Category: Zine Reviews

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Mini Zine Set
Mary
https://www.instagram.com/reflectivezines/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/reflectivezines

The DBT Skills are a set of four black and white US-sized one-page minis that cover four skills used in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy: DEARMAN, PLEASE, TIPP, and GIVE.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy does love an acronym, and I love that someone thought to turn some of the skills into a mini-zine series.

No space goes to waste in this jam-packed series. Each mini page is dedicated to one letter of the acronym. Along with what the letter stands for, each page is filled with examples of what that particular part of the skill means. When the acronym doesn’t fill all of the pages, Mary uses the remaining pages for additional reflection and validation.

I like Mary’s free-spirited style with plenty of information and doodles packed in. It’s quite full on if you’re having any trouble focusing. But, by the same token, it makes them fun to explore.

I’m already pretty familiar with Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. From that perspective, I’m glad Mary thought to create these minis. They are useful for getting and staying familiar with the DBT ‘tools’. That said I think if I wasn’t familiar, I would still understand them. They would probably have even inspired me to explore DBT as a therapy method. I also quite liked the additions of ‘check ins’ and validations when they were included.

I think this is a great set of minis that is both useful and helpful.

I Actually Liked the Cats Movie!
Anna Gecko
https://www.instagram.com/oleandrsstudio/

I Actually Liked the Cats Movie! is a US-sized colour zine about why Anna liked the Cats movie.

This mini is a handwritten text zine primarily featuring Anna’s reasons for why they liked the Cats movie – the only person I’ve seen express a positive opinion of the movie.

I must admit that this zine initially intrigued me because it’s the only positive opinion I’ve seen about this movie. It’s a quick read that is definitely a list and not a movie review in a more traditional sense. I’ve seen the play but not the movie, and I can say it definitely helps to be familiar with character names.

Having seen the play but not the movie – was this mini enough to get me to check out the movie? Well, I’m open to watching it.

If you liked the movie but haven’t wanted to say so because of all the negative commentary, or if you didn’t like the movie and wonder how someone could have liked it, this is a mini zine for you.

Things I Do to Self Soothe
Crash Reynolds
https://utopiabycrash.wixsite.com/hello
https://www.patreon.com/utopiabycrash

Things I Do to Self Soothe is a full colour, US-sized half fold zine about self-soothing techniques that work for Crash.

Oh, I do so love self-care, and self-soothing is a very important topic under that subject umbrella.

Things I Do to Self Soothe opens with a brief introduction to these techniques with a reminder that they are what works for Crash. They may or may not work for you – and finding what works for you is important. From there we go into a list of different self-soothing techniques to try.

I like how Crash broke these up into categories. It starts out with things you can do outside before going into things you can think and then things you can do inside. Maybe it’s my inner list-lover or love of organisation, but I like knowing that I can refer to a specific page depending on what I’m looking for.

Not that I would exactly get lost. This is a short zine, but I’m always appreciative of self-care zines because there is always something I hadn’t thought of or tried before. (I think I may have mentioned recently that I’ve only just started using washing my face as both self-care and self-soothing.)

I enjoyed the aesthetic of this zine, too. It’s colourful without being overwhelming, it’s not too bright, and Crash’s handwriting is not only big but easy to read as well. All the suggestions are separated and pop thanks to colour borders. I’m fairly certain Crash used crayons to create those borders, and there’s something about that that makes me smile.

If you’re into self-care zines, then this is definitely one to add to your collection.

Things My Cat Will Definitely Attempt to Eat When I’m Not Looking
Connor Ovenden-Shaw
https://linktr.ee/connorovendenshaw/

Things My Cat Will Definitely Attempt to Eat When I’m Not Looking is a tiny palm-of-your-hand sized black and white zine about things Connor’s cat will eat when Connor isn’t looking.

This tiny zine is super cute and super relatable me, who lives with a cat that loves to nom on everything. Each page features one naughty nom with an illustration to go along with it.

There is a level of cuteness and humour that goes along with this zine topic in and of itself. Yet Connor adds in a bit of extra humour on top using the zine itself!

But I won’t spoil it.

I really enjoyed this zine and think anyone who loves cats will as well.

The Drawn Me Like One of Your French Girls Only Don’t Draw Me Draw Something Else Please Zine
Anna and Ray
lightswitchtrigger@gmail.com

The Drawn Me Like One of Your French Girls Only Don’t Draw Me Draw Something Else Please Zine is a black and white US-sized half-fold zine collab between Anna and Ray in which Ray suggests a theme and Anna draws it out.

Collab time!

The Draw Me zine opens with Anna and Ray each taking a page to introduce themselves and the zine. This had me smiling from the get go because you can easily pick up some of the friendship dynamic between them.

After that, we get into the prompts and drawings. However, it’s more than a simple back and forth – it’s an often-funny conversation between two friends that happens to involve drawings.

As Ray mentions in the beginning, Anna doesn’t always do things in the way Ray would envision them. Anna’s imagination is wild and funny, which is well reflected in her art. The drawings more often than not go in directions I never would have imagined (enjoyably so).

As I mentioned, this zine is more a conversation that involves art. A Couple of times the page order within a spread confused me briefly (right to left instead of left to right) but it didn’t make me pause for long. Bolded versus not bolded writing lets you know who is ‘talking’ save for one page where I think Anna is actually talking with her drawing rather than Ray.

The conversation takes a bit of a turn at the end, but Anna brings it back to a very nice place and ends the zine on a sweet note.

