Category: Zine Reviews

What I Have Lost
Keely O’Brien
www.kissmego.etsy.com

I seem to be reading a lot of zines lately that have ‘on the nose’ titles. Keely O’Brien’s ‘What I Have Lost’ is a mini-zine of past things gone… sacrificed unwillingly to the universe.

I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but there is something about the fact that Keely includes something stolen that I really appreciate. Maybe it’s the reminder that sometimes losing things and people are completely out of our control? Something for me to ponder.

Not only that; there is another step taken in the wishes for these things that are now gone. Like hoping that the person who found the green iPod was inspired to become a total hipster…

Aesthetically, this zine is lovely. The bright blue saddle stitching is a small but pretty contrast to the black and white of the zine itself. The cover as well as the internals are all cardstock quality. Keely is a talented artists, and the way the sketches cross over from one page to another, encompassing the whole ‘spread’, adds to the flow of reading it.

Handwriting can be a gamble when it comes to zines. Just because you can read it doesn’t mean other people again. Lucky for we zine readers, Keely’s handwriting is clear and yet whimsical in the way the art surrounding the words in. They make a perfect match, and I find myself grateful that Keely decided to do things this way.

This is one of those zines that, even if I’ve read it plenty, I’ll still go back to enjoy the art.

Queer Content #4 – An Essay on W.H. Auden’s ‘Another Time’
Wolfram-J VK
Social Media: @QueerContent

I’ve had this zine for a little while now, but I wanted to make sure to save it until I had the proper amount of time (slow reader, here) and space to really take this one in. Plus, I was a little worried that it would all go over my head…

The title really says it in that Queer Content #4 features an essay on W.H. Auden’s ‘Another Time’ along with an introduction from Wolfram in regards to the creation of this essay and why it’s important. I did find it a bit amusing that I was so intimidated by an essay – and one featuring poetry, no less – only to read:

Now I’ve never been great at academia, alright? This isn’t going to be a top-notch essay that will convince you of anything (I certainly didn’t get a good mark for it).

But the important part – and what this zine is all about – is what comes next:

What I’d like you to consider is how denying homosexuality a positive identity within a text – particularly when that text is written by a queer writer and/or intended for queer readers – can have a negative impact on both your interpretation of the text and the visibility of queer folk everywhere.

This is definitely a text-heavy zine with a lot to think about. Honestly, even from the first page, some things went over my head. However, when Wolfram gently but unmistakenly called out the lecturer (dayum!) who glossed over the subject of Auden’s homosexuality at the start, I knew I had to keep going.

As I said, some of it went over my head. Even so, Wolfram’s writing in and of itself is easy to understand and gave me a lot of small nuggets of information to ponder. Things that I simply don’t encounter in my life experience. The poems Wolfram decided to include along with the essay added to the essay very well. They were beautifully sad in such a wistful way.

I really want to share the last paragraph of an essay because it’s sad and beautiful in the same way that the poems included in this zine are, but alas, that would be like giving away spoilers. No one likes spoilers.

I appreciated the bibliography. You might think ‘it’s an essay – of course there’s a bibliography’. However, it would have been easy to leave it out. However, not only is its inclusion a way to find further reading but also says that just because it’s a zine doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of respect and form.

In the end, I think the essay did what it set out to accomplish. I found myself being frustrated along with Wolfram at the denial of such a huge part of one’s identity can be damaging both within a life as well as within historical context. I felt like this essay was, at least in part, Wolfram’s way of ‘taking back’ Auden’s homosexuality and putting it back within the proper context of his poetry and identity.

Imaginary Homework
Theo Ellsworth
www.thoughtcloudfactory.com

This zine is another offering from the Zine O Matic pack that arrived on Aussie shores a couple months back.

Imaginary Homework is a comic zine filled with imaginary homework assignments and actually started out as a real homework assignment for students of a workshop back in 2009. While ‘homework’ would seem to put a damper on anything, this zine goes to show that it can actually be pretty cool and amazing. (At least, when it’s imaginary.)

Each page has an imaginary assignment for you. From imagining interactions with the creatures pictured to contemplating metaphoricals like “Suppose you could have all of the answers right now…”

There’s something about the art in this zine that really draws me in. I think it’s all the complexity and little lines used to create each illustration. (Take a closer look at the cover as well as the picture above.) Each assignment is paired with an illustration that goes with the assigned task but also does even more to encourage the imagination of the reader.

I find myself actually wanting to do some of these ‘assignments’. Far out.

I think this is definitely a zine to keep and one that I will be reading again more than once.

Dress Up Zin – Colour, Cut & Stick
Zin (I’m Guessing)
?

I’m in the mood for something fun and cute today, and what’s more cute than this mini-zine?

Dress Up Zin is a mini-zine designed to be cut up and played with like paper dolls! (Did anyone else come across paper dolls as a kid?) On the first page is an adorable Zin, and various clothing items like hats, pants and accessories are scattered across the pages that follow – ready for you to cut out.

