Category: Zine Reviews

Chronicled Chaos Issue 1
Molly
https://www.instagram.com/zappixart/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ZappixArt

Chronicled Chaos is an A6 size black and white (save for one art page) perzine about Molly and their system (what’s a system? Read the zine hehe), Dissociative Identity Disorder, chronic illness, art, and more.

I’ve mentioned plenty of times here how much I love and appreciate perzines because they’re either helping me feel less alone, or they are giving me new perspectives that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Sometimes both. So how could I not love a perzine that not only teaches me so much but also opens up with a glossary of terms after the introduction?

Chronicled Chaos opens up with an introduction from Molly, who they are, and what you can expect in this (and future) perzines in the series. (Love how they put it all down on the page right from the get go.) From there, Molly then gives a comprehensive list of terms and definitions around DiD (Dissociative Identity Disorder).

As I mentioned, I learned a lot in a relatively small amount of time about DiD and their experience of it. There’s not only an overview of the condition but also brief introductions (and history) for some of Molly’s alters or parts (new vocabulary!). They even include drawings of each of them – something I found fascinating as well as enjoyable to look at.

There’s a lot more to enjoy in this perzine as well, the variety reminding me of MissMuffCake’s Stay at Home Girlfriend series. Molly includes art, poems, a comic, and other things happening in their life. They also include content warning for any possible triggers.

One thing they included is called ‘#SeeMyInvisible’ which involves taking a selfie and drawing over the selfie to display where their chronic illness(es) are. It’s about seeing invisible illnesses and, moreover, reminding people that it’s not all about what their eyes can see. They used a gold marker to colour over their selfie, and I thought about how I hoped the hashtag would really take off and more people would do it.

The variety also plays into the look of the zine as well, with plenty of clear text mixed in with art, a few pages with unobtrusive backgrounds for the text, and so on. There’s definitely plenty to look at.

One aesthetic touch I especially enjoyed is how the gold speckles on the cover, the gold on the aforementioned ‘See My Invisible’ and some stickers on the inside are all put on after the printing. Meaning that each zine copy will have that little bit of unique touch to set it apart from the rest.

I really enjoyed this perzine from the casual reader standpoint to the interested learner standpoint. There’s a lot to take in and think about without it feeling incredibly dense. Check it out.

Hello, zine friends! November is certainly on its way already, isn’t it? Today we have a bit more organisation on the agenda because I love organising. That’s pretty much it. Haha. I love planners, I love organising… It makes me happy. Today’s prompt:

Make/Create a zine idea book

While I still carry a little notebook with me wherever I go just in case ideas strike me on the go, this is my ‘official’ ideas notebook when it comes to zines. It’s A5 size and also holds things I need to keep track of for current collab zines, a few written pieces that I need to type up to put in zines, a collection of quotes for another zine I want to make, so on and so forth.

I want to cover both the inside covers and the outside with stickers, but I have three lovelies so far. A little extra inspiration never hurt, right?

Let me know if you have an ideas book and be sure to check out what other participants are doing for ZineWriMo.

Check out the full list of daily prompts here.

Participants:

*Echo Publishing
*Riot Grrl
*Ulterior Zines
*Olga Writes Things
*Zines and Things
*Maybe Magick Zines

Hello, lovely zine friends! I hope this day finds you well and having a marvelous start to your week. Alas, mine has been a little tumultuous – hence the Happy Mail Monday video being delayed – but I still got to play with zinemaking a bit with today’s ZineWriMo prompt.

Make a Zine: Warm up with a zine full of colour

In all honesty, I didn’t have the spoons for making any sort of art, so I cheated a bit by selecting a gorgeous watercolour paper from my scrapbooking papers. The gentle, swirling pastels actually reminded me of a poem I wrote years ago and thus decided to put into the zine.

I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to share the poem, but it was nice to put it down on paper, and it was especially nice to make a zine! Whenever it’s been a while since I’ve made a zine, it feels like so much longer.

A little something on the last page.

I might still tweak the back cover, but for now, I’m pretty darn happy with it. Let me know how you are going with your ZineWriMo creations. ^_^

Check out the full list of daily prompts here.

Participants:

*Echo Publishing
*Riot Grrl
*Ulterior Zines
*Olga Writes Things
*Zines and Things
*Maybe Magick Zines

Hello, wonderful zine friends. I have a very short and sweet review for you today. It would usually go in one of my Mega Mini-Zine reviews, but it’s a busy, busy time! So enjoy this itty bitty dose of a super cute zine.

