Category: Zine Reviews

Ethical Sloth 4 – Happy Horror
Annika Pepita, Sandra Haselsteiner, Raoul Berlin, Nina Echozina, Lilli Loge, Tony Trouble, Patch Sinclair, Yori Gagarim, Tanja Is, Anna Bas Backer, C.C., Dana Moustache
http://ethicalsloth.net/
https://www.facebook.com/ethicalsloth/

The red splatter on the cover is actual paint, not printing. I love that! Anything that’s a little extra ‘something’ added after the printing makes a zine that much more fun for me.

With the blood spatter across the cover and ‘Happy Horror’ as a subtitle, I assumed this was a horror zine. As it turns out, it is, but it’s much more than that…

Ethical Sloth 4 is a collection of comics that takes a horror lens on all too real experiences of sexism, fear, and a lot more. I don’t think I’ve read a zine that was an assortment of comics before, and this was a great introduction to it. I enjoyed the wide variety of artistic styles, from more full page types of comics…

…to more traditional panel type of comic…

As you may have noticed, the second comic is in German (I believe), so I wasn’t able to understand some of it. But therein lies the beauty of images; I was able to get the gist of some parts.

“Piece of Meat” was my favourite of all of them, as it got me thinking and spun my expectations in just a few pages without very many words involved. I have to admire the ability to do that.

If you like comics, supporting the queer community, and zines addressing subjects like sexism, misogyny, etc, then take a look at Ethical Sloth.

Death Bring Me Freedom From My Heart For I Am Enslaved
Jenn Suxx
Guest Page by Shannon Knox
fucktheface@riseup.net
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/JennSuxx

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed any sort of comic zine. What a zine to get back into the swing of comic things with!

Death Bring Me Freedom From My Heart For I Am Enslaved is a perzine-ish tale of love and emotional abuse told in comic format.

Jenn’s art style is engaging (to my tastes). Everything is clearly detailed, but not crowded. This zine is the first time in a long time (first time ever in zine comic form) that I’ve seen sex in a comic, and it was well done. Everything suited what she was saying, and what she was saying read as completely open and not at all shy about what she’d gone through.

At first, I found it an intriguing juxtaposition to get such ‘young’ vulnerability from Jenn while at the same time reading a comic clearly set with adult situations. However, when she followed things with a bit of her childhood background, all of that made a lot of sense. Even in comic form, even in an image that clearly demonstrated the situation but left the serious blows to implications, it was hard to see how another child had been left to neglect. And the impacts of that.

The story does jump here just a smidge, leaving questions that you’re really not sure if you want to ask. In the end, though, none of them really distract from the bigger story, and all I wanted to do is casually ask if she wanted to go out for a coffee sometime.

This is definitely not a ‘light’ zine by any means. I know that the abuse I lived through certainly influenced my reading of this, but I think your empathy would have to be pretty low to not pick up on the emotions in this comic.

Jenn ends the zine on a positive but realistic note, which is all any of us can really do when processing any sort of abuse. That she has the strength and frame of mind to remind people who have dealt with similar situations that they are not alone is a lovely thing to see.

BDSM FAQ: Your Anitidote to Fifty Shades of Grey
Faith G Harper, PhD, LPC-S
FaithGHarper.com
https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/6590/

There are so many things this zine represents for the zine community. Zines can be any topic (someone taking on what bad things 50 Shades did to the BDSM community), they can be educational, and zines can (and are) written by people from so many walks of life (even PhD walks of life!).

Talk about a good start.

While the heart-shaped handcuffs on the front and back covers may give you a giggle, BDSM FAQ is serious when it comes to educating people about the basics of BDSM. In the brief introduction, Dr Harper talks about the increase in people wanting to talk to her in a professional capacity about the whole ‘BDSM thing’. This zine was born of the questions most asked in a BDSM class she taught.

