Author: Nyx

Nightmare Before Christmas
Mel Buttigieg
https://www.instagram.com/bleeder470/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ZineGangDistro

Nightmare Before Christmas is a black and white A7 one-page mini fanzine for the Tim Burton classic ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.

Mel uses the one-page mini to full fanzine potential with the combination of art and words dedicated to the awesome movie ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. When you open it up, you find Mel’s art of Jack, Zero, and more. When you fully unfold it, you find Mel’s writing about watching ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ for the first time, Tim Burton’s work, and more.

I really like this movie, which is absolutely why I picked up this mini. Mel’s art style is fun while staying true to the movie, and I enjoyed reading Mel’s story with and thoughts about the movie. (I wish I could remember the very first time I watched it.)

This mini is not only a lovely tribute to ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ but also a great mix of fanzine, perzine, and art zine.

Lost and Forgotten Words of Love
October Stoner
https://www.stonerzines.com/
https://www.instagram.com/stonerzines/

Lost and Forgotten Words of Love is a US-sized, one page folded, black print on pink paper zine of lovely words about a person.

This will be a short and sweet review for a short and sweet zine.

Lost and Forgotten Words of Love is a collection of short expression of why October appreciates and unnamed person this mini seems to be dedicated to. Each page features a statement of appreciation with related doodles. From the person’s generosity to taste in moves, they are awesome in Stoner’s eyes.

This zine is a quick read but a touching one. I love the idea of appreciating someone so much you make a zine about them. I also loved the things Ocrober write about – for instance, how the person smells like basil.

This is a sweet smile of zine.

Witches’ Brew #1
Echo Publishing
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/

Witches Brew #1 is a full-colour A7 zine about Nina’s favourite herbs.

I couldn’t grow a weed in the most perfect summer, so I really admire people who have a green thumb or affinity for plant life.

Witches’ Brew opens right into the herbs, with each page featuring the herb’s name, a drawing of it, and a few thoughts from Nina like potential uses of the herb or how well it grows. The aesthetic inside matches the cover with the gorgeous green as the background and line drawings. I always go on about Nina’s handwriting, but she has an amazing balance of easy to read writing and small enough writing to pack in plenty of information.

Unfolding this little beauty reveals a simple, yummy-sounding recipe for thyme pasta as well as instructions on how to make a lavender bag.

I love learning new things, and mini-zines like this one are a lovely intro into various topics without being overwhelming. If you have any interest in herbs, definitely pick this one up.

PS. I’m excited to see the ‘#1’ on here too, implying a series to come.

The Psychology of Color! What do colors make us feel?
Mary
https://www.instagram.com/reflectivezines/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/reflectivezines

The Psychology of Color! is a full-colour US-sized one-page mini zine about what different colours can make you feel.

The Psychology of Color! is a pretty zine that makes me smile. I mean, I love colour, and this is a mini about colour. Mary gets right into things with each page featuring a single colour. A header, a brief list of feelings, and small drawings cover each colour.

This zine is like a first step intro into colour psychology, which is a huge, interesting subject. Like with many of their zines, I love that Mary has made another zine that serves as a great way to ‘dip your toes in’ with a given subject.

I like this mini a lot. It’s nice to look at, makes me smile, and has re-lit my interest in colour psychology. It’s definitely a bright and lovely zine for anyone’s collection.

Some Lesser-known International Days
Saff Miro
https://www.instagram.com/saffmiro/

Some Lesser-known International Days is a black and white A7 zine about international days of celebration you may not know about.

I was already digging this mini based on the title alone, but I found even more than I was expecting.

Each page features one international celebration day with the date, a brief explanation of the day’s origins, a fun illustration, and even a website for more information. Talk about covering all your bases.

I think it’s important to celebrate what we can and take joy in what we can – and this mini is a fun example of that. Dancing, mountains, more… Why not give a not and a smile?

This is a mini reminder of good things I’m glad exist and would be a good start to a series if you ask me. Wink, nudge.