Category: Zine Reviews

SlowQuest II: Meet the Wizard
Bodie
http://www.slowquest.com
https://www.instagram.com/bodieh/

SlowQuest II: Meet the Wizard is a 9.5×8.5cm fantasy choose your own adventure comic zine(!).

This is one of those times when no one will have sympathy for me, but I will still say it’s so hard to stick to my reviewing system. I was so excited to read this zine, but I had to wait because I’m a ‘responsible adult’ and ‘shouldn’t immediately drop everything I’m doing to read a zine’. Sigh.

SlowQuest I is a beloved zine in my collection, so I was incredibly excited to see not only that there is a second one but that it has more pages (more choices!) as well.

As I mentioned, SlowQuest II is a choose your own adventure zine, which means that there are many possible outcomes to the choices you make in this fantasy realm. You have received an invitation to work for the wizard, but actually getting to the wizard isn’t as simple as it sounds.

I was proud as punch that I didn’t die on my first combination of choices, as that’s definitely a possibility in this zine. Of course, there are so many possible paths – drink potions, get lost, punch a bear – that I happily spent time going through every possible combination of steps.

As I have no doubt mentioned a number of times at this point, Bodie’s art style is fantastic. He creates art with such intricate detail, and it really shows through in this zine with two-page spreads of certain settings that I greatly enjoyed looking at up close.

Bodie’s attention to detail carries into the zine itself as well with rounded corners, trimmed edges, and borderless illustrations on cream-coloured paper.

I certainly don’t want to give anything away, but I found the ending of this zine quite curious and hope it means more SlowQuest adventures in the future.

I imagine at this point you know what I’m going to write… Grab a copy!

Forever Incomplete #1
Kirsty
@mskirstyface

Forever Incomplete is a perzine about life with OCD, confronting myths about OCD, living alone, and more.

I must say that I do like a good a good intro. Forever Incomplete starts off with a short intro about who Kirsty is and what’s in the zine. While that isn’t exactly necessary, I do like knowing a bit about the person whose life I’ll be reading about as well as what they’ve chosen to share with me.

From the introduction, Kirsty writes about life with OCD and how the stereotypes about OCD can be wrong. I appreciated the eye opener – especially when it came to busting the myths around OCD. It reminded me that there are nuances and facets to everything – even the stereotype that people with OCD are particularly neat and tidy.

I identified a lot with Kirsty’s zine story and the particular kind of embarrassment that comes with really liking something that you’re not very good at. I’m glad that despite the comparisons and crafting ‘misses’ that zines stuck.

I did have a private little smile at the ‘Things Which Don’t Happen to Heterosexual People’ because a few have definitely happened to me and Wanderer (hetero couple) because we’re in an age gap relationship. (Please don’t take this as me taking away from the disrespect and discrimination homosexual couples deal with regularly. I only mean to say that I empathise. Wanderer and I have also experienced the ‘triple take’ just for holding hands, etc.)

I also have to point out how much I love the part about all the things you can do with an English MA. It’s regarded as such a useless degree when it’s actually a lot more flexible in terms of career paths than many other degrees.

The cut and paste aesthetic is lovely and makes me want to get out my paper and scissors. Different sections are denoted by different fonts – something I’m seeing more that is growing on me.

Forever Incomplete is an informative zine as well as a good perzine. There are plenty of reasons to read it, so check it out.

Practical Zine Making
Vampire Sushi Distro
www.vampiresushi.co.uk

Practical Zine Making is an A7 black and white zine about zine making – specifically about zine layout.

Zine layout is one of those things that seems like it should be simple but can, at times, be annoying to try to get your head around. Practical Zine Making makes the whole thing a lot easier by not only writing about zine layout but by showing you with clear pictures how to make/number half-fold/A5 zines as well as quarter size/A6 zines.

I think this is a fantastic little reference zine. I wish I had more copies to hand out/send out to zinemakers, as layout can often be a headache – especially when you’re just getting started.

Definitely pick up a copy if layout is at all a pain for you.

the little zine of mindfulness
Amber is Blue
https://www.instagram.com/amberisblue/

The Little Zine of Mindfulness is an A7, full colour zine with tips for what you can try when you are depressed or dissociated.

I like a good self-care zine, but there is something really nice about a self-care mini because it’s something that I can take along with me easily anywhere. A bit of confidence and calm in my pocket wherever I go.

This mini-zine contains five useful tips – some even new to me despite all the self-care zines that I’ve read at this point. Each tip is framed in blue. I really liked this choice because I think that, along with each being on its own page, the ‘frame’ could be something to help the reader focus on one thing at a time (something I struggle with even at the best of times).

While simple in its nature, I think this is another handy mini to add to your collection of self-care zines.

Femme as in…
Sab and Anni?
https://www.instagram.com/queer_marshmallow/

Femme as in… is a full colour A7 mini-zine about what it means to be femme to the zinemaker.

