Category: Zine Reviews

Full Disclosure 1-3
Hadass Bar Lev
https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/pmsmess/

Full Disclosure 1-3 is a full-colour set of three A7 mini-zines, each of which is based on a prompt from a friend. These minis were mad as part of ZineWriMo 2019 (the prompts list set by yours truly).

Full Disclosure 1 takes on the topic of being Jewish and living in Israel, 2 takes on motherhood, and 3 takes on Hadass’ zine origins. Each zine is a short read but an interesting one, and I am grateful to know more about someone I consider to be a friend.

I love the ‘prompted by friends’ type of zine because you never know what people would like to know about you, and you never know what you have yet to learn about people you know. Hadass’ layout for these zines is simple and easy to read – each like a mini-perzine.

I found all three minis equally interesting on different levels. I enjoyed learning more about Hadass and also enjoyed Hadass writing voice, which is full of metal and strength. Each mini left me more interested to read the next – the set making me eager to dive into her other zines.

Hadass is always great about including ‘loud and clear’ socials, which is very much appreciated.

I can see this set of zines being a great first step to people not only being introduced to Hadass as a person but to her fun, badass style. I quite enjoyed them all and hope to see an extension of this set into a series come ZineWriMo 2020.

Going Deep: An Adult Guide to Sports
Mash and Corn
https://snakebite.bigcartel.com/
https://www.instagram.com/snakebitepress/

Going Deep: An Adult Guide to Sports is a NSFW, full-colour, US half-fold zine about the ins and outs of some sports terms with all the innuendo you could ask for.

If XYG: Examine Your Grammar – An Adult Guide to Language was the zine equivalent of dating stage flirtation, then Going Deep is when they introduce you to their collection of handcuffs and really hope you’re as excited about it as they are.

And yes. Yes, I am.

You’d think with a title like ‘Going Deep’ I’d have been a little better prepared for what I was about to read. Not so much. This zine goes right in hard on the first page with a graphic that made me gasp at first and then laugh out loud. Their intro is a brief one comparing sports to life while also pointing out that a lot of life is about sex… They even add in some interactive fun with a QR code as well.

From there the zine is broken up into sections like ‘Plays’ and ‘Penalties’. Each reference is explained in easy to read text with some illustrations to drive the point home, so to say. There’s absolutely no shyness here as Mash and Corn embrace sex, innuendo, and all sorts of fun terms that various sports provide.

I spent a lot of this zine feeling like I was on a fun night out with a couple of friends who are clearly more experienced and knowledgeable than I am – but who are also very excited to teach me. I laughed, my eyes went wide a few times, and, all the while, all I could really do is sit back and enjoy the wild ride.

Sports, am I right?

I don’t want to spend too much time in this review comparing Going Deep to XYG because I like to approach zine reviews in that way, plus it’s not necessary to have read XYG to enjoy this zine. That being said, I adore seeing zine creators grow and evolve through their work. It could be a bit of the peach fuzz of time showing through, but I feel like they’ve moved from ‘quite naughty and giggle-worthy’ to ‘very naughty and laugh out loud’ in their work. I don’t see a lot of adult-specific zines – especially to do with the topic of sex, and this was great. I’m pleasantly nervous to see what they come up with next!

I either full on laughed out loud or giggled at every single page of this zine. Maybe that just speaks to my (im)maturity level, but I think this zine is a fun must for everyone who enjoys some adult humour – even if you’re not that into sports.

(Phew. Made it through without turning everything into a dirty joke.)

Dad Jokes
Saff Miro
https://www.instagram.com/saffmiro/
https://twitter.com/saffmiro

Dad Jokes is a full colour mini ‘lift the flap’ zine full of some awesome dad jokes.

I love this zine so much. There’s the TL:DR right there for you at the start.

This cute zine has one dad joke per page with each joke consisting of two parts: one, the joke opener, and two, the punch line hidden by a colour illustration that you flip up (or down) to reveal.

This is so much fun on so many levels. I would have appreciated a mini-zine full of dad jokes in a ‘standard’ set up for the smiles – smiles always being welcome! – but the ‘lift the flap’ element is awesome. That adds a kid-like element for the reader (I loved lift-the-flap and other interactive books when I was a young one), which goes so well with the whole feel of the zine.

The one thing this cute as mini is missing is some socials, but with Saff’s name nice and clear, it’s pretty easy to find the Instagram and Twitter.

Definitely grab a copy of this one. It’s a smile waiting to happen in your life.

Murals of Marin 1-4 Mini Zine Set
True Zine Marin
https://www.instagram.com/shellbobmv/

The Murals of Marin 1-4 is a set of US-sized one-page folded, full colour mini-zines murals that can be found around Marin County, California.

I reviewed Murals of Marin 1 here – https://www.seagreenzines.com/zine-review-murals-of-marin-1/ – so this is more of an extension of a review than a review in and of itself.