MLEMS
Zappix Art
https://www.instagram.com/zappixart/

Mlems is a tiny A8 full-colour zine about mlems. Not sure what mlems are? Well, the cover gives a little clue…

Mlems is an itty bitty that is big on the cuteness factor. Each page is dedicated to a cute animal drawing. Each with their cute tongue sticking right out. It’s an adorable mini that’s fairly quick to look through. But, if you’re like me, you’ll come back to it for a smile more than once.

Mushrump
Bodie
www.slowquest.com
@bodieh

Mushrump is an A7 black and white mini-manual about the curious, peaceful creature: the mushrump.

This gorgeous mini introduces you to the everyday life, rituals, and lifecycle of the mushrump. It’s four pages long, but I don’t class it as a quick read. There is so much detail to take in, both in the descriptions and the illustrations. I could look at Bodie’s work all day.

I’ve reviewed the ‘choose your own adventure’ comic zines SlowQuest and SlowQuest II and absolutely adore the fantasy world that Bodie has created. That there are these little fantasy guides to go along with the SlowQuest adventures makes me all the more excited to see what Bodie does next.

Guitarrr (And Bass) Mini Manual
Nina Echozina
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/

Guitarrr (And Bass) Mini Manual is an A7 full-colour mini about playing guitar and bass.

I swear Nina is the queen of packing a lot of info into mini-zines while still keeping them lovely to look at and easy to read. I don’t even play guitar, and I enjoy this zine. That being said, it’s not just the nice layout that kept me reading.

Guitarrr is a fantastic introduction to learning to play (electric) guitar and bass. Nina is self-taught, has played for several years, and is in the band Lavender Witch. She shares basics, tips, and tricks for learning to play with sections like ‘pick or no pick?’, ‘tuning’, ‘solo techniques’. Each section stands out easily with headers in blue, and illustrations help demonstrate what Nina is writing about.

True to form, Nina even adds a spot with a couple of resources for you to check out.

Even cooler, the entire mini folds out to reveal an illustration to show where notes are on your guitar/bass as well as some examples of chords. Love it!

Guitarrr is an excellent mini to check out – especially if you are learning or thinking about learning guitar/bass.

Emergency
Iestyn
https://www.instagram.com/iesorno/

Emergency is an A6 full-colour zine of photos and text contemplation of the forms of guilt and the power of other people’s perceptions.

This zine hurt my heart but in the ultimately good way that leaves it more open and willing to question first reactions when dealing with other people.

Emergency features colour photos taken in public toilets. While this may seem a strange thing, it has become a soothing measure for a father of a special needs need who needs to be accompanied in the toilet. Being a grown man with a teenage boy in a toilet brings up many feelings for Iestyn – pretty much all of which are negative despite the actual care he is providing for his child.

I feel a bit petty bringing up that this zine has no contact details because I almost feel like the point of this zine is the feelings and the words. To be in the moment of reading those thoughts and feelings and to continue pondering them even after you’re done reading. But with the strength of feeling in this zine, how could I not want to look at what else Iestyn is making?

Emergency is a zine that will be on my mind for a long time after I’ve posted this review. Check it out.

Sometimes I read a zine I really like, but I don’t have enough to say about it to write what I consider a ‘full’ review. Bring in: Mega Mini-Zine Mini Reviews where I review five mini-zines in a mini fashion.

Genderqueer is…
Keira
https://www.instagram.com/k.huolohan/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ZinesByKeira

Genderqueer is… is a full-colour one-page mini collection of thoughts on being genderqueer.

This zine is a journey of poetic definitions, each page dedicated to finishing the sentence started by the title. Where I expected a cut-and-dry “101” style of zine, I was pleasantly surprised to find this colourful, thoughtful zine.

Keira’s words inspire many imagines and feelings, and I’ve already gone back to read it repeatedly.

Cobalt/Periwinkle/Indigo Thoughts
Latibule
https://www.instagram.com/latibule_art/

Cobalt/Periwinkle/Indigo Thoughts is a set of three full-colour mini-zines that are a smidge bigger than A7. They are all collections of collages and thoughts.

The colour in these zines is gorgeous. I love the combination of washi, paper, and other elements all together. The written thoughts tie into the title in that they tap into sadness, loneliness, self-questioning, and more. On that note, I’d exercise a little caution if you are in a low mood/mindspace. But if you’re in a solid space, then take a look at these.

Dog. A Zine About Cats
Georgi
?

Dog. A Zine About Cats is a black and white one-page mini about cats – and a little bit about dogs.

This mini ‘had me at hello’ with a title that made me smile and an art style to match. Inside, you’ll find Georgi’s thoughts about cats (and a few about dogs) as well as drawings of Georgi’s cats, Tron and Nancy. The hand drawn page backgrounds are fun, too, with little hearts, flowers, and the like.