What’s even more fun is not only can you cut up the little clothing items and ‘dress up Zin’, you can colour the clothing yourself, too!

It’s interesting for me to see a zine that you’re actually meant to cut up. It’s so distinctly not being precious about one’s work when you tell people to cut it up. The whole aura of the prospect is interesting and different. I’d feel a little weird cutting it up, but at the same time, anything that makes me feel like a kid again is pretty cool.

The only thing that trips me up with this zine is that there is no contact/website/etc info whatsoever. With something so utterly adorable and with such fun art, OF COURSE I want to see where I can find more/get more/find out more!

Never underestimate where your zines will go or who might want to find out more.

It’s still definitely in the forever collection, though.

The La-La Theory #6: Always Already
Katie
http://www.thelalatheory.com/
Jimmy Tierney (Art) www.graphiteplayground.com

I feel like it would be a disservice to this zine to say it’s about ‘words’, and yet it is. However, it’s also about interesting words, language, strange words, strange ways to learn words (who knew old ‘learn to read’ books were so… somewhat disturbing?), finding poetry, zines, and more. There is even an interview with Manija Brown, a writer who has done manga adaptations.

So there it is: about words and yet so much more than words.

The La-La Theory 6 starts off with Katie pondering whether the thought that language is what makes us human. That reminded me of Let’s Communicate and how language can be so much more than what we humans usually think of it. When I dove straight onto that thought train into the world of world and language, I knew I had a winner.

This zine is fun and engaging in a calm way right from the start. The little things drew me in like how Katie mentioned this zine was a way of coming back to the spirit of the first La-La Theory. Even the somewhat/sort of incomplete table of contents had me smiling.

What a fun way to point to a few specific pieces.

Katie goes on to include brief etymologies (the history of a word’s meaning) of various words, a few reviews of very strange old language use books, and a piece about words that don’t have direct English translations.

The piece in this that spoke the most to me “On Finding Poetry”. I’ve said plenty of times that I don’t ‘get’ poetry and have always felt a little uncomfortable about that. So when I read this piece, I felt like Katie may as well have been talking directly to me…

A lot of the people I know feel shy about poetry. They’re not sure they understand it, they’re embarrassed of the poems they wrote when they were really young, and they’re certain they couldn’t write anything good now if they tried. But I know different: Anyone can write poems, and everyone should.

I would have bet money on me never writing a poem again and no one ever being able to convince me to do so. And yet, Katie’s surety about and love for poetry (along with tips on ‘finding’ poems) has me thinking about trying my hand again for the first time in many years.

I quite enjoyed this zine and taking in Katie’s love of words. I’m looking forward to tracking down more issues of The La-La Theory.

Literal Trash
Talia Enright
talia@feminerds.com
feminerds.tumblr.com

It’s time for something mini, sweet, and absolutely adorable.

I was just listening to a podcast today where two people were talking about how a great thing about zine culture is how you can really have an idea about anything. Specific subjects need not apply. All welcome here.

So when I was this little zine about dumpsters, well, I couldn’t help but smile.

Literal Trash is a zine featuring drawn pictures of dumpsters in different situations. This is one of those times where I really wish I didn’t have my self-imposed rule about showing the insides of zines (especially the minis) because the art inside is even cuter than what’s on the cover.

There are little slogans or words to go along with each one, and I just can’t pick a favourite. Though “Trash can! Not a trash can’t” nearly claims that title.

The full-colour suits this zine so, so well. The level of detail in the illustrations is really brought out by all the different colours. This would still be a fun mini zine in black and white, but I really think going full colour brings it to the best possible level.

While it may seem like a strange thing, I really need to point out the awesome folding on this zine. It’s totally precise, and, yes, I do struggle a little with the one-page zine edges coming together properly at the end. This zine is excellent. I love it.

Ker-bloom! 116: The Cat Who Flew
artnoose
https://www.patreon.com/artnoose

I love how some zines seem to come into my life with spectacular timing. Ker-bloom! 116, featuring a tale of a cat and moving across the country, fits the bill…

Ker-bloom! 116 is a short tale about moving back and forth and the adventures of finding the best way to get a cat from Pennsylvania to California while accounting for a toddler as well. It’s a short zine but an involving read nonetheless.

This zine isn’t going to change your life or get you thinking too deeply. (Unless you’re like me and pondering how you’re going to move animals interstate.) I say that with no disrespect, though. There is beauty and wonder to be found in the moments of our lives – in our personal stories. I found myself smiling (in sympathy, of course) at the story of the poor kitty and quite enjoyed the whole thing.

You can’t review Ker-bloom without mentioning the look and feel of it. Ker-bloom is letterpress printed, which gives everything on the cover and even the text inside a texture, which is lovely to run your fingers over. The paper artnoose uses is absolutely gorgeous, which makes the zine as much of a piece of art as it is a zine.

PS. I highly recommend checking out the Patreon page linked above to learn more about artnoose and the production of these zines.