I enjoyed every element of this zine: friend collab, prompts, wild art… It’s a lot of fun to check out.

Angry: A Review of ‘The Fiorenza Forced Marriage’ by Melanie Milburne
Angry Romantic
dear.angryromantic@gmail.com

Angry is a one-page-folded A6 black and white zine review of ‘The Fiorenza Forced Marriage’ by Melanie Milburne.

I feel like I’ve found an established series with Angry reviews: I’m not completely sure what’s happening, but I like it, and I’m excited.

In this one-page zine, Angry Romantic breaks down this novel in many funny and, indeed, angry ways. There is even a review of the back cover blurb, which is apparently quite the tease that doesn’t exactly deliver.

Angry Romantic gives us a bit of a plot run down in the first middle spread by giving us twelve different plot points/elements rated on the A.N.G.R.Y. scale. What is the A.N.G.R.Y. scale? I don’t know, but this book didn’t do well on it. Negative ratings are possible.

When you fully open the zine, you find an ‘ad’ for 2009 horoscope book, a spotlight on the author, fun ways the author refers to genitals, and the final verdict on the story from Angry Romantic.

As a writer, I would be a touch horrified to have my work reviewed in such a way… but I absolutely laughed reading this. Plus, even with the humour, Angry Romantic makes points that make it clear a little criticism is warranted.

Even better? This is a free zine!

I absolutely need more of these in my life. I think anyone who has read a romance novel needs it in their life, too.

A Brief But Intense Infatuation
Karys McEwen & Samantha Riegl
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Loveandois
https://samanthariegl.com/

A Brief But Intense Infatuation is a black and white A6 zine about crushes of various natures and durations.

There is something about stories of love and crushes that gets me every time.

A Brief But Intense Infatuation opens with a definition of ‘crush’ in verb and noun forms (the latter providing inspiration for the title). Then we launch into a collab of crushes. From first crushes to worst crushes, each page is dedicated to one crush story in that person’s chosen styles. Some are cringey, some are sad, and others are oh, so easy to identify with.

I liked the variety of cut and paste styles in this zine, but the stories are really what drew me in. I love that Karys and Samantha had different types of crushes in this zine. I’ve never had a celebrity crush, but I’ve certainly had a brief crush and a ‘WTF Was I Thinking?’ crush. Crushes can be funny (and a myriad of other things) bonding material.

I think this is one of those zines where you’ll have a good idea of whether you’d like to check it out given the subject matter. If you’re interested in crush stories and the like, then pick this one up.

The Adventures of Punk Bird 4
Punk Bird
https://www.instagram.com/punkbird352/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PunkBird352

The Adventures of Punk Bird 4 is a US quarter-sized black and white comic zine about the origins of Punk Cat and how some people should really think more before they adopt a pet.

This issue of Punk Bird takes a different path by focusing on Punk Cat. Punk Cat has a great start by getting adopted but all too soon faces a fate far too many furry friends face… when the little one is abandoned. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, with the usual Punk Bird flair that makes it even better. I won’t spoil things any more than that though.

I enjoyed this issue of Punk Bird. It is a touching story with an important message (pets are forever!) that still works in some Punk Bird humour. I especially enjoyed the character reference that links back into issue three. It felt like a little Easter egg worked in. This issue also showed that the series can ‘wander’ a bit from the usual while still tying well into the series as a whole.

I am very much looking forward to where Punk Bird goes from here.

Australian Gothic 1-3
Localamity
https://www.instagram.com/localamity/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/localamity

Australian Gothic 1-3 is a set of three A7 minis of Australian themed very short stories about the Australian experience.

There was something about these minis that caught my eye when I saw them, and they didn’t disappoint.

Each edition of Australian Gothic gets right into things with six short stories – one per inner page. And when I write short, I mean short. The words are few, and the font nicely big and readable.

From the summer heat to the Aussie wildlife, these snippets of life made me smile, nod at the shared experiences, and some made me feel sad as well. Vol 1 is primarily amusing with a healthy dose of cynicism I appreciated. Vol 2 slightly more so. Vol 3 Queer Edition had the darkest tone but deservedly so, and the stories shared will hit home for many.

I was wondering how Australia-specific references would go. However there was only one story that went over my head. (Fun fact: I’m not Australian born. I’m an import.) That said, I think a lot of the stories are easy to identify with even without knowing the specific references.

I enjoyed these zines a lot and hope the series continues. There’s value in taking a poke at the human experience, and these zines definitely do that.

The Adventures of Punk Bird Issues 2 & 3
Punk Bird
https://www.instagram.com/punkbird352/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PunkBird352

The Adventures of Punk Bird Issues 2 & 3 are black and white US quarter-sized comic zines about Punk Bird adventures in drunkenness and trying to find a new place rent.

I think the biggest thing I personally take from Punk Bird is that I really need to chill out.

Whether it’s getting drunk and stealing a police car, apologising to friends for drunk behaviour, or going through hell to find a new rental, Punk Bird is doing it all in style. Issues two and three continue on with the ‘day in the life’ feel and style of the first issue with each focusing on a particular event/point in time.

I haven’t had any alcohol-fuelled adventures anywhere near the level of Punk Bird (issue two), but I absolutely related to the ridiculousness of trying to find a rental (issue one) – including holes in the floor!

Punk Bird is a comic series I feel like I can relax and have a laugh with. (And be reminded I need to chill out, as I mentioned.) They’re a reminder that life is a mess and so are we, but it can still be fun and work out in the end.

Rock on, Punk Bird.