I was not in personal need of an FAQ or introduction to BDSM because I was fortunate enough to know a very kind D/s couple who taught me a lot about the lifestyle. I picked up this zine anyway because I was curious about how Dr Harper would handle the subject. The whole subject reminded me a little of 7th ‘reproductive studies’ class with a large smattering if misrepresentation thanks to one set of books.

BDSM FAQ is exactly what you would want as a resource to learn about the subject. Dr Harper gives it the seriousness that any lifestyle choice deserves and treats the reader like the adult they should be if they’re wanting to learn about this. The zine also includes the best simple representation I’ve seen about what the letters actually stand for:

While the title might suggest otherwise, time is not wasted venting about 50 Shades; it’s directed where it should be: answering questions. From the words of the lifestyle you should know to how to approach things no matter what kind of relationship dynamic you have.

I highly recommend this zine if you’re merely curious, if you’re looking to start, or anything in between. The zine even ends with a positive true-life experience of a submissive to let you know that there are positive things to be found in BDSM if that is what you are looking for. And not all of those things have to include sex.

If you’re interested, Dr Harper has an assortment of educational zines about all sorts of things including anxiety, anger, adulting, coping, and more. You can check them out here.

On another note not related to Dr Harper but related to 50 Shades of Grey, here is a video from Film Theory about how Christian Grey actually uses cult indoctrination tactics (rather than BDSM practices) on Anastasia.

Pieces #11 On Connecting Through Friendships, Letters & Zines
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

I’m usually so utterly focused on reviewing things in order, but when you have a zine series you love, you make exceptions…

In a way, jumping from Pieces #5 to Pieces #11 has been interesting in that Nichole’s writing ‘voice’ has changed so much. There seems to be this level of inner acceptance in this zine that I didn’t pick up in previous zines. That’s one of the reasons I love being able to ‘stay with’ a zine series over time – people change and grow.

That being said, I was very happy to see that Nichole’s cut and paste style that I have loved over the course of this series is still going strong in #11.

Nichole talks about taking a new approach to interactions with people, the beauty of letters, and meeting penpals in person in the setting of Chicago Zine Fest 2014. The inner acceptance that I mentioned earlier really shows in the beginning pages,the very first starting with the words “hello, hello” and the second pages displaying her mailing address with an open invitation to connect.

The funny thing is that I felt this shyness come over me at such an invitation. Not unpleasantly so, though.
The zine wraps up with beautiful thoughts about cultivating ‘second homes’ – those spaces where we feel safe to stop in and comfortable enough to stay. I loved the imagery and loved being reminded of little things that I can do to make my own life a happier one.

For me, the Pieces series continues to be everything I want in a perzine in both aesthetic and content. Nichole makes me think but doesn’t lecture, and I always feel welcomed in rather than forced to watch from the outside.
Definitely grab a copy.

Fat is Beautiful
Crystal Hartman
https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/crystal_hartman
crystal_hartman@hotmail.com

Fat is Beautiful is one of those zines that made me punch my fist into air and say, “Yes!” I try not to let myself riled up about these things, but if I hear ‘it’s all calories in, calories out’ one more time… If was all just calories, then conditions like PCOS couldn’t possibly have ‘makes it harder to lose weight’ as a symptom.

Anyway, not the place for a soapbox, Nyx…

Fat is Beautiful is not a blind foray into ‘love and love alike’ (though they have their space, too). Crystal comes in firm, strong, and – even better, supported by facts and statistics.

Mmm. Statistics.

This zine is full of pieces that address the oft-touted health arguments against weight, facts about weight, calories, etc, and even the politics of facts.

It was fascinating to me to have my own preconceptions challenged not by lecturing but by showing alternate causes to the effects that we are all but beaten over the head with. For example, fat people (yep, I am doing as encouraged and using the ‘f’ word) have more health problems. However, no one mentions how much is blindly blamed on weight rather than being investigated/prevented/treated.

A recent study found that far women are a third less likely to get breast exams, gynecologic exams, or Pap smears.

Something to think about. (Again, I recall my own experiences of non-treatment – even by a female doctor.)

