Australian Gothic 1-3
Localamity
https://www.instagram.com/localamity/
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/localamity
Australian Gothic 1-3 is a set of three A7 minis of Australian themed very short stories about the Australian experience.
There was something about these minis that caught my eye when I saw them, and they didn’t disappoint.
Each edition of Australian Gothic gets right into things with six short stories – one per inner page. And when I write short, I mean short. The words are few, and the font nicely big and readable.
From the summer heat to the Aussie wildlife, these snippets of life made me smile, nod at the shared experiences, and some made me feel sad as well. Vol 1 is primarily amusing with a healthy dose of cynicism I appreciated. Vol 2 slightly more so. Vol 3 Queer Edition had the darkest tone but deservedly so, and the stories shared will hit home for many.
I was wondering how Australia-specific references would go. However there was only one story that went over my head. (Fun fact: I’m not Australian born. I’m an import.) That said, I think a lot of the stories are easy to identify with even without knowing the specific references.
I enjoyed these zines a lot and hope the series continues. There’s value in taking a poke at the human experience, and these zines definitely do that.