Category: Zine Reviews

By the Skin of My Teeth Issue One
Sarah
http://thislunaticexpress.blogspot.com.au/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/MoosZineCorner

I love all sorts of zines, but perzines are definitely my favourite category. I have a fascination with people and how they live their lives.

This perzine focuses on mental health – living with various disorders, experiences in the psych ward, and more. Sarah starts with talking about her great love – her cat, Sabby (Sabastian). I loved reading about him not only because I have a kitty I love in my life but also because it goes to show how much animal companions can mean as to people with mental health issues.

The zine does feel a little less cut and past and a little more typed pages on the computer. But she does get into a bit of drawing, photos, and handwriting, so it starts to get a bit of personality in an aesthetic sense.

While this is a perzine, it’s not strictly bits of memories. There is a book review as well as an interview with herself. I’ve only seen self-interviews a couple times, but I really like them. I think it’s a fun way to get a glimpse into someone’s head. Plus, I appreciate the variety. Heavy stuff needs to be broken up.

All up, this zine felt more like a blog on paper than a zine (I hope that’s a distinction that’s clear), but I enjoyed reading it and will be checking out the next editions.

Sex Industry Apologist
By… Sex Industry Apologist?
nine@jinxremoving.org (I have no idea if this email still works)

I was very excited when I saw this zine (and part two). The sex industry is something that I find fascinating (well, sex in general, really), but I don’t think I know enough about any of it to form an opinion just yet. So to see a zine taking the subject on was very exciting.

The first thing I feel I need to say is that this is a zine where I had to remember that I couldn’t judge it entirely on my expectations of it. While it’s certainly fine to mention when expectations aren’t met, I think it’s still important to review a zine (and anything else) for what it is. If we all judged things and people entirely on what we think they should be, then we’d be even more miserable.

I got right into this zine expecting – I’ll be frank – a bit of humour and memoir-style ramblings about the sex industry. What is actually in this zine are pieces about what it is like to work as support for sex industry workers and the kinds of prejudices that can be found there. After brief introduction, there is an article about the sex industry. But after that, there are pieces – some shorter, some longer – about events, people, and the industry itself. While it does get a little annoyed at times with the blatant ‘believe any figure quoted without checking’ culture that seems to be around with people who are dead set against the industry, it more tries to look at what’s really going on – both for the sex workers and for the people who think they know it all.

It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing zine, but the zine maker even admits that. The large texts blocks could overwhelm the casual browser, but it’s nothing an interested reader wouldn’t move past easily enough. The content is thought-provoking in ways I could have never expected. And yet, the zine-maker’s voice doesn’t shove anything down your throat. No preaching is a definite plus to something with this subject matter.

The use of references in this zine does make it feel like it leans more towards essays, but I think that’s a good thing. I feel like there is a whole ‘sub-point’ of the zine that quietly and calmly reminds you to check your facts before

Even better, there is a reference section in the back for further reading! Love.

All up, I think you really do need to be interested in the sex industry at more of a ‘passing interest’ level to enjoy this zine. This zine isn’t out to entertain, it’s there to inform. This is quite different to a lot of other media out there, so it can take a bit of adjustment. It’s still definitely worth looking into.

Work in Progress
Gemma Flack
http://www.gemmaflack.com/

In the intro, Gemma says that this is not something she usually does (make perzines, talk about herself and her insecurities, etc). Well, for someone who doesn’t usually do this sort of thing, it’s an excellent read. Hell, for someone who does do this sort of thing, it’s an excellent read. I would have assumed she’d been doing perzine stuff for years if she hadn’t stated in the beginning that she didn’t.

Anyway. I really like this zine. I know I say that a lot, but it comes with the territory when you don’t put up reviews of zines you really don’t like. Gemma has a very refreshing voice that ‘clear’ and doesn’t beat you over the head with anything. She states what her world is like and invites you in, but that is where it stays. You go in if you like, take what you will. She doesn’t force anything on you.

I really love how she ties something as complex as space travel and life on other planets with something as (relatively) simple as Star Trek and South Park. The connections aren’t forced or anything; it reads so simply and smoothly that I wonder at the fact that Gemma says she doesn’t consider herself to be a writer.

I think the thing that I appreciated most in this zine is this line in the smack dab middle piece:

I grew up not really knowing anything about feminism.

For someone who didn’t grow up with feminism, hadn’t really heard much of anything about it until university, and someone who still feels out of place when others are talking about it, it was really nice to read this. To be reminded that we all had to start somewhere – even the strongest voices.