As much as this zine could have come off as a complete rant and nothing else, it’s actually educational and well-based in multiple resources that are listed in the back. (And, if you’ve been reading here for a while, you know how much I love it when a zine encourages me to further investigations outside the zine itself.)

The Fat Liberation Manifesto is beautiful.

My one nitpick with this zine is that some of the text has been cut off the edges of the pages to the extent that it did cause some pauses in reading to sort out exactly

Even so, this is a great zine to remind yourself that you’re not alone and/or educate yourself about not listening to everything the mainstream media tells you about weight…

Woolf Pack #4
Rebecca Cheers, Chloe Reeson, Alice Jane, Izzie Austin, K. Queene, Amelia ‘Dashurie’ Moss, Talia Enright
http://woolf-pack.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/woolfpackbrisbane

So much colour! <3

I certainly don't hold it against a zine to be in black and white (that would be silly, considering), but I can't help but notice when a zine goes full colour. And wow does it serve this zine so well. There is such vibrancy and passion in the words that the colour printing only adds to that.

Woolf Pack #4 opens with a gorgeous, colour 'merbabes' comic encompassing the ideas (I think) that being yourself doesn't mean you don't have to be alone and how today's technologies make it even easier for us to connect. I don't think I've been so 'welcomed' to reading a zine. Lovely stuff.

I don't usually point out specific stories even in collaborations because it's about the zine as a whole for me – and this zine is no exception in that I have enjoyed each and every piece in this.

Still, I have to mention the piece 'Vagina Christmas' because it spoke volumes to me in a way nothing has before. Rebecca Cheers talks about many things surrounding her experiences with vaginismus. At one point, she writes:

I made that crack about it sounding like ‘vagina Christmas’ every time I spoke to a new doctor, because I thought it mad me sound less sad.

In the moment I read that, I felt less alone in the world. How many times had I made jokes at my own expense, about my own, painful, experiences? (My personal one is the Pap smear treasure hunt jokes…) That one moment of connection made me think about the whole piece in a more personal way – especially regarding sexual education (or lack thereof).

I love being inspired to think without being told I’m an idiot.

The great moment for me with this zine is when I was nearing the end, really enjoying everything, and then I realised that the comic I enjoyed so much at the beginning utterly applied to my ‘feels journey’ with the zine itself. Woolf Pack #4 has left me feeling that much more able to be part of this community of awesome ‘merbabes’.

Woolf Pack #4: Pick up a copy.

Things I’ve Learnt From Moving To/Living In Melbourne
Lydia Martin
lydiamartin976@gmail.com

As someone who has started over, I have a special place in my heart for stories of moving to new places and the lessons learned from it. That’s why Things I’ve Learnt From Moving To/Living In Melbourne is a zine I picked up based on title alone…

Hey, it happens. Hehe.

As you may have guessed, this zine is filled with reflections on life living in the big smoke – put in numbered list form, which is a big plus to we list lovers. Lydia talks about the money, the people, the shift in thinking, and the students – oh, the students! (They’re everywhere…)

I love that that the first thing on Lydia’s list is:

I’m not as scared as I thought I’d be.

I identify so utterly with her when she writes about how so many of her protests regarding moving to Melbourne were based in fear. She really hits it when she encourages readers not to let their fears stand in there way. And while she may put one foot on a soap box, she doesn’t go into a lecture about it.

Number three on the list

There’s always so much to do in Melbourne, you feel lazy when you don’t do anything.

struck a chord with me as well. I may not live in Melbourne, but there is often so much happening in Bendigo… I enjoyed identifying with so much in a zine that I thought might be a little Melbourne-centric.

Lydia not all caution and ‘things I’ve learned the hard way’. There are positives, fun things, and I can’t think of a better note to end on than the one she chose, but I won’t spoil it…

All up, I think this is a great read whether you have anything to do with Melbourne or not. It’s about striking out on your own and figuring out a new place, and I think there are plenty of people hot there who can identify with that.