Disabled Artist Affirmations
Birch Rosen
Birchrosen.com
Birchrosen.etsy.com
Instagram.com/birchwrites
birchrosen@gmail.com

When offered the choice amongst a catalogue of zines, I felt like I had an impossible choice ahead. However, when I read this description, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“While these affirmations are meant to be encouraging, they’re not entirely “positive” in the sense that many mainstream affirmations are. In my experience, affirmations are most powerful when they also acknowledge how unpleasant reality can be. I want affirmations that can meet me in the pit of hopelessness and despair to lift me up a little, not ones that ask me to wish or believe my way out.”

Disabled Artist Affirmations is Birch Rosen’s answer to all the fluffy ‘wish’ affirmations you see floating around on the internet – and the answer is a good one.

Straight from the beginning, you know Birch is a person who cares about the reader. On the inside cover, there is a note about how the font chosen is used in the hope of greater readability and an offer of contact for possible triggers as well as access needs discussion. While I am perfectly happy and able to read this zine, I appreciate the time taken by a zine maker to show that caring is there.

What I really love about these affirmations is that they, in their own way, address the “if you work/wish/are good enough” philosophy that seems so prevalent in many affirmations I see. The problem with those is that they imply that if the change doesn’t happen in your life, then you’re not enough in whatever way or don’t deserve it. Birch’s take on realistic affirmation acknowledges that good things don’t just shower down on good people because they are good.

The affirmation that spoke the most to me was (as a part of a larger affirmation): “…it’s not a failure to need more rest than others.”

Wrapping up with song and artist recommendations was a lovely touch (you know how much I love things to investigate beyond the blog). That and the earlier inclusion of a list of ways to use these affirmations makes this feel like a treasure box of a zine for those needing a realistic pick me up.

PS. It was awesome to see saddle stitching for binding!

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Property Zine 1.2 (Fall 2016) & 1.3 (Winter 2016)
Various contributors
@propertymaterials
Facebook.com/propertymaterials

I was going through my zines earlier today when I realised that my review for Property Zine 1.2 was long overdue – I’d already received the winter issue! And while I make no promises in terms of review timelines, I have been wanting to review these zines… and I realised I had an opportunity.

One thing I really love is watching a zine series grow and change. Whether one person or a collaboration of people is putting something together, I think it’s great to see the evolution of a project.

That’s why, my friends, today we get a two-in-one special.

Property Zine is a big (a bit bigger than an A4, I reckon), glossy zine with the feel of – you guessed it – a magazine. But you know me! I’m not one to judge, and a lack of gloss does not a zine make. It’s glossy, wonderful, and an art zine.

The fall issue is filled completely with art. Save for the cover and the first page, there is nary a word to be found. (Or contact details, but it’s well made up for in the winter issue.) What you will find are vibrantly-coloured images, photographs, and painting, all utterly well suited to the size and the gloss.

For me, art is like poetry: I don’t often ‘get’ it, but I know what I like despite a lack of being able to articulate it. No, not every piece is to my taste, but there is truly something special (to me) about the pieces I like.

The winter issue (as compared to the fall issue) is what inspired me to do the double review and take some time to talk about the evolution of a zine series. This issue has at least double the pages and includes written pieces and poetry while still sticking to its foundations in art. It lands firmly with both feet steady on the ground, thick and heavy with the confidence of a zine that is willing to expand its ideas about content.

The beautiful thing about varying your content like this is that it makes it appealing for a flip-through as well as coming back again to take a closer look and read the written pieces. I have nothing against things that stay strictly to their niche, but variety provides a much bigger net of possibility.

Also, I must say it was so much fun to see names that I know in a zine like Big Tight and Fishspit. That made me feel a sense of community in a way that I haven’t for a long time. I also loved seeing their work as presented by someone else.

All up, I’m really excited to see where Property Zine goes and hope to participate in future issues.

*Full disclosure: A piece of my art is in Property Zine 1.3

Let’s Communicate!
Text by Misha (m.murasovs@gmail.com)
https://bigtightzine.wordpress.com/
Illustration by Babs (basiahurnik@gmail.com)

Atomic entanglement. I bet you never thought you’d read those words in a zine.

Let’s Communicate! is about – you guessed it: communication. From the atomic to the cosmic, there are levels of communication you may have never known about and amazing questions humanity has yet to answer about how it all works.

Aethetically, this zine is absolutely lovely. It has a smooth, thicker cover with adorable little cell-like creatures decorating the inside front and the back. This zine is full colour, but I love the focus on blue. It’s calming and inviting. The art is a fun mic of adorable and childlike with other parts being skilled and precise.

I think what I love the most about this zine (beyond how lovely it looks and feels) is that I get this feeling of pure passion and awe from the writing. The person who wrote this is truly amazed by this universe of ours, and that feeling really comes through. While I have always had a passing interest in physics, reading about this kind of stuff in this form had me even more interested.

You might not think a science-y zine is for you, but I still recommend giving this zine a shot. It’s lovely to look and and brings up a lot of interesting things to think about.

It makes me wish for a part two!

*Special note: You might want to double-check the emails if you can because I’m not 100% sure that I’ve read them correctly on the zine.