Category: Zine Reviews

The Little Things
Lily C
www.lilliancuda.bigcartel.com
www.instagram.com/lilliancuda

The Little Things is an A6 black print (mostly) on blue paper zine about mental health and self-care techniques.

If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know I love a good self-care zine, and Lily really takes it to a new level in The Little Things.

The zine starts off with an introduction to self-care and how a suggestion from a psychologist helped to create this visual self-care list. This isn’t a text-only list, however. Each self-care suggestion is given its own page, but more than that, they all come with a drawing as well to illustrate the list item.

Lily’s art style is very realistic and detailed. There are so many little things that made me smile as I looked through. The Sailor Moon drawing in ‘Drawing for Myself’ and the roses on the teacup in ‘Drinking Tea’… The suggestions are good in and of themselves, but the art adds a different dimension. I feel calmer and in a nicer space just paging through and looking at the pictures.

When I finished this zine, I realised how much I liked the details included in the introduction of how this zine came to be. Whether intended or not, this has inspired me to make a list of my own.

If you’re interested in self-care and/or an artist you may not be familiar with, I recommend checking out this zine.

Weird Dudes
Bianca B & Hollie F
Bianca: @flossytit77
Hollie: @latibule_art

Weird Dudes is a black and white A8 collab zine of weird dudes. Bianca wrote descriptions for Hollie’s weird dudes, and Hollie wrote descriptions for Bianca’s weird dudes.

This itty bitty zine is full of very cute and funny itty bitty drawings. Each drawing comes with its own often-amusing description of the weird dude pictured.

I really love this idea and wish I had some drawing talent so I could do something like this. This whole zine feels like a lot of fun, and it’s clear the artists weren’t taking themselves too seriously.

Grab a copy for a smile.

Joining the Dots: A Queer, Fat Positive Perzine About PCOS
Holly Casio & Friends
http://www.coolschmool.com

Joining the Dots is an A5 black and white zine that describes itself best in the subtitle: A queer, fat positive perzine about PCOS.

Someone suggested this zine to me after I put together Umbrella, and I am so, so happy to see another PCOS zine out in the zineverse. There’s so much confusion, and it’s a condition not talked about enough.

I love how Joining the Dots starts out with a ‘Holly Casio Fact File’ as if to say, “I am going to write about PCOS, but I am a person – not a diagnosis”.

Joining the Dots then jumps right in with what PCOS is and the frustration people with PCOS often encounter due to how uninformed many doctors STILL are about it. This zine quickly becomes a valuable resource offering not only personal stories and tips but also places online where to do more research and find PCOS friends.

At no point did I feel like any reader knowledge was assumed, which is a big plus in my book.

I identified so much with Holly’s story. Too many doctors are focused on THE FAT that they ignore everything else. Or, even better (that’s sarcasm), they take the ‘have babies or lose weight’ track that does little to address actual symptoms of PCOS.

But I’m going off on a tangent.

Holly invited friends to share their PCOS experiences, which I think is great because PCOS is so varied from woman to woman.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant zine that covers perspectives often not acknowledged in medicine when it comes to PCOS – queer, not wanting children, IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE FAT, DOC.

Even if you only have the beginning suspicion you might have PCOS, get a copy of this zine.

The Brokedown Pamphlet: war some of the time
Mark Renney & Christine Renney

The Brokedown Pamphlet is an A5 colour zine collection of writing, drawings, and other images.

Well, pickles, zine friends. I’m not sure how to get started with this zine. I’ve been paging back and forth, lingering on the images and words, but is it flying over my head?

The written pieces in this zine are like poetry to me in that they use interesting language and create strong images in my mind. I can think about them for ages… but ultimately, I’ll always wonder if I understood what the person who wrote the pieces really meant. One piece actually is a poem, but it is no more or less mysterious.

The images are a curious collection of drawings and photos. They leave me feeling like the writing – somewhat intense, but do I really understand what I’m looking at?

The artistry of this zine extends to its physical aspects as well with a nice cardstock cover and slightly textured paper for the interior. I’m coming to really appreciate lightly textured paper. Running my hands over it while I’m reading a zine helps calm and focus my otherwise somewhat scattered mind.

In the end, I’m not entirely sure what to make of this zine. It’s definitely a curious one, but the world is better for things that make us think.

