Author: Nyx

Zine Review: Goosebumps Issue Six: Guide to The Sea of Trees
https://goosebumpszine.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/goosebumpszine/

Zine Review: Goosebumps Issue Six: Guide to The Sea of Trees is an A5 black and white zine about Aokigahara – The Sea of Trees aka The Suicide Forest in Japan.

Goosebumps Six opens with an introduction to Aokigahara from the Wikipedia page as well as photos from inside the forest. I couldn’t help thinking even from the first glance inside that black and white printing suits this zine completely. I also like that the intro – even though it’s from the Wiki page – gives a subtle reminder that there is more nuance to this place than has been put forward in the recent past.

However, that in no way means that this zine avoids or in any way side steps the dark history and dark mythology of Aokigahara.

A collection of Photos and text snippets touch briefly on various topics associated with the forest. From it being used as the location of the horror movie ‘The Forest’ to the souls that are said to wander amongst the trees, I appreciated the inclusion of sources with most of the text clips so I can read the full articles.

There is one section of text that left me a little confused. It ends with ‘so have a look…’ at the story that follows, but no stories follow. I was looking forward to them. That being said, this zine still left me with more knowledge than I started with not to mention a sense of unease and sadness.

This isn’t a zine to be taken lightly, with some photos containing disturbing content. As someone who has been fascinated by the dark and the paranormal since childhood, I found this to be an interesting zine about Aokigahara.

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.