Why Am I Even Here?
Tegan
http://www.teganelizabeth.com/

When you only review two zines a week, you can still be reviewing zines from trades made in February… 😉

I met Tegan thanks to Bloomurder, and she was kind enough to trade me a couple of her zines.

Why Am I Even Here? is a travel zine, but not like any I have read before. (Admittedly, I haven’t read a lot of travel zines.) Rather than a step-by-step or ‘go here and do this’ sort of travel zine, it’s more introspective – even poetic. Passing thoughts while exploring the world without the intense focus on the place itself. Rather, the focus on the experience of the place. One line in particular hit me in such a way that I stopped to think about it for a while.

…I hate it when people stare and ruin perfect moments with their eyes.

There is a delicacy that carries through her words into every aspect of the zine. Her handwriting and even the simplicity of her biggest illustrations give this entire zine the feeling of something akin to shyness.

The best simile I can think of is that this zine is like a flower – don’t come crashing in and expecting a backpacker’s guide. If you’d like something to sit with and think about with a few landmarks to place you, then pick up this zine.

A Good Place to Start #1: Music From Around the World
Put Together By: Billy
www.iknowbilly.etsy.com
iknowbilly@gmail.com

Full Disclosure: I wrote a piece for this zine.

A Good Place to Start #1 is a prime example of an ‘I wish I’d thought of that’ zine idea that I love so much I couldn’t possibly get jealous of Billy thinking of it before I did. 😉

This lovely zine is also a great example of how zines can introduce people to things they never may have encountered without them. AGPTS #1 is the music edition of what I’m hoping will be a zine series that will go on for a long time. It includes music recommendations from:

Australia
Spain
China
USA
France
England
Italy
Mexico

(Even though I was born in the US and don’t consider myself knowledgeable about music, Billy was more than happy for me to be the ‘Australia’ component for this zine.)

I absolutely adore the scavenger hunt-esque feel to this zine. There is enough written here that I can read the zine and enjoy it as a zine. But there is another whole step to it in that I can participate in if I so choose. I can go hunting on YouTube and find myself a new world of music that I would have never known about otherwise. Even better, Billy didn’t limit contributors to ‘punk’ or ‘classical’ or any specific genre. It’s all about the love, and that makes it even better.

(Yep, I’ve already told Billy that I need to be a part of the food issue. Haha.)

I know that a beautiful thing about zines and zine culture is the paper, cut and paste soul of it all. Still, I don’t think the internet has ‘ruined’ zines. I think zines that can embrace the internet in some way while still offering something to those who’d rather not participate in the online side of things are doing all the right things to welcome as wide an audience as possible.

I think this is an utterly fantastic idea for a zine series, and I hope I get to participate in future issues. This is the kind of zine series where I can really see needing to have each and every one as part of my collection.

Definitely get in touch with Billy if you’d like to participate – especially if your country hasn’t been represented. I’m not sure if he’s still working on it, but the next issue – Classic Movies from Around the World – might still be open for submissions!

Cute
Serena Pruess & Fishspit
http://aikacooncat.blogspot.com.au/
http://wiseblood.biz/

There is something intrinsically pleasing to me when my expectations of a zine are met by a different reality. A zine called Cute with a cute animal cover, and the first line is:

There I was…in that goddamned van.

I should have known, this being co-created by Fishspit. Haha.

As much as the title and cover may take you in, this is certainly not a zine of fluffy stories. The first line is telling, but the first story is dark with a short and fuzzy ending.

I imagine at this point that I might not be making a heck of a lot of sense, but this zine is hard to describe. The stories inside are a mixture of sweet and bizarre, a combination I wouldn’t have thought would work. They sit along a range of dark humour.

Fishspit’s distinct collage style adorns the interior covers, and Serena’s adorable art is on the cover and inside. Along with a couple photographs, this makes for a well-rounded zine.

I feel like I haven’t read enough of Serena’s writing, at this point, to give an opinion on it. Fishspit’s writing is strange and bizarre in strange and bizarre ways.

The combination? Well, I’d like to read more of that.