Author: Nyx

LP’s Lists: A 24 Hour Zine
Logpoes
https://yourfriendlp.wordpress.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LogPoesShop

I feel like it might say something bad about me how I derive pleasure from getting ‘limited run’ zines. I love list zines, I was ordering another zine from LogPoes anyway, but seeing this in the description on Etsy made getting it all the more pleasureable:

List zine written for the 24 hour zine thing challenge. 24 pages, A6, full colour, limited edition of 24 copies. I’m not reprinting this zine, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. 🙂

Anyway, list zine! It doesn’t take much to figure out what this zine has inside. I absolutely love lists (to the point where I had to get myself to stop making them for a while) and especially list zines. I find that list zines have this awesome way of showing so much personality with so few words. LP’s Lists is no exception. With excellent handwriting (a must for zines that are handwritten) and simple art, you get to know LPs desk, current reads, current music…

I love that, as the intro, LP gives a list of reasons why she decided to make a list zine. A little bit of cheekiness goes a long way.

My favourite list, though? “What I Order at the Sushi Restaurant” It’s always nice to find another sushi enthusiast. Yum!

It’s a quick-ish read, as you might imagine, but I enjoyed every minute.

Hey Ho Banjo
Mariah Calman
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/KeepCalmMariah

Sometimes you see a zine, and you just know that you have to grab a copy. That’s what happened to me, anyway.

I am the proud human to two dogs and one cat, so I have a soft spot in my heart for things cat and dog. The Etsy listing for this zine had a few peeks inside, and they reminded me so much of my dogs. Well…

To get to the technical bits, this zine is lovely in that it has a slightly stiffer card for the cover (I always appreciate that) and higher-than-standard GMS paper inside. I love the feel of higher GSM paper, and – while sometimes it doesn’t matter – I think it can really be of benefit when you have a zine with thick, black sections. I think if there had been and show-through on the pages, it would have taken a tiny bit of my enjoyment of this zine away. As it is, the pages are crisp and there is no show-through.

On the surface, this is a quick read, but I’ve gone back through it a few times to enjoy the humour and the art. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, the art in this one really fascinates me. I keep finding myself looking at the pictures, holding them really close to my face, and then holding them at normal distance again.

The to-do list is so cute and reminds me so much of my dogs.

Obviously if you don’t like(?!)/aren’t into dogs, then you might want to pass over this zine. But if you have/have had dogs, I think you’re really going to like this one. It’s definitely a keeper for me.

A Guide to Letter Writing
Jane Cantwell
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AdventuresinKindness
#luckyjarzines

I got this, A History of Abandoned Hobbies, A Guide to Being Cool, and A Guide to Op Shopping as a lovely little bundle.*

I’ve been writing letters since I was a kid, so I don’t exactly need help in that department, but I do like having ‘sets’ of zines, so…

A Guide to Letter Writing is a beautifully bright full-coloured, A7-sized mini-zine. I love all the beautiful colours in this zine. It makes the whole thing more fun and nice to look at. Another pleasant surprise to be found inside was that, instead of list of tips and tricks, it’s set up like magnet poetry words on a fridge. Each page has a header (like “How to Decorate a Letter”) with the typed suggestions all pasted in at different angles below.

Very fun.

*The links will only begin working as the other reviews are posted.

Things I Know About Cooking and Not Eating Animals
Shit and Sundries
http://universalwastelandpirate.tumblr.com/

I’m not anywhere near to being vegetarian or vegan so I have to admit that I was wondering if I would really get anything out of Things I Know About Cooking and Not Eating Animals. As it turns out, I did.

I love that S&S starts off with a funny, ‘keepin’ it real’ confession about her beginnings in becoming a vegetarian. I’m not here to judge anyone’s reasons behind their life choices, but admitting that it came from something silly makes the zine more relate-able. When you’re talking about potentially sensitive subjects, a bit of humour can definitely help.

There’s a bit of most things I think you’d expect to see in this zine. There are things she wishes she’d cooked with sooner, recipes, how to re-hydrate dried beans, and more. It certainly introduced me to some things that I’d never even heard of before (textured vegetable protein, anyone?). Plus, just because I’m not a vegetarian, it doesn’t mean I don’t love my beans and own a dehydrator.

There’s a blank page in the back for ‘notes and stuff’ that I think is cool. I’ve never seen a notes page in a zine before. That may be for obvious reasons, but I like seeing new and different things in zines.

All up, it might not be quite my thing, but it was a good zine in the subject that taught me things without preaching to me.

Fuck Fame
http://www.missionminicomix.com/

Fuck Fame is an A7-sized mini-zine that calls to task the privilege granted by popularity – specifically within the band/punk scene.

This is what I love to see in a mini-zine – especially mini-zines made out of a single piece of paper. Just because you don’t have a lot of space doesn’t mean you can’t still have a lot of content. Fuck Fame is a well done comic zine with excellent, surprisingly detailed art, clear handwriting, and a message that needs to be heard.

I very nearly missed the URL in there, but they placed it well. Haha. Excellent use of space.