Author: Nyx

Why Does Society Care So Much About My Body Hair?
Crash Reynolds & Edd Castillo
8 pages
https://utopiabycrash.wixsite.com/hello
https://www.instagram.com/indeliblecrash
https://www.instagram.com/ozzyugi/

Why Does Society Care So Much About My Body Hair? is an 11cm x 14cm black text on coloured paper zine about feelings around body hair and body hair expectations.

Razors, waxing, societal expectations… Never the makings of a good thing.

This mini opens with Crash writing about body hair embarrassment when they were younger. Crash was prevented from shaving and required to wax if they wanted to remove body hair. Crash writes briefly about the shame around body hair and how that goes against the traits that we’re trained to believe society expects. After this, in the middle of the zine on neon orange paper, Edd shares their body hair experiences from youth in comic form. From there we go back to Crash who struggles with their feelings around their leg hair but is starting to face it.

As a person with PCOS, I am well-acquainted with the trials and horrors around body hair, so I already empathised with Crash and Edd on the subject. Crash’s writing is thoughtful and to the point whereas Edd features a setting I’ve never been in: the boys locker room for the opposite kind of experience I have faced.

I loved that Crash and Edd teamed up to share both of these experiences though because it makes it oh so clear that so many people experience this kind of pressure. Two sides of a coin, if you will. I think it was a great way to handle a big picture with only two authors.

Why Does Society Care So Much About My Body Hair? left me feeling a bit sad about why humanity continues to demand things of each other that don’t really matter in the end. (Your body, your choice.) But I am glad to see zines like this because body hair is still very much a discussion in media for various reasons. This is definitely worth picking up, reading, and pondering. And, perhaps, making your own zine on the topic.

A Zine-Zine Proposition
Billy McCall
8 pages
https://www.patreon.com/iknowbilly
https://www.youtube.com/user/iknowbilly

A Zine-Zine Proposition is a US-sized, half-fold, black and white, primarily text zine collection of the best/worst lines from Winner Takes All to create an out-of-context text…

This zine probably wasn’t intended for serious examination by any means, but I needed a laugh today, and this zine certainly provided. Also, not really suitable for younger readers.

Out of habit, I looked at the cover and then looked at the back – something I recommend doing with this zine. Billy gives his own take on the synopsis of Sebastian and Missy’s ‘love’ story, which had me chuckling straight away and feeling prepared for what I would find inside. Well, as prepared as I could be.

Inside Billy launches right into his featured bits and pieces of Winner Takes All. Through these chosen bits of text, we are introduced to Sebastian and Missy – neither of which quite get to any sort of positive light. They’re in Vegas, and they’re tempted to some adult activities with each other. All of which you picked up from Billy’s synopsis.

While these look like complete sentences and paragraphs taken out, some are actually just phrases and snippets. They are more than enough, however, as the reader moves back and forth between wondering what in the world is going on and what in the world kind of sentence is “He wasn’t undisturbed by her nearness”.

On the back, Billy asks if any of this makes sense taken out of context like this. Sort of… but then again, it doesn’t really matter. If you’ve read these sorts of books, you can fill in the blank spots. If you haven’t, I hope the confusion you feel is an amused sort of confusion.

A Zine-Zine Proposition is exactly the sort of zine I wanted to read today: something a bit ridiculous that made me laugh out loud. On one hand, I feel bad for the writer. But I have also enjoyed many a cheesy romance novel in my time as well, so I know just how high the cheese gets piled at times and can laugh along with my guilty pleasure. If you’re like a chuckle, pick this one up.

Really though, what about Tim and all his anime?!

Moon
Edited by Joseph Carlough
16 Authors
20 pages
https://www.displacedsnail.com
https://www.instagram.com/displacedsnail/

Moon is a 9cm x 14cm black and white, primarily text zine with short pieces from sixteen different authors on the theme of ‘moon’.

I am all about moon and stars aesthetics lately, so I got right into this one.

Moon opens to a title page before going into the first short story: a funny consideration from Carolyn Busa about why it’s probably best that we aren’t going to the moon. (Not what I expected in this zine, let alone for the first piece, but that just gave me an even bigger smile because of it.) There are more contemplative stories, myths, and even comics as well. The role of the moon during the Civil War in the piece by Heather Butts touched me as it mentions Harriet Tubman – someone who has been an inspiration to me since I wrote a report about her in third fourth grade.

The layout of this zine is lovely. The slightly marble blue paper of the title page is a nice touch an carries the colour in from the cover. The type is clear and easy to read, and each author/artist’s details are even easier to read.

I’m impressed by the writers given their rather dramatic limitations on word count, but I have to tip my hat to the comic artists for packing so much into such a small space.

Some of the pieces really hit it for me, and some didn’t. This is the nature of a collaborative zine and one of the reasons I love this type of zine. These are all new-to-me names, and it’s nice to have details for following up with people whose creations really struck me.

If you’d like to try something new with a mixture of new voices, then this is definitely a zine for you to check out.

Welcome To Nursing HELLo
Joel Craig
36 pages
http://www.welcometonursinghello.com
https://www.amazon.com/Joel-Craig/e/B00F2L9H9M/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Welcome To Nursing HELLo is a 13.5cm x 17cm black and white comic zine about Joel’s life as a nurse.

This is one of those zines I’m very curious about but am almost a little wary because nurses go through a lot of intense situations! But curiosity wins.

Welcome To Nursing HELLo opens with some fine print type details on the inside front cover before getting right into the comics with a brief introduction to Joel. From there we get into a wide variety of topics: the impact of hours and scheduling, interactions between nurses and between nurses and doctors, and even a dream with Madonna. Some stories are funny, some tense, and others are even educational with a ‘tips for nurses’ feel.

The middle spread of the comic serves as a game board for ‘The Nurse Game’, which even has a set of rules and some ‘Get Out of Employee Heath Free’ cards. With board spots like “Catch a PT having sex in their room w/visitor but they have visitor ID band. Close door” and “Perform well during a code. Move ahead 3 spaces”, it’s not a game for the faint of heart.

The zine wraps up with a few panel hints about what (I assume) will be coming in the next zine.

Zine Review: Welcome To Nursing HELLo is a perzine in comic form, and I love a perzine. I prefer to start at the beginning of a series, but starting with the second one didn’t leave me wanting or confused for having not read the first one. It continues on seamlessly (from all appearances) from the first one after the brief introduction.

Anything I was confused about came from a lack of nursing knowledge. For instance, I had no idea what a charge nurse is, but I did get the general gist of the role from the comic. I’m also still not clear about nurse hierarchy and have no idea what an NA is, but there was nothing that took me completely out of the story itself. (Nor do I feel they need explaining within the comic unless it’s specific to the story like “I had to report to this person”.)

Joel’s writing is real about how things are happening but doesn’t get stuck in details (as you really can’t for a well-paced comic with limited text space) – and also doesn’t get into any shock/horror factors, which I greatly appreciated.

All up, Zine Review: Welcome To Nursing HELLo was a very interesting read with a lot of unfamiliar to me content. There wasn’t much I could identify with as such, but that made it all the more satisfying to my curious self. I recommend giving this one a look, and I will be getting the others in the series.