Murals of Marin as a series features one lovely full-colour mural per mini-zine. The individual pages give you the information of the who, what, etc, while unfolding them reveals the secret full picture of the mural in its entirety inside.

I’m so glad to see this expanded into a series. As I mentioned in my first review, I can see this turning into a tour series of zines (of sorts, when the world recovers from its current chaos). An art tour without the gallery, if you will. Each zine gives you the starter information, and it’s up to the reader to enjoy the zine at home or go exploring.

Even if you consider yourself not ‘into’ art, I think this is a zine series to check out. The colours are gorgeous, the murals are gorgeous, and they have a great energy that inspires me to see what I can do with zines.

Truly the Shittiest Archaeologist Ever
Julia Eff – https://twitter.com/julia_eff
California Rachel – https://twitter.com/hitchcockienne
http://crapandemic.storenvy.com/

Truly the Shittiest Archaeologist Ever is a small, black and white accordion-fold zine of collected live tweets from California Rachel while watching the Indiana Jones trilogy.

I don’t remember why now, but when I was a kid, I loved the Indiana Jones movies. Before I was old enough to know how many things were wrong with them. Haha. Bring on the zine!

Truly the Shittiest Archaeologist Ever sets you off on a different to the norm adventure straight away with the accordion fold set up along with starting at the bottom of the accordion and reading up. Julia briefly introduces the zine – a collection of livetweets from California Rachel. What follows is a fun assortment of clippings that can also be a fun ‘when did that happen’ game if you haven’t watched the movies in a long time.

The tweets are hilarious, salty, and quite adult. Full of swearing, no holds barred statements, and other references, this isn’t a zine to leave around willy nilly. That being said, one of my favourites is the seemingly innocent:

“THE DOG??? YOU ARE NAMED AFTER THE DOG?????????”

As I mentioned, this zine is an accordion fold. I think it’s fun and works in a physical way to reinforce the Twitter feed look and feel of the zine. The tweets are small but are still quite easy to read even in lower light.

I think there is a little give and take with this one because I think you need to at least be familiar with the movies and be okay with the Twitter format in general. Being an adult is also pretty essential. Hahaha.

From its format to its content, I quite enjoyed this solid poke and prod at Indiana Jones. A fun one to have a look at.

Blunt Talk
Various
https://www.wizd-az.com/store/p127/BluntTalkZine.html

Blunt Talk is a full-colour US half-sized zine about all kinds of topics related to cannabis including history, legal matters, recipes, stories, and more.

As you know, I love zines for a lot of reasons. This zine I love because it’s like a little reference manual or guide to get you started on whatever path your curiosity takes you in regards to cannabis. There are so many topics covered!

Blunt Talk opens with an introduction to how the zine came together over the course of a year and their aim to shift – if not completely get rid of – stigmas regarding cannabis. As someone who studied the subject for various projects over the course of a semester, I appreciate their efforts. It’s clear the dedication and passion the contributors have for the subject.

I think my favourite part has to be the Leafly Holdings circle chart showing the myriad of different ways cannabis can be useful for helping physical, mental, and emotional difficulties. It’s colourful and informative in a way that’s easy to take in. (While still encouraging the reader to do your own research!) There is a lot of information in this zine, and varying the ways in which it is conveyed is refreshing. There are also statistics as bar charts, and I do love statistics.

I also quite like that they chose to mix the serious in with some not so serious. History and societal commentary alongside recipes and even recommended activities depending on what strain of cannabis you’ve had.

The look of this zine is quite nice. The text can be a little dense in places, but the type font and size are readable, and there are plenty of images included as well. I especially liked seeing all the old posters and advertisements regarding cannabis.

One thing that threw me a little is not including authors’ names with the pieces. There also weren’t any links as to where to find the zine itself, but a quick Google search sorts that out. In the grand scheme of things, the former is more something I noticed rather than something that bothered me all too much.

Blunt Talk is a great zine packed with so very much information about cannabis. They state right at the start that they don’t claim to be experts. But with so many links to follow, it’s easy to supplement your knowledge beyond the zine and form your own opinions.

If you’re at all curious about the topic, this zine is a great place to start learning.

In My Shoes
Leah De La Crux
http://leahdelacrux.com
https://www.instagram.com/leahdelacrux/

In My Shoes is a full colour mini-photo zine about moving forward.

This is a short and sweet review of a short and sweet mini-zine.

In My Shoes features an Instax picture per page of Leah’s shoes in different locations. Each photo is accompanied by a single word, and a sentence running along all the pages. The pictures are in the fun, somewhat overexposed pictures that fit the Instax ‘Polaroid’ vibe so well.

Something about this mini tickles me. Part of it is because I thought I was the only person who liked taking pictures of feet in different locations. Another part is the little inspiring push this zine gives which is well and truly needed in increasingly difficult times.

It’s a ‘just keep swimming’ or ‘keep calm and carry on’ sort of mini that is a quick and easy read. Plus, Leah includes one of my favourite mini-zine elements: the secret inside fun element to be discovered when you unfold the zine.