And, as much as it means this review getting even longer, I can’t finish this review before I talk about the positivity piece she wrote. It was a ‘wow’ moment for me. I forget that we are rarely alone in our experiences, and many of mine were similar to Gemma’s. How she talked about the amount of time and re-education it took to get to a place of acceptance was a beautiful reminder that you can’t go from A to B instantly. I’m far from where she is, but I’m glad she shared her story so I know that I can get there eventually.

‘Bots is ‘Bots: Issue One
Gregg
http://botsisbots.blogspot.com.au/

Woo! This zine came as an awesome zine trade on Zines A Go Go on Facebook. Gregg was awesomely generous and sent me six issues of ”Bots is ‘Bots’.

‘Bots is ‘Bots is a set of short comics featuring Glad’Bot, Sad’Bot, Mad’Bot, and Chad’Bot. They’re ‘slices of life’ comics that aren’t really impacted by the main characters being robots. Their being robots, however, is a pretty fun quirk to throw into the mix.

It is a quick read. Not only is it a comic, but it’s a fairly uncomplicated one. I quite liked it just for that, though. Sometimes it’s really, really nice to have something that you don’t have to think about – that you can just enjoy.

What I really liked about this zine comes from my novelist side in terms of structure. The very first comic kind of stands out as not quite fitting. It jarred a tiny bit. In a structural way, I loved how Gregg brought is all back – full circle, you could say – with the final comic. I’m not sure how much that’ll make sense if you haven’t checked it out, so you should definitely check it out.

Ker-Bloom! 106 – January – February 2014
artnoose
https://www.etsy.com/shop/artnoose

“Ker-bloom! is a life history letterpress printed in installments.”

The zine world is huge and not mainstream, so it’s simply not possible to read all of the zines out there. Or even hear of all of the zines out there. So when I saw this in Sticky and realised that I’d heard of it somewhere before, I had to grab it.

The quality of the zine itself is undeniable. Textured cardstock cover, letterpress, words indented into the cover, a 300-zine print run (holy guacamole!) with the copy number, the lovely interior paper… It’s a ‘simple’ zine in its simplicity, but the materials and tools used to create it make it gorgeous.

The content inside is a snippet of live. Tales of owning real estate. I don’t know how I do it with picking zines, but I just so happen to have a tiny obsession with real estate. I don’t actually own any, but people have been known to save the real estate sections of the paper for me.

Hey. Love is love.

Anyway, that’s all there is to it. A snippet of life. A tale of heating systems. I liked it and was sad that it was over so soon.

In the end, though, Ker-Bloom is one of those zines that has the quality and reputation that leaves me feeling like I’m back in university wondering if there’s something that I’m missing that everyone understands. That could be my feelings of inadequacy, or I could really be missing something. Ker-Bloom 106 was a pleasant experience, no doubt, but it’s not going into my permanent collection. Am I missing something? Do I need to read more of them? Is it about the duration that this zine has survived?

While Ker-Bloom does have a post address on the back along with ‘artnoose’ as the name, there are no other details as to the creator of the zine or how to contact him or her. While I would usually rave on about this (I’m a lazy lurker), I get the feeling that the lack of URLs and such is actually on purpose. I could guess that it has something to do with keeping to the roots of the zine (it’s been running for a long time), or that it wants to keep with the otherwise ‘classic book’ feel of the zine. I really don’t know. So I won’t rave about it, I’ll merely mention it.

And wonder if I’m not quite understanding something.

Pieces #4 On Lucid Dreaming
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

Lucid dreaming! I love lucid dreaming. I’ve only done it a few times, but each time has been amazing. But, moving on, because this is not a review of my lucid dreams.

The beauty of having so many issues of a zine is that I get to see it grow and change. In Pieces #4, I feel like we’ve gone from life musings in a general sense to something ‘outside’ Nichole that she’s passionate about. This zine is packed full not only with her experiences but also with information on lucid dreaming – like techniques to use to help you achieve lucid dreaming.

I really enjoyed that. I feel like it’s a lucid dreaming handbook that I can refer back to when I feel the need. There’s even a list of resources for further reading, which I always appreciate.

About half of the zine is dedicated to her dream diary. Dreams are like sports to me, though: I’d rather be in the action than watching (or reading, in this case) it all happen. Even so, this zine is a keeper.