Diary of a Lavender Plant
Rae White
@wings_humming
raewhite.net

Diary of a Lavender Plant is an A5 black and white zine about the journey of a lavender plant through poems.

If you’ve been reading these reviews for any length of time, you know that poetry makes me nervous… but I usually have a go anyway.

I’ve always believed that the crucial goal of any piece of writing or art is to make the person taking it in actually feel something. Frankly, I had no idea why the line breaks were where they were or what it meant. That being said, the language Rae used make me feel.

I paused and closed my eyes, thinking of sleeping in the sun at the mention of daytime naps. I laughed at the not overt but clear to me disdain for noisy, destructive children. I absolutely loved the use of the strongest memory inducer – smell. The smell of ripe tomatoes is so distinct, and I immediately remembered it when I read the words.

I’m not a gardener, not a poet, and I’m not even a fan of the scent of lavender. But I still think this zine is lovely.

Fragments Issue 5
Fragments
https://fragmentszine.weebly.com

Fragments is a ½ fold black and white text-only (except the covers) perzine about a number of different life thoughts and subjects.

Right from the get go, Fragments gives you a look into their life and thoughts with a writing voice that is unflinching and confident. I was just as fascinated by their writing voice as I was by what had been written. The intensity I thought may have been reserved for the intro ended up carrying all the way through. I was taken in by this interesting combination of strength of conviction and thought alongside admitting they are still learning and growing.

From their annoyance about empty words, to creativity, to parenting, Fragments covers a lot of subjects big and small in mostly short sections. I had to smile as I increasingly got the feeling that Fragments likes documentaries – even sharing notes on one of them in one section.

I get the impression that Fragements is someone who doesn’t just think that people can be and do better – they know it. There are no illusions about what people often are, and yet there is this impression of realistic optimism about the potential of people – including Fragments.

I must confess that there is a section of the zine that I wasn’t able to read because of my own stuff, but I admire the bravery in being able to share what one has been through. There’s also mention of physical abuse as well, but it’s not explored to the same degree.

Fragments Issue 5 was an intense (in many ways), interesting zine about many different life moments. If you want to check out a perzine by someone with a strong writing voice and don’t mind the content warnings, definitely check out this zine.

PS. Fragments also offers free handwriting analysis, which sounds really cool to me.

Intimacies Volume 2
Dara Idris
intimacieszine.bigcartel.com

Intimacies Volume 2 is a black and white ½ fold zine about Dara’s journey with physical intimacy, sex, and expectations told through a collection of short essays.

Dara starts volume two not with an essay but with a snippet about separating sex and even romance from the need to touch and be touch. While it doesn’t state these things directly, I feel like it does a fantastic job of setting up the fine distinctions that are to come.

Where I felt volume one was more about being unsure and contemplating the meaning of intimacy, I feel volume two is more what intimacy means and continues to mean after firsts are happening and growing relationships are explored. Simply put, there is a lot more kissing and sex in this one, but there are still questions to be answered as well as keenly feeling the difference in oneself after the firsts have happened.

It’s nice to read something that give such gravity towards firsts and ‘small intimacies’. Each essay shares a moment or a conversation about intimacy, touch, and or sex, and yet each is granted the same amount of thoughtfulness and gravity. Each is respected as a moment of change.

The only thing that got a little confusing was the use of ‘you’. I absolutely understand the use of second-person writing – especially to help with the identities of those involved, but the writing feels somehow less intimate with the reader despite the intimate writing because I’m not sure who you is from piece to piece. One might assume that you is one person, but it’s made clear in the first few essays that you is at least two different people.

I fully admit that it’s a nitpick, though. It’s something that my editor brain is picking up on, and I don’t think that it takes away from the writing in a significant way. After all, this zine isn’t so much about who as involved as it is about what’s happening.

Aesthetically, this is a text-heavy zine with very few illustrations. While you certainly won’t breeze right through it, it is possible to pick it up and put it down because of the shortness of the essays.

On a side note: I looked back at my review of Intimacies Volume 1 and realised I’d already mentioned the copyright note on the back. Still, I think “Don’t be a dick is a good rule, isn’t it?” is worth another mention.

I found Intimacies Volume 2 a tasteful and thoughtful collection of essays about intimacy, relationships, and sex. While I do think the volumes should be read in order, I think they can stand on their own if you can only grab one for any reason.

