that would remind him that, unfortunately, with some companies he will never have to stop proving himself despite what he did as a teen.

I feel like this zine is a zine that exists to say “Hey, world! This happens, and it’s not right!” It’s an experience – a hard one to face and yet one so many people won’t realise even exists – printed out on a couple pieces of paper to speak to the world. I feel such a strong urge to pass this zine on so more people know. So more people can read about this and realise that, as horrible as this treatment is, this and worse happens every day.

As you may have noticed, this zine has me fired up. I’m angry and annoyed. I’ve always believed a writer’s job was to make the reader feel something, so in that, Richard has succeeded and then some. It’s a perzine with a punch, if you’ll allow the alliteration. And yet, I was impressed that this zine didn’t feel like the huge rant that it could have turned into with plenty more expletives and a lot more anger. But Richard writes effectively to the point.

This is one to pick up.