In My Shoes is a little pick-me-up I’m happy to have in my collection.

mEN DO bleed too – my story as a man with endometriosis
Aubrey Dillion Sinclair
???

mEN DO bleed too is a black and blue A7 mini-zine about being a man with endometriosis.

Content warning (from the cover): blood, sex, some gendered terms, graphic content

mEN DO bleed too opens with Aubrey talking about their period experiences growing up and what they had to deal with medically to both find out they have endometriosis as well as dealing with ongoing treatment of it as a trans man.

As someone who deals with an incurable reproductive condition, Aubrey really had me from the start with this one. These conditions are so often dismissed and ignored, and to add on the difficulties of approaching ongoing treatment as a trans man on top of that had me wishing so many things were different about the system. However, there are silver linings to Aubrey’s story, though I will leave you to find out what they are.

I like the feel of this zine. It’s handwritten, hand drawn, and everything about it says it’s the zine of someone who made this to share a story they are passionate about sharing. The drawings – down to the little arrows guiding you from one page to another – add to the story in a pull at your heart strings sort of way. Some of the text is cut off, but most of it is easily sorted and read with a bit of unfolding.

mEN DO bleed too is a mini-zine reminder to not take anything for granted – especially not discussions of health topics that are so often gendered and can leave people feeling alone. One to check out.

Quarter Life – A Few Weekends
TJ Corless
terry-corless@hotmail.co.uk
https://www.paperandinkzine.co.uk/

Quarter Life – A Few Weekends is a black and white A5 zine with a few chapters from his novel Quarter Life about a man entering adulthood but told through a series of weekends. CW: Drug and alcohol use

Quarter Life opens with a foreword explaining what this zine is about, where it’s from, and how various chapters have been published in magazines, zines, and other spaces. From there we launch into the excerpts, each given its own title – Third Weekend, Fifth Weekend – as well as where the excerpt was first published.

The excerpts are told in the first person present style, which I thought would throw me off because it’s not my favourite perspective or tense. (And it’s often not done so well, but I’ll try to rein in my editor side.) That said, TJ’s writing voice is personal but not intrusive. The ‘told in weekends’ format is an interesting one that adds a slightly different flavour to a story of a life.

The story itself is set in England, so you may not know what Coronation Street is or what a ‘proper little chavvy’ is, but I thin kthose sorts of details make it more fun.

I like the aesthetic of this zine with the recycled paper and riso cover. It’s easy to read, the pages are numbered… It’s an easy-to-tuck-in-your-bag-and-go sort of zine that asks to be well read.

I wasn’t quite sure how pieces of a novel would go in a zine, but this works quite well. The writing is fun, I enjoyed the excerpts in and of themselves, and the story is intriguing enough that I’m now quite curious about the novel. I hope to check out more of TJ’s writing in the future.

The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes #1
Amber Dearest
https://www.instagram.com/___pencilskirt/
https://totalbetty.bandcamp.com/

The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes #1 is an A6 black and white perzine about mental health, revisiting the past through zines, sobriety, and more.

Sometimes the zineverse gives you the zine you need to read when you need to read it.

The Triumph of Our Tired Eyes opens with a simple “Reasons to Live” on the inside front cover, which Amber provides with a ‘that’ll do’ in both words and tone. While this is a bit of an intense way to open a zine, I think it speaks to Amber’s writing style as well as being the right kind of tone to resonate with me with where I am in life and mental state right now.

From there Amber writes about a hot July night and how closing a door can mean much more than a closed door. They go on to write about lethargy, melancholy, and loneliness, feelings of being a burden on wonderful friends, and learning to accept things in life.

I identified with so much in this zine and love the way Amber wrote about it. Amber presents the situation and their thoughts without getting stuck in all the teeny tiny details. It’s sharing observations about not being okay without being preachy.

At one point, Amber writes: “I’m never sure if I should answer the question “How’s it goin’?” with perfect honesty.” I found myself nodding along (as someone who has taken to jokingly responding to that question with ‘honest answer or polite one’).

Aesthetically, this zine is very easy to read with primarily typed text. The handwritten elements are clear, and the cut and paste elements are used sparingly to emphasise. It fits the tone of the writing and content. If the reader of the zine is in that space as well, it’s a ‘calm’ zine visually speaking.

One addition I really liked is on the last page Amber added a note beginning with “If you’re a friend and you’re wondering how to support me”… There’s something really beautiful to me about that.

I think a lot of what I like about this zine is how much I identify with it from where I’m standing now. Admittedly, that isn’t the best place. In some things, I feel like Amber (albeit past Amber writing this zine) is a few steps further from where I am now. That in and of itself is rather intriguing, and maybe it’ll be the case for someone else, too.

I think even with current life elements influencing my perspective, this is a zine to check out for Amber’s distinct writing style and writing on subjects I think a lot of people can identify with.