Fully Sick, Chronically Sad
Amber is Blue
https://www.instagram.com/flindersstreetstation/
http://amberisblue.bigcartel.com

Fully Sick, Chronically Sad is a black and white comic zine with a colour cover somewhere between A5 and A6 about mental illness.

I struggled a lot with this zine. Not so much with the zine itself but because I’ve been there – and am there still in many ways.

In various drawings, Amber is Blue takes us through what it’s like having a mental illness and the constant struggles coming from inside and the world around us in dealing with it. Medications can be wonderful, but wonderful meds that work are often not affordable. Therapy helps, but the current system doesn’t exactly help with consistency.

Amber is Blue doesn’t mince words when it comes to dealing with these frustrations and more. There is no mystery when it comes to how Amber is Blue really feels about these things.

As I mentioned, I identify a lot with Amber is Blue and all of the nonsense that comes with these things. I think it’s valuable to share these experiences so people don’t feel alone. While this zine stirred up a lot of feelings in me, one of those feelings was a desire to write more about my own experiences with mental illness.

I do feel I should mention one content warning, though, in that suicidal thoughts and dealing with suicidal thoughts are mentioned.

There weren’t any contact details in the zine itself, but I’ve dug up some links for you if you’d like to check out more of Amber is Blue’s work. Fully Sick, Chronically Sad has a part two and three, which I’m looking forward to checking out.

Lost Projects 4
Editor: Amy Louise Bogen
lostprojectszine@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/LostProjectsZine
IG: @lostprojectszine

Lost Projects 4 is a black and white ½ fold zine ‘dedicated to lost things and the art of staying found’.

After reading Lost Projects 3, I was looking forward to this zine to see what kind of bits and treasures it contained. I wasn’t disappointed.

I love the combination of art, comics, and written pieces in this zine and the series as a whole. In this zine, Salty Lotus aka Cynthia Insja combined unfinished pieces of art to create a whole new, complete piece. I love that idea!

Jessica Rae Moncla shares a comic that any procrastinator and/or massive list maker can identify with

I do get a special thrill when I see a familiar name in a zine. It makes the zineverse seem a bit smaller in a good way. In Lost Projects 3, I saw Fafa Jaepelt of Catzine, and in this I saw Sarah Rivka of Killing Spiders & Other Words in Spring.

If you want variety in a zine, you couldn’t really ask for more. With the dash of ‘secrets and confessions’ added in for flavour, it’s a zine I think you should check out.

Wonder Weirdness Witchcraft 1: Beginnings
Alex Morabito
@Alex_Morabito
IG: @wonderweirdnesswitchcraft

Wonder Weirdness Witchcraft is an A5 full colour zine about witchcraft.

I feel like I should premise this review with a note about how my thoughts on this zine may be biased in regards to my excitement about learning about witchcraft. I’m coming from a place of very little knowledge and perhaps had expectations of this being a zine I could learn more from.

Wonder Weirdness Witchcraft starts off with a brief intro to the zine and Alex’s plans for the zine as a series. Of all the intros I’ve read in zines, this one was very interesting. I got the impression that Alex is someone who is used to introducing what they do rather than who they are.

Don’t get me wrong – I liked reading about Alex’s plans for the zine and the social media presence they have built up under the name. But it took me a moment to realise that – besides a name and a picture – you don’t really get to Alex the person. That information might be easily available elsewhere, but I like to look at a zine in and of itself.

This isn’t a huge issue in and of itself, but with witchcraft, I think it would be good to know more about Alex (within the zine itself) before casting spells they recommend.

Unfortunately, I was left with a lot more questions than answers in the rest of the zine as well – even down to simple questions like why Alex chose to share a particular spell.

It’s certainly not Alex’s fault nor mine – Alex assumes a level of knowledge and I assumed a level of teaching. Still, I feel that making that assumption on the part of the reader means it closes itself off to readers who are interested but don’t fit the bill.

Wonder Weirdness Witchcraft is definitely pretty to look at with leaves and feathers alongside sketches used. I would have said that this would be fine in black and white, but the use of colour definitely helps add dimension to those things so you can tell that real things were used in making this zine.

As far as contact details go, Alex certainly has it covered with everything from Instagram to YouTube. While it doesn’t have anything to do with the zine or witchcraft, it could be worth checking out in regards to building a ‘presence’ online.

This zine is very possibly a good, fun zine for a knowledgeable witch but probably not the best starting point for those who aren’t familiar or for ‘witchlings’.