Category: Zine Reviews

Guest Informant #1
Emma D / Luke You
guestinformantzine@gmail.com

Ah, the 100th review. I hope you’ll like my choice for the big 100th, because I certainly enjoyed it on a number of levels. Of course, it wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t tell you all about it…

I’d tell you what Guest Informant #1 is about, but I think they’ve already done a better job than I could do…

Guest Informant is a conversation zine made by Sydney zinemaker Emma D and Melbourne zinemaker Luke You. Issue number one was recorded on Sunday 19.7.2015 in Emma D’s kitchen in Dulwich Hill, Sydney Australia.

I usually leave the tactile type stuff for the end of the review, but I think I’ll put it at the beginning this time, as that’s what second caught my attention with this zine (the first being the title, which I think is very cool). I was quite enamoured with the slightly thin, slightly brown interior paper of this zine. As it turns out, they saved me the time of tracking down more info about it, as this is in the back:

…The inside pages are all 60gsm Bulky Newsprint from the intriguing Stationers Supply in Collingwood.

I love it to absolute bits in ways that don’t quite fit into words yet. In ways that make me think that I simply must have some even if I never do anything with it (more the shame if I didn’t, though).

I was actually a bit nervous at the beginning of reading this zine, as they were talking about bands and gigs. If there’s one thing I don’t know about (other than poetry), it’s the band/music scene. But before I knew it, I’d already been swept up in the flow of conversation. The conversation being what this zine is all about.

There’s something really beautiful about text on a page with nothing else. There aren’t even names or indicators to tell you who is speaking, let alone anything like body language (but for the occasional ‘(laughs)’). I imagine people who know one or both of the people involved could guess, but I don’t. When you strip that away, even stripping away things that inform our prejudgments that we didn’t realise informed our prejudgments, you’re left only with what the people are actually saying.

Reading this zine was like reading the middle of a book. No backstory. You have the main topics, but there are also the little clues like how it started with playing the flute and references to Sticky Institute in Melbourne. Sure, I have absolutely no clue about what it’s like to be a band in the world today, but it’s a natural conversation that sweeps from side to side picking up other little side topics along the way.

You would think that something like this – a conversation in a kitchen between two people – would lend itself to being something incredibly intimate bordering on secretive. While there’s nothing wrong with that, this zine really isn’t – and that’s a good thing. There is that degree of separation there, of course, but I read this feeling like it was a regular conversation between a couple of friends that might happen in any kitchen across Australia. It was good and relaxed, and it felt real. Nothing forced happening in that kitchen on that day.

At the very end of the zine, you do get a peek beyond the words to what I assume is the kitchen where the conversation took place. A lovely end to the zine.

I chose Guest Informant #1 as my 100th zine to review because it encompasses so much of what I love about zines. The feel of non-‘traditional’ materials in its physical form, the thickness of a zine that tells you there are many things to be enjoyed inside, the typewriter letters, the anything-goes kind of content the might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s out there in zine life and culture because it is welcome there. At the risk of sounding cliche, it is what it is and makes no excuses for that. Nor should it.

For that is why zines are amazing.

A Visitor In Myself #2
Nichole
www.collectingwords.etsy.com

This is one of those zines where there are so many things I want to talk about that I feel like I have to control myself lest I leave no surprises for potential readers. Haha.

A Visitor In Myself #2 is a zine written by the same Nichole who writes the Pieces series (reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). She is a perzine writer who lets me enjoy one of the best things about zines: realising you are not alone. Her writing style is introspective and thoughtful while still inviting you along to think about her life along with her. If you were sitting having a cuppa with her, you would feel more than welcome to add your thoughts to hers.

She talks about things like connecting to people on her own terms, alcohol, and expressing her needs. There is also a time gap part way through that gives her the chance to reflect a little on the things she wrote before, which adds an interesting dynamic. The different subjects are like snippets but still manage to be complete.

She also talks a little bit about dissociation (“Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.” – Better Health Victoria), and I couldn’t help but wonder if that is the story behind the title. I do love it when there are layers of meaning in things.