I need to learn to take better pictures…

The Third Biannual Mildly Informative Booklet Depicting Graphical Representations of General Occurrences and Observations
Sarah McNeil
A6
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SarahMcNeil

Phew! What a title! Not to be confused with Updated Report of Observations Which Somehow Seem to Reflect Abstractly on Life (Stat 2)

With pie charts like ‘Things I Put On My Various Tumbler Accounts’, a coffee flow chart, and ‘Books To Get For My Sister/Her Baby’, this is another zine that gives a glimpse into a life in a fun way. I do wonder if the zine creator has a real sense of the picture she paints of her life, if it’s simply ‘a bit of fun’, and if my picture is actually in any way accurate.

It doesn’t really matter, as most of the fun is really in not knowing. Not reading too deeply.

I love this zine as much as I love Sarah’s previous zine of graphs and charts. The addition of lists was a decision I adore (bring on the lists!). However, the thing that really got me for this zine is the first pie chart, regarding spelling occurrence wrong, which I have done today no less than five times. It’s always good to know one isn’t alone. 😉

This zine is what it is in that you’ll be able to tell fairly straight away whether you’ll like it or not. I appreciate that very much.

Pieces #3 On Writing, Drinking & Demons
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

I understand now what drives a lot of people to do this and, more importantly, the vague reasons why.

Pieces #3 is one of those zines where I want to quote everything because I identify with this, and with this, and with this…

You get the picture.

From the beginning, Nichole had me with this zine for a number of reasons. Perhaps because I’ve been so desperate to write – to actually finish something. Or perhaps because I’ve been exactly where she was when she made this zine: longing for the possibilities an altered state of mind might provide. I, too, used to look down my nose at people who did such things, but I also now understand why they do it…

As Nichole states on the first page, this zine was written over two days in a flow-of-consciousness style while she swims to the bottom of a bottle of Captain Morgan. It’s an interesting transition as the first strip of black is put on the page partway through the journey and ends with white text on a page of black – plus a photocopied, handwritten page almost as if to prove it had happened.

Even in the literally darkest part of the zine, she seems unsure to the point of needing ‘proof’. Or I could just be reading into it too much. Either way, I still feel the urge to take her out for an ice cream and tell her that I really like her zines.

The next morning in the zine dawns bright once again with black-bordered type on white pages. Attempts to write disappear completely in the wake of ice creams and conversations. While the whole thing left Nichole feeling like she wasn’t sure whether it was a success or not, I see it as the former. After all, I think producing words requires ‘getting out and living a bit’.

For the anxious and shy, sometimes that requires alcohol.

Drinking never seems to accomplish what I initially set out to do…

I hear you.

Somethin’ somethin’. Continue reading “Zine Review: Pieces #3 On Writing, Drinking & Demons”

Pieces #2 On Girls & Wondering
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

This zine is about the handful of girls in my life that really made an impact on me.

I think there is a true, deep value in being able to look at past relationships and feel the feelings without getting lost in them. In this zine, I think Nichole makes a beautiful tribute to women she has met. From her first kiss to realisations of unrequited love, we get to view the women that influenced her life as she views them.

Nichole shares her awkward moments in ways that are endearing and yet ‘are what they are’. She doesn’t indulge in fantasies of what could have been or should have been. When you’re reading, you get a real sense of how she appreciates them even though, in her own words:

…things didn’t work out the way I wanted with any of them…

What was especially gorgeous for me is that there are a couple of women who don’t have names. Why is this gorgeous? Because it reminds me that you never really know whose life you’re influencing. You might think that everybody thinks your [X], but it just so happens someone out there is too nervous to ask you out. Or even to say hello.

Love it.

Pieces #1 On Writing, Reading & Growing Up
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

This zine (and #2-#5) came through a trade I made a few years ago thanks to the We Make Zines site. Nichole prefers trades to outright sales, so my financially-challenged self was quite happy.

I had a good feeling that I would like this first one because I am an author (and was back when I made the trade, too) and love a lot of things that are writing-related. This zine did not disappoint.

Pieces takes a ‘snippets of life’ approach to her zine with, well, snippets of her life. Bits and pieces that surround reading, writing, authors and what it means to grow up as a creative person. She does skip around in time – jumping forward and back – but chronology doesn’t matter as much as the feelings of the scenes involved. While my glitchy self would have loved chronology, my free love hippie self was happy to go with the flow.

What was even better is how many experiences Nichole and I had in common. For instance, I also wrote for Young Authors when I was in school. I also started using British spellings in school only to be told a resounding no. (Yay for moving to Australia and putting extra letters in all sorts of words! Colour!) While she was not allowed to read at the table, I was not allowed to write. But we were both convinced (if only a little bit) that the characters would get up to something while we were away.

We’ve even both met Garth Nix.

I won’t give it away, but the zine ends on an exhilarating (especially if you’ve done it yourself) note that leaves you wanting to know what happened next.