Femme has a collection of short, strong statements that would remind anyone about self-care and speaking for themselves. Place on backgrounds of delicate flowers, these statements feel even stronger and more confidence-inspiring.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how nice mini-zines are because you can just slip them in your pocket for whenever you need them. With Femme, I can easily see this being someone’s ‘confidence in my pocket’ booklet.

This mini zine didn’t have any contact details, but I do remember where it came from, so at least there’s that…

Some of the statements were a bit aggressive for me personally, but I completely understand where it’s coming from.

If you’re a femme and want some strong statements to keep close, this may be the mini-zine for you.

Inspo: What I Find Inspiring
Latibule Art
https://www.instagram.com/latibule_art/

Inspo is an A7 full colour mini zine about finding inspiration.

Inspiration can be a flighty creature, so I welcome anything that helps me with finding it. This zine is definitely a good source for doing so. There are written ideas to help guide you as well as an assortment of bits and bobs to help you feel creative.

I really love the sense of texture in this zine with yarn, mini origami, pictures and all sorts put into the copy so the slightest shadows are picked up. There are so many different colours as well that I love flipping through it again and again. It’s so much fun to look at.

This little zine is about inspiration but is inspiring in and of itself. Grab a copy and let the inspiration flow.

Sensitive Adult
Darcy Rock
FB & IG: @sensitiveadultdaily
www.sensitiveadultdaily.com

Sensitive Adult is a free, A6, black and white zine series about emotional sensitivity and being a sensitive adult.

There is a strange sort of comraderie to be found in mutual unease with the world. I’ve always considered myself to be a bit too sensitive for the world, so this series was immediately appealing.

Through this series, Darcy touches on different subjects in a sort of ‘thoughts of the moment’ style rather than necessarily something that follows one to the next or needs to be read in any particular order. Medication, unemployment, unhealthy coping skills – Darcy covers many subjects with a writing style that is contemplative while also not getting lost within the subject at hand.

I identified a lot with what Darcy wrote on everything, marking bits here and there that resonated with me in every single issue.

What started off as (and still, in many ways, is) as a smiling, nodding along ‘that’s so me’ series of zine reads became very serious for me with the last one I read “On Death: How I imagine the end of my life”. I once again had to tip my hat to the realisations that perzines can bring in how it changed my perspective on what I thought was a good way to live my life.

If you see these zines, pick them up. It’s always a good thing to take in different perspectives, and you might just find out a thing or two that you didn’t know before.

Exhaustion Is
Keira
https://www.instagram.com/k.huolohan/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ZinesByKeira

Exhaustion Is is an A7 black (or rather, grey) and white mini-zine about exhaustion.

Oh, wow do I have all the empathy for this zine and for Keira.

In a collection of images and metaphors, Keira takes us through their interpretations of exhaustion. I love the images Keira shares like driving your body like a vehicle as well as the moments (only moments?) of distraction that come with the brain fog of exhaustion.

I felt so sad but understood all too well the ‘everyone’s tired – get over it’ attitudes faced by those who try to speak up about what they are dealing with.

This is another great zine that will help people to not feel so alone in what they are dealing with. If you’re always exhausted, then I think you will enjoy this zine.

Side Note: If you are exhausted all the time, don’t let anyone dismiss you saying ‘everyone feels like that’. Constant exhaustion is not normal, and there are multiple possibilities from vitamin deficiencies to sleep disturbances. It’s worth talking to a doctor who will take your concerns seriously.

Some Wizards Volume I
Bodie
http://www.slowquest.com
https://www.instagram.com/bodieh/

Some Wizards is a mini-zine slightly smaller than A7 zine about, well, some wizards. Haha.

I’m always happy to check out Bodie’s work. Some Wizards is yet another great addition to a collection of fantasy comic zines that I absolutely adore looking through again and again.

Some wizards takes you through an assortment of fun wizard characters – each one complete with name, sketch, description, and even a single question and answer at the end. (Most if not all of which are very funny. Bodie has a subtle but great sense of humour.)

I also want to point out that Bodie has male and female (and non-gendered) wizard, so kudos to enjoying but not being limited to old men with long beards.

From the bubbles in the jars of potions to the curled toes of Wizard Onionbeard’s boots, Bodie’s detailed artwork shines again. No one should be surprised to find me with this zine as well as others held close to my face as I take in the little touches.

I feel like Bodie is constructing his own fantasy universe with every zine he makes, and I don’t want to miss out on any of them.

Definitely check it out. In fact, check out everything Bodie makes.

Pineapples
Zoe
https://www.instagram.com/estherandhowl/

Pineapples is actually an untitled zine that I’m giving a title for the sake of making it easier to talk about. It’s an A7 black and white mini-zine on yellow paper about pineapples.

I think this is the first time I’ve ever felt grumpy about a zine. Haha. Only because I really don’t like pineapples.

All that aside, it does have some interesting pineapple facts. Nothing that makes me like them in any sort of way, but still interesting.

What makes this zine for me is the last page with what I think is a laugh out loud revelation about Zoe. I don’t want to spoil it though.

Interested in pineapples? Check out this zine.