There is a very beautiful moment in this zine when, amongst the doubt and confusion, she writes about a moment of such clarity and strength that I wanted to say, “There! Look! Look what you did!” I identify so much with a lot of her anxieties that reading about a moment of saying, “Please don’t contact me anymore” to someone who was important (that I haven’t even read about) made me feel like celebrating that moment for her. I don’t even know if she realises…

On the experience side beyond the content (because I almost always have to mention it)…

I like her cut and paste style. She always includes things like patterned borders and images here and there, but it never feels like too much or takes away from the text. Text that is typed on a typewriter – a little addition that I love (and am a smidge jealous of). Her zines are also machine sewn, which looks good and is great at keeping the zines together.

All up, I sense another zine series that I’ll have to get my hands on.

Friday Night in West Ealing #76
K?
fridaynightinwestealing@gmail.com

This is one of those zines that I know I’ve had for a while, but I can’t really recall where or when I picked it up. Though I do strongly suspect Sticky Institute.

Friday Night in West Ealing #76 is a strong representation for how a zine can work in true simplicity. The entire zine is a double-sided piece of A4 paper that’s folded, type on the inside and handwritten on the front/back. It’s purely words – written or typed – with no illustrations but for a few hand-drawn hearts on the inside. The experience of it is somewhat like a newspaper – opening it up to read one bit and then unfolding the rest to get the whole story.

The “only words” approach in the zine world doesn’t seem like it should be that different, but it is enough for me to write this sentence saying it is.

Sometimes I wonder about my luck with things – especially zine things – because other people might not be interested in slice of life type of reading that concerns moving from an old wallet into a new wallet with all the things that get lost and forgotten in old wallets. But for me? I love finding out what people have in their purses, wallets, bags, etc.

What I love even more though? Fluid story writing. Writing that carries you along gently without you even being aware that you’re going somewhere. Writing that starts with a 22 pound umbrella and ends with putting the past away in favour of letting a new collection of wallet artifacts creep into your wallet over the years. There is something beautiful and wonderful about the small moments of a life, and I think that’s why this zine is on #76 and is still going.

The yellow of the paper is actually a lot more pleasant than what is displayed in the photo above. I love my camera, but combinations of sucktastic lighting and my limited knowledge of whether it’s best to up the brightness or exposure (or something else?!) make for some poor visual translations.

There’s certainly a mystery to this zine with only an email address on the back. It’s usually a bug bear of mine to have to go hunting for more details, but… I think it kind of works for this zine.

Don’t point back to this post when I grumble about it on other zines, though, okay?

Beer and Longing
Meg O’Shea
Pleaseusethisbag.tumblr.com

This is another lovely zine from Festival of the Photocopier. (I’ve mixed up my zines so much that I am actually happy when I remember where I got something.) This is another one of those zines that I bought because the front looked awesome. Nearly bought for only that reason, I mean. I did have a look inside to find that the quality of the outside was carried into the inside – but I’ll get to all that in a moment.

Beer and Longing is a comic about homesickness. Simply put, anyway. More than that, it’s about being a dual citizen, growing up in dramatically different places, being pulled in different directions and not being sure if either one is the right one for you.

Of course, a little of that might be my bias speaking, having grown up in one country in one hemisphere and then moving to the other side of the world.

The story is as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and the art reflects that in a way. Meg has an art style I enjoy that is detailed but not to the point of taking away or distracting from what is happening in the story. I was pleasantly surprised at the writing in this. There is a lyrical quality to it that leaves me hoping that Meg writes more stories.

The materials used and the way this zine was put together is gorgeous. I don’t see a lot of zines where the creators choose to sew the binding like I do. But Meg took this to a whole new level. No simple saddle stitch for Meg! Meg went with a Japanese four-hole binding that I have only ever seen in person a few times – and I’ve never seen it done on a zine. The beautiful thing is that it’s so appropriate to the zine itself. The Japanese stitching, the circle print on the cover which is reminiscent of the Japanese flag, the tiny Japanese type within that circle… Of course, all relating to the setting of the comic.

I absolutely adore it when creators carry themes like that in such subtle ways.

And I can’t go past mentioning that the cover and interior paper is quite nice, too.

This is a lovely zine, through and through. The whole thing just makes me want to be careful with it and treat it well so I can enjoy it for years to come.

Bus Driver Blues
Kathy Sarpi
www.kathyaudrey.storenvy.com
kathy-audrey.tumblr.com

Another lovely mini-comic zine by Kathy Sarpi, and another one for Nyx’s forever collection.

I reviewed On Motivation a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love with Kathy’s style.

This zine continues on with that gorgeous, liquidy type of art that serves the black and white oh-so-well. Her art is like a romance between ink and paper, and nothing will spoil it. A little heavy? Probably, but I am both adoring and a smidge envious of Kathy’s talent.

The way she uses the combination of thick and thin lines along with the flow creates something that I really want to see happening in a graphic novel. I want to write a story just to have her bring it to life with her art.

The story held inside is a beautiful slice of life that also serves as a reminder that you can never truly know what someone else’s live experience is. What they’ve been through. How they’ve survived up until the moment you meet them. All within the context of a short, sweet story of taking a moment to think.

<3

Wanderluster Volume #1
Wanderluster
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/WanderlusterZine

I love zines. I love mail. You know I had to check this one out.

Wanderluster Volume #1 is a full-colour zine featuring a variety of postcards from around the world. Wanderluster is a member of the worldwide postcard exchange site PostCrossing. The bias for me comes in the form that I was a member of PostCrossing, so I think there is a level of enjoyment I would have reached had I not been familiar with the site or concept.

The cover is a little plain, but the red and blue striped washi on the bottom and air mail sticker at the top leave you with no doubts as to what this zine is about. Kudos to Wanderluster for going full colour with this. While the theme – introductions – enjoyment isn’t reliant on there being colour, the visual (postcards) enjoyment is much more in colour than it would have been in black and white. I enjoyed looking at all the different postcards and the stamps as well.

Admittedly, I couldn’t read some of the handwriting on a couple of the postcards, but that wasn’t a huge hold up by any means (and isn’t really something Wanderluster could have done anything about anyway). I liked seeing how people around the world chose to introduce themselves when given such limited space to write in.

The fact that Wanderluster’s address changes a couple times gave a little scope on the time it must have taken to put this all together – a small detail Wanderluster probably didn’t even think about.

The next editions in the series have themes (so far: #2 Exciting Moments and #3 Food), which I think will make the zines even more fun.

How to Talk to Your Cat About Abstinence
The American Association of Patriots
https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/the_american_association_of_patriots

I received this in an awesome package from my US friend, Black Wolf, but I can’t for the life of me find the post… Anyway.

I think this is one of the few zines that I have heard so much about that it risked not living up to how much it had been built up in my mind. Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

It’s hard to know where to start with this one because I want to write about everything at once. There’s just so much going on here.

How to Talk to Your Cat About Abstinence is a guide for parents of cats to help them talk to their cats about the importance of abstinence. On the surface, anyway. In reality, it is a very cheeky poke at the view that ‘no sex’ is the only way to keep the youth of today safe. It addresses questions like:

*Do I really need to talk to my cat about abstinence?
*What difficulties do kittens born from premarital sex face?
*What are other things I can do to safeguard the purity of my cat?

I like how this zine is printed on glossy paper – just like the information pamphlets you’d find in the doctor’s office (or other professional offices). Is it possible to have an ironic use of paper? I think so. It’s even full colour, sparing no expense over getting the word out about your cat.

Okay, so the obvious thing that I haven’t touched yet in this review is the actual content behind the content. Taking the topic of ‘abstinence only’ teaching with religious leanings is bound to get some people up in arms, and it’s not going to be nearly as funny to some as it is to me.

I’m not going to get into the issue itself, but I do think that putting the issue in this form this way is an excellent idea. It’s accessible, non-threatening…

And, if you want, you don’t have to think too hard, and you can get a good laugh.

I so very much want to read ‘How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety’ and ‘How To Talk To Your Cat About Evolution’.

Hello My Name Is: A Zine About Living With Mental Illness
Kendy (MissMuffCake)
www.missmuffcake.com

Full disclosure: I contributed to this zine. 🙂

I wasn’t sure if I should review it given that fact, but I think I’m not too biased to give an opinion that’s not influenced by my participation.

If anything, the content itself – mental illness – makes me more biased than my participation. Hehe.

