Going Deep: An Adult Guide to Sports
Mash and Corn
https://snakebite.bigcartel.com/
https://www.instagram.com/snakebitepress/

Going Deep: An Adult Guide to Sports is a NSFW, full-colour, US half-fold zine about the ins and outs of some sports terms with all the innuendo you could ask for.

If XYG: Examine Your Grammar – An Adult Guide to Language was the zine equivalent of dating stage flirtation, then Going Deep is when they introduce you to their collection of handcuffs and really hope you’re as excited about it as they are.

And yes. Yes, I am.

You’d think with a title like ‘Going Deep’ I’d have been a little better prepared for what I was about to read. Not so much. This zine goes right in hard on the first page with a graphic that made me gasp at first and then laugh out loud. Their intro is a brief one comparing sports to life while also pointing out that a lot of life is about sex… They even add in some interactive fun with a QR code as well.

From there the zine is broken up into sections like ‘Plays’ and ‘Penalties’. Each reference is explained in easy to read text with some illustrations to drive the point home, so to say. There’s absolutely no shyness here as Mash and Corn embrace sex, innuendo, and all sorts of fun terms that various sports provide.

I spent a lot of this zine feeling like I was on a fun night out with a couple of friends who are clearly more experienced and knowledgeable than I am – but who are also very excited to teach me. I laughed, my eyes went wide a few times, and, all the while, all I could really do is sit back and enjoy the wild ride.

Sports, am I right?

I don’t want to spend too much time in this review comparing Going Deep to XYG because I like to approach zine reviews in that way, plus it’s not necessary to have read XYG to enjoy this zine. That being said, I adore seeing zine creators grow and evolve through their work. It could be a bit of the peach fuzz of time showing through, but I feel like they’ve moved from ‘quite naughty and giggle-worthy’ to ‘very naughty and laugh out loud’ in their work. I don’t see a lot of adult-specific zines – especially to do with the topic of sex, and this was great. I’m pleasantly nervous to see what they come up with next!

I either full on laughed out loud or giggled at every single page of this zine. Maybe that just speaks to my (im)maturity level, but I think this zine is a fun must for everyone who enjoys some adult humour – even if you’re not that into sports.

(Phew. Made it through without turning everything into a dirty joke.)