I’m sure I’ve seen Georgi’s social stuff somewhere, but with no link on the zine and my brain fog, I can’t find any at the moment. But if you do find this zine, grab it. It’s lovely and a zine any cat enthusiast would enjoy.

Things Things Think About
?
bearsandmonsters@gmail.com

Things Things Think About is a tiny A8 black and white zine about things that things (and animals) think about.

Okay, so the title was self-explanatory and more fun. Haha. This tiny zine dedicates a page to each illustration of a think or animal and what it is thinking about. (Who knew water coolers thought about maths equations? Probably to distract themselves from all the gossip.)

It’s short and sweet – you can finish it in under a minute – and it’s the sort of fun, random creation that makes me love zines all the more.

The Summer of ‘14
Rachael Carlson
https://www.instagram.com/tigerlilyknotwise/

The Summer of ’14 is a full-colour one-page mini collection of collage and haiku.

Colour! With collages full of colour and poems that touch on sunshine, rain, and the ocean, I can’t imagine a better title for this little lovely. I look looking through this zine on rainy days as I wait – mostly impatiently – for the sun to come back again.

Even if haiku isn’t your thing, I think there’s still enjoyment to be found in the feeling and visuals of this zine.

Hello, zine friends! I’m trying something new today. Sometimes I read a zine I really like, but I don’t have enough to say about it to write what I consider a ‘full’ review. Bring in: Mega Mini-Zine Mini Reviews where I review five mini-zines in a mini fashion.

Let me know what you think of this idea. Now onto the reviews!

5 O’Clock Press
Craig Atkinson
https://www.instagram.com/craiganthonyatkinson/

5 O’Clock Press is an A6 black and white handwritten mini about Craig coming back to zines and the wonderful world that zines can open up.

This is a quick read but one with lovely thoughts and feelings about zines. It reminded me of pleasant memories from when I first found zines. Craig didn’t include any contact details in this particular zine, but that could be intentional. All up, I can see myself reading this again.

Tales From Admin Support
Sober Bob
https://www.instagram.com/soberbobmonthly/

Tales From Admin Support is a one-page mini with mini tales from working in admin support.

Five tales will leave you shaking your head and understanding why Sober Bob isn’t eager to go back to that link of work. As someone whose partner has worked in various technical support roles over the years, I had all the empathy for Bob’s frustration.

I think anyone who has had a job they didn’t like (especially if it involved dealing with other people) would enjoy checking this out.

Sweet & Sour Split Mini-Zine
Xyendra
https://www.instagram.com/zippityzinedra/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZippityZinedraPress

Sweet & Sour is a one-page full-colour mini love ode to lemons and nectarines.

I’m not entirely sure because I’ve been doing this for a while, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a one-page mini split zine. I love the idea and the extra thought that must have gone into the layout. Even more fun, the pages are numbered with little pictures of lemons on the lemon side and nectarines on the nectarine side.

This mini is just for the love, and some of the descriptions gave me quite a craving for fruit. Haha.

A Few Days in a Year of Ravens 1-3
debbieann@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/debbieannjizo/

A Few Days in a Year of Ravens is a set of three black and white mini-zines about the lives of a raven family.

These zines are like a bird-watching journal with experiments in feeding them different foods and other birds making an appearance in the ‘family’. I enjoyed the personalities that seemed to emerge with them and the whole family dynamic. I even laughed out loud when I read this in the second one:

“Dad came back – didn’t share.”

I think this is a series that anyone who likes birds will enjoy.

Little Things About Hawai’i
Anna G
friendshauna@gmail.com

Little Things About Hawai’I is a one-page black and white mini of, well, things about Hawai’i.

This is primarily a text zine with a wide variety of facts – absolutely none of which I knew. I found it funny how the first fact had me eager to visit but toward the end, Anna mentioned how many tourists die there due to ignoring caution signs.

Good thing I’m not a rule breaker. Mostly. Haha.

The great thing about this mini is that the facts aren’t boring. I like statistics and figures plenty, but I like life and personality a bit more.

Murals of Marin #1
True Zine Marin
https://www.instagram.com/shellbobmv/

Murals of Marin #1 is a full colour one-page mini-zine about the ‘True Colors’ mural in San Rafael, California.

It’s a short and sweet one for you today, zine friends. But like this zine gets right to the heart of what it’s all about, so will this review.

The zine opens with all the who, what, etc details of the mural, and the zine unfolds to reveal a full colour picture of the mural inside. There is so much absolutely gorgeous colour to take in and enjoy with this mini.

I really like this idea – especially as a series. I could see this ending up being a fun sort of zine tour series around Marin county. Everything is clear and easy to read, and I like the idea of other people making series like these for places they love.