Hello My Name Is: A Zine About Living With Mental Illness is just that. It features a collection of people who introduce themselves, their mental illnesses, and how they don’t let those mental illnesses define them.

I feel like I am doing a disservice to the zine by summing it up like that because I know, not just from contributing or personal experience, how huge and import it can be to stand up and talk about your mental illness. That it is on paper makes no difference to the impact it has for the person sharing.

It was lovely to read people sharing the ways they perverse. There were also differences in the way people responded to the prompt, which I found interesting. (Tell five people to do the exact same thing and you’ll still likely get variations.) I loved reading about how people ‘beat the stereotypes’ and yet there was no anger or resentment in their words.

Aesthetically, this is a simple (no negative connotations attached to the word) with a picture and a paragraph per person. I think, however, that this is perfect for the content. The whole point of this zine (I think) is to show that people with mental illness are still people. They don’t need to be dressed up or changed for the sake of being appealing to the masses.

Neither does this zine.

I hope to see more of this. The shortness of responses appeals, the content appeals, that you can see the faces of the people who are introducing themselves only adds to it.

More please. 🙂

Mini-Moss: Log / Mini-Moss: Dognapped
Tegan Elizabeth / Becky Nosiara
www.etsy.com/au/shop/incaseofdystopia

I know it’s April 1st, so Mini-Zine March is over, but I didn’t want to have this Friday all on its own without a mini-zine. Plus, I really wanted to squeeze this one in as part of the MZM stuff.

I received this zine in trade at the Festival of the Photocopier. The idea of a science fiction zine intrigued me, and the fact it was a mini-split-zine made it all that more appealing. There’s always something a little special about split zines, and I like it when they split it by putting one part in one direction and the other in the opposite direction (reading one means the other is upside down).

Plus, to completely judge a zine by (one of) its cover(s), how could I pass up a bourbon bottle floating in space?

As for the actual stories, you can check out excerpts on the Etsy listing.

Log was a great example of how, in short stories, you can tell such a massive story in fewer words. The implications and the references were used well in that they told a lot without being confusing. Beyond that, though, is the concept of anxiety in space. I’ve read it before, but this was more… my kind of anxiety. In space. I wish I was more articulate so I could express the difference. Anyway, I quite liked it.

Dognapped was quite a funny piece. “Completely starkers.” I love the phrase so much and had an out-loud giggle when I read it. I’m not quite sure what else to say about it for fear of spoiling it.

The best part? How these two stories relate to each other. I almost wish I could wipe my memory to find out what it would be like to read Dognapped before Log so I can find out how the influence of feelings would go if read in the opposite order.

My only little bugbear with this is that there is no contact information. Nary a URL to be found. With zines, you never know for sure if that’s intentional, but I’m a lazy fangirl. I like to be pointed in the right direction.

On Self-Motivation
Kathy Sarpi
www.kathyaudrey.storenvy.com
kathy-audrey.tumblr.com

Hello, zine I bought on first sight! Sometimes, you just know about a zine, and I just knew about this zine when I saw it on sale at Festival of the Photocopier.

No regrets whatsoever, and we have another lovely addition to my ‘forever keeps’ zine pile. Lurve.

I love the art style in this zine. On Self-Motivation really tempted me to break my ‘no pictures of the insides’ rule in regard to zines. Luck is with us, however, in that I have no such qualms for posting awesome little pictures that happen to be on the back cover.

Kathy’s style reminds me of graphic novels I used to read when I was younger – the Boneville series, I think it was called. I’ll probably look back and see that they’re nothing alike, but what I’m trying to get at is I love the combination of thick lines and thin details coming together to create something that manages to look so fluid. Everything is sort of round and squishy.

Given the content of the zine (self-doubt, fear of failure), I think it’s perfect. Whenever I am having a bad day or am on the cusp losing it in some way, I always describe it as ‘melting into a puddle’. Thus the art is perfect in a subtle sort of way. Plus the message itself is a beautifully simple one that we creatives need to hear. Sometimes often.

Anyway, all up?

I want to give this zine to all of my friends who create to remind them that we all doubt.

(Plus, I should keep this on my desk at all times to battle on my behalf with the